When dieting takes over

Well my vacation was a blast! So many good times and so much fun. I amso sad that it isover but I love my tan! And I have to say I thought that I looked good out there on the beach in my bikini. I did see some girls with real toned legs and stomachs - so I just look at that as now I have something to work towards for next year. The best part is I have a whole year to get there :)

Seriously though, my vacation with my family was so much fun but I am worried about my cousin. She is 16, about 5'7 and maybe 105 lbs - but all week she talked about how fat she thought she was and how she needed to lose weight. All she ate all week was low-fat yogurt and water/diet soda. Every now and then she had a bowl of cereal or a half of a sandwich but nothing compared to what she should be eating. I mean the girl didn't even eat a single dessert all week, at least not that I saw. The worst part is - I don't even think my aunt and uncle noticed. Not that they don't pay attention but she always slept through breakfast, said she wasn't hungry at lunch, and would make sure she was still out at dinner time. I don't know how she survived! I tried to take her out to lunch one day on the boardwalk but she just got a soft pretzel and ate one small piece of it - she threw the rest to the birds!. Every time I tried to talk to her about it, she just said she had eaten earlier when I wasn't around and then would go into another room.

Now that vacation is over and I'm not around her, I am really really worried because I think this is serious. I know sometimes on vacation when you are in a new place or there is a weather change your appetite may be different but we only went to North Carolina - not Mexico. So her appetite should have come back quickly. I want to talk to my parents - and her parents but I feel like I need some more information first.

I have been searching online the past few days and I think I have gotten some good resources together about eating disorders. I don't want to alarm anyone or make her feel like she is going to get in trouble. But I need to be there for her - this is a huge health issue that could have long term effects if it isn't dealt with now.

Some of the sites that I went to are:

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/teens/eating/277.html

http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/eating_disorders.html

http://www.anred.com/toc.html

On one of the sites, I read a really scary statistic: "Eating disorders are so common in America that 1 or 2 out of every 100 kids will struggle with one, most commonly anorexia or bulimia. Unfortunately, many kids and teens successfully hide the disorders from their families for months or even years." - This is why I am so concerned about my cousin - who knows how long it has been going on for. I mean we only live about 30 minutes away from each other but I only see her at holiday get-togethers and family parties.

Based on what I read, she is showing many of the signs of an eating disorder-
- she is already thin but so concerned about her weight and her diet
- she only eats a few foods and avoids eating meals in front of people
- she was tired a lot and didn't have a lot of energy - which makes sense since she wasn't eating any foods to give her energy
- she didn't like us talking about her eating habits or her weight


I guess I will let you all know how this goes. If anyone else has some suggestions on where I can get information or what other resources are out there, I am very open to feedback.

Thanks for "listening".