Daughter struggling to put weight on

[minimees]

My daughter went through a bad break up last year and lost a lot of weight which she is struggling to put back on.
She does eat proberly not enough as her stomach has shrunk and food just doesn’t seem to be important in her life we have to remind her to eat and when she does it’s not enough.

She is always going to be a slim build just like her dad but clothes just hang off her.

can anybody recommend a good protein shake / powder that tastes nice and has tons of calories in in for weight gain ?

Are you absolutely sure that she doesn't have an eating disorder @minimees?

Does she want to put some weight on?

Poor girl! How old is she? And as Rappers said, does she want to put weight on? Do you think it's physically she can't eat more, or mentally? Perhaps some therapy might be the first port of call to help her work through her feelings about the break up. Sorry if that's already in hand, but if she can work through her feelings, she might naturally start eating more.

As for shakes, MyProtein do some quite nice ones. You could also throw in a scoop of full fat icecream and some peanut butter to add calories. Or maybe, you could go out together for a shake (or a burger and shake) as a mum and daughter thing, make it a habit and then it's not really a "thing" and whilst it's not the healthiest thing, empty calories aren't always a bad thing when trying to stimulate appetite. It might also be an opportunity for a casual chat for her to help her articulate her feelings without the pressure of a therapy setting.

My 16 year old daughter is built and eats like my husband, they only eat to live, whereas I live to eat. She's under the 1st percentile on the NHS height / weight chart... She eats healthily, loves her fruit and veg and definitely doesn't have an eating disorder, she just really isn't bothered by food most of the time. But she can put away a Five guys burger, fries and shake, which must be about a gazillion calories. Unfortunately there isn't one close to us and we only go near one about 3 times a year.

Good luck helping your girl, it's difficult!

Yes she does, she actually cries about it

Ok so I was in a similar position as a teen after a quite major accident. I put some weight on initially but then plateaued and couldn't get anywhere near the weight I should be.

You need to watch what you're buying with protein shakes as different types have different purposes and if she's not lifting weights and exercising they're full of quite a lot of junk and probably not going to be very beneficial. Some leave me feeling very bloated and actually less like eating proper food. Have a look at the type of diets bodybuilders do and add ideas from that - she needs low bulk but nutrient dense foods......lean meat (chicken, turkey, even steak), eggs, oily fish, "good fats" such as nuts, avocado, use full fat dairy, add grated cheese to things like pasta or salads, drizzle salads with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Sorry pressed send too soon.

The GO gave me a diet sheet but I'm assuming these days she may be referred to a dietician? You might also want to ask the GO to check thinks like vitamin levels.

Is she doing any muscle building exercise?

And have a look at this guide on nutrition for teenagers.

Have you had her iron levels checked? My teenage son has had anaemia on and off and his appetite gets very subdued sometimes. I have found iron supplements help, but spatone or another gentle one is best so to not irritate the stomach. Sounds like there is a psychological aspect to it but might be worth considering a minor physical cause for lack of appetite.

I've had an eating disorder and what I did to gain weight was eating snacks between meals as I couldn't eat much on one go.
Bananas cheese biscuits.
Also take the focus off food.
Nothing makes you anxious about eating as much as everyone going on about it.
I would check she isn't depressed still.

Forgot to say daily multivitamin.

I'd try and see a professional dietician or nutritionist. I'd be very cautious of protein shakes, they're full of additives and other rubbish. Might be worth getting blood tests to check for a reason she's not putting on weight. And see if she would consider having some counselling as well.

Good call by hopeful. Anaemia can definitely affect you like this and Spatone is very gentle.