weight loss

I suppose if I were in his shoes I would consider joining a gym or booking with a PT to build some confidence. 24 hour gyms are great for starting exercise at quiet times too. A great way to improve wellbeing. I had a client once that told me she would do press ups at home every time she felt she was having a panic attack or feelings of anxiety, I thought it was a great idea. 

continue with high-calorie shakes like Scandishakes, and maybe try to introduce small, frequent meals. Soft, easy-to-digest foods can sometimes be less overwhelming.

I understand it's been a while since you posted about your son's challenges. I hope he's doing better now. Dealing with depression, anxiety, and weight loss can be incredibly tough. While professional help is essential, it's understandable if your son finds talking therapy daunting.In the meantime, exploring resources like https://thenutritioninsider.com/ might offer new insights into managing his nutrition and overall well-being. Encouraging him to engage in activities he enjoys and expressing himself through creative outlets could also provide some relief.

I’m so very sorry you are both struggling in this way. My heart goes out to both of you. I’m no expert but I’m thinking that if you can deal with the depression and anxiety the food and weight issues will improve as a result. 
I’ve had really severe anxiety in the last few months and I have lost weight. Anxiety makes me feel nauseous, I lose my interest in food because  I’m so preoccupied and tense. Depression takes away your motivation to engage with food preparation. There are so many ways that mental health issues impact on eating and weight. 
So it’s likely that if you deal with the underlying cause things will improve. 

My son is having CBT over the phone at the moment. He also didn’t want to engage with this initially - but he has found it helpful (though it’s not made a huge difference for him I must confess). Would your son be willing to try a phone appointment with a therapist? Some services will do conversations online just will typing too. Maybe you could find a way of doing this that your son might be able to try?

Have you checked him for diabetes? Maybe he is insulin resistant because he is losing weight and can't eat. My daughter had similar symptoms. We went to visageclinic.com for help, and they advised us to lose weight as there wasn't enough insulin, and we couldn't resist losing weight. But then she gained weight again. The main energy source becomes ketone bodies: acetone, acetoacetate, and beta-oxybutyric acid. These substances are formed in the liver from the body's fatty tissues and consumed fats. So you should reconsider your teenager's diet.

I’m so sorry - this must be incredibly upsetting for both of you. So tough - I hope you’re getting support too for the toll this must be taking on you? 
I see you mention that it started when your son started taking anti-depressants - is he still taking them? And if so might that be still and issue regarding his lack of appetite? Either way I think you need to go back to your Doctor and insist on more help for your son.
I have little experience of this - my son is an extremely picky eater (very much leaning towards sweet and unhealthy foods) and he is very slim - but not unusually so. He won’t eat any vegetables apart from Potato and tomato sauce - not the healthiest of diets. 
I wish I could help more - I can only send you and your son my best wishes and empathy - take care. x 

I was overweight at one time, and nothing helped me. Pills and vitamins were all useless for me. Also, at the same time, because I looked terrible, I suffered from depression. By the way, your son suffers from depression, and because of this, he has problems with hormones that affect his appetite. I would advise you to talk to him and get him to do any sport he likes to have physical activity in his life. This advice was given to me by doctors who specialize in making diets from this medical center -- medicalweightlosslehighvalley.com. As soon as I started going to the gym, I lost 20 lbs, and at the same time, I finally started to have an appetite, and I started to lose weight!

Hey! This problem is alarming. I dare to assume that a specialist consultation is necessary. Perhaps anxiolytics, or psychotherapy, are needed. Minimal formal psychotherapy seems a more appropriate method. Have you tried to diversify your son's diet? Maybe he doesn't like the products you offer. Try to change your eating tactics. I know that on r[link removed]you can make your diet. All the features of the body are taken into account. You should know that proper nutrition is not only weight loss but also weight gain. It all depends on the calories consumed and the quality of food. I think the answer is on the surface! Take care of your son's food; it should arouse his interest and bring pleasure.

In relation to the Scandishakes part, have you looked into Huel as a possibility? Their website states: "Get all the carbs, protein, fibre, fats and 26 vitamins and minerals you need from a meal."

Even if he had 1 a day, that'd help towards nourishing his body and he could sip away at his leisure. Then once he's gotten used to that, maybe he could introduce other, smaller things to his routine.

My partner occasionally struggles with the anxiety of eating a meal and will feel nauseous at all stages (leading up to eating, consuming, and after he's finished). Little and often with absolutely no pressure from anyone tends to help but it does sound like a professional may need to step in. 

Also, in relation to Talking Therapies, could you participate with him? Does he feel less anxious in your presence?

I'd say back to your GP.  Talking therapies might work if adapted for autism but he needs a diagnosis first.

Meanwhile some nutrients need to go in. You are doing what you can, but the GP needs to tackle thos on a physical/ sensory level while you wait for the assessment.

I get this. I had no hunger most of my childhood.

when i was on anti-depresents it slightly blunted my taste of sweet foods. Some foods that taste ok usually taste really bad if you loose your ability to taste sweetness (think orange juice after you've had toothpaste in your mouth) maybe suggest adding artificial sweeteners to his food?

Hi, Thanks for your reply.

No, he has always had a varied diet growing up with a sensible limit to unhealthy foods too. I have always encouraged him and his sister to leave what they can't eat too.

He hasn't always had issues surrounding food. I feel it started from trying antidepressants and being sick and nauseous with them. Now his anxiety has taken over. His stomach has shrunk and he just doesn't enjoy food.

As far as we are aware, he has never had a girlfriend / or boyfriend.

Hi, thanks for your reply.

Yes he spends a lot of time outside, meeting mates. They walk about, sometimes play football or basketball but he quite often doesn't join in because of not coping with large groups or becoming too hot that he doesn't want to take a jumper off because of how underweight he is. He also gets anxious about not wanting to burn calories off as he feels worried about loosing more calories. I have talked to him about exercise could work towards helping his appetite but all he sees are the calorie loss.

He does have Nesquick in the cupboard as an option .

forgive me but were you one of those parents who tried very hard to keep your children away from unhealthy foods when they were young? If so this could be part of the problem.

In my limited experience:

A) No matter how hard you try its very unlikely an autistic child will 'come round' to liking any food he doesn't immediately like the first time he tries it.

B) if a parent emphasises a really strong regime of avoiding certain foods the child may internalise it as a very rigid autistic self obligating rule.

It maybe that he feels unable to wolf down food that he might find tasty because a part of his brain is screaming at him that it's 'bad food' and at the same time sensory processing issues mean he'll probably never be able manage foods he finds unpleasant.

----

in the alternative .... does he have a girlfriend? Boyfriend? Has he ever? A lot of young people get supper self conscious about their bodies if they feel they are unattractive to the opposite sex. This of course can lead to eating disorders. Also past trauma. A chronically unstable home life. etc

What does your son do to burn energy or exercise to make himself hungry?     If he has no-one to lead him and get his brain working on something else then how will he break the cycle?       Does he ever go outside?

Normally a peer group gets picky teenagers to try new stuff - their palette expands dramatically when they see and smell all the different foods - like McD and Nandos 

My dietician has got me on Nesquick - I'm told it was developed for kids who has no access or wouldn't eat any veggies.  

Hi , thanks for your reply.

Sorry to hear about your daughters struggles.

He does get hungry but then just doesn't want anything. He becomes sooo 'wound up' from the minute he thinks 'im hungry' or 'i should eat something' that by the time he reaches the kitchen he is already anxious, worked up and angry. Then he doesn't 'fancy' anything but knows he should eat so it just ends up negative, him feeling anxious and nauseous. A vicious circle !

I think you're doing everything you can but I didn't want to just read and run. It must be so worrying for you ... my eldest daughter is a bit like this too - 5ft 10 and 8 stone. There are certain things she will eat so we go nuts for those, and lots of calorific drinks like Starbucks iced thingies. My middle daughter who has a diagnosis had a fear a year or two ago about choking. We gave her lots of soft foods and tried to make it a non issue. Eventually it passed thankfully. Sounds to me like you are doing a fab job.