Thoughts on how to approach overeating with kids

[mommyoftwinboys]

My boys are very active and not overweight but they eat massive amounts of food and it worries me. For example, last night my husband and I went out on a date. I served the boys dinner before they went to the sitters house. They had venison stew with egg noodles and green beens. Then, at the sitters house she ordered 2 pizzas. 1 large everything pizza and 1 medium cheese. The boys ate the entire large everything pizza(except the one piece she ate)! This is typical of them!

I feel like I'm constantly saying no to eating more food. Lunch today was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chips, cucumbers and strawberries. My one son came in and informed me he was still hungry-how is that possible? I said he had had enough and to drink a glass of water. He then asked if he drank a glass of water, could he have more food-I said no and he threw a fit. I certainly don't want to deprive my kids of food and I don't like the idea of restricting, but feel like if I didn't they would eat everything. Is this normal? (they are 9 by the way). It just seems they have no self control for good tasting food(vegetables they seem to restrain themselves somehow.)

[myfunnybunch]

I keep the fruit bowl stocked with apples, and I keep string cheese (not a highly preferred food in my house, but not despised either) in the refrigerator.

 

I tell my boys repeatedly, "If you're hungry, you can have an apple or a piece of string cheese." I should make a sign, then I could just point. LOL

 

They either:

Go choose a snack and eat it.

Or say, "I want something else." In which case, I say, "That's what's available, eat it or don't." If they have a fit, I treat it like any other behavior problem.

 

I have one boy who doesn't seem to be able to read his body's full signal, and he will eat and eat and eat. If he is "hungry" immediately after a meal, I usually redirect him to some other activity. "You can have a snack (apple or string cheese) after you....." Getting him off the eating track often distracts him entirely. I've also let him know that two servings at one meal is plenty, and if he's hungry after he's helped clean up after dinner then he can have a snack. By the time he's dont with the chores, he rarely remembers that he was "still staaaaaarving" at the end of the meal.

 

And I try to keep him very active.

 

Cat

[twoforjoy]

If they're mainly eating healthy foods, I'd let them eat as much as they want. I've been continually surprised at how much my friend's older children eat, especially the boys. I think it's perfectly normal, and if it seems like they're genuinely hungry--rather than just asking for a snack because they're bored and don't know what else to do--I'd let them eat.

 

But, I've got a 6'5" husband, and we've been together since we were 18. The amount of food he ate in his late teens and early twenties was unbelievable, and he was rail thin.

[sarahbobeara]

My oldest will be 9 in June and she is the same way. However, she doesn't snack that often anymore. I'll offer her a morning or afternoon snack at the same time as my 4 year old, just in case DD8 is hungry, but she often refuses. So she's eating bigger meals, not snacking as much, but still very active (she plays hard).

 

If DD8 had an early meal and then was offered pizza a few hours later, she probably would have eaten a few pieces as well. We tease her about having a hollow leg :lol:

 

I would just watch their sodium intake, and like you do, offer water first. DD8 hardly drinks enough IMO.

[Dobela]

Some of it is very normal. When my son turned 10 his pediatrician told me that his appetite would triple thru puberty and that it was ok. He also promised that once he was finished with puberty that his appetite would return to normal levels. Now my son is almost 11 and the amount of food he can eat astounds me sometimes. But he is not becoming overweight so it must be ok.

[sunshine_librarian]

I have a lot of tall thin people in my family that eat like horses. My ds3 already can eat more than my dh and we've had to talk to his pediatrician about how thin he is (but really tall for his age, no one ever believes he's 3). My solution, in addition to keeping a lot of fruit and veggies on hand, was to offer 1/2 peanut butter sandwiches on a slice of whole grain bread with a glass of higher fat milk (like 2%) throughout the day and before we would go places. Otherwise I was going out of my mind with the "I'm hungry, mother." I felt like Purdita in 101 dalmatians with her 99 little ones! :glare:

[stansclan89]

My boys are very active and not overweight but they eat massive amounts of food and it worries me. For example, last night my husband and I went out on a date. I served the boys dinner before they went to the sitters house. They had venison stew with egg noodles and green beens. Then, at the sitters house she ordered 2 pizzas. 1 large everything pizza and 1 medium cheese. The boys ate the entire large everything pizza(except the one piece she ate)! This is typical of them!

I feel like I'm constantly saying no to eating more food. Lunch today was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chips, cucumbers and strawberries. My one son came in and informed me he was still hungry-how is that possible? I said he had had enough and to drink a glass of water. He then asked if he drank a glass of water, could he have more food-I said no and he threw a fit. I certainly don't want to deprive my kids of food and I don't like the idea of restricting, but feel like if I didn't they would eat everything. Is this normal? (they are 9 by the way). It just seems they have no self control for good tasting food(vegetables they seem to restrain themselves somehow.)

 

I think this is pretty normal for the age they are. My teenage boys will eat 3-4 pbj's for lunch if that is what we are having and an entire large pizza each by themselves with no problem. They also have no weight problem (possibly a little underweight actually).

 

At 9-11 yo or so they would eat 1 1/2 or 2 peanut butter sandwiches for lunch if that was what we were having along with eating the fruit and as much chips as I would allow. They are coming into major growth spurts at this age. And lots of hormone changes.

 

As long as it is healthy, I let them eat as much as they feel they need to eat. I do make sure that they are eating whole wheat bread on the sandwich (much more filling).

 

I feel like if I make food an issue by telling them that they can't have anymore, it's more likely that they will overeat or eat when they aren't even hungry just because I might say no later. I think they need to be allowed to listen to their own bodies to decide when they have had enough.

[Plucky]

What your sons are doing is perfectly normal. If they are thin then they are eating what they need, even if they do get a little stocky it is often because they need the weight for a growth spurt. It is very common for boys to get a little chub on their tummy just before a growth spurt. All my oldest ds's friends and even ds went through a pudgy stage. They are all a perfect weight now and none are chubby.

Edited April 29, 2011 by True Blue

[GraciebytheBay]

Wow! A whole pizza between the two of them is:svengo:...amazing (that would feed five of us with a salad thrown in - 3 adults, 2 kids)! I also think three sandwiches is a LOT of food for one person! I'm so surprised to see that all posters before me have had such big eaters. I have three boys (2 almost adults and 1 13-yr old) and while I thought they had big appetites, I guess they did not! Wondering how you all afford these big eaters. :huh: Good luck to all of you raising super hungry boys!

[Plucky]

Wow! A whole pizza between the two of them is:svengo:...amazing (that would feed five of us with a salad thrown in - 3 adults, 2 kids)! I also think three sandwiches is a LOT of food for one person! I'm so surprised to see that all posters before me have had such big eaters. I have three boys (2 almost adults and 1 13-yr old) and while I thought they had big appetites, I guess they did not! Wondering how you all afford these big eaters. :huh: Good luck to all of you raising super hungry boys!

 

Are your boys very tall or ever in sports? My oldest is 6'2" and when he was in sports he ate a ton, also during puberty. Even now he runs everyday and lifts weights. He needs the calories.

[texasmama]

I have two boys, ages 8 and 10. I am amazed at the food they put away. I try to limit the snacky carbs and sweets, but otherwise, I don't limit food unless I am trying to stretch a main dish into two meals. In that case, I give another option.

 

Unless your boys become overweight, I would let them eat as much as they want with the caveat that most of it is healthy choices.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

My boys are still 6 and 8 and they can manage to eat more than I would think would fit in their little bodies.

 

I also remember my brother as a pre-teen and early teen being able to eat massive amounts of food. He would eat a whole large pizza by himself, wash it down with two litres of Coke and follow it up with a whole bag of Chips Ahoy cookies. For breakfast, he would eat an entire box of cereal with a gallon of milk. I'm not exaggerating in the least. He also is very tall and does not have a weight problem.

[mommyoftwinboys]

Thanks for all the responses..I guess it must be normal to eat the much(all your responses). They do play sports and are very, very active so I guess I'll just have to suck it up and know that boys eat A TON!

[GraciebytheBay]

Are your boys very tall or ever in sports? My oldest is 6'2" and when he was in sports he ate a ton, also during puberty. Even now he runs everyday and lifts weights. He needs the calories.

 

You may be on to something! Our family is short. Dh is 5'5" and I am 5'2", so you can imagine my kids are not very tall! They did participate in some sports, but I wouldn't consider them super active. It makes sense that a kid who is 6'2 would eat a lot more than one who is 5'4. Now that I think about it, my oldest is also my tallest at 5'9, and he eats a ton more than his brothers (still nothing like what has been described above, though). I still can't imagine the grocery bills of these tall, super active kids! For once, I am thankful for short genes.:)

[Cera]

I think it depends on if they are hungry for anything or hungry for certain things.

 

My kids have unlimited access to fruit, veggies and water. I don't allow unlimited snacking on less healthy options (crackers, snack foods, etc).

 

What I have found is that many times they aren't truly hungry they are bored or looking for something they like but when offered an apple rather than a handful of chips they will change their mind and go out to play.