How do you keep your ds's full?

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Seriously?! My boys are only 6 and 7 but they already eat like men! They are so thin I don't know where they put it. Literally an hour after a meal they are already starving- and by starving I mean they won't be able to live if they don't eat again. A week and a half ago we bought $400 worth of groceries and our cupboards and fridge is darn near empty! WHAT do you feed them to keep them full for more than an hour??? :001_huh:

[Lolly]

protein. It doesn't last all that long, but it holds best.

[jjins]

balanced meals, with PROTEIN. Both my children are VERY hungry shortly after eating a meal that does not have protein in it. If they are particularly active they get MORE protein.

[GingerPoppy]

Lots of potatoes or brown rice make great (and cheap) fillers. Be sure to add a generous amount of butter, olive oil, or coconut oil to hold them longer. Include some protein at each meal. If they are about to die, stick a spoon of peanut butter in their mouths... that'll hold them for a bit.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

We have protein with every meal. We have alot of peanut butter (usually sandwiches-- each boy had 3 sandwiches today between meals and are STILL complaining about being hungry :001_huh:) I hate feeding them so many sandwiches but.. wow. Any idea on good filling, protein packed snacks?

[mommyagain]

Seriously?! My boys are only 6 and 7 but they already eat like men! They are so thin I don't know where they put it. Literally an hour after a meal they are already starving- and by starving I mean they won't be able to live if they don't eat again. A week and a half ago we bought $400 worth of groceries and our cupboards and fridge is darn near empty! WHAT do you feed them to keep them full for more than an hour??? :001_huh:

My 7yo is just like this! My 4yo has begun to show signs of following in his footsteps.:001_huh: When my 3yo joins this "eating team", we'll have to take out a loan to feed them!:blink: Seriously, my 7yo is asking "what's for our snack?" as he is swallowing the last bite of his lunch!

[*********]

Protein, fat, and fiber. That's what keeps them full.

 

For, you know, an hour or so. :tongue_smilie:

[AuntieM]

Stuffed & boiled eggs, chili with lots of beans, peanut butter and potatoes. Of course they'll eat everything else, too, but these are a few of the budget stretching fillers.

[AdventureMoms]

Eggs are a great protein snack, and fairly cheap. Cheese is good too. Tacos w/beef, beans and cheese are a good lasting snack too.

 

My boys are only 16mo and I'm already scared about feeding them. They eat a TON, and desperately love meat. The teen years are going to be expensive.

[Mrs Mungo]

Eggs are great for protein. Egg salad on toast points. Eggs and cheese (more protein) in a tortilla. Boiled eggs and a piece of fruit.

 

Cottage cheese is also good. We usually have it with fruit like pineapple or strawberries.

 

Ants on a log-celery with peanut butter and raisins. Peanut or almond butter is good with apple slices.

 

Baked potatoes can have cheese (or cottage cheese) and salsa.

 

Smoothies can have avocado, cottage cheese and chocolate syrup.

 

Cheese cubes and fruit.

 

I agree with the protein, fat, fiber combo for helping them feel full.

[AdventureMoms]

Eggs are great for protein. Egg salad on toast points. Eggs and cheese (more protein) in a tortilla. Boiled eggs and a piece of fruit.

 

Cottage cheese is also good. We usually have it with fruit like pineapple or strawberries.

 

Ants on a log-celery with peanut butter and raisins. Peanut or almond butter is good with apple slices.

 

Baked potatoes can have cheese (or cottage cheese) and salsa.

 

Smoothies can have avocado, cottage cheese and chocolate syrup.

 

Cheese cubes and fruit.

 

I agree with the protein, fat, fiber combo for helping them feel full.

 

How could I forget COTTAGE CHEESE. DD goes through a big container a week.

[Gingerbread Mama]

Smoothies can have avocado, cottage cheese and chocolate syrup.

 

 

All in the same smoothie? :blink:

 

Our fall back tends to be PB sandwiches on whole wheat. I always wish for something with a little more nutrient density....

 

We also do raw veggies/fruit, but it doesn't fill them up as long. If they'd only eat BOILED eggs. I refuse to scramble more than once a day.

[NittanyJen]

Seriously?! My boys are only 6 and 7 but they already eat like men! They are so thin I don't know where they put it. Literally an hour after a meal they are already starving- and by starving I mean they won't be able to live if they don't eat again. A week and a half ago we bought $400 worth of groceries and our cupboards and fridge is darn near empty! WHAT do you feed them to keep them full for more than an hour??? :001_huh:

 

I keep a snack basket out on the table at all times, and they can eat anything in there any time they want without needing permission. In the snack basket I stash: hand fruit, nuts, trail mix, hard veggies, sliced veggies, (very) occasional treats (cookies or krispie treats) homemade whole grain bread, veggie chips, etc. I try to vary it so they never know exactly what they'll find in there. But they can grab and go, and not bug me, it keeps them out of the pantry and the fridge, and back on task in a flash.

 

My 8 YO is 5 feet tall, (and well under 70lb-- skinny thing) and big brother is 11 and starting to layer on that upper body muscle, so I know what it is to feed a continuously hungry couple of kids! I think in a few years we'll just take them to the market and open a tab at dinner time.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

chili with lots of beans

 

 

Do you know what THAT will do to them? :blink: :ack2:

 

 

:leaving:

[readinmom]

Apparently I can't answer your question because right now, at this hour, my dss are opening the fridge and cupboards for something to eat. :D

[Cindyg]

An enormous vat of popcorn with a handful of peanuts.

[BoZeeCo's Mom]

I swear that deviled eggs have saved my life. Soooooo easy, and he can help make them, which he loves, and it's like he feels he's eating something fun. His faves have a tiny bit of mayo, mustard, and capers. He's eaten eight in a sitting.

 

Also, oatmeal with yogurt and honey. Thank god for that one.

[ksr5377]

I have no advice to offer, just wanted to comment that I'm amazed at the difference in eating habits between my son and daughters. They girls are 5 or 4, he's 18mos. Already he eats WAY more meat, always wanting more more more! He eats so much more than they ever did.

[Home_s_Cool]

I usually ask them to drink a glass of water first. At times it is a matter of hydration for them or just boredom! The water will cure some of that. But they tend to think "food" first.

 

My youngest, ds11, is 5'5" and weighs 125#, my ds13 is 5'7" and 115#. But the younger one is somewhat food-driven - so he is continually roaming for food.

 

I've always had an adage "fruit is free" for all my dc. Meaning they never have to ask for fruit. Just add peanut butter to the apples or bananas. They really like smashed banana & pb sandwiches.

 

I try to keep on hand homemade non-cooked energy type snacks:

Lara bars (ground nuts, dates, other dried fruit, etc.)

peanut butter balls (pb, dried milk, oatmeal/granola)

 

When convenient, the 6-small meals a day works better for these growing boys.

[Chris in VA]

I think protein is very important, but fiber/volume is, too. If they want that full-stomach feeling, a deviled egg isn't going to cut it. Maybe the book, Volumetrics, would help. It's actually for weight-loss, and you don't want that, but it does talk about swapping out calorie-dense but not filling foods for ones that are more filling, so you might see if some of the ideas would help.

Are they getting any carbonation in their liquids? My df, who just had stomach surgery, said she can't have that, because the gas stretches the stomach. I'm thinking maybe a smaller stomach means full faster!

But maybe not! :D

 

Also, are they truly hungry, or are they either bored and eating for recreation, or sensory-seeking? Distraction can help in those cases, and understanding the difference between true hunger and the above.

[----]

.

[Jennifer in MI]

I sure wish I knew! I have given up. If they are hungry, they eat. They know what fills them up best and they eat it. Ds15 will eat for a snack, an entire can of tuna with mayo on three pieces of bread and an apple. Eggs. For breakfast, the boy makes himself six eggs and two fried potatoes. Six eggs! And he is looking for more food an hour later. He makes himself shakes with lots of fruit and protein powder. Nuts. Popcorn.

 

I wish I could be more helpful!

[G5052]

Mine is taller than me and half the size around.

 

My sister-in-law complains about going through a box of cereal a day. I stopped buying cereal several years ago for my offspring. I'd rather make them a large serving of scrambled eggs and potatoes that will last 3-4 hours.

[Mama_Rana]

Yup, always hungry.

 

But definitely worse if he starts out with carbs. Yesterday he had waffles for breakfast. By 9:30 he was asking if it was lunchtime yet. :blink:

 

 

He did have a handful of trail mix somewhere in there, but he went on to eat: freeze-dried green beans, these green pea crisps [i thought they were freeze-dried as well, but no, they were ground, mixed with grains, extruded, and fried :glare: That'll teach me to trust Trader Joe's], and was still complaining up til lunch. Then at lunch he had pb&j on corn tortillas [yuck!] and rice crackers and hummus.

 

All carbs. Yes there was some PB in there and the hummus, but apparently not enough of either. He had another snack later, but I'm not sure what it was. Fruit strips maybe. At dinner he wolfed down the cube steak and mashed taters.

 

If he starts with eggs and sausage, he's much more reasonable in his "demands" for food, able to be more patient, etc. Even granola with nuts is better than the simple carbs of waffles or other cereals.

 

I appreciate all these ideas. I'd like to make one of those snack baskets. Jen, you mentioned having veggies in there; does it need to be refrigerated?

[fairfarmhand]

Nuts in the shell for whatever reason fill the kids better than a handful of nuts. The time it takes to shell a handful of peanuts for whatever reason helps keep them from wolfing the food down.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I have the same problem. My 9 year old is thin as a rail, weighs about 12 lbs. less than his 7 yr. old brother, and eats non-stop. They go through about $200 worth of groceries a week. I feed them plenty of protein, fat and fiber and they are still always hungry. I'm very afraid for the teen years.

[J-rap]

We had big pots of bean all the time. I'd cook them in the slow cooker, throw in some veggies and spices and potatoes, and cook it all day. (Like a lentil stew, navy bean soup, etc.). I'd then keep it in the fridge and the kids knew they could serve themselves up a bowl and pop it in the microwave anytime.

 

Otherwise, lots of peanut butter, almond butter, smoothies with bananas, cheese. But, the legumes are the cheapest!

[Tammyla]

:iagree: It gets worse as they get older.

 

Milk with food helps if they can tollerate it. Mine ds can't, so we use yogurt/shakes instead.

 

Trail mix

nuts

yogurt

pb & oatmeal cookies

fruit

shakes

tortilla chips & salsa

hummas

beans :001_huh: I know, I know.

 

 

I sure wish I knew! I have given up. If they are hungry, they eat. They know what fills them up best and they eat it. Ds15 will eat for a snack, an entire can of tuna with mayo on three pieces of bread and an apple. Eggs. For breakfast, the boy makes himself six eggs and two fried potatoes. Six eggs! And he is looking for more food an hour later. He makes himself shakes with lots of fruit and protein powder. Nuts. Popcorn.

 

I wish I could be more helpful!

[Stayseeliz]

My 10yo ds eats far and away more than me! I totally understand! I do ask that after they have a snack if they are still hungry to drink a glass of water and then I will let them have more if they still want something. Usually they don't. We do tons of eggs, peanut butter, veggies, fruit, etc.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

We don't do cold cereal anymore (except for an ultra rare treat) I know a few of you mentioned that. Usually its oatmeal, eggs and sausages (we do alot of Egg MomMuffin sandwiches and breakfast burritos here) but I didn't think to add potatoes to the breakfast burritos so I will try that. Or maybe Spanish style rice to them. That would be easy enough to cook a bunch up and keep in the fridge. We always have a bunch of fresh fruit and veggies in the house which they devour!

 

 

I am going to go re-read all of the suggestions and start making lists and ideas! Thanks :001_smile:

[runmiarun]

My boys love homemade granola bars. Here's the recipe I use: http://www.ourfamilyeats.com/2011/04/06/easy-homemade-granola-bars/.

I add m&m's to it or chocolate chips, depending on what's in the pantry. If I'm not paying attention too well, they'll devour the entire batch in about 15 minutes. But they'll be full for a couple of hours.

 

Just today, each boy had 3 hot dogs and 2 bananas for lunch. That was 1 1/2 hours ago. Now they want more food.

 

I've also found homemade bread and tortillas help fill them up a little bit (meaning I can stretch the time between snacks about 15 minutes..;0). I add flaxseed meal and wheat germ to the bread/tortillas. And we eat lots of brown rice with suppers.

[bethben]

You can buy protein powder and use it as a substitute for some of the flour in baked goods like waffles. I've done that with whole wheat waffles and they get a bit more than just straight carbs.

 

I have a friend who claims that not having the proper enzymes to digest food can cause a very young child to eat as much as a teenager and still not gain much weight. Now for those approaching the teen years - as my ds's friend has said, "I need some food and make sure there's a lot of it".

 

And my last random comment - the more beans you eat, the more your body will produce an enzyme to break down those beans properly. After a while, the beans should have no adverse affects.

 

 

Beth

[Mrs Mungo]

I think protein is very important, but fiber/volume is, too. If they want that full-stomach feeling, a deviled egg isn't going to cut it. Maybe the book, Volumetrics, would help. It's actually for weight-loss, and you don't want that, but it does talk about swapping out calorie-dense but not filling foods for ones that are more filling, so you might see if some of the ideas would help.

 

Well, I have skinny little kids and am constantly in a battle to put more meat on them. So, I have to do the opposite. They get lots of calorie-dense foods.

 

Also, are they truly hungry, or are they either bored and eating for recreation, or sensory-seeking? Distraction can help in those cases, and understanding the difference between true hunger and the above.

 

Ditto to the above. If they are willing to eat, then I feed them.

[LibraryLover]

Seriously?! My boys are only 6 and 7 but they already eat like men! They are so thin I don't know where they put it. Literally an hour after a meal they are already starving- and by starving I mean they won't be able to live if they don't eat again. A week and a half ago we bought $400 worth of groceries and our cupboards and fridge is darn near empty! WHAT do you feed them to keep them full for more than an hour??? :001_huh:

 

 

I'll add to the chrous. Protein, fats. Nut butters, eggs, cheese, avocados, foods cooked in good oils. Granola bars make me hungry. Crackers make me hungry. Two hard boiled eggs and an apple and I forget about food for a long time. How many grams of protein in a hot dog? How many carbs and sugars in a bun? Do the hot dogs have sugar in them? I can also get full on a stick of celery overflowing with almond butter, dotted with a few big almonds.

 

If one wants to do less meat, as I often do, I have to think a little harder. Lentil soup with lots of veggies- carrots, potatoes etc, bean burritos with brown rice, giant salad with avocado, seeds & nuts, tossed with a good bit of olive oil etc.

 

I'd also make sure they are not drinking anything with sugar (chocloate milk, juice etc). Sugar can trigger hunger. I try to keep it to water or sparkling water. Good whole milk also works, as can a smoothie made with full fat sugar -free plain yogurt mixed with a banana or some blueberries.

Edited March 22, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Xilka]

I have ds9 eat whatever is left in the pots after dinner, before he washes the dishes. ;)

[Carrie12345]

Well, I have skinny little kids and am constantly in a battle to put more meat on them. So, I have to do the opposite. They get lots of calorie-dense foods.

 

 

 

Ditto to the above. If they are willing to eat, then I feed them.

:iagree:

 

Three of my kids (2 boys and one girl) are underweight food machines. (The other two are normal weight food machines!)

I buy my eggs in 2.5 dozen packages. I spend a ridiculous amount of money on hard cheeses and yogurt. I keep meaning to make yogurt, but never get to it. They use up the "starter" and milk too quickly! :glare:

When nuts are on sale, I buy a crazy amount.

 

We just watched the Happy Scientist video on secondary consumers, and now I know why my produce bill is even higher than my meat bill. :tongue_smilie:

[momtoamiracle]

my goodness I'm amazed at how often these kids eat! I have to hog tie my son to get him to eat. He will eat breakfast only about 1.5 hours after he gets up, eats very little at lunch, and then eats supper with a banana before bed. That's all he eats. He'd rather play...

 

 

 

I love the food ideas tho, I"m going to go back and write some down. I get tired of the same old stuff.

[LisaKinVA]

I hear you. I hate when I make a big meal, they eat, and then within less than an hour I hear, "I'm hungry." WHAT?!

 

We eat plenty of protein.

 

Oddly I get this worse with my very skinny 6 year old (not as much from the 10 year old).

 

I can make them breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage, and a high fiber bread of some sort and they are hungry in an hour. I mean how much more protein could I put in there?!

 

I've gone from making separate eggs, meat, etc. to making a "skillet." Scrambled eggs (with some heavy cream), crumbled meat of choice (sausage, ham, bacon), mixed with sauteed spinach, onions, green peppers, mushrooms...and then cheese on top. The veggies (and the butter they were sauteed in) help stretch everything and fill the kids up. A cup of spinach cooks down to nothing! Pair that with some whole wheat muffins (sometimes I throw some protein powder in there, depending upon what I'm making) with butter, and apple or orange slices... and they are "good."

 

Also, I will make whole wheat pancakes and substitute 1/4 of the flour for bean flour, and add in some whey protein powder... they went from eating 8-12 pancakes to 4-6. Always using whole milk (sometimes some heavy cream), as well.

 

Smoothies around here include whole-milk yogurt with frozen berries, banana, some spinach, and an orange (honey too). Sometimes protein powder, but not always.

[Mrs Mungo]

All in the same smoothie? :blink:

 

Yes, it just tastes chocolatey. :) You can add banana too.

[jenn-]

I must be the mean mom. My kids are a healthy weight, fairly active and they only get a small snack between lunch and dinner and something small after dinner before bed. On a rare occasion if they are "starving," I will offer a small handful of almonds or peanuts if a meal isn't any where near. Other than that, they are fed appropriate amounts of food at meals that their caloric intake is enough. Little kids eventually turn into little men without the high metabolism and learning portion control is the key to not gaining weight later in life. I can't believe any child is so active that they need 3 whole sandwiches between meals. That sounds like boredom eating.

[Mrs Mungo]

Jenn-my ten year old is the size of a four year old. The nutritionist wants him to have 3 600+calorie smoothies/day in addition to his meals. Don't judge what other kids need/eat by what your kids need/eat.

[LibraryLover]

Jenn-my ten year old is the size of a four year old. The nutritionist wants him to have 3 600+calorie smoothies/day in addition to his meals. Don't judge what other kids need/eat by what your kids need/eat.

 

I have one who dances 13- 15 hours a week (more during shows) in addition to her other activites, play etc. She really is hungry, and the food really does need to be nutrient-dense.

[Jenny in Florida]

I must be the mean mom. My kids are a healthy weight, fairly active and they only get a small snack between lunch and dinner and something small after dinner before bed. On a rare occasion if they are "starving," I will offer a small handful of almonds or peanuts if a meal isn't any where near. Other than that, they are fed appropriate amounts of food at meals that their caloric intake is enough. Little kids eventually turn into little men without the high metabolism and learning portion control is the key to not gaining weight later in life. I can't believe any child is so active that they need 3 whole sandwiches between meals. That sounds like boredom eating.

 

If your kids are a healthy weight, then you're clearly doing fine.

 

My son has always been at the tippy top of the height chart for his age, and barely hanging on to the 20th percentile for weight. He eats more than my 6'1" husband at every meal and STILL needs snacks. Sometimes, he gets up in the middle of the night to down a big glass of soymilk, because his stomach hurts from hunger and he can't sleep.

 

I have one who dances 13- 15 hours a week (more during shows) in addition to her other activites, play etc. She really is hungry, and the food really does need to be nutrient-dense.

 

 

And that makes a difference, too. My son dances and does musical theatre. He's out of the house and active 15 - 20 hours per week. Not only does that burn calories, but it means he rarely has time to be bored.

 

Kids, just like those adults they will become, do insist on being individuals with different needs, I guess.

Edited March 22, 2012 by Jenny in Florida

[lynn]

I have them eat something healthy if they are hungry: sandwhich, yogert, cheese and crackers, fruit.

[FaithManor]

Jenn-my ten year old is the size of a four year old. The nutritionist wants him to have 3 600+calorie smoothies/day in addition to his meals. Don't judge what other kids need/eat by what your kids need/eat.

 

 

THANK YOU MRS. MUNGO!

 

Ds who is on a 3600+ calorie per day diet -25-30% of it from healthy fats - is really struggling to take it all in. We do well for a while, his appetite falls off, and I feel like I'm force feeding him. Then he balks, I relent, and he instantly loses weight. So, back on the merry-go-round we go.

 

Now, as for the other two...the 15 year old and 11 year old...I don't think they've been full since 2009! :lol: They are tall and thin. So I don't worry too much at this point about snacks and especially since snacks in this house are fruits, homemade granola, nuts and seeds, and some organic homemade ice cream. Ds can't afford to waste calories on junk food, so I don't keep it in the house - much to Dh, the junk food junkies, chagrin.

 

Boy, I sure do wish I had their metabolism...my behind and hips would not look like they do now!!!!!!!

 

Faith

[MamaSheep]

My teenage son is munchy a lot, but not a really big eater. He just needs a little food fairly often to keep his blood-sugar up. When I was growing up, though, some of my brothers were black holes. When one of them was about nine or so he'd eat more than anyone else at the table, and a couple of hours later he'd be wandering aimlessly around the house looking like an Ethiopian famine victim with slumped shoulders and dark circles under his eyes and bones poking out of his elbows. I'm not exaggerating. No matter how much food we threw down that boy his ribs showed clearly and I was always a little afraid when he put his arms over his head and stretched that I'd be able to start counting vertebrae behind his belly button. (My daughter has a similar build, but in her case it's because she tends to just pick at food and not really eat it, and we have to watch closely to make sure she gets enough because she just doesn't feel a need.)

 

My youngest brother lived near us while doing his undergraduate work, and I remember commenting to Mom after he'd gone off to medical school elsewhere that all of a sudden I kept finding my fridge unexpectedly full of leftovers. She laughed and said that after he'd graduated from high school and gone off to college several of his friends' mothers had said the same thing, and she was a little embarrassed that he was going around to the neighbors begging food. I told her not to worry about it, he had always been extraordinarily tactful about asking if he could eat my leftovers and I was sure he had been so at his friends' houses too. She said yes, the moms had all said they missed his services, but she still felt bad.

 

So...I guess one solution is to make sure he has lots of friends with full refrigerators...lol.

 

But really, you've gotten lots of good suggestions already. Keep a big bag of apples on hand. Poke a potato with a fork and toss it in the microwave for a few minutes to "bake" it, and then pour a scoop of chili over it. Oatmeal cookies have lots of fiber.

[ScoutTN]

Brown rice with lots of sour cream and cheddar cheese on it makes a good snack!

Also refried beans (canned are okay, but way cheaper to make your own) and cheese in a ww tortilla.

 

Staple fill-them-up snacks here. The cheese is crucial. Gotta have that fat to stay full for any length of time!

[WistfulRidge]

DS1 has his dad's metabolism (DH, at 36, is finally at a point where he can maintain his weight on a "mere" 3500 calories a day). It. is. insane. I have finally gotten DS1 to gain enough weight so that his ribs aren't sticking out of his back. He tends to eat a couple eggs (scrambled in butter with sour cream and/or cheese added) for breakfast with whole wheat toast, milk, and a banana. Snack around 10am (apples with peanut butter, nuts, yogurt, granola bars, banana bread or homemade oatmeal cookies, fruit etc). Lunch is at noon and today he put away 2 huge slices of homemade pizza, one and half apples, a handful of carrot sticks, a slice of banana bread, and two cups of milk. Another snack around 3pm and then dinner at 5:30. I've got 2lbs of pork chops thawing and I know that that isn't going to be quite enough.

My MIL tells me stories about how when all three of her boys were teens she had to make two 20 lb turkeys at Thanksgiving to make sure everyone had enough to eat - and it was just the five of them. I believe it. I'm scared for the teen years....

Edited March 22, 2012 by theAmbitiousHousewife

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

my goodness I'm amazed at how often these kids eat! I have to hog tie my son to get him to eat. He will eat breakfast only about 1.5 hours after he gets up, eats very little at lunch, and then eats supper with a banana before bed. That's all he eats. He'd rather play...

 

 

 

I love the food ideas tho, I"m going to go back and write some down. I get tired of the same old stuff.

 

 

:lol: He is 5. Just wait. This literally just started with my boys. It really hit home when I opened the fridge and saw NOTHING left in there :001_huh:

 

 

I must be the mean mom. My kids are a healthy weight, fairly active and they only get a small snack between lunch and dinner and something small after dinner before bed. On a rare occasion if they are "starving," I will offer a small handful of almonds or peanuts if a meal isn't any where near. Other than that, they are fed appropriate amounts of food at meals that their caloric intake is enough. Little kids eventually turn into little men without the high metabolism and learning portion control is the key to not gaining weight later in life. I can't believe any child is so active that they need 3 whole sandwiches between meals. That sounds like boredom eating.

 

 

You can't hear their stomachs growling when its boredom eating. Ds now 7 1/2 was on a super high calorie diet for almost 2 years because he was dangerously underweight. (he was 5-6 and supposed to eat 3000+ calories a day. For a young kid that is a TON of food but it had to be certain percentages of different food groups- if that makes sense) I have to constantly moniter his weight just to be sure he doesn't loose again. As is right now without him sucking anything in you can count every single bone in his back and spine. Its kinda gross. He actually lost 2 lbs the last 3 weeks. If he gets down to a certain weight I have to get him back on higher calorie again (meaning more than what he eats now :001_huh:). I don't think with some kids it about being active (though yes, my boys are VERY active, but so are dd's) I think they just have crazy fast metabolisms.

Edited March 22, 2012 by wy_kid_wrangler04

[MrsBear]

My DS7 can eat us out of house and home and he's thin - just crazy active!

 

Fat and protein are your friends with hungry little boys!

 

Hard boiled eggs (always in the refrigerator, he grabs as he wants them)

 

Cheese (full fat)

 

Fruit + cheese

 

Apple slices with nut butter (he likes almond butter on them)

 

Sliced cucumber with full-fat ranch dressing (or raw baby carrots)

 

Protein shakes (I add about a tablespoon of heavy cream to the RTD kind by Pure Protein)

 

Nuts (cashews, pecans, walnuts, almost anything but peanuts - DS hates peanuts)

 

I do a whipped cream with nut butter he likes now and then (heavy cream + chocolate almond butter or chocolate hazelnut butter, whipped up like mousse)

 

Egg custard cups (homemade, he thinks it's pudding, but it's a rich custard, a small serving works for him)

 

Trail mix with mostly nuts

 

Once or twice a week he likes to have an english muffin with cheese (full fat cheddar); surprisingly it holds him for a while!

 

Yo-Baby yogurt or Brown Cow Cream Top yogurt (they're full-fat); when I've tried low-fat or non-fat yogurt, he'll eat twice as much and still claim he's hungry!

 

Pure bars, cliff kids bars, and re-Bar's (not many others he likes)