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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP- I’m encouraged to hear your update, because my 11yo son is severely underweight like your dd was. He’s very picky and eats very little, says he’s not hungry.

Can you share some tips of what helped?[/quote]

OP here. First you’ll need to rule out medical conditions. Then I’d suggest you get a referral from your pediatrician for a dietician that specializes in eating disorders AND disordered eating. There’s a difference, but the treatment plan is the same. Restore nutrition first, which means eating on a rigid schedule, the prescribed amount, with no deviating from the plan. For us that meant 3,000 calories a day at first, tapering eventually to 2,500. We did this at home during Covid with weekly Zoom checkins with her dietician who looped in her pediatrician.

It was hard. Kids who have survived on very little nourishment lose their hunger cues. Some never had them to begin with. Anxiety makes it worse. Add family stress around eating and parents who don’t agree on the severity of the situation and it’s a downward spiral. I was the only one concerned for years. I was the neurotic food pusher. She would eat to please me but never felt the need otherwise. DH would accuse me of making it worse. Denial runs strong in DH’s family of anxious late bloomers and I doubted myself. Getting the family on board was key for us.

Another major motivator for DD was dance. She saw her peers advancing through the ranks while she was left behind. Her strength and flexibility was not on par with her cohort and when she finally accepted that reality, she was willing to try anything. It also gave us leverage that if she wanted to dance, she needed to fuel her body. No fuel, no dance. We involved her coaches in her treatment plan and they were extremely supportive. Now she is unrecognizable on stage. Lithe and powerful. She finds joy and peace in dance, works up an appetite, and eats like a linebacker. I can’t tell you what a relief it is to hear the words, “I’m starving!”

I’m not sure how much of this will help you. Everyone’s situation is different and I wish you the best of luck. If you haven’t already, I’d suggest you read the whole thread. People took great care to share their experiences. It was the best of DCUM, and I think it helped lots of people.[/quote]

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