Losing too much weight - 15 year old

[Laura032004]

Not sure if this is the right forum, but hope you can all help.

My sister is nearly 15, and my mum is worried that she is losing too much weight. She was a size 8, but has asked for new school uniform as it's getting too big for her. That's too slim IMO as she's 5 ft 6 tall. We're not sure of her exact weight, but not sure if trying to get her weighed is the right thing ATM.

Anyway, the main problem is that she's at boarding school, so we don't have much control over her eating. Also she's vege, so says that she doesn't like what the school cooks.

In a month, she'll be home for 2 months for summer holidays, and I'm looking for ideas on what to feed her, so she'll gain some weight. We're all long-term Slimming World followers in my family (she's the only slim one ) so I guess we've forgotten how to cook 'unheathily'. Is it just a case of adding loads of cheese etc to her meals? What else is quite high calorie without just being rubbish?

Thanks for your help.

Not sure but bump!

Things that spring to mind are avocados, olive oil, nuts (brazil, walnut etc), wholemeal bread - try looking at what can constitute one of your 'healthy extras', and making sure she gets plenty of those.

She does sound rather on the skinny side to me, but what do I know - am still at the opposite end of the scale!

Laura, just wondering - do you think your sister might have weight issues (rather than just being a bit too skinny if you see what I mean)?

I ask because as I understand it, if it's a slimming/weight problem, the real problem might be more about her self esteem/body image - in which case, trying to fatten her up like a Christmas turkey wouldn't really work.

Of course she might just be struggling with really yukky school dinners - bulk cooking not usually very good from the vege point of view.

would she say her uniform is too big if she had weight issues???

Thanks for all the replies. Good idea Tabs about concentrating on the HE from SW. Should have thought of that myself (ex SW consultant ).

WellieMum - I'm really not sure about whether or not it is a weight issue. Some things she says do worry me - like not wanting fattening puddings, when everybody else in the family happily tucks in.

However, she is very pretty (not that they ever realise), has a nice boyfriend, does very well at sports and is the slimmest of her friends, so it 'shouldn't' be a self esteem problem. I do think it is a bit of conciousness of fattening foods coinciding with not liking foods at school leading to her losing weight.

She is very proud of the fact that she is the slimmest of my mum and her sisters, so she doesn't ever try to hide her weight. Not sure if this would be typical of somebody with a weight issue, but having spent hours reading previous similar threads last night, everybody is different.

Are her school aware of your concerns? It may be related to the enviroment she is in? - if it is a Girls School and they are Boarding together....have heard that this can happen at girls schools in my local area and they are not boarding, so not spending as much time together!

My mum has spoken to the Matron in her boarding house, but not the house mistress, who is a teacher at the school. Apparently my sister doesn't want the house mistress informed as then she will be put on a food report. I think that the Matron should have told the house mistress anyway, but I'm not sure that she has.

Re the environment - not sure really. I was at boarding school too, but losing weight wasn't really something that we ever had a problem with .

I think that my mum should make the school formally aware of her concerns. I don't know if the food report will help, but at least then she could be weighed and this could be monitored. My parents go overseas soon, so they'll lose the ability to monitor her weight closely.

It's difficult to know what's right to do.

Could it be related to your parents moving overseas? Just an idea, but how does your sister feel about this? It MAY be a way of her dealing with it, or is she OK about them moving?

Sounds like she does need some help but not much help on this subject as I have always loved my food

Hope someone else on the boards maybe able to come up with something for you and your sister

FIMAC1 - thanks for your input. Hadn't really thought about that TBH, as presumed she was happy.

My mum had a chat with her, and really doesn't think that there is a deep problem, she just isn't eating properly as she doesn't like school food. She's been sent back to school with lots of peanut butter, choc spread, dried and fresh fruit and nuts and seeds to hopefully keep her diet up a bit.

Her weight wasn't as low as we thought - 7st 10 for 5ft 6. She was weighed at a chemist, and mum is going to repeat in two weeks to check that it's not going down. She's been told that if it does, she will have to leave school and go out to Cyprus with them, which she apparently doesn't want, so hopefully that will do the trick.

I'll let you all know how we get on. Thanks for your help!