Weight gain ideas

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SKramerLXC
SKramerLXC Posts: 3 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
This is actually for my 12yo son. He is SEVERELY underweight. He is a big eater already and his doctor put him on a high carb, high protein diet. He is 12, 4'7" and weighs 65lbs. His BMI is like 13. He's been eating lots of meats, potatoes, breads, pastas, fruits and veggies for a while but just can't seem to add weight. On top of that, we do lots of milk, Pure Protein bars, protein shakes and ice cream. He's not super active. 2 hours baseball practice 2/week right now and gym 5/week at school. Other than that, iphone has his life for the most part. Does anyone have any other advice? Is there a super food rich with carbs and protein I can add to his diet? I'm trying but struggling.

Side note: he does have ADHD and takes Adderall. He also takes a medicine for allergies to combat the loss of appetite called Cyproheptadine. He takes 1200 mg of fish oil a day and a vitamin b complex (both open receptors in the brain to better receive adhd meds).

Replies

  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Maybe talk to his doctors about adjusting dosage or trying different medications. Higher fat foods are what will give you the most calories for smaller amounts of food. Things like nuts and cheeses.
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
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    usmcmp wrote: »
    Maybe talk to his doctors about adjusting dosage or trying different medications. Higher fat foods are what will give you the most calories for smaller amounts of food. Things like nuts and cheeses.

    I second the high fat foods. Also depends on how the meat,veggies etc are cooked? You could try adding oil (it's made a big difference for me) and making sure things like milk are the full fat kind. Fruit and veg are great but might fill him up without actually adding enough calories.
    It could be the medication. I'm in the UK and don't recognise the names of his meds but I know that ritalin,often used in the uk,has an impact on weight and appetite.
    I've also found some great high calorie recipes on pinterest,some of which are specifically designed for children.
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
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    I just looked up adderall and one of the side effects is weight loss as I'm sure you're aware.
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
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    zachbonner_ wrote: »
    comptonelizabeth wrote: »
    I just looked up adderall and one of the side effects is weight loss as I'm sure you're aware.

    that is mostly due to loss of appetite. OP says kid is eating a lot of food

    Yeah I guess, but it's actually listed as a separate side effect?
    Anyway I agree - the doctor is the best source of advice.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Is there a reason your doctor didn't suggest more fat?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    SKramerLXC wrote: »
    This is actually for my 12yo son. He is SEVERELY underweight. He is a big eater already and his doctor put him on a high carb, high protein diet. He is 12, 4'7" and weighs 65lbs. His BMI is like 13. He's been eating lots of meats, potatoes, breads, pastas, fruits and veggies for a while but just can't seem to add weight. On top of that, we do lots of milk, Pure Protein bars, protein shakes and ice cream. He's not super active. 2 hours baseball practice 2/week right now and gym 5/week at school. Other than that, iphone has his life for the most part. Does anyone have any other advice? Is there a super food rich with carbs and protein I can add to his diet? I'm trying but struggling.

    Side note: he does have ADHD and takes Adderall. He also takes a medicine for allergies to combat the loss of appetite called Cyproheptadine. He takes 1200 mg of fish oil a day and a vitamin b complex (both open receptors in the brain to better receive adhd meds).

    Well, your son actually is pretty active.. he is getting at least 9 hours of exercise a week... of at least 4 are going to be pretty intense. I would agree that he should see his doctor about his meds to see if they can adjust dosage. Also, I would recommend reading the below to see if that can help.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read/p1
  • SKramerLXC
    SKramerLXC Posts: 3 Member
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    He's had blood work. Nothing of concern there. Just can't gain. As for Adderall and weight loss, measures are being taken to combat the loss of appetite. That's not an issue. He's a 3 burger, 6 coney, whole medium pizza to himself kind of guy. Just can't keep it on.
  • Hello_its_Dan
    Hello_its_Dan Posts: 406 Member
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    SKramerLXC wrote: »
    This is actually for my 12yo son. He is SEVERELY underweight. He is a big eater already and his doctor put him on a high carb, high protein diet. He is 12, 4'7" and weighs 65lbs. His BMI is like 13. He's been eating lots of meats, potatoes, breads, pastas, fruits and veggies for a while but just can't seem to add weight. On top of that, we do lots of milk, Pure Protein bars, protein shakes and ice cream. He's not super active. 2 hours baseball practice 2/week right now and gym 5/week at school. Other than that, iphone has his life for the most part. Does anyone have any other advice? Is there a super food rich with carbs and protein I can add to his diet? I'm trying but struggling.

    Side note: he does have ADHD and takes Adderall. He also takes a medicine for allergies to combat the loss of appetite called Cyproheptadine. He takes 1200 mg of fish oil a day and a vitamin b complex (both open receptors in the brain to better receive adhd meds).

    Children ages 9-18 generally autoregulation their intake and can recognize fullness/hunger cues better than adults.

    Boys ages 9-13
    Moderately active:
    1800-2200kcal/day
    Active:
    2000-2600kcal/day

    Boys ages 14-18
    Moderately active:
    2400-2800kcal/day
    Active:
    2800-3200kcal/day

    Always always always consult the GP before making changes to a child's diet.
    They're still growing and you must be cautious about making changes.

    As a side note:
    Adderall is a CNS stimulant.
    Metabolism is higher and food cravings are generally lower when taking it.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    SKramerLXC wrote: »
    He's had blood work. Nothing of concern there. Just can't gain. As for Adderall and weight loss, measures are being taken to combat the loss of appetite. That's not an issue. He's a 3 burger, 6 coney, whole medium pizza to himself kind of guy. Just can't keep it on.

    And i was a 3 big mac and 32 oz soda or large pizza to myself in one sitting. He is active and need to concentrate on high calorie foods and eating frequently. Adding in fats and oils should help increase calories.
  • SKramerLXC
    SKramerLXC Posts: 3 Member
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    We had a weigh in this week. When we started calorie counting 6 months ago he was at 58.4. Yesterday he was 65.6. In 6 months we have managed to put on over 7#!! Take out about a month of that. He had a tonsilectomy which kept him from eating right so he'd lost weight. This is actually pretty exciting. His doctor praised him on his great work. Slowly but surely. As long as we don't go backward, I will consider it a win!
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
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    SKramerLXC wrote: »
    We had a weigh in this week. When we started calorie counting 6 months ago he was at 58.4. Yesterday he was 65.6. In 6 months we have managed to put on over 7#!! Take out about a month of that. He had a tonsilectomy which kept him from eating right so he'd lost weight. This is actually pretty exciting. His doctor praised him on his great work. Slowly but surely. As long as we don't go backward, I will consider it a win!

    That's really good news!
  • BeChill73
    BeChill73 Posts: 75 Member
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    My 7yr old is also severely underweight... he is hovering on the 1st percentile at 19.3kg/43lbs. Has a good appetite for "yummy" food but refuses to eat more than 2 tablespoons of "real" food at dinner time. I find it really hard to get nutritious food into him. He lives on muesli, oatmeal, yoghurt, milk, nuts and fruit. The only meat he is willing to eat is ham and sausages but I can't cook those every nighy If I give him meat slow cooked and tender in a nice gravy he pushes it away. His little sister is heavier and much stronger than him.

    We are starting him on some of the meal replacement formula (the one for people recovering from illness) to try and add some meat to the poor lad. He looks like you could snap him like a twig!

  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
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    BeChill73 wrote: »
    My 7yr old is also severely underweight... he is hovering on the 1st percentile at 19.3kg/43lbs. Has a good appetite for "yummy" food but refuses to eat more than 2 tablespoons of "real" food at dinner time. I find it really hard to get nutritious food into him. He lives on muesli, oatmeal, yoghurt, milk, nuts and fruit. The only meat he is willing to eat is ham and sausages but I can't cook those every nighy If I give him meat slow cooked and tender in a nice gravy he pushes it away. His little sister is heavier and much stronger than him.

    We are starting him on some of the meal replacement formula (the one for people recovering from illness) to try and add some meat to the poor lad. He looks like you could snap him like a twig!

    My son was like this and would only eat things like sausages etc. It may be the gravy that puts him off? I know it's a serious worry but,if it's any consolation,he's now 22,eats pretty much anything and is a healthy weight and size. They do grow out of it.

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