My 9 year old is on a diet - but she's so skinny! HELP!?

Question

When my little girl started school, age just 4, there was a lesson about the need to have a healthy heart.
After that, she refused to sit down - running round everywhere... at bedtime she wouldn't go to sleep. She told me if she didn't excercise, she was afraid her heart would stop!

I complained to the school & spoke to our health visitor.
We never really managed to overcome the hyper-activity that resulted (buying her a Ninetendo DS has helped her to keep still).

Her diet has never been right. I was still spoon-feeding her when she was 7 because that was the only way I could get food inside her
(she preferred to just drink milk).
(I tried letting her starve, as advised, for a short time, but that didn't work).
She eats very, very little! I took her to a paedicitrician, when her weight was worrying me & the GP. She agreed to eat more.
But after a few days, she reverted back.
She only eats a bit of pasta & some fruit.
& Now, a few weeks later, she says she is on a diet!

Answer 1

i really think now is the time to get serious help. i think the focus should be taken off of her not eating and put onto why she feels this way, otherwise no matter what tactics you use to get her to eat she will go back. i would go back to the doctors and demand some sort of counselling/intesive therapy not only for her but also for the family in how to help her (and yourselves) get through this. i wish you all the best, take care

Answer 2

Sit her down and talk to her. Tell her that it's great that she wants to be healthy and active but that even the extreme of that can hurt her. If she hardly eats anything and is always running around that can put stress on her heart. She needs to sleep so that she can grow and her mind and body can function better. She needs to eat so she has enough energy to do daily things. Maybe explain it like a car needs gas? And assure her that sleeping and eating normally won't hurt her or stop her heart. You may need to get her peadiatrician to talk to her about it. If she's a picky eater, a lot of children are you can buy neat little cutters to cut vegetables and fruits into star shapes or hearts, and hot dog cutters that'll make the hot dogs look like a penguin and such. Maybe arrange the food so it looks appealing. Surprisingly it sometimes works, I've babysat a kid that claimed to hate carrots but loved orange (carrot) stars.

Answer 3

So its not ideal for a nine year old to be on a diet but it is just a word. Let her be on a diet, she will have no idea what constitutes one so get her to eat more - tell her people on diets have to eat their vegetables. As she was so obviously influenced by the desire to be healthy use it as a means to get her to eat more. So far not eating has got a result i.e. more of your attention, why feed yourself if someone else is wiling to do it. Your child will not starve to death but she knows that she can hold out longer than you can.

Answer 4

Sit her down and talk to her quietly. First, stress to her that you love her and that you and her doctor wouldn't do anything to hurt her. Then explain that God loves her and all children and won't let her heart stop beating because she misses exercising and that He is against doing anything in extremes. Then (if needed) calmly and gently explain to her that you have more experience in these these thing and thus you know better than her what is best for her body at this time. Brook no argument. Use discipline. Tell her if she doesn't do what she is told to do she doesn't get to do what she wants to do. It sounds like you are letting her decide what she does and when she does it. You have to put your foot down as the grown-up and do what is needed to protect your child from herself. Good Luck and God bless.

Answer 5

I think you should take her to see a nutritionist and quickly if you go to your doctor they should arrange a dietician and hopefully your daughters issues can be resolved before they go too far I understant that having children is hard and Im sure you are doing an excellant job but sometimes there are other factors so maybe a counsellor could get to the root of your daughters insecurity even children have stress issues but do not blame yourself just concentrate on helping your little girl. xx

Answer 6

Well I can't really help ya out but if the problem is all her running around and thats the reason shes losing weight you should lay down some stricter rules... I notice a lot of parents like to baby their kids and let them do all that running around and being hyper. You need to tell her to sit down, if she gets up and starts running around and doing what she wants again you need to spank her really hard. It's kind of like having a dog, show them who's boss. If she won't eat, spank her. She will eat.

Answer 7

Explain eating healthy is fine but she still needs to eat her main meals to stay healthy. Being under weight can be just a serious as over weight! If she responded like she did to the info of keeping her heart healthy, then tell her what can happen if she doesn't eat properly. that should work, it usually work with my students! :)

Answer 8

I'm assuming that TV has a lot to do with her new obsession. Take her to a nutrician, look up ideas on healthy eating habits together, involve her in getting the facts straight... and monitor the TV.

Answer 9

I used to be same .. but my mom told me if I don't eat right and just jump and run then my body doesn't have enough energy and my heart would have problem again so.. she told me to eat as much as I can have energy for jumping and swimming and things like that..

Answer 10

She would favor to bypass decrease back to the overall practitioner. Her sugar stages may be too low or intense, her bloodwork would coach an infection which may reason low weight, and he or she would favor to be placed on a particular nutrition routine like the Hills Prescription nutrition routine nutrition. the merely thanks to attraction to close is to visit the vet's place of work.