Hi,
My only daughter is recovering from an unhealthy obsession with food, from the time she was 13 to about the time she was 15 she only would eat between 1000 and 1500 calories a day. She is now 16 and eats normally but she is very worried that she may have stunted her growth.

She had her first period before the unhealthy eating started but I don't think she grew very much in the two year period.

I want to know if her growth would have been stunted and also if she is able to reach her full height potential now. (I heard it is called catch up growth where you grow later on in puberty because of nutritional deficencies but it might only be in severe cases like in third world countries.)

Many thanks.

How tall is she? It may just be genetic as to when she stops growing. I had a normal diet as a child and never grew after the age of about 10. My grandmother was the same height although she grew about an inch after she was 20, she may have had a problem due to malnutrition because her life was quite difficult in those days.

I think there is some kind of scan to determine if growth has stopped, maybe that is an option. Best of luck.

Thanks I'll look into that.

She's 169cm but both me and her father are over 180cm and her cousins are all about 180cm.

Tallness is a very strong family trait on my side and her father is definatly taller than average.

Today my daughter had a doctors appoinment to check up on her height and weight, she is still 169cm and that means she hasn't grown at all since she was 14 (she is now 16 and a half.)

Her BMI is only 17.8, will she need to put on more weight to gain height? I don't know and her doctor wasn't sure either.

I have the exact problem. I developed bulimia right before turning 13. I am now way shorter than everyone in my family. It slowed my growth to an inch per year and I have never gotten a period. You can get her a bone xray, I heard they can help you see the growth potential left. I want one, but don't know how to ask for it. :( I know it sux to be the shortest in the family,
grace

omg hello!!! i can relate to you...i developed anorexia at 13, and now im 15 and i have never gotten a period. im so scaredthat i might never get one and im just hoping and praying that thats not true. what you can do it get x-rays of her growth plates to see if the've closed yet. if they haven't closed then that means shestill has some growing to do. as for me...i just want boobs now lol...i seriously am a flat square and its almost embarrasing to walk around school where girls a fully developed :-( its really sad, i feel like ive missed out on such an important growing stage of my life. but anyway..ill stop ranting and good luck to you and you're daughter!!

hi there - yes, my growth has been stunted.
unfortunately i have had an eating disorder for approx. 11 years, i was meant to be approx 6cm taller, also, my bones are really screwed up, my teeth are falling apart and well...ive had enough of the eating disorder....
yes, hopefully your daughter will still grow - please, more than anything, get her the right help - it is expensive - but its better trying to help her now rather than deal with the consequences later on in life
take care, the both of you
chookie