daughter is starting to count calories aged 12 (soon 13)

[welshie10]

can anyone put my mind at rest on this. I discover my 12yr old (and tiny) daughter is counting calories -and has cut down on food -requesting just a cucumber sandwich yesterday evening even though I was prepared to make what she wanted and had a lasagne already in the oven.
My sister suffered with eating disorders as I was growing up and my niece has just conquered hers -I am very tuned in to all of the manipulation and secrets that go all with this kind of stuff and am terrified we are on the cusp of it.

No idea, sorry. Can you repost this somewhere busier. It sounds worrying to me.

A twelve year old should not be counting calories and dictating what she wants to eat. Even if she were overweight, the sensible thing to do is to get advice from a dietician to make sure she is getting the right nutrients, but from your post above you state that she is tiny and therefore does not need to lose any weight.

My advice to you is to nip this in the bud immediately. Weight loss - whether from a diet or illness - can trigger an eating disorder in a vulnerable person, and it does seem that there may be a genetic tendency if your sister and niece have suffered in the past.

If you are worried please take her to the GP and see this website www.aroundthedinnertable.org/?forum=136439

and this one www.feast-ed.org/

I do hope that all is ok but there is a great deal of information on these sites.

My DD suffered last year as a result of losing her appetite due to anxiety over problems at school, but we have her back on track and she is happy and getting on with her life. Let us know how your DD gets on.

Hi Welshie,

Given the family history, I would be taking this stuff very seriously.

There's a youth helpline on www.b-eat.co.uk/Home they might offer some good advice.

Not really any help but my almost 12yr old DD complains she is fat ( she is anything but), but is constantly hungry and looking for food!