How is this working, and is it time for me to alert someone about this?

Well, there isn’t really anyone to “alert” to this. It’s really her issue; you can advise her as you have done, but obviously she is not listening.

Severe diet restriction has some positive quick feedback; which is why she has some waistline reduction. But that will plateau in the next ten days, and then she will just be hungry.

All I can suggest is that you be there for her when it all fails, and don’t be “I told you so”. If she wants real support, suggest she get a referral to a dietitian from her doctor.

@zenvelo Thank you for your response.

Is she an adult and has she tried such stunts before?

No, her body will not retain everything she eats. Unless she’s dead, her body is burning calories 24/7. But a starvation diet is not good. She needs to change her eating habits over all and stick with it for the rest of her life. She can’t eat one apple a day for the rest of her life.

She’ll quickly become malnourished. That would eventually lead to lots of potential problems.

She could make, or buy nutrition shakes, made of nutritional foods, are low in calories…

This can get very dangerous quickly. It’s even worse if she’s a teenager – so, still developing. She likely needs professional help to treat underlying issues. If she were hurting herself in other ways, you wouldn’t hesitate to get a counselor involved. And she is hurting herself. I know crazy diets are everywhere, but just an apple a day for weeks is extremely dangerous and could have irreversible effects, such as organ damage.

Starvation.

Yes, I do think it’s your resonsibility to at least have her talk to a counselor or doctor. If she agrees to a healthier diet then, she might not need therapy. Chances are she does, but you can leave that up to the professionals.

@stanleybmanly She’s my age, 15.

Thank you everyone for responding :).

^ At that age, her body might have been storing up calories for a pending growth spurt. She should not be dieting at all. She should focus on getting enough healthy food and stay away from junk food except as an occasional treat.

Show her this TED talk.

You’re partly right, by the way. The body retains calories at a higher rate when it’s in starvation mode. While she’s still burning calories, that apple she’s eating will go a longer way than it would as part of a healthy diet. So she will lose weight. However, this comes at the cost of eventual organ failure. It’s just maths. She’s treating her body horribly, and that will come back to bite her.

I’m sorry she has to go through this, and that you have to watch. Good luck. I hope the adults involved will tackle this with sensitivity and energy.

I was chubby as a teen. Someone taught me to stop worrying and just eat what feels like a healthy amount, focusing on balance. I do that to this day, my weight doesn’t bounce up and down, and it’s at a very healthy level with minimal trouble. We have inbuilt sensors that regulate eating. They work, as long as you don’t fill up on addictive junk food or eat mindlessly.

She can damage her heart doing this. It also screams eating disorder.

Those nutrition shakes aren’t really low in calories. 1 Ensure has 350 calories. You drink two of those, that’s 700 calories.

@Dutchess_III They aren’t talking Ensure, which are for people who need to maintain weight. (My 96 yr old mother has two ensure a day to keep weight on).

A Slim-fast shake is only 230 calories, and is a full meal replacement,

Yeah, I wasn’t talking about ensure. I thinking juice bars, or using a blender, to make her own.
There are also negative calorie foods, life celery. That not that nutrtional, she could have celery, and carrots, for a snack. Almonds, are good. Plain almonds, have lots of healthy stuff.
Salmon would be great. Salmon, on a salad, with a bit of a vinigaret dressing…

And of course, exercise.

Shake for breakfast, carrots, and celery, edamame for luch, hand full of almonds as a snack, and some fish and steamed broccoli for dinner. Some cardio, a bit after dinner…