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daughters weight

22 replies

voiletrose · 26/05/2026 20:36

Is getting out of hand 4ft5 and size 8-10 Women She has a type of hip dysplasia so needs pain medication after a pe at school and I have chronic pain so My ability to exercise her more isn’t possible her dad will give her unlimited whatever & and I try to encourage her to eat nutritious food fruit meat diary in a child portion I do give her more food but she’s bigger than I am I am 5ft 2 size 6-8 and I am scared she’s going to be unhealthy sick and bullying target shes about to turn 10 years a bit of hormones kicking in as she needs a shower first thing and deodorant and boobs but they maybe more weight related but no period or body hair I breastfed I made every vegetable fruit meat from scratch when weaning she got fussy around 7 years and refused to eat for a week and she had been picked on by a friend about eating meat became a vegetarian and she gained weight steadily I am concerned that My constant are you sure that you are actually hungry it’s fruit or vegetables or nothing or you aren’t hungry maybe isn’t hitting home I don’t want to hurt her feelings and she is very sensitive in general I had Ed as a teen and adult I still struggle wanting to binge when depressed as my parents hated that I got fat at the same age and my whole family is skinny both sides so I was not tolerated I wasn’t allowed food unless it was given and my mother got angry when I asked for clothes and extra food I didn’t want to not allow her freedom to self regulate Thats why I tell her not any nutrition in that think of your body it needs vitamins sweetie My husband has ADHD and is very large 4xL 6ft2 and has no willpower with food so he is unhelpful
I need advice from mothers who have navigated this advice

OP posts:
ApolloandDaphne · 26/05/2026 21:44

I think maybe it's you who has the problem. You clearly have some issues around body image. Leave her be and offer her nutritious food when you can. Don't make a fuss. Also you can't "exercise her more". She isn't a Labrador.

RoseInBloome7 · 26/05/2026 21:47

^ This 💯

HortiGal · 26/05/2026 21:48

You clearly have a very bad mindset towards food due to your childhood, do not put this on your child, constant asking are you sure you’re hungry will lead to a secret eater, stealing food.
Also; that was a hard read with no full stops or paragraphs.
Odd that you’ve not tried to change your husband, is it just females who are to be skinny?

ChunkyMonkey36 · 26/05/2026 21:49

I have an overweight hormonal 10 year old, and a personal history of ED.

For me that’s meant to I absolutely refuse to give him any reason to believe we think less of him because of his size, or even to make a big deal out of it. I will not encourage or enable him to develop a weight complex or an unhealthy relationship with food/nutrition.

We present him with healthy food choices, and allow him treats every now and then, because I don’t believe in overly restricting children.

He would have no idea those changes are happening, because they’re done before the food even arrives on his plate, and we have never mentioned his weight to him.

voiletrose · 26/05/2026 22:08

My husband struggled with his weight up and down He is medically unable to take ADHD medication so it does not help his yo yo weight I love him big medium to small I don’t have a issue with my weight I have a small frame my weight is 118 and I have been large I asked for advice for my child not a males get to be big and girls should be tiny I don’t believe in that it’s purely health my daughter is intelligent fun kind perfect as close to perfect person as I could possibly imagine And I am concerned for her health not her looks she is beautiful I wrote her dress size as I don’t weigh her as she is a child and I don’t want her to have a complex around numbers my gp thinks I should weigh less than I do now male 118 pounds its not something I want

OP posts:
IndieRocknRoll · 26/05/2026 22:18

You are projecting your own worries and insecurities on to your daughter.
A size 6-8 is tiny - why does she need to aspire to be the same size as you? This isn’t achievable for most women and if you’re not careful you are really going to cause her to have an unhealthy relationship with her body and food. Puberty is a really tricky time for girls anyway.
Offer her healthy snacks and sensible portions of home cooked food and that it’s. Step away.

ApolloandDaphne · 26/05/2026 22:35

Why do you think girls should be tiny? Girls can be all sorts of shape large and sizes just like adults are.

asparagusffern · 26/05/2026 22:44

Gosh, there's a lot to unpick there. I had an ED as a teen so I know how complicated it can be. It sounds like your family were very harsh with you, I can understand how difficult that must have been.

You need to be very careful here because you are setting your dd up to have an ED herself. Putting so much emphasis on her size, how she looks, what she is/isn't eating, what she should/shouldn't eat. etc is giving her a lot of negative messages about herself and food.

I think you need to find a therapist who's experienced with EDs and talk this through with them. They'll be able to help you reframe your relationship with your dd and her eating and get her on a healthier path with food.

Eating disorders are SO complex, it's not your fault that you're thinking like this, but please get professional help with this for your dd's sake.

itwillgowithoutahitch · 26/05/2026 22:51

IndieRocknRoll · 26/05/2026 22:18

You are projecting your own worries and insecurities on to your daughter.
A size 6-8 is tiny - why does she need to aspire to be the same size as you? This isn’t achievable for most women and if you’re not careful you are really going to cause her to have an unhealthy relationship with her body and food. Puberty is a really tricky time for girls anyway.
Offer her healthy snacks and sensible portions of home cooked food and that it’s. Step away.

A 6-8 is not TINY. It is slim but not tiny.
Would you say a 18-20 is HUGE?
Same thing.

Jk987 · 26/05/2026 23:17

Go swimming together, somewhere with a water slide. Swimming will be good for you both.

IndieRocknRoll · 26/05/2026 23:32

itwillgowithoutahitch · 26/05/2026 22:51

A 6-8 is not TINY. It is slim but not tiny.
Would you say a 18-20 is HUGE?
Same thing.

I would say a 6 is tiny and a 20 could look huge on a 5ft frame for example.
It’s semantics though. The average woman is not a size 6. It would be a size XS in most shops.

itwillgowithoutahitch · 26/05/2026 23:57

IndieRocknRoll · 26/05/2026 23:32

I would say a 6 is tiny and a 20 could look huge on a 5ft frame for example.
It’s semantics though. The average woman is not a size 6. It would be a size XS in most shops.

As would an 18-20 be an X large. Does that make someone HUGE?

Would a size 6-8 be TINY on a small frame like the OP? Absolutely not.

IndieRocknRoll · 27/05/2026 08:56

itwillgowithoutahitch · 26/05/2026 23:57

As would an 18-20 be an X large. Does that make someone HUGE?

Would a size 6-8 be TINY on a small frame like the OP? Absolutely not.

Ok 👌

Floppyearedlab · 27/05/2026 08:59

Never mind her weight, why are you unable to use punctuation?

WaitingForMojo · 27/05/2026 09:03

itwillgowithoutahitch · 26/05/2026 23:57

As would an 18-20 be an X large. Does that make someone HUGE?

Would a size 6-8 be TINY on a small frame like the OP? Absolutely not.

This is a really unhelpful comment to make in the context of Eating Disorders. You do know you’re on the ED board?

TheBlueKoala · 27/05/2026 09:15

You need to change your mindset about food. Concentrate on all bodies need instead of what they don't need. Educate your child about the importance about eating varied meals in order to get all vitamins etc.

Lougle · 27/05/2026 09:37

It's natural for a girl to put on weight as she approaches puberty. It sounds like she's ready for a growth spurt, too. Keep offering healthy food and snacks with occasional treats.

Mummyoflittledragon · 27/05/2026 10:08

Are you truly recovered from your ED op? Because I’m wondering if your eating at some stage turned to restricting to get to a size 6/8. There’s recovered, where you’re in a healthy weight range, but still have disordered thoughts and behaviours. This is not true complete recovery. And there’s truly recovered, where all ED thoughts and behaviours are gone.

As for your dh, his eating sounds disordered and he, and to a greater or lesser extent you as well, are passing that onto her. Asking your dd if she is sure she wants something is anxiety inducing, especially whilst your dh gives her whatever he wants to give her and she wants to eat more so, and confusing. This is all setting her up for ED.

Then maybe think about genetics. Some people have a tendency to hold more weight pre puberty. Dh and I definitely did and slimmed down in our teens. So there could be an element of this going on with your dd. I’m just saying this, because you’re perhaps panicking. And look at the year 6 girls. They growth spurt massively from the start to the end of the year, and it’s normal to carry a bit of extra weight before that happens. Your dd may just end up doing that a bit earlier if she’s started puberty already.

If you want your dd to eat in a balanced way, it would also be good if your dh could do that as well. It sounds as if he has no idea of portion control. And I can imagine you are going to need some specialist advice on diet from a dietician specialising in ED. Do you have the funds to get some help privately?

The way to go is to reduce simple carbs, increase protein and fruit / veg. Aim for complex carbs. The idea being that your dd grows upwards and hits a healthy weight range in the process. Eating protein keeps you satiated for longer and reduces the urge to reach for the biscuits and sweets. So next time your dd comes to you asking for a snack, you could also offer a little piece of cheese (eg a babybel) with that fruit, because it will slow absorption and keep your dd’s blood sugars stable reducing the sugar spikes.

As @ChunkyMonkey36 said, she deals with the food issue before it hits the plate. I think that’s the way to go at age 9. You can make muffins / cakes with 50% less sugar and increase the egg content. Use wholemeal flour. No icing. It’s all about thinking about ways to give your dd a bit of what she wants in a healthy way. And please don’t give her low / reduced fat. That won’t help. Fat doesn’t make you fat.

I would also be trying to get your dd to eat meat again as a priority. Make her favourite meals regularly and eat them in front of her. After 2/3 times of making the same food, offer her a bit from your plate to try, stuff like that. This is because it is not easy to get all of your protein needs from a plant based diet. She should be taking an b12 supplement at the very least. So your dd needs to be eating far more protein than if she were eating meat. Idk what protein she is eating, but that’s a lot of beans and pulses as well as eggs and cheese. Can you talk to her about that? Increasing her protein intake. If she’s fussy, she will likely be horrified.

Age 9, you can’t force her to eat meat, but you can tell her she needs more protein and explain why. Ie it gives you energy. And she needs it to grow into a big girl etc. That may be enough to get her eating meat again.

My dd was always difficult with food, textures etc and to get her to eat vegetables, I told her they made her hair shiny. Maybe you can do the same sort of thing with some foods as well. And I’d be talking about those girls, saying maybe they don’t realise that our bodies need protein and meat is the best one for that. Bla bla bla.

Mummyoflittledragon · 27/05/2026 10:09

Floppyearedlab · 27/05/2026 08:59

Never mind her weight, why are you unable to use punctuation?

Please. This is the Eating Disorders board.

gindrop · 27/05/2026 10:21

OP, your height and weight put you right in the middle of the BMI healthy weight category so I think it's unlikely your GP said you should lose weight. Do you think you've misinterpreted something?

If your daughter is overweight (I'm not completely clear if she is or not from your post) then it's a good idea to make her meals a bit healthier, swap out unhealthy snacks, try to be more active etc. But it's possible your previous ED is giving you a warped perception of her weight.

itwillgowithoutahitch · 27/05/2026 10:47

WaitingForMojo · 27/05/2026 09:03

This is a really unhelpful comment to make in the context of Eating Disorders. You do know you’re on the ED board?

Yes, I know where I am and NOBODY should be using those words to describe a healthy weight. SO tired of people commenting on a healthy size for your frame and describing it as teeny tiny.

BigBrownBoogyingBear · 27/05/2026 12:17

An adult size 8/10 is large for a 9/nearly 10 year old.

I'd keep an eye on portion sizes, fill her plate with lots of vegetables and salad alongside a decent child-size portion of carbs and protein.

Don't keep too many unhealthy snacks in the house.

Are there after school sports clubs she could join?

Keep the conversation about health and fitness rather than weight. If you can keep her weight stable then she'll grow into it.

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