Is it bad to be health/weight obsessed at a young age?
My cousin, who is 13 ( a few years younger than me) lost 30 pounds in 3 months and is losing more by the minute. She went vegetarian and runs a mile on a treadmill every single day. She barely eats anything besides all-wheat stuff (occasionally, for her, that is like having an ice cream sundae) and fruits and vegetables and water. My family and i are all worried about her, and try to talk to her but she won’t listen. She is looking good (about 120 pounds, 5′6 in height) but if she keeps going on like this, she is going to lose a lot of weight, and i know that can lead to problems. What will this to do her?? Can you give me any ideas to let her know? Can you tell me what is going on with her…and what is to happen in the future?
Thanks so much!
So far it sounds like she is doing everything a healthy way, but the more important thing would be to encourage her to eat a balanced vegetarian meal. Vegans often do not get enough protein b/c they don’t eat meat and the valued nutrients that come from the protein. Make sure she eats cheese/beans/etc. to make up for this. Encourage her to eat healthy things and enough to balance all the food groups. 1 mile on the treadmill is fine.