13yo DD lost weight - a little worried

[Anonymous]

DD is a slender teen, but not skinny. Over the past year, she grew 2.5 inches and then got her period. I would swear up and down that she weighed in at 103 this summer (I remember thinking huh, I weighed less than that when I got my period, when is hers going to show up). I have no doctor records of it, though. Maybe I weighed her at home to get a medicine dose right?

Anyway, I rarely weight her, and prior doctor visits (I checked online) showed her at 94.5 one year ago and 95.7 back in January. January she was 5'1". Now she is probably 5'4" or just shy. She was sick this past week and ate little. I finally suggested she get on the scale so I could give her the right amount of adult Tylenol and she weighed 94.7. I can't prove her weight dropped, because there is no official record of whenever it was (May? this summer?) that I weighed her. Her BMI clearly dropped, though.

This is what I had been noticing and been concerned a lot: her jeans don't fit as snug. I had bought her jeans in her current size and one size up, thinking she might grow out really soon, based on how they fit. They are a teeny bit looser now. She is more flat chested now than this summer. And when she puts on her leotard for dance, she looks thinner overall - I especially notice her legs look thinner and stomach flatter. I mention these things only because I certainly don't see her without clothes, but her body does look thinner to me.

She has complained about stomach aches and has talked about wanting to eat healthier. She does sometimes eat big meals, but sometimes says rich foods upset her stomach. Is she eating THAT much less? She went through a phase of skipping breakfast, but I wrote that off as it being hard to eat sometimes at 6am (FCPS, so new to middle school schedule).

Is it at all possible that she stretched out, stopped eating as much junk as she wants, and this is a semi normal weight for her at this age? Or do I need to get her to a doctor? DH and I have discussed the possibility of an eating disorder, and we are watching out for whether she goes to the bathroom after eating, how she talks about food, etc. I'm of course concerned about the stomach aches.

TL;DR: DD is 13 and 5'4", 94.7 pounds. I'm worried that she lost as much as 8 pounds in the past few months, and I'm not sure if there is any possible reasonable explanation of it.

[Anonymous]

You weighed a 13 year old to determine her tylenol dosage? Ive never heard of that being done before at that age.

[Anonymous]

Have her checked for Type 1 Diabetes

[Anonymous]

https://www.jdrf.org/t1d-resources/about/symptoms/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You weighed a 13 year old to determine her tylenol dosage? Ive never heard of that being done before at that age.

I had already transitioned to adult Tylenol - just wasn't sure about 1 vs 2 capsules.

[Anonymous]

That is thin, but not worrisome, especially if she is sick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.jdrf.org/t1d-resources/about/symptoms/

Hmm… I always thought the thirst part was important. She definitely doesn't drink enough. I have to battle with her when she is sick or constipated to drink more.

[Anonymous]

She is underweight if she's 5'4" and 94.7 pounds. If she really did weigh 103 pounds a few months ago that is a fairly significant drop in weight for her.

Are the other girls in dance dieting a lot?

[Anonymous]

23:55, I don’t think so. I know disordered eating can happen anywhere, but that’s not really the vibe for this school. Bigger girls get solos, etc.

[Anonymous]

See her pediatrician immediately to rule out medical causes, and know that this could be the start of an eating disorder. My sister’s began almost exactly this way. From what you described in your post, your daughter’s age and preferred activities already put her at an elevated risk. It’s much easier to stop an eating disorder early before it becomes fully developed. Take this possibility very seriously.

[Anonymous]

So I plugged numbers into the BMI calculator that spits out percentiles. (This is OP)

Last year, her BMI for age was in the 43rd percentile.

Today, it is 13th percentile.

[Anonymous]

I’ll see how she does this week, as she was sick last week, and maybe she’ll bounce back a bit.

Then yes, it will be time for a doctor.

If anyone had a child who lost weight due to starting middle school (weird meal times, stress, etc), please chime in!

[Anonymous]

Anorexia can hit anyone. My friends son is 12 and has had it since he was 8.

Does she have anxiety?
Is she a picky eater?
Does she ever act weird about food?

[Anonymous]

You could also check for celiac, and gluten and dairy intolerance

[Anonymous]

It’s not uncommon for weight to go down a few pounds after a growth spurt. Her body needed energy to grow, but it may have regulated itself to a slightly lower weight.

You also need to consider what time of day you think she weighed 103 (for ex, I had Chipotle last night and weighed 141lb before bed and 136 just now waking up). Did you weigh her in the evening, and the doctor weigh her in the morning when she was 95lb?

Let’s say you did weigh her later in the day. She’s lost 2lb since her growth spurt (normal, and the visual changes are too). She probably started her day around 98lb (103-2 (growth spurt)-3 (empty stomach)=98). She’s been sick this week, so less food and water. She could easily drop another 3lb. If that’s the case, it’ll go right back up when she gets her appetite back.

For reference, I am female and competed in a weight class sport for 16 years. I could guess my weight within 10 grams at any point in the day either by knowing my intake or looking in the mirror. I wouldn’t be alarmed by her weight change given she had a growth spurt and has been sick.