Eating paper?

I’ve heard just about everything under the sun in my time, but this? This is genuinely unhinged... I ran into one of my daughter’s friends today and I couldn't help but notice how much weight she's lost. So, I asked my daughter—just half-joking, you know, since everyone seems to be obsessed with those UN diets lately—if the girl was following one of those. But then my daughter drops this bombshell: no, she actually came up with her own "original" weight loss strategy, which involves eating paper. Specifically, soaking paper towels in water 😲 Apparently, whenever hunger hits, she just munches on a few wet paper towels to feel full, and she's been doing this for a month now 😲
What kind of havoc can this wreak on someone's health? I mean, how does the body even process cellulose (paper)?

Kimberly Nelson5 said:I’ve heard just about everything under the sun, but this takes the cake for being the absolute craziest thing ever... I ran into one of my daughter's friends today and noticed she had lost a ton of weight. Just joking around, I asked my daughter if the girl was maybe following some trendy UN diet since everyone seems to be on one lately. She looked at me dead serious and said, no, the girl actually came up with her own "original" weight loss plan, which basically involves eating paper (like soaking paper towels in water) 😲 Apparently, whenever hunger hits, she just eats a few soaked tissues to feel full, and she's been doing this for a month now 😲
What kind of health issues could this cause? Like, how does the body even process cellulose (paper)?

I've heard some models do stuff like that, or even get gastric bypass surgery.
It all feels so incredibly reckless...😲 😲

I suspect she probably found out the same way everyone else did, because I honestly can't see her coming up with an idea like that all on her own.

Man, we used to eat bits of paper from our pens back in the day just to mess around, though we never really went overboard with it... but this whole thing about eating tissues? I’ve seriously never heard of anyone doing that, it's actually revolting. If someone does that for a month straight, then what? They wouldn't even be able to go to the bathroom, it's just gross 😲 😲 😲

I honestly haven't the slightest clue, which is exactly why I'm asking. I want to understand how this whole paperwork process actually plays out in practice—and more importantly, whether it might inadvertently trigger new issues. Beyond just the starvation concerns, which we already know are a massive hurdle, I wonder what else could go wrong.

A buddy of mine was telling me about something pretty similar—only he was talking about eating soaked straw... basically, the idea being that your body burns through way too many calories just trying to process all that cellulose, and you end up getting zero actual energy out of it.
The thing is, he was only talking about doing it once in a while... but even then, it’s a total disaster for your system—I mean, we aren't freaking cows, right?

Man, this stuff is straight-up poison😲. You’re basically feeding them raw cellulose, sure, but that fiber has been soaked in chlorine and a cocktail of other nasty chemicals before it ever reaches the kid👎. That’s exactly why the paper industry is one of the biggest polluters out there. Personally, I’d call the kid's mother and give her a heads-up about the whole mess. If it were my child, I’d want to know what was going on.

This girl is totally losing it—someone needs to step in and shut her down, ASAP!div>

Angela Wright said:Man, that stuff is basically pure poison😲. Sure, you're just looking at cellulose, but that cellulose goes through chlorine baths and all sorts of nasty chemical processing before it ever reaches a kid👎. That’s actually why the paper industry is one of the biggest polluters out there. Honestly, if I were her mother, I’d be sounding the alarm right now. If it were my own child, I’d want to know everything about what they're ingesting.

If I’ve noticed she’s lost weight, I find it hard to believe her mom hasn't caught on to something. It would be pretty tough to reach out, though—they don't go to the same school, so I don't really have a way to get in touch with the parents.

Kimberly Nelson5 said:If I’ve noticed that this kid has lost weight, there is no way her mom hasn't caught on. Reaching out might be a bit tricky since they don't go to the same school, so I don't actually know her parents.

Look, you know her last name. Just pull up a directory or check your phone—I'm sure her daughter has the home number. It’s simple: call and ask for Mrs. [Name], introduce yourself, explain what you saw, and tell them you're concerned. This isn't "snitching," it's being a responsible adult. If it were your own kid and some other parent reached out to warn you, you’d want to know, wouldn't you?
Maybe the mother noticed the weight loss, but she’s completely in the dark about the pills. She could end up wrecking her digestive system or poisoning herself—heaven knows what else could happen. Jesus, just imagine if something truly tragic occurs and you're left sitting there feeling guilty because you stayed silent... honestly, give me strength.

I can't even recall her last name, honestly—they all just go by these nicknames when they're talking to each other. I'll try to have a real sit-down with my daughter and see if I can dig up some actual information...
That’s exactly why I wanted to get the full story first. I need to be able to lay out the facts clearly so I can walk my daughter through what could actually happen here. She needs to understand the stakes.

Kimberly Nelson5 said:I don't actually know her last name; they all just go by nicknames within their circle. I'll try talking to my daughter and see if I can dig up some info...
That's exactly why I wanted more details—so I could give my daughter a reality check with actual facts about what she's facing.

Good grief, you really think that’s going to change anything?
My kid is dealing with something way deeper than this; this kind of stuff is a direct pipeline to bulimia and anorexia. It's those damn media outlets and fashion runways driving it all!😠 🙂
Maybe the best move is to have your daughter come over so you both can sit her down together, though honestly, I still believe this falls squarely on the parents' shoulders to handle.

Angela Wright said:Well, you know how surnames work! Just look her up in the phone book—I bet your daughter has her home number, too. Honestly, just reach out to Mrs. Smith or whoever, introduce yourself, and explain that you’re worried based on what you found. It isn't "snitching" at all; it's actually being responsible. If it were your own kid, wouldn't you want another parent to give you a heads-up if something was wrong?

That isn't always the best way to handle things.
It's easy to say when dealing with reasonable seniors, but unfortunately, there are plenty of them out there who aren't exactly trustworthy.
I have daughters aged 21 and 19, so I've heard just about everything!

Kimberly Nelson5, please sit down and have a real heart-to-heart with your daughter first to see what her living situation is actually like before you make any moves.
And as for the seniors, wait until you have more of the story before you say anything to them.
You don't want to accidentally make a bad situation even worse!

Maybe I can at least try to drop a hint through her daughter, since I have a feeling the kid won't want to sit down and have a real heart-to-heart with us—they aren't exactly that close, you know?

jadesailor14 said:that isn't always the best move
It’s easy to play the hero when you're dealing with reasonable seniors, but honestly, there are plenty of them out there who aren't worth a dime, let alone five minutes of your time.
I have daughters aged 21 and 19, so I've heard just about everything.

Kimberly Nelson5, you really need to sit down and talk to your daughter first to figure out what her living situation actually looks like before you go making any big moves.
And as for the older folks, you shouldn't say anything to them until you've gathered the facts.
You don't want to end up making a bad situation even worse.

True, I agree, but this whole thing is a bit of a double-edged sword. 🤔.
Maybe it's smarter to just quietly scout out the situation first, see what's actually happening, and then decide how to proceed.

jadesailor14 said:that's not always going to be your best move
It’s easy to say when you're dealing with reasonable seniors, but honestly? There are so many out there who are just... difficult. I wouldn't even trust them with five bucks for five minutes.
I've got daughters aged 21 and 19, so believe me, I've heard it all.

Kimberly Nelson5, maybe talk to your daughter first? Just to get a feel for what her actual living situation is like before you go making any big moves with her.
And as for those older folks—you really shouldn't say anything until you have at least part of the full story.
You don't want to make things worse by accident.

I'm not sure I can even take it any further unless I warn her about the potential fallout, and even then, I'd have to go through my daughter. (Though, I really don't want to drag her too deep into this whole "responsibility" mess; I'd hate for her to start throwing things back in my face because she feels helpless to fix it).
They aren't exactly best friends—just acquaintances—so I highly doubt I'll be able to dig up much info on what's actually happening in her life. Friendships at eighteen tend to be pretty superficial, you know? It usually just boils down to grabbing coffee or hitting up a party together.

Angela Wright said:Man, we're talking about straight-up poison here😲. Sure, you've got the cellulose itself, but that stuff goes through a gauntlet of chlorine bleaching and all sorts of nasty chemicals before it ever touches a kid👎. That’s exactly why the paper industry is one of the biggest polluters out there
.

Does anyone happen to have more info beyond what was mentioned above?
From my own experience, whenever I have to explain to my kids why certain things just aren't good for them, I really need to have some solid, heavy-hitting arguments ready to go.

Kimberly Nelson5 said:Does anyone have any actual info beyond what’s already been posted?
From my own experience, if you're trying to explain to kids why certain behaviors aren't okay, you better have some solid arguments ready to back you up.

http://iq.lycos.co.uk/qa/show/2201/I...+dangerous%3F/

Check this out: http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=526419 It mentions that this is actually a type of eating disorder known as Pica. It can be triggered by things like anemia, and honestly, it’s pretty dangerous because there's a real risk of heavy metal poisoning... So yeah, this isn't some harmless little quirk.🙄

jadesailor14 said:I've got daughters aged 21 and 19, so I've heard just about everything there is to hear.

Hmm... I'm only 22. I haven't exactly encountered anything like this in my life. 😲 Clearly, I'm living in a completely different reality. 😁 But honestly, looking at the situation, it’s pretty obvious that this person needs to see a psychiatrist immediately. 😳

"Cellulose and hemicellulose are essentially indigestible carbohydrates within the human body; unless even a tiny fraction of them gets broken down by the bacteria naturally living in a healthy person's large intestine, they just pass right through you. Beyond just keeping things moving, these fibers act like a sponge, soaking up massive amounts of water—we're talking up to 15 times their own weight."

Man, eating stuff like that can't possibly be good for you... it's not like we're talking about finely ground wood used in paper towels; there's probably a whole heap of chemicals involved too.... I really think someone needs to warn her ASAP... especially her mom... this girl is basically poisoning herself while she's just sitting there thinking about how great it looks...
It's honestly terrifying what people are putting in their bodies these days.