70lbs at 17 ..Desperately need advise on gaining eating healthy???
m0ij0
Posts: 299 Member
My daughter has special needs , she eats like a horse but doesn't gain weight, theres no medical reason for this, the dieticians think its because she never sits still due to her autism .. she has an eight pack to die for.. she ripped.. but they have been wanting to just give her a feeding tube since she was 3 just to make their jobs easier, but she loves her food, the problem is that she isnt gaining now at all really, but shes getting taller , shes around 5ft now and just under 70lbs. She will be undergoing major spinal surgery soon and the dieticians are dying to just slip in a feeding tube in her stomach while she's there, i know she will rip it out and not tolerate it and she doesn't understand she cant do that.. so i need any tips on how to bulk up on her weight in a healthy way.
I already add double cream and cheese and lots of carbs to all her meals and she is strict on routine .. eats 3 meals a day and full fat desserts ..every 4-5 hours and no snacks.
She was on double cal shakes but she didnt like any of the dieticians ones.. so any suggestions would be great ?
Thanks in advance.
I already add double cream and cheese and lots of carbs to all her meals and she is strict on routine .. eats 3 meals a day and full fat desserts ..every 4-5 hours and no snacks.
She was on double cal shakes but she didnt like any of the dieticians ones.. so any suggestions would be great ?
Thanks in advance.
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Wow - that must be so hard for you!
Cook in lots of oil(coconut), or add oils (extra Virgin olive) to salads, or homemade mayo is delicious on most things!
Choose the fattiest cuts of meat and fish.
Carb dense vegies and fruit. Drink calories - either juices (fresh would be best) or smoothies/"Milk " shakes if she likes them
Try making raw desserts - they are extremely calorie dense but all whole food ingredients. Cheese"cake", slices etc.
Is there a reason she doesn't eat snacks? Perhaps more meals will make it easier for her to get in more calories?
(I'm sure most of that is obvious to you, I bet you try everything!)0 -
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I am trying to get my son to gain weight too and he's very picky...
I over butter everything (like grilled cheese, etc). I add double cheese to everything and I buy the most caloric cheese I can find. I make his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the most amount of peanut butter I can shove in there. When I make burgers I give him the full fat meat and not the lean ground beef we use, and I'll pan fry it with oil. You just have to play around. I let him eat McDonald's, even though I know it is horrible for you...just for the calorie aspect and it is something he'll actually eat.
Funny thing is I try to sub all the foods we like for the healthy versions for the rest of us, and the fattening versions for him, LOL. It is frustrating and a lot of work!0 -
I've tried a couple of those but theres always the chance someone will come up with something i havent tried , so thank you
Tried adding in snacks, but then she wont eat at meal times.. its and autism thing.. it disrupts her routine , she doesn't like change , its different so it confuses her and she wont eat at all.
I am trying to add in another meal before bed time again... gradually she will just cut down what she eats at her other meal times and it balances out so shes just eating around the same amount but in 4 meals instead.. clever little miss she is , i have to be sneaky lol
Does she know that a feeding tube is a possibility if she doesn't gain weight? If it's something she doesn't want, perhaps that'll convince her to eat more?0 -
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They actually sell mass gainer that body-builder type guys use to bulk because it adds a lot of calories. The nice thing is that it come as a powder so you could sneak it into smoothies or shakes (or even things like pancakes if you wanted to). Basically it is really calorie dense (like 1200 calories in a serving) but that is how it works to add the weight. If you want to know more I'm sure you could post questions to get information directly from people who use it.0
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They actually sell mass gainer that body-builder type guys use to bulk because it adds a lot of calories. The nice thing is that it come as a powder so you could sneak it into smoothies or shakes (or even things like pancakes if you wanted to). Basically it is really calorie dense (like 1200 calories in a serving) but that is how it works to add the weight. If you want to know more I'm sure you could post questions to get information directly from people who use it.
It's High calorie because it has lots of fat and sugar along with the protein.... Probably similar to the shakes she was having from the Dr?
I'm sorry you can't communicate that with her m0ij0... Apologies for not understanding how her condition affects her too. I haven't had a lot of contact with autistic people, the couple I've taught were able to communicate
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You could try one trick recovering anorexics I knew would sometimes use (I never used this personally): the "fat *kitten*" shake. Basically blend whole milk, heavy cream, banana, honey, LOTS of peanut/almond butter, and you get a super calorie dense tasty smoothie. You can add other things like full fat greek yogurt, melted dark chocolate, almond/coconut oil, ice cream, canned coconut milk etc for extra calories or different tastes.0
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I would suggest more protein than fat. Fats have the most calorie per weight but proteins are denser and can pack more on. I know people that do ice cream shakes with tons of the protein powder stuff that helps. Or just lots of fried chicken, its the best food in the world
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Ensure Plus or Whey Protein with whole milk. The Ensure Plus is popular and come pre mixed so you just open and drink, but it does have saturated fat, and comes in at 350 calories per 8oz bottle. 8oz of whole milk and 2 scoops of whey protein has 300 calories but not the saturated fat. Heck even fast food milkshakes, I think a large shake at McDonald's has over 800 calories, but is also pretty high in sugar.0
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I would try feeding her more liquid calories like a ''healthy'' shake and stuff.
I used to drink something like this:
500-1000ml milk
30 grams of penut butter
150 grams of oats
1 banana
(you can add more if you want, i added protein powder)
If you want to add even more calories add whipped cream.
Put everything in the blender and blend untill its smooth.
this shake was about 800-1000 calories and tasted pritty good.0 -
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McKittyJane wrote: »I would suggest more protein than fat. Fats have the most calorie per weight but proteins are denser and can pack more on. I know people that do ice cream shakes with tons of the protein powder stuff that helps. Or just lots of fried chicken, its the best food in the world
No. Calories is what packs the weight on. It doesn't matter if its from protein, fats, or carbs.
Protein rich foods generally will give you the feeling of being full for a longer period with less calories which is the opposite of what the little one needs. She would be able to consume way more calories through fats and carbs.
BTW the major calories from fried chicken is from the fat of the skin. Good suggestion.
OP, boy that is a tough one. I concur with your thoughts on the feed tube being ripped out. There is really no place you could have it where she wouldn't grab at it. Why not feed her more often than three times a day?
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Have you tried skandy or cal shakes from the hospital, they taste like Mcdonald milkshakes. I had a feeding tube put in two years ago as I never put weight on but before this I had cal shakes there 600 cal and you can bulk them up with icecream.0
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livingleanlivingclean wrote: »I've tried a couple of those but theres always the chance someone will come up with something i havent tried , so thank you
Tried adding in snacks, but then she wont eat at meal times.. its and autism thing.. it disrupts her routine , she doesn't like change , its different so it confuses her and she wont eat at all.
I am trying to add in another meal before bed time again... gradually she will just cut down what she eats at her other meal times and it balances out so shes just eating around the same amount but in 4 meals instead.. clever little miss she is , i have to be sneaky lol
Does she know that a feeding tube is a possibility if she doesn't gain weight? If it's something she doesn't want, perhaps that'll convince her to eat more?
I wish it was that easy.. she doesn't understand any form of communication or have any awareness of danger or what's good or bad for her.
Wow, I'm sorry. That sounds really rough. Since she doesn't snack, could you try to make her meals last longer? Maybe hang around the table a little longer and squeeze in an extra couple hundred calories after dessert?
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I was told not to ever buy Muscle Milk for its arsenic content! Others are fine…just read what's in them or use a recommendation from someone who can suggest something besides Muscle Milk. They still sell the stuff… so, avoid it. Use the more natural holistic, plant-based type (I think).0
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If you're concerned about her naturally adjusting her intake, the weight gainer shakes may be a good idea, but it might also fill her up and prevent her from wanting her next meal. You could also try replacing some drinks with those that are not heavy but have calories (fruit juice comes to mind, but also whole milk or even soda if she enjoys it).0
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Do NOT take the well-meant advice offered by many here. Adding extra fat/oil/meats?? Find a professional you trust and go with him/her.0
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Do NOT take the well-meant advice offered by many here. Adding extra fat/oil/meats?? Find a professional you trust and go with him/her.
That makes no sense whatsoever. She needs to add calories--Where do you think calories come from? Is a professional going to tell her to feed her dirt and spiders?
Editing to add... Sorry, OP, but I don't really have any advice since I've never faced the issue before. But you've had some great responses! Does she at least drink between meals? Rather than non-caloric liquids, maybe try giving her more calorie-dense ones like milk, smoothies, soda? 0 -
SoDamnHungry wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »I've tried a couple of those but theres always the chance someone will come up with something i havent tried , so thank you
Tried adding in snacks, but then she wont eat at meal times.. its and autism thing.. it disrupts her routine , she doesn't like change , its different so it confuses her and she wont eat at all.
I am trying to add in another meal before bed time again... gradually she will just cut down what she eats at her other meal times and it balances out so shes just eating around the same amount but in 4 meals instead.. clever little miss she is , i have to be sneaky lol
Does she know that a feeding tube is a possibility if she doesn't gain weight? If it's something she doesn't want, perhaps that'll convince her to eat more?
I wish it was that easy.. she doesn't understand any form of communication or have any awareness of danger or what's good or bad for her.
Wow, I'm sorry. That sounds really rough. Since she doesn't snack, could you try to make her meals last longer? Maybe hang around the table a little longer and squeeze in an extra couple hundred calories after dessert?
That would have been my thought. Increase her portion size if you can. Don't give her more veg/fruit than she needs because it's relatively low cal, and fiber can make you feel full.
Otherwise, My instinct would be to try things that are classically easy to overeat and to heck with 'healthy' so long as the core of her diet covers her nutrition. Granola, crackers, chips, pretzels, nuts, cookies like Oreos. Dried fruit is calorie heavy, might work better than fresh or cooked. You can eat a lot of it. Watch out for side effects from a fiber overload, though.
I wouldn't give her anything rich tasting to make her feel full. That's my problem with weight gainer shakes. One of those is a huge amount of calories, but then I don't want to eat anything else all day. I don't even want to finish the shake. Too heavy in my stomach.
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She still needs fruit and vegies from a micronutrient perspective, but choose more carb dense options.
Normal amounts of protein, but choose fattier options, cook in fat (coconut oil) and add Fats where possible (olive oil, nuts & nut butters, avocado, cream, butter etc).
Fats are the most calorie dense options so you'll be able to get in the most calories for least volume.
You say she always gets dessert - what types of desserts does she get?0 -
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Look for Mct oil (medium chain triglycerides ), and another tasty option, is hemp seeds ( you can sprinkle it on deserts,salads,Greek yogurt.Both are high in fat,but healthy fats.As for weight gainers,most ARE very high in sugar content.However Precision Bigtime is actually a high quality gainer which is very low in sugar content.
I truly hope you find something that works.0 -
You must consume lots of protein and carbs as well as fats to gain muscle and weight. I would recommend somewhere around 2,000 calories to start off then slowly increase caloric intake.0
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I was going to suggest smoothies. We do a smoothie with frozen vanilla yogurt (like ice cream), banana, I bet some Nutella would be delicious in it too, and nice and high calorie.0
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