News: Anorexic mother weighs less than her 7-year-old daughter
Updated: Jul. 16, 2019
Rebecca Jones has suffered from anorexia for half her life and weighs less than her 7-year-old daughter Maisy. The 5-1
Rebecca Jones has suffered from anorexia for half her life and weighs less than her 7-year-old daughter Maisy. The 5-1 mom weighs only 70 pounds and survives on soup, toast and energy drinks.
Jones might be 26 years old, but that doesn’t stop her from sharing clothes with her daughter. She told the Daily Mail, “Wearing the same clothes as Maisy gives me a sense of pride. It’s wrong, but it makes me feel good. I don’t think I’m thin ‘ I always see myself as bigger.”
Jones’ eating disorder began at age 11, when she started a habit of downing comfort food to deal with her parents’ divorce. She ballooned to 170 pounds and was teased at school before she completely stopped eating. When Jones started dropping weight, her mother thought she was just losing her ‘puppy fat’ but within two years she was 110 pounds and no longer menstruating.
At the age of 19, Jones didn’t even realize she was fertile, let alone pregnant with Maisy until she felt a kick six months in. She told Closer magazine: “I had no idea. I was still a size six, hadn’t put on weight and my stomach was flat.”
After surviving on bread and beetroot during her pregnancy, Jones gave birth to a healthy, but small, Maisy. Jones encourages her daughter to eat cakes, pizzas and cookies. “If she wants chocolate, I say yes ‘ I don’t want to deny her food,” said Jones.
At the age of 7, Maisy is already 80 pounds. It’s understandable that because Jones can’t bring herself to eat most foods, she doesn’t want to deprive her daughter of different tastes, but she’s promoting an irresponsible diet and very unhealthy body image. She should monitor her daughter’s eating habits and encourage her to eat something other than junk food. If not, Maisy might go down the same path as her mother.
As for Jones, her recent blood tests reveal dangerously low potassium levels, which could lead to a fatal heart attack if she doesn’t put on weight. In a truly sad statement that reflects how horrendous eating disorders can be, Jones accepts this scenario and says, “I am terrified I won’t see Maisy grow up. I’d love to eat ‘ I can’t think of nothing nicer than going out for lunch with Maisy, but I can’t.”
Is this unhealthy lifestyle child abuse?
-Roop Gill
Related:
‘ Quiz: Do you have a healthy body image?
‘ 6 ways to build healthy body image in your kids
‘ Is food addiction real?
[Photo courtesy Closer magazine]
