How can my daughter GAIN weight

[Suzannew]

My 20 year old daughter is 5'6 tall and weighs 7 stone. Friends were worried about her looking thin so she went to her G.P. who in my opinion was rather hasty in diagnosing her with an 'eating disorder'. We have recently had a family bereavement which has caused her a lot of stress, she was probably over exercising at the gym and although has never had a problem in eating, she does like to eat healthily. She is an identical twin and was premature so has always been very slight. She has been told she needs to put on 2lbs a week, but is struggling to gain any weight. What can she eat to try and increase her weight without stuffing cream cakes and unhealthy food? She has cancelled her gym membership which is hard as she enjoyed exercising. With the added pressures of exams (final year at Uni) I am worried for her well-being.

[mrs_overall]

Am i the only person who thinks she is wrong for cancelling her gym membership?
If it is something she enjoys doing and help with lowering her stress levels, why give it up?

[pastafreak]

I thought the same mrs_o....it would also be good for maintaining strength in spite of her weight loss. I am re-assured by Suzan's statement that her daughter has always been slight, and has always eaten-and eaten well. If there were *any* signs of food avoidance-then I'd be far more concerned.

[Suzannew]

Mrs O and Pasta F, Doctor told her to not go to gym. She suspended membership so as not to be tempted, but I agree with you both. As soon as she starts putting on some weight hopefully she can go again but maybe not work so hard. x

[pastafreak]

TBH-I'd be looking for a second opinion,if as you say,the Dr's opinion is based on a rather short and possibly superficial exam. He/she does not seem to be taking her previous history or natural tendency to be slight into consideration.

Does she live at home-can you monitor what she eats, at all?
I imagine she must look extremely frail.
My own daughter is a bit taller,and a healthy 9.5 stone. But she went through a very bad patch in her teens around the time she did her a-levels,where her weight plummeted to 7.5 stone-because she was doing speed. :-( I hope your daughter's Uni pressures are not causing her to make any other bad choices. Sorry to mention such a thing-but it entered my mind.

[Suzannew]

PastaF - She is away from home and her twin is at a different Uni but in the same city, so she is keeping a close eye on her for me. Actually I have seen some FB photos today and no, she doesn't look frail or bony or ill. When she is home in Easter hols I will be able to assess things properly and suggest she makes appt with her own GP. She is a popular but quiet girl, I am pretty sure there isn't anything else going on. Thanks for your help.

[daffy654]

Could you possibly buy her one of the weight gain shake powders that body builders use?
http://www.superfit.c...2-1kg-4-6lb-4656.html

This one is a good all rounder, my other half uses it.

[Richard1966]

My day job involves running and managing various services for vulnerable people including several services for people with mental health problems. I have attended a great many training sessions and awareness raising sessions looking at all aspects of mental health and eating disorders fall under that catagory.

[Scarlett]

Look at www.myfitnesspal.com She can type in everything she is eating at the moment. Without realising, she will probably be eating way less than she needs, and exercising will burn off more too. There are some foods which are high in calories but healthy, such as salmon and avocado. She can add "Good Oil" to salads and vegetables. She can up her quantities and have healthy snacks throughout the day. I think she should continue at the gym as it will help her with the stress, but talk to a physio or personal trainer about doing strength building exercises rather than sweaty fat burning which will make her lose more weight. MyFitnesspal will show her which foods she can eat which will help her gain weight in a healthy way. Any decent GP should refer her to a nutritionalist who can give her this info. Also she is 20. 20 is young. Very few people stay their 20 year-old weight, even if they stay slim. She will fill out, get bigger hips and waist etc over the next 5 years. The other thing is to not nag her about it. She will only get more paranoid about her body. Focus instead on doing happy things and having fun together.