OMG! I think I'm Starving My Kid!
road2peachtree
Posts: 294 Member
Dramatic title, yes, but from what I'm reading on NIH, my son should be eating like 2600 cals. I have no earthly idea how many calories he eats and I've been close to logging it just so I could figure it out. Every time I turn around the boy is hungry :noway: . He is 12, currently he is playing basketball and baseball (basketball 2ce a week, baseball 4-5 days per week), in the fall he plays football, and when he's not at somebody's practice he is skateboarding or outside playing ball. He's 5'3" and 118lbs....anyway....this is what the NIH thing said:
****Estimated Calorie Requirements
This calorie requirement chart presents estimated amounts of calories needed to maintain energy balance (and a healthy body weight) for various gender and age groups at three different levels of physical activity. The estimates are rounded to the nearest 200 calories and were determined using an equation from the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
Estimated Calorie Requirements (in kilocalories) for Each Gender and Age Group at Three Levels of Physical Activity. Gender Age Sedentary Moderately Active Active
Male 9-13 1,800 1,800 - 2,200 2,000 - 2,600
Source: HHS/USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans: 2005
These levels are based on Estimated Energy Requirements (EER) from the IOM Dietary Reference Intakes macronutrients report, 2002, calculated by gender, age, and activity level for reference-sized individuals. "Reference size," as determined by IOM, is based on median height and weight for ages up to age 18 years of age and median height and weight for that height to give a BMI of 21.5 for adult females and 22.5 for adult males.
Sedentary means a lifestyle that includes only the light physical activity associated with typical day-to-day life.
Moderately active means a lifestyle that includes physical activity equivalent to walking about 1.5 to 3 miles per day at 3 to 4 miles per hour, in addition to the light physical activity associated with typical day-to-day life.
Active means a lifestyle that includes physical activity equivalent to walking more than 3 miles per day at 3 to 4 miles per hour, in addition to the light physical activity associated with typical day-to-day life.
The calorie ranges shown are to accommodate needs of different ages within the group. For children and adolescents, more calories are needed at older ages. For adults, fewer calories are needed at older ages. ****
So my question is...how do I ensure he is eating enough without overloading him? He eats breakfast every day. Some days it's cereal, eggs, pancakes, waffles, poptart, toaster strudel or on a busy morning a sausage biscuit from Burger King (don't judge me :grumble: ). I pack his lunch every single day--he never eats at school. I pack him a regular type of lunch--sammy, juice, a couple of snacks. Then at home he finds his own thing and then dinner. I have control over everything he eats basically. I am the chef and the grocery shopper. So how do I create good for him, calorie dense foods that will fuel him in his active lifestyle? What is happening right now ain't working cuz it's driving me batty with the "I'm hungry all of the time" :explode:
****Estimated Calorie Requirements
This calorie requirement chart presents estimated amounts of calories needed to maintain energy balance (and a healthy body weight) for various gender and age groups at three different levels of physical activity. The estimates are rounded to the nearest 200 calories and were determined using an equation from the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
Estimated Calorie Requirements (in kilocalories) for Each Gender and Age Group at Three Levels of Physical Activity. Gender Age Sedentary Moderately Active Active
Male 9-13 1,800 1,800 - 2,200 2,000 - 2,600
Source: HHS/USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans: 2005
These levels are based on Estimated Energy Requirements (EER) from the IOM Dietary Reference Intakes macronutrients report, 2002, calculated by gender, age, and activity level for reference-sized individuals. "Reference size," as determined by IOM, is based on median height and weight for ages up to age 18 years of age and median height and weight for that height to give a BMI of 21.5 for adult females and 22.5 for adult males.
Sedentary means a lifestyle that includes only the light physical activity associated with typical day-to-day life.
Moderately active means a lifestyle that includes physical activity equivalent to walking about 1.5 to 3 miles per day at 3 to 4 miles per hour, in addition to the light physical activity associated with typical day-to-day life.
Active means a lifestyle that includes physical activity equivalent to walking more than 3 miles per day at 3 to 4 miles per hour, in addition to the light physical activity associated with typical day-to-day life.
The calorie ranges shown are to accommodate needs of different ages within the group. For children and adolescents, more calories are needed at older ages. For adults, fewer calories are needed at older ages. ****
So my question is...how do I ensure he is eating enough without overloading him? He eats breakfast every day. Some days it's cereal, eggs, pancakes, waffles, poptart, toaster strudel or on a busy morning a sausage biscuit from Burger King (don't judge me :grumble: ). I pack his lunch every single day--he never eats at school. I pack him a regular type of lunch--sammy, juice, a couple of snacks. Then at home he finds his own thing and then dinner. I have control over everything he eats basically. I am the chef and the grocery shopper. So how do I create good for him, calorie dense foods that will fuel him in his active lifestyle? What is happening right now ain't working cuz it's driving me batty with the "I'm hungry all of the time" :explode:
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Replies
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Get him some things like nuts, nut butter on rice cakes, avocados in his sandwiches, plenty of whole milk
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Get him some things like nuts, nut butter on rice cakes, avocados in his sandwiches, plenty of whole milk
Great idea! I try to keep nuts and milk around but never thought of the avocado.0 -
Peanut butter & Jelly with 2 slices of higher calorie bread, peanut butter & the jelly will put him at almost 500 calories just for the sandwich - sneak 2 servings of PB on there to up it
Protein powder in "milk shakes" (chocolate or peanut butter flavored).0 -
You might also try leaving healthy snacks available for him when he gets home:
Chopped veggies and ranch dip. Fruit and fruit dip (apples and peanut butter even). Crackers and cheese. Nuts. Etc.0 -
You could check with your doctor to see if he's a healthy weight, if he wasn't getting enough to eat he would be losing weight, no?0
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If he is hungry he will eat, most teenage boys are just hungry all the time due to the constant activity and growing body. Don't worry about it just don't keep food from him.0
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second the healthy snacks - i would try to have a lot of them around so he doesn't go out and eat junk food b/c he is hungry.0
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If he is hungry he will eat, most teenage boys are just hungry all the time due to the constant activity and growing body. Don't worry about it just don't keep food from him.
Agree! I have a 12 year old and a 13 year old who eat non-stop...its very hard to keep enough in the house the keep them fed!0 -
Honestly, those things are just a guideline. Go by his hunger and appearance. I have one son who's VERY thin, always has been, and one who's bulkier. Both are a healthy weight. They eat as much as they want to, but if skinny-mini is looking too thin I'll increase the fat content of his meals with peanut butter, haagen-daaz, and cheese. We did this for several years under the guidance of a nutritional therapist (he had some health problems as a little one).0
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Just make sure he has healthy, filling options available. Fruit and nuts pack well, as do fruit and cheese. He is so active, I don't think you need to worry about overloading unless he only eats junk food or you are pushing him to eat more than he feels is necessary.0
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I'd log it and adjust amounts/number of snacks from there. He's burning a lot of calories through his activities and he's a growing boy.
Teenage boys eat a lot of food. Might need to increase his breakfast and lunch portions and throw in more snacks. Just make them healthy choices and keep an eye on how his body reacts.0 -
If he is hungry he will eat, most teenage boys are just hungry all the time due to the constant activity and growing body. Don't worry about it just don't keep food from him.
Agree! I have a 12 year old and a 13 year old who eat non-stop...its very hard to keep enough in the house the keep them fed!
If I hear I'm hungry one more time I'm liable to just walk out of the front door and not return until he's 18 and out of the house. LOL0 -
If he is hungry he will eat, most teenage boys are just hungry all the time due to the constant activity and growing body. Don't worry about it just don't keep food from him.
Agree! I have a 12 year old and a 13 year old who eat non-stop...its very hard to keep enough in the house the keep them fed!
If I hear I'm hungry one more time I'm liable to just walk out of the front door and not return until he's 18 and out of the house. LOL
Then give him more food and he'll stop saying it.
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If he is hungry he will eat, most teenage boys are just hungry all the time due to the constant activity and growing body. Don't worry about it just don't keep food from him.
Agree! I have a 12 year old and a 13 year old who eat non-stop...its very hard to keep enough in the house the keep them fed!
If I hear I'm hungry one more time I'm liable to just walk out of the front door and not return until he's 18 and out of the house. LOL
I'm female, but I was an active kid - grew up in Florida so I was outside all the time. I don't know how many times I heard my parents say "Do you have a hollow leg?" because I asked for food so often. Kids will eat when they need it. Keep feeding him.
My cousin raised four boys. She just about went broke when they were teenagers. :laugh:0 -
He's will keep saying he is starving because he really is hungry. Just keep the food available and let him work through how much he needs to eat.0
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If you have guy friends that are lifting on your FL, peek at their diaries and get some ideas. That's what I do. I need to fatten my kid up. He's 5'9" and weighs the same as yours. Pasta and peanut butter will be your friend!0
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You should forget what he "should" be intaking and go by his weight. If he is underweight he needs to eat more calories of healthy energy foods like wholegrains, milk and protein - not empty fat calories from junk foods. If he is not underweight just carry on doing what you are doing and if he's hungry show him the fruit bowl.
I'm sure he's not being starved! You sound like a good mum, you would know if he's wasting away and he wouldn't be able to play sports if he had no energy!0 -
If he is hungry he will eat, most teenage boys are just hungry all the time due to the constant activity and growing body. Don't worry about it just don't keep food from him.
This. Don't stress yourself out over it. If hes happy, healthy and growing, and a healthy weight, leave him be. He'll eat when hungry, stop when full. Just make sure hes getting the right types of foods, and let him decide when/how much he eats.0
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