Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi I am worried about a good friend of mine at the moment she has gained a lot of weight and it is starting to affect her health. She used to be the same size as me and I’m not overweight but I’m not skinny either and I do keep myself fit and active. I saw her on Saturday and I hardly recognised her. We went for lunch and she ordered a burger and chips. She can hardly walk and can’t keep up with me when she used to be able to. I am worried that she is going to have a heart attack or something if she doesn’t start to lose weight. We are both on the spectrum and I really don’t know how to bring the subject up. I don’t want to cause upset or an argument. As you guys know I have shown some erotic behaviour on here regarding my other friend which I am trying to change. Any advice on how to approach my friend and her health would be greatly appreciated.
Over eating and particularly feel-good foods might be a comforting thing for your friend to do. Maybe she is really struggling with some issues at the moment and food is a coping mechanism for her. She’s eating a lot because she is struggling a lot.
Perhaps ask her some questions other than about her weight: about her life, her work, her friends and try to discover the problem area rather than openly talk about her food intake. That’s probably just a symptom of a deeper problem. Find that and you might be better able to help her.