How do I talk to my daughter about overeating?


Sharing is Caring


  1. Don’t talk or joke about what or how much your child eats.
  2. Avoid comments about “good” or “bad” foods.
  3. Don’t make judgments about your weight, their weight, or other people’s weight.
  4. On a non-verbal note, don’t blatantly stare or glare at your child while they’re eating.

Why does my daughter binge eat?

What Causes Binge Eating? The exact cause of binge eating disorder isn’t known. But it’s likely due to a combination of things, including genetics, family eating habits, emotions, and eating behavior, like skipping meals. Some people use food as a way to soothe themselves or to cope with difficult feelings.

How do I stop my daughter from overeating?

  1. Be a good role model.
  2. Have healthy snacks in your home.
  3. Include plenty of low-fat proteins, vegetables, and whole grains in the meals you make.
  4. Offer your child healthy food, even if he or she doesn’t want it.
  5. Teach your child how to make healthy choices for school lunches.

How do you deal with a binge eater?

  1. plan out the meals and snacks you should have during the day, to help you adopt regular eating habits.
  2. work out what is triggering your binge eating.
  3. change and manage negative feelings about your body.
  4. stick to your new eating habits so you do not relapse into binge eating.

Why is my 13 year old eating so much?

As children begin puberty, they often feel hungrier and eat more. That’s because their bodies go through a major growth spurt in the teenage years. Extra food gives your child extra energy and nutrients to support this growth and development. Your child might also start changing their eating habits.

What are the signs of overeating?

  • Making self-defeating statements about how much food one eats.
  • No longer participating in activities one once enjoyed.
  • Social isolation.
  • Eating uncontrollably, even when not hungry.
  • Eating much more rapidly than is considered normal.
  • Eating alone.
  • Hiding food.

Why is my 10 year old daughter eating so much?

Most of the time, you’ll find compulsive eating has nothing to do with hunger. It’s a habit kidsโ€”and adultsโ€”develop to ease stress, depression, anxiety or even boredom. The other day, my daughter told me she was hungry just an hour after she had eaten. Turns out she was bored and didn’t know what to do with herself.

How do I get my child to eat less?

  1. Be creative.
  2. Stock up with different choices.
  3. Avoid sugary drinks.
  4. Don’t forbid but do control.
  5. Start thinking about meals, too.
  6. Eat healthy as a family.

When do kids start thinning out?

“It’s normal for a child to slim down between ages 2 and 5,” says pediatrician Roy Kim, MD. “Your child will look their thinnest about the time they start kindergarten.”

How can I help my teenage daughter lose weight?

  1. Set Healthy, Realistic Goals. Losing excess body fat is a great way to get healthy.
  2. Cut Back on Sweetened Beverages.
  3. Add in Physical Activity.
  4. Fuel Your Body With Nourishing Foods.
  5. Don’t Avoid Fat.
  6. Limit Added Sugars.
  7. Avoid Fad Diets.
  8. Eat Your Veggies.

What happens to a child who is obese due to overeating?

It’s particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start children on the path to health problems that were once considered adult problems โ€” diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Childhood obesity can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression.

How do I stop my 10 year old from overeating?

  1. Understand what’s behind the eating.
  2. Portion control is likely to backfire.
  3. Don’t make food a bad thing, just slow eating down.
  4. Talk about responding to hunger.
  5. Get to know what your children enjoy.

Is eating too much a mental disorder?

Binge eating disorder is a serious mental illness. People with binge eating disorder regularly (at least once a week) eat large quantities of food, rapidly, in a short period of time. They feel out of control and unable to stop themselves from eating. This is often linked with high levels of distress.

How much food is considered a binge?

A binge eater often: Eats 5,000โ€“15,000 calories in one sitting. Often snacks, in addition to eating three meals a day. Overeats throughout the day.

Why do people binge?

One of the most common reasons for binge eating is an attempt to manage unpleasant emotions such as stress, depression, loneliness, fear, and anxiety. When you have a bad day, it can seem like food is your only friend.

How do you talk to a teenager about overeating?

Listening to what your child is saying about her or his eating is the place to start. Challenging the beliefs they bring to why they are overeating or avoiding food are best handled with a light touch. Listening rather than telling is crucial and reassuring. More is always less with teenagers.

Why is my teenage daughter always hungry?

There’s a good reason why appetites soar as your child enters the teenage years. This stage is a period of rapid growth and development, so a balanced diet with the right amount of nutrients and energy is essential to support bone growth, hormonal changes and organ and tissue development, including muscles and brain.

What to feed a teenager who is always hungry?

  • Eggs: Hard-boiled, deviled, scrambled. Easy Scrambled Egg Muffins.
  • Veggie burger or nuggets.
  • Jerky (beef or turkey)
  • Meatballs (frozen or homemade)
  • Tofu (baked or air-fried)
  • Shredded chicken, rotisserie chicken, or grilled chicken.
  • Chicken nuggets.
  • Roasted chickpeas.

Is overeating part of depression?

The effects of a high-fat diet overlap with the effects of chronic stress that are known to play a hand in causing depression. This may explain why overeating โ€” particularly the high-fat, low-nutrient foods people are more prone to binge eat โ€” can lead to depression.

Why do people compulsively overeat?

Compulsions often follow obsessions, which reduce anxiety. So obsessive thoughts of low self-worth, being overweight, or dieting can trigger the compulsion to eat. The more weight a person gains, the harder the person may try to diet. Dieting is often what leads to the next binge.

Which diseases are caused by overeating?

  • Metabolic syndrome.
  • Heart disease.
  • Stroke.
  • Type 2 diabetes.
  • Certain types of cancer.

Is it normal for a 12 year old to eat a lot?

“During that growth spurt, the growth rate per year doubles,” she says. “That demand on the body requires additional energy that is derived from food. So it’s not unusual for kids to have a huge increase in appetite. It’s actually expected.”

Does puberty increase appetite?

Girls showed the biggest increase in appetite during early- to mid-puberty, roughly between the ages of 10 and 13. Girls that age averaged almost 1,300 lunchtime calories, and that figure was only slightly higher among girls who were in late puberty.

Why is my 9 year old daughter so hungry?

School-age children are growing all the time โ€” perhaps not as much as when they were toddlers, but enough to keep their metabolism revved up. That means that kids this age will be hungry a lot.

Why does my child eat so fast?

The study found that children with high surgency were more likely to be impulsive. Surgency typically describes someone who is upbeat, high-energy, spontaneous, and sociable. 3 This temperament trait was linked to fast eating speed.

Craving More Content?

Eating Disorder Resources