Son (10 years old) unintentionally losing weight
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laughtoomuch wrote: »I let them eat as much as they want. My older son has no problems grabbing 2nds or 3rds.
I just got used to measuring everything I have in the fridge in case hubby and I decide to eat it.
I will try adding more rice and potatoes...he seems to like those. As for snacks, he's not a fan of sweets/cookies/ice cream but he LOVES chips. He can eat bags and bags of those if left to his own devices. I have the fridge stacked with yogurts and fruits but he only gets a couple a day. He just eats when he's hungry and only til he's full so I feel like I need to change what he eats instead of making him eat more.
Well, there's your problem. That's a very good skill to have (eating only until full), but (as others have pointed out as well) the foods you're offering to him/have available for him are not as calorie-dense as the foods it would stand to reason you've eliminated from your house. For those of us trying to lose weight, this is an advantage - we can fill up on fruit and salmon and edamame and feel full on fewer calories. However, for an active 10 year old boy, he may not be able to consume enough volume of those foods to meet his calorie needs.
It sounds like you agree, but just to reiterate - add to and/or replace parts of what he's eating now with full-fat, more calorie dense foods. Even if that means chips.
And still go to the doctor.0 -
If he LOVES chips, then stock some chips in the pantry.laughtoomuch wrote: »As for snacks, he's not a fan of sweets/cookies/ice cream but he LOVES chips. He can eat bags and bags of those if left to his own devices. I have the fridge stacked with yogurts and fruits but he only gets a couple a day. He just eats when he's hungry and only til he's full so I feel like I need to change what he eats instead of making him eat more.
I would second this. If you have the calories to spare, which he does, chips aren't bad. Potato chips and corn tortilla chips are typically only 3 ingredients. Certainly don't let him eat bags and bags of chips, but there's nothing with chips as a snack. Tortilla chips and salsa, bean dip or guacamole is a healthy snack.0 -
I can't make any recommendations, but if you have concerns, definitely talk to a doctor. There could be any number of underlying issues that you would want to rule out. My cousin's son (I believe he was 9 at the time) started losing weight, and it became significant. From there, other issues started popping up. Without getting into the specifics of what was going on with him, I'll just say that he is now back on track, but he had a combination of issues--some of them being newly developed allergies, in combination with some autoimmune stuff. Initially his pediatrician blew it off, but after some serious complications and lots of "second" opinions and specialists, they were able to get him gaining weight again. Hopefully it's nothing serious in your son's case. My sister's son has never liked eating, and my sister has to work at getting calories in him. She uses pediasure to help with that.0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
If she is literally every day giving her 10 year old tukey cubes for lunch and grilled fish and cauliflower for dinner, and all food comes measured in cups, this is not normal eating for a child, this is setting her kid up for an eating disorder. There is clean eating, as in healthy choices, and there is obsession. An overweight adult being on a restricted and repetitive diet is one thing. Having a 10 year old follow the same diet, it is not normal. There would be absolutely nothing wrong with the child eating this menu once or twice a week, the repetition and counting everything is the weird part.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
If she is literally every day giving her 10 year old tukey cubes for lunch and grilled fish and cauliflower for dinner, and all food comes measured in cups, this is not normal eating for a child, this is setting her kid up for an eating disorder. There is clean eating, as in healthy choices, and there is obsession. An overweight adult being on a restricted and repetitive diet is one thing. Having a 10 year old follow the same diet, it is not normal. There would be absolutely nothing wrong with the child eating this menu once or twice a week, the repetition and counting everything is the weird part.
It says a "typical" diet. As in example.0 -
When my husband was a kid, he was very skinny, and wouldn't gain weight. His pediatrician put him on Ensure. Probably not the best route, but maybe giving him a can of ensure a day just to pack on some calories?!0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
If she is literally every day giving her 10 year old tukey cubes for lunch and grilled fish and cauliflower for dinner, and all food comes measured in cups, this is not normal eating for a child, this is setting her kid up for an eating disorder. There is clean eating, as in healthy choices, and there is obsession. An overweight adult being on a restricted and repetitive diet is one thing. Having a 10 year old follow the same diet, it is not normal. There would be absolutely nothing wrong with the child eating this menu once or twice a week, the repetition and counting everything is the weird part.
All of the food in my fridge is portioned out in individual servings because that's how I store it. It's not all that odd... Someone tell me I'm not crazy. Please?0 -
If you're preparing a lot of the same things every day, he could just be bored with the food. It may look like he's eating until he's full but it could really be that he just doesn't want what's there.
ETA: Your meals look like they're of the protein + veggie + (sometimes) starch model which is fine but there are also soups, pasta dishes, casseroles, pizzas, sandwiches and burgers, salads, tacos, etc. Preparing food in different ways helps make it more interesting and fun to eat.
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Is there a reason there are so few carbs (no bread, rice, pasta)? What you describe sounds like a weird diet for a child, to the point that it could also be boring. I could not make such a "typical" day list for my kids, because the average week has usually variety, soup with bread one day, pasta the next, pizza on a weekend, meat cooked with vegetables one day, fish the next and so on. It sounds weird for a kid to have the same lunch and dinner everyday, and also it seems weird to not have more cooked meals.
I cook on Sundays and prep food for as long as it will last. I have two fridges in my kitchen that I stock. What I listed for him is JUST what I notice he has been eating for the past few days. I currently have salmon, catfish, sautéed chicken, sandwiches, eggs, cubed turkey and bulgogi in there along with broccoli, cauliflower, edamame, carrot sticks, cucumbers, grapes, oranges, strawberries, pineapples, and blueberries. I also have a ton of greek yogurt, waters, orange juice and gatorades. I'm sure there are other things but I can't remember all of it.
I'm not measuring food for him, I'm doing it for me but I don't control what or when they eat. There is no lock on the fridge.
When I know we will be out all day, I suggest we grab a bite somewhere and they want me to bring what we have at home. I'm not forcing these food down on them...they really seem to like it.
I know chips and other junk food will add more calories to his diet...I was just hoping for other options.
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All of the food in my fridge is portioned out in individual servings because that's how I store it. It's not all that odd... Someone tell me I'm not crazy. Please?
It sounds very convenient for someone who is single, or for adults in general. But I cannot imagine how this would work with kids. Honestly, I just cannot. I see my kids open the fridge all the time, get a piece of whatever when they are hungry, argue during meal time about portions, side dishes etc. I do not know, maybe there are kids out there who really can be that disciplined when it comes to food, but it just sounds weird to me.
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
It's all food. There is no clean or non-clean. Problem is he's not eating enough of what's being given to him. Regardless of how anyone is classifying it. He's just not eating enough of it. Pretty simplelaughtoomuch wrote: »Is there a reason there are so few carbs (no bread, rice, pasta)? What you describe sounds like a weird diet for a child, to the point that it could also be boring. I could not make such a "typical" day list for my kids, because the average week has usually variety, soup with bread one day, pasta the next, pizza on a weekend, meat cooked with vegetables one day, fish the next and so on. It sounds weird for a kid to have the same lunch and dinner everyday, and also it seems weird to not have more cooked meals.
I cook on Sundays and prep food for as long as it will last. I have two fridges in my kitchen that I stock. What I listed for him is JUST what I notice he has been eating for the past few days. I currently have salmon, catfish, sautéed chicken, sandwiches, eggs, cubed turkey and bulgogi in there along with broccoli, cauliflower, edamame, carrot sticks, cucumbers, grapes, oranges, strawberries, pineapples, and blueberries. I also have a ton of greek yogurt, waters, orange juice and gatorades. I'm sure there are other things but I can't remember all of it.
I'm not measuring food for him, I'm doing it for me but I don't control what or when they eat. There is no lock on the fridge.
When I know we will be out all day, I suggest we grab a bite somewhere and they want me to bring what we have at home. I'm not forcing these food down on them...they really seem to like it.
I know chips and other junk food will add more calories to his diet...I was just hoping for other options.
You don't really need to justify your healthy eating habits. These threads about parenting always disolve into finger pointing by the 'perfect parents'.
He's only lost 2 lbs in over a month so it's obvious he's not starving. If he was eating processed foods and chips before, it's quite possible it's just water weight lost from eating a lower sodium diet now that you are eating more natural whole foods.0 -
spingirl605 wrote: »When my husband was a kid, he was very skinny, and wouldn't gain weight. His pediatrician put him on Ensure. Probably not the best route, but maybe giving him a can of ensure a day just to pack on some calories?!
Thanks. I will ask our Pedi about Ensure, or an alternative.
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
If she is literally every day giving her 10 year old tukey cubes for lunch and grilled fish and cauliflower for dinner, and all food comes measured in cups, this is not normal eating for a child, this is setting her kid up for an eating disorder. There is clean eating, as in healthy choices, and there is obsession. An overweight adult being on a restricted and repetitive diet is one thing. Having a 10 year old follow the same diet, it is not normal. There would be absolutely nothing wrong with the child eating this menu once or twice a week, the repetition and counting everything is the weird part.
All of the food in my fridge is portioned out in individual servings because that's how I store it. It's not all that odd... Someone tell me I'm not crazy. Please?
Why would that be crazy? Seriously, now there is a right and wrong way to store food??0 -
laughtoomuch wrote: »Is there a reason there are so few carbs (no bread, rice, pasta)? What you describe sounds like a weird diet for a child, to the point that it could also be boring. I could not make such a "typical" day list for my kids, because the average week has usually variety, soup with bread one day, pasta the next, pizza on a weekend, meat cooked with vegetables one day, fish the next and so on. It sounds weird for a kid to have the same lunch and dinner everyday, and also it seems weird to not have more cooked meals.
I cook on Sundays and prep food for as long as it will last. I have two fridges in my kitchen that I stock. What I listed for him is JUST what I notice he has been eating for the past few days. I currently have salmon, catfish, sautéed chicken, sandwiches, eggs, cubed turkey and bulgogi in there along with broccoli, cauliflower, edamame, carrot sticks, cucumbers, grapes, oranges, strawberries, pineapples, and blueberries. I also have a ton of greek yogurt, waters, orange juice and gatorades. I'm sure there are other things but I can't remember all of it.
I'm not measuring food for him, I'm doing it for me but I don't control what or when they eat. There is no lock on the fridge.
When I know we will be out all day, I suggest we grab a bite somewhere and they want me to bring what we have at home. I'm not forcing these food down on them...they really seem to like it.
I know chips and other junk food will add more calories to his diet...I was just hoping for other options.
Other options are:
-making him eat more volume of these low cal foods.
-making more calorie dense foods available and encouraging him to eat it.
Full fat milk, cheeses, butter, more bread, rice, potatoes, pasta. Maybe this means you cook an extra side dish for dinner that you will have to try to ignore if you don't want this in your diet.
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
It's all food. There is no clean or non-clean. Problem is he's not eating enough of what's being given to him. Regardless of how anyone is classifying it. He's just not eating enough of it. Pretty simplelaughtoomuch wrote: »Is there a reason there are so few carbs (no bread, rice, pasta)? What you describe sounds like a weird diet for a child, to the point that it could also be boring. I could not make such a "typical" day list for my kids, because the average week has usually variety, soup with bread one day, pasta the next, pizza on a weekend, meat cooked with vegetables one day, fish the next and so on. It sounds weird for a kid to have the same lunch and dinner everyday, and also it seems weird to not have more cooked meals.
I cook on Sundays and prep food for as long as it will last. I have two fridges in my kitchen that I stock. What I listed for him is JUST what I notice he has been eating for the past few days. I currently have salmon, catfish, sautéed chicken, sandwiches, eggs, cubed turkey and bulgogi in there along with broccoli, cauliflower, edamame, carrot sticks, cucumbers, grapes, oranges, strawberries, pineapples, and blueberries. I also have a ton of greek yogurt, waters, orange juice and gatorades. I'm sure there are other things but I can't remember all of it.
I'm not measuring food for him, I'm doing it for me but I don't control what or when they eat. There is no lock on the fridge.
When I know we will be out all day, I suggest we grab a bite somewhere and they want me to bring what we have at home. I'm not forcing these food down on them...they really seem to like it.
I know chips and other junk food will add more calories to his diet...I was just hoping for other options.
You don't really need to justify your healthy eating habits. These threads about parenting always disolve into finger pointing by the 'perfect parents'.
He's only lost 2 lbs in over a month so it's obvious he's not starving. If he was eating of processed foods and chips before, it's quite possible it's just water weight lost from eating a lower sodium diet now that you are eating more natural whole foods.
Thanks. Im going to take him to Pediatrician this week. I will let yall know what he says.
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chocolate milk with breakfast, ice cream for dessert, full fat cheese sticks and deli meats for snacks, ranch to dip veggies in, apples and peanut butter or apples and cheese, oatmealwith brown sugar and raisins! my kids love veggies and eat a ton. veggies are great but dont forget the nutrient dense and more caloric ones. sweet potatoe hash to go with the salmon, how about a huge bowl of brussel sprouts, broccoli and roasted peppers and i mean not just a few pieces but like 100grams + of each per serving! how about a salad with full fat dressing to go with those cucumbers and carrot sticks?0
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It kind of looks like from your messages that your system is that you mostly allow him to just get into the fridge and pick out whatever he wants. My suggestion would be that you control this better in order to keep him from picking just a bunch of low fat/ low cal stuff all the time. For instance, don't just let him pick out what he wants, but insist that he pick a fruit or a vegetable, then a carb or full fat dairy of some kind, then something with protein/ good fat content. If he wants a lower fat protein, fine, but make sure that he gets extra carbs or full fat dairy to make up for it. He still gets choices, but you are overseeing the menu in such a way that he doesn't end up with low cal fish, low cal veggie, and low cal fruit as every meal. Definitely get some cals in him with drinks also -- full fat milk, fruit juice, etc. It's easier to drink extra calories than to eat them. Also, maybe you can encourage him to eat more than one snack a day. Adding in a second snack of tortilla chips and guacamole or a mac and cheese cup would add a lot of calories to his day.
You could give him buttered toast with his breakfast and double up his portion of eggs since he likes those. Add butter or cheese to his veggies. Give him a cupcake or a bag of chips once in a while. Maybe take him out for pizza or tacos once a week. Not only will it help boost his calories, but it will also make sure he gets to enjoy those things now so he doesn't lose his mind when he gets older and gets to make his own choices.0 -
chocolate milk with breakfast, ice cream for dessert, full fat cheese sticks and deli meats for snacks, ranch to dip veggies in, apples and peanut butter or apples and cheese, oatmealwith brown sugar and raisins! my kids love veggies and eat a ton. veggies are great but dont forget the nutrient dense and more caloric ones. sweet potatoe hash to go with the salmon, how about a huge bowl of brussel sprouts, broccoli and roasted peppers and i mean not just a few pieces but like 100grams + of each per serving! how about a salad with full fat dressing to go with those cucumbers and carrot sticks?
Your kids will eat a bowl of broccoli and brussel sprouts?
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laughtoomuch wrote: »Is there a reason there are so few carbs (no bread, rice, pasta)? What you describe sounds like a weird diet for a child, to the point that it could also be boring. I could not make such a "typical" day list for my kids, because the average week has usually variety, soup with bread one day, pasta the next, pizza on a weekend, meat cooked with vegetables one day, fish the next and so on. It sounds weird for a kid to have the same lunch and dinner everyday, and also it seems weird to not have more cooked meals.
I cook on Sundays and prep food for as long as it will last. I have two fridges in my kitchen that I stock. What I listed for him is JUST what I notice he has been eating for the past few days. I currently have salmon, catfish, sautéed chicken, sandwiches, eggs, cubed turkey and bulgogi in there along with broccoli, cauliflower, edamame, carrot sticks, cucumbers, grapes, oranges, strawberries, pineapples, and blueberries. I also have a ton of greek yogurt, waters, orange juice and gatorades. I'm sure there are other things but I can't remember all of it.
I'm not measuring food for him, I'm doing it for me but I don't control what or when they eat. There is no lock on the fridge.
When I know we will be out all day, I suggest we grab a bite somewhere and they want me to bring what we have at home. I'm not forcing these food down on them...they really seem to like it.
I know chips and other junk food will add more calories to his diet...I was just hoping for other options.
Other options are:
-making him eat more volume of these low cal foods.
-making more calorie dense foods available and encouraging him to eat it.
Full fat milk, cheeses, butter, more bread, rice, potatoes, pasta. Maybe this means you cook an extra side dish for dinner that you will have to try to ignore if you don't want this in your diet.
The kid says he's full so he probably won't eat more volume.
I mean is a pizza or burger with fries out of the question here? You can't really make him healthier if he's already eating to his macro/micro nutrient numbers.
Pizza...he totally hates. Burger and fries he will eat. I will also try all the other suggestions. I think he would totally go for toast and butter...I might just try and butter/cheese everything.0
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