From Gail, Child's Age 4 - 03/01/08 - IP#: 217.184.242.xxx Click here to reply
My daughter is 23 years old and she is a compulsive overeater. She is a single mother of a little girl who will turn five in May. The father of the girl has left my daughter when the child was 17 month old and she never heard of him again. My daughter than began to overeat and drink to much. She quit the drinking over a year ago but continued to overeat. The little girl has always been a little chubby but in the last six month her weight has really increased. She gained at least 10 pounds. She already carries quite a belly. She weights a little over 50 pounds my daughter told me. I'm not sure how much a child of that age should weight. My daughter also told me that she allows the little girl to eat candy quite often, because she doesn't know how to explain her, why mommy is eating so much candy but why the child can't have it. The little girl spend the last weekend at our house and my husband and me were surprised how much the girl ate. She ate very rapidly and an amount of food, that I think is large for a four year old. She really stuffes herself at meals and always asked for second helpings. I'm really concerned about my granddaughter and want to help her. I know that I can't help my daughter as long as she doesn't want help with her eating disorder, but I want to help my granddaughter, I just don't know how. Can a child at that age already have an eating disorder or I'm just panicking because of my daughter?
Reply from sue, Child's Age 14 - 04/07/08 - IP#: 70.44.232.xxx talk to me in the chat room at 8:00 eastern time...my daughter has weight problems too
Reply from Shay, Child's Age 25 - 03/28/08 - IP#: 98.193.28.xxx Gail, as a grandparent who does not live with your granddaughter, you are unfortunately at a disadvantage. What you can do is when she is at your house, make sure to serve healthy food. That way if she is getting seconds, at least it's of a vegetable. Let her have more fruits and vegetable before you let her have more pasta or junk food. Also, when I used to go to my grandparents' houses, there were always lots of cookies and sugary cereals. Try to limit those as much as you can. You don't mention your age, but since your daughter is younger than I am (which makes me feel old) I'm guessing you're probably pretty young. Take advantage of that! Get active with your granddaughter. Go for bike rides, nature walks, play in a park, anything to get her moving. It might not be enough to make a huge difference, but she'll learn to have fun DOING things and not just watching TV or playing video games. And by having lots of healthy food on hand, she'll develop a taste for it. If you're feeling really brave (and not afraid for the sake of your kitchen) let her help you make the meals, especially if she's resistant to new foods or the veggies. Kids are more likely to eat something they've helped prepare because they're proud of it. Good luck to you, your daughter, and your granddaughter.
Reply from Liz, Child's Age 20 - 03/02/08 - IP#: 72.93.128.xxx Oh Gail. I truly feel for you. It's such a difficult thing to watch. My lovely 20 year old is now about 40 lbs. overweight, and I did ALL the wrong things for so many years including being on her about her weight when she was only 7. She ate fast; ate a lot; her father's family is food crazy; and I am very slim, purposefully. It's such a challenge. I realize I can only empathize and feel for you watching this happen, which I truly do, for I don't believe there is anything you can do except model the behaviour that you think is right. It's amazing to me how much my daughter picks up from my frustration, mostly unsaid, about her weight. She feels it, and I feel SO badly that she's had to deal with this. So,try to model good eating habits and just love her.
