Ds is losing weight, help!

[PeterPan]

Ds is growing, but he's now lower than he was 2 months ago and 2 weeks ago. He had been at 102 2 months ago, 105 2 weeks ago, and now he's 101. Well I guess that's 4 pounds, but still it's not good. He's 5'5 ½" which puts him at the 93%ile and 50%ile for weight for his age. He's always had that discrepancy, but it's usually 25%, not this high. He looks really thin for his frame.

Added complications:

-limited dairy because he gets grouchy with it

-orthodontic appliance so can't have crunchy or super sticky 

-he seems to eat only in small amounts (one modest bowl at a time), not ravenously or with a hollow leg.

-no chocolate because that makes his mood irritable. White chocolate is ok.

-not a great lover of peanut butter

I had been trying to give him a bowl of beans and rice with guacamole every day. Apparently that was a fail, because he actually LOST weight! What in the world??? 

I could try letting him eat dairy (cottage cheese, milkshakes) and hope for the best. Maybe I could *grind* nuts?? He eats a wide range of foods, so he just needs something calorie rich and dense.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to lose a little and he does it without trying, lol. 

Is there something obvious I'm missing here? Cookies made with some other nut butter? If the cookies were pulsed into bits (not dust but pieces), he could eat them in cookies, yes? 

I looked for protein powder but most use whey. I'm guessing the vegan ones are weird. And I'm not really sure he needs more *protein* anyway. Does he need protein or FAT? Or both? 

[busymama7]

3 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Ds is growing, but he's now lower than he was 2 months ago and 2 weeks ago. He had been at 102 2 months ago, 105 2 weeks ago, and now he's 101. Well I guess that's 4 pounds, but still it's not good. He's 5'5 ½" which puts him at the 93%ile and 50%ile for weight for his age. He's always had that discrepancy, but it's usually 25%, not this high. He looks really thin for his frame.

Added complications:

-limited dairy because he gets grouchy with it

-orthodontic appliance so can't have crunchy or super sticky 

-he seems to eat only in small amounts (one modest bowl at a time), not ravenously or with a hollow leg.

-no chocolate because that makes his mood irritable. White chocolate is ok.

-not a great lover of peanut butter

I had been trying to give him a bowl of beans and rice with guacamole every day. Apparently that was a fail, because he actually LOST weight! What in the world??? 

I could try letting him eat dairy (cottage cheese, milkshakes) and hope for the best. Maybe I could *grind* nuts?? He eats a wide range of foods, so he just needs something calorie rich and dense.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to lose a little and he does it without trying, lol. 

Is there something obvious I'm missing here? Cookies made with some other nut butter? If the cookies were pulsed into bits (not dust but pieces), he could eat them in cookies, yes? 

I looked for protein powder but most use whey. I'm guessing the vegan ones are weird. And I'm not really sure he needs more *protein* anyway. Does he need protein or FAT? Or both? 

Carbs and fats together. The vegan protein powder at Costco is really good IMO.  I would add something fatty to it though.  Cream if he could handle it.  Coconut cream or creamer maybe? Or a large spoonful of peanut butter if he would like it in the shake ok.  

[gardenmom5]

protein?  meat?  eggs?  cheese?  (hard cheeses are usually better).

has his activity level increased?

If it continues, I'd start keeping a food/activity journal then take him to a dr to be checked out.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Smoothies with what nondairy milk you prefer. 
 

How are his blood sugars?  People (especially younger ones) can lose weight with diabetes. 

[regentrude]

Nut butter?

[mommyoffive]

Has he had a physical?  I know that diabetes can cause weight loss when not being treated. 

Protein shakes?

[PeterPan]

7 minutes ago, busymama7 said:

Coconut cream or creamer maybe?

Ooo, that's an idea. You're right he doesn't do anything coconut right now. I drink coconut, but he does almond. 

 

8 minutes ago, busymama7 said:

The vegan protein powder at Costco is really good IMO.

Is this Orgain? I saw that googling. I don't have a costco membership right now, but maybe I can buy it elsewhere. Just making sure I'm trying the right thing. I think you're onto it that adding fat to a protein supplement would give him a concise boost. I worried that protein alone would be hard on the kidneys or something. But with fat, that seems more reasonable. And I'm all over coconut because it has good fats for muscle tone, etc. He ought to be eating coconut. I could throw coconut into other things. He'd probably even eat coconut straight. I just had totally forgotten.

10 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

has his activity level increased?

He's growing. Average levels of activity. He's just growing and with the self awareness and chewing issues and sensory issues and orthodontic issues, I just haven't been figuring out how to get more into him. We added hours a week of feeding therapy so he can chew better. Now he's not complaining (so much) about being hungry but the scale went down as he grew. 

 

12 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Smoothies with what nondairy milk you prefer. 
 

How are his blood sugars?  People (especially younger ones) can lose weight with diabetes. 

I make mine with fruit. He already eats/likes fruit, so I'd hesitate to give him more. 

So far his blood sugar seems fine. He's on zinc. It's an interesting question. I've never had any indication of it going up (like eating ice cream and then getting sleepy). I'll google it for symptoms.

13 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Nut butter?

Yeah, I think I'm going to need to go to the store and find some others to try. Maybe he'd like cashew better. Then I could make cookies with it.

I'm thinking coconut is a super easy option here, because he can literally just eat a handful immediately and I could throw it in cookies.

[PeterPan]

If it's Orgain, which flavor?

[busymama7]

5 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

If it's Orgain, which flavor?

It is orgain. I use one scoop of vanilla and one of chocolate together.  

[MEmama]

I'd take him in for a physical. It’s better to rule out any potential problems earlier than later.

That said, there are a lot of perfectly normal, healthy reasons why kids lose and gain weight at that age. I wouldn’t worry, but I would take him in. 

 

[Katy]

4 pounds is the difference between eating high sodium food with plenty of water and being weighed wearing jeans vs higher potassium beans and shorts.

Don’t panic unless he loses more than 10% of his weight.  Otherwise don’t worry.  The tiny fluctuations you’re describing are normal, and he’s at a healthy weight. 

Beans have so much fiber that even if they weren’t so high in potassium they act as a diuretic they still reduce calories consumed by taking up volume.  You can use full-fat (cooked with lard) refried beans if you like and extra cheese.  But I wouldn’t because he’s healthy. I think we’re so used to seeing fat kids it feels strange to see slim ones, but it doesn’t mean anything is wrong.

[kbutton]

Some people vary by four pounds just by checking weight at a different time of day.

Has he been more active than usual? Sweating more? Having more frequent or larger BMs?

Is there a reason you weigh him that often? 

In my world, that is not really a significant weight discrepancy, TBH. 

Ah, Katy just beat me to it. 

[kbutton]

46 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

How are his blood sugars?  People (especially younger ones) can lose weight with diabetes. 

This would be the only thing that gives me pause...you had a thread about nighttime wetting products--has his output changed? 

[PeterPan]

3 minutes ago, Katy said:

4 pounds is the difference between eating high sodium food with plenty of water and being weighed wearing jeans vs higher potassium beans and shorts.

Don’t panic unless he loses more than 10% of his weight.  Otherwise don’t worry.  The tiny fluctuations you’re describing are normal, and he’s at a healthy weight. 

Beans have so much fiber that even if they weren’t so high in potassium they act as a diuretic they still reduce calories consumed by taking up volume.  You can use full-fat (cooked with lard) refried beans if you like and extra cheese.  But I wouldn’t because he’s healthy. I think we’re so used to seeing fat kids it feels strange to see slim ones, but it doesn’t mean anything is wrong.

Well that's an interesting point about the beans pulling out excess sodium or water possibly, hmm. And no, I'm not worried like it's a health problem. It's just that I was trying to feed him more and somehow he lost weight and what in the world thing, lol. 

The only reason I'm even noticing is because I was trying to get him up to 110 pounds for some cruising excursions. I mean seriously, what a stupid reason! And at 105 lb. I thought it was within reach. but you drop that and I don't know how we get there, lol. We've got some time, but I thought you know start now, plump him up, feed him extra... And I totally failed, lol.

He's liking the coconut, so that is good. Would just flat feeding him more MEAT be good? I usually food combine, so starches at lunch, protein and low carb and dinner. I could throw him in some meat at breakfast, hmm. Maybe some turkey sausages or turkey links or something. I can see what the store has. He likes turkey bacon too and will eat that fine. 

I don't really do a lot of beef or red meat. My dh has been asking for it once a week, so I do that for them. He doesn't have any of the *gut* problems that go with autism, and I'd like to keep it that way. So I'm thinking adding protein that is a kind we already eat is a good plan, like the turkey bacon at breakfast. And I had been getting him instant oats (don't judge me, haha) with dates and nuts. I could add more chopped nuts to that. He just really likes instant oats for whatever reason and eats them really well, better than cereal.

[prairiewindmomma]

 

Generally:

1. That sounds like a normal weight and a normal swing. 105F at 5'5" is about what my younger son was at 12.  He is a salad eater, and on the slimmer side. I agree that we aren't used to seeing normal weight teens here.  My kids have all had weight fluctuations in between growth spurts, and are all at healthy weights. Three have a slimmer build naturally.

2. Model the behavior that you want to continue, especially with SN kids.  I would not start a junk food habit you can't continue. I wouldn't be doing coconut ice cream or the like.  Add grilled chicken or black bean burgers or other things that are healthier and easy to add fat to, but if he isn't hungry, I wouldn't be overly concerned.  My teens have WANTED to eat during growth spurts and then generally slow down in between. I had one kid go up to 150 at 5'9" and drop back down to 140ish and that is just his normal. His BMI is 20.67 which is a normal weight. 

[MEmama]

I didn’t realize the difference is only 4 lbs. Do you have other reasons to be concerned about his health? It’s totally normal at that age to grow “out” before up, so if he’s having a growth spurt that could explain it.
 

My DS is ~5'11 and weighs 122 at his “highest”; during XC season he drops to 115 even though he eats everything in sight. 

[PeterPan]

10 minutes ago, kbutton said:

Is there a reason you weigh him that often? 

I sometimes weigh him (not every time, just sometimes) when I mark his growth chart.

9 minutes ago, kbutton said:

This would be the only thing that gives me pause...you had a thread about nighttime wetting products--has his output changed? 

Oh THAT'S why y'all keep bringing up diabetes. Ok, so let me think. My father wet till he was 17 and has no diabetes. Our doctor basically just says it's autism, be patient. 

I'm googling symptoms here, and the breath is the only thing that would be distinctive between their list and a normal growth spurt. I can go sniff his breath but don't recall noticing it on him. If I have some urine strips for testing sugar we could do that. I've never had any sense that he had any symptoms connected to sugar. 

[kbutton]

Just now, PeterPan said:

My father wet till he was 17 and has no diabetes. Our doctor basically just says it's autism, be patient. 

Yep, I would only be worried if there is a big change in output, or if he doesn't get fairly routine urine dips (they do these at the yearly pediatric appointment). 

2 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

If I have some urine strips for testing sugar we could do that.

Not a bad idea. 

[catz]

My oldest is 20 now and about 5'9 or 5'10" and in about the 120 range.  I think that's a totally normal fluctuation if he is still growing and active, etc.  I just always kept (and still keep) stuff like cheese, nuts, trail mix, etc at the ready for him.  He actually has a thing on campus this weekend and I sent him with about $50 in high fat but reasonably nutritionally sound snack options lol.   I also think there is some danger in hyperfocusing on weight and food at this age too so if he is otherwise healthy, active, feeling good, etc, I guess I wouldn't worry about it too much other than having snacks ready and maybe offering to make him a high cal smoothie or malt once a day.  

[PeterPan]

4 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I had one kid go up to 150 at 5'9" and drop back down to 140ish and that is just his normal.

Oh wow. And yeah, that's the kind of swings we're talking, where it's not a health problem but just whoosh some is lost. 

5 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Model the behavior that you want to continue, especially with SN kids.

Yup.

So if swings are normal, then just be honest, do I plan for these excursions that require a minimum 110 pounds or just give up and do different excursions? They're ziplining, REALLY BIG ziplines, really awesome. I did one of them (in Roatan) and it was an affirming experience, something I wanted to share with him. But both places would be there later as they're common cruise ports. Is it realistic to say he'd be 110 pounds reliably by then or should I just refund those excursions and pick something different?

What a ridiculous problem, lol. 

[PeterPan]

3 minutes ago, FuzzyCatz said:

 I also think there is some danger in hyperfocusing on weight and food at this age too so if he is otherwise healthy, active, feeling good, etc, I guess I wouldn't worry about it too much other than having snacks ready and maybe offering to make him a high cal smoothie or malt once a day.  

Ok, I'm with you that it was probably crazy for me to bring it up with him. I don't want to give him a complex, lol. And the ONLY reason I brought it up was to say hey eat, see if you could go on these excursions that have a minimum weight. But if there's nothing he can do about it, there's nothing to be done. 

So given your experience and lack of emotional connection to it, would you say I should drop the excursions, drop the topic, wait till he's easily the minimum weight? I just checked, and we're booked to be back at one of the ports in 2023. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I would let the excursions go this round.

[Katy]

18 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Well that's an interesting point about the beans pulling out excess sodium or water possibly, hmm. And no, I'm not worried like it's a health problem. It's just that I was trying to feed him more and somehow he lost weight and what in the world thing, lol. 

The only reason I'm even noticing is because I was trying to get him up to 110 pounds for some cruising excursions. I mean seriously, what a stupid reason! And at 105 lb. I thought it was within reach. but you drop that and I don't know how we get there, lol. We've got some time, but I thought you know start now, plump him up, feed him extra... And I totally failed, lol.

He's liking the coconut, so that is good. Would just flat feeding him more MEAT be good? I usually food combine, so starches at lunch, protein and low carb and dinner. I could throw him in some meat at breakfast, hmm. Maybe some turkey sausages or turkey links or something. I can see what the store has. He likes turkey bacon too and will eat that fine. 

I don't really do a lot of beef or red meat. My dh has been asking for it once a week, so I do that for them. He doesn't have any of the *gut* problems that go with autism, and I'd like to keep it that way. So I'm thinking adding protein that is a kind we already eat is a good plan, like the turkey bacon at breakfast. And I had been getting him instant oats (don't judge me, haha) with dates and nuts. I could add more chopped nuts to that. He just really likes instant oats for whatever reason and eats them really well, better than cereal.

Well depending on the excursion it might be important to not fudge the weight for safety reasons. But if you want to fake it give him salty foods, tons of water, and put him in heavy clothes.  Decent jeans, boots, and a jacket can each weigh 4 pounds. I seriously doubt they will weigh him though. 

Generally healthy weight people will not gain weight from eating higher calorie foods unless you are force feeding them. They just automatically adjust their calories lower the next day. 

How many months until your cruise?  Chances are he’ll go through a growth spurt & gain the pounds in a few months anyway. I wouldn’t worry about gut health because you’re choosing very healthy whole foods.  His gut should be fine.

[PeterPan]

19 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I didn’t realize the difference is only 4 lbs. Do you have other reasons to be concerned about his health? It’s totally normal at that age to grow “out” before up, so if he’s having a growth spurt that could explain it.
 

My DS is ~5'11 and weighs 122 at his “highest”; during XC season he drops to 115 even though he eats everything in sight. 

I think I just needed to hear some "this is normal" stories lol. I always knew my dd slimmed down before she grew up, but we weren't weighing her particularly to notice. And she was always in the ok range. Ds is pretty thin for his frame. His fingers are quite thin and I wouldn't want him to lose more. But no, no health concerns or anything that is like there's a medical cause. It's very direct (grew up, weight dropped). 

So mainly I need to feed him better and re-evaluate whether I should have a different plan for the ziplining. I thought it was realistic and now I'm not sure. If you don't weigh enough, you won't have the momentum to make it to the end. The minimum weights really are minimum and essential.

[Brittany1116]

How old is he?

Anyone can vary up to 2 pounds day to day so you are likely looking at under 4 pounds lost. Any reason to suspect thyroid issues? Mine was diagnosed at 11.

[Katy]

Ziplining won’t work without genuinely being at the right weight. Skip it this time.

[PeterPan]

3 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I would let the excursions go this round.

Foo. I mean, we'll survive. But foo!  I was pulling my Mom is getting old and we're gonna go be wild together. I wanted to pick things that were so great that he'd be willing to get off the ship. If the activity is not G-REAT, like Tony the Tiger great, sometimes it's easy for him to sit on the ship instead. 

These trips are all about busting through barriers (anxiety, self regulation, trying new things, etc.), so I thought I had a winner with my zipline multiple times plan. Sigh. 

Not only is it the weight gain but I don't want to be worried about whether he could *slide* right out. I don't think he would? But I really don't know.

This is the one in Roatan, and the one in San Juan is even bigger, one of the top for length in the world. I was SO psyched about that, haha. 

 

[PeterPan]

2 minutes ago, Brittany1116 said:

How old is he?

Anyone can vary up to 2 pounds day to day so you are likely looking at under 4 pounds lost. Any reason to suspect thyroid issues? Mine was diagnosed at 11.

Oh that's interesting. I stopped weighing myself so much (like daily like they say) because it just made me stressed. I just wait a while, watch my clothes, look for a trend. 

That's an interesting question on thyroid. My dd finally got her TSH tested late in high school and was slowly, slowly creeping up. I'm on meds and keep my TSH at a beautiful 1.5. So I don't know where his is. I dno't think there's any reason to think it's either low or hyper at this point. 

I think I'm going to go with the added protein and some more fat sources and maybe a plan B for the ziplines, sniff. 

[PeterPan]

7 minutes ago, Katy said:

Generally healthy weight people will not gain weight from eating higher calorie foods unless you are force feeding them. They just automatically adjust their calories lower the next day. 

See, I wondered about this. I buy the guacamole in single serving cups (go ahead and laugh at my laziness) and while he was *willing* to eat 2 one day, the next day he was kaput. So I think like you say he just has this statis of what he's eating, where his body wants to be.

9 minutes ago, Katy said:

Chances are he’ll go through a growth spurt & gain the pounds in a few months anyway.

Yeah, it's our sunseeking trip in the winter so 6+ months off.

Ok, I got smart and looked at the growth chart. If you track out where his %ile for weight has been (often 50th percentile, pretty normal for him), he's right now just above that. And if you extrapolate that out 6 month, it projects him at like 107 pounds. 

So I'm thinking the 4 pound gain was storing for the growth spurt, that he has gone down to his normal percentile, and that he's likely to be below 110 in 6 months. It's logical to assume he would continue to be up and down as he grows. 

And really, when they're saying 110, I think what they're also saying is that gives a *frame* size that fits the equipment well. It's maturity, frame size, everything. He's really slight, even if he is as tall as me. Ain't nobody worried about me flying out of a harness setup, haha.  

[PeterPan]

If I had him lift, he would gain muscle but then lose even more weight, yes? And 12 is still a little early to lift, right? I just had him doing body weight resistance, things like push ups, pull ups, sit ups. I was letting him try adding a little weight to the pull ups just for fun. But he doesn't *lift* particularly at all, nothing heavy, nothing serious.

I just thought lifting would be another way to add weight to his frame. Me and my ideas. But we're not doing that. The only thing he lifts are the nintendo remote and a rake, lol.

[Katy]

1 minute ago, PeterPan said:

See, I wondered about this. I buy the guacamole in single serving cups (go ahead and laugh at my laziness) and while he was *willing* to eat 2 one day, the next day he was kaput. So I think like you say he just has this statis of what he's eating, where his body wants to be.

Yeah, it's our sunseeking trip in the winter so 6+ months off.

Ok, I got smart and looked at the growth chart. If you track out where his %ile for weight has been (often 50th percentile, pretty normal for him), he's right now just above that. And if you extrapolate that out 6 month, it projects him at like 107 pounds. 

So I'm thinking the 4 pound gain was storing for the growth spurt, that he has gone down to his normal percentile, and that he's likely to be below 110 in 6 months. It's logical to assume he would continue to be up and down as he grows. 

And really, when they're saying 110, I think what they're also saying is that gives a *frame* size that fits the equipment well. It's maturity, frame size, everything. He's really slight, even if he is as tall as me. Ain't nobody worried about me flying out of a harness setup, haha.  

I’m not sure he’d learn anything positive if he doesn’t have enough mass to make it through the course without needing rescued. But at 6 months out he probably will have at least one more growth spurt and be at the weight if you want to gamble. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Once he hits puberty, he should start to build some muscle naturally and his weight will probably go up a bit. 

You know your aspie better than anyone but my Aspie would have FREAKED OUT at ziplining.  And if he had a panic attack mid zip that could be disastrous. 

[Splash1]

My fifteen year old son is 5'51/2" and 93 lbs.   We're always trying to put weight on him.  He is just a super healthy eater and doesn't eat a ton.

[PeterPan]

9 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

You know your aspie better than anyone but my Aspie would have FREAKED OUT at ziplining.  And if he had a panic attack mid zip that could be disastrous. 

Well you're right that panic and fun kinda merge at that point, lol. He's kind of a thrill seeker, and he'll get down time afterward, including a long 3 hour bus ride back to the ship to process, haha. 

I just realized he did ziplining with us here in the States. He has already done a Superman zipline. Wasn't as dramatic as going over a rainforest, but it was still quite long and freakish. I'm trying to upload a picture but it's not working. He was smiling at the beginning and is willing to go again, lol. 

 

[PeterPan]

5 minutes ago, Splash1 said:

My fifteen year old son is 5'51/2" and 93 lbs.   We're always trying to put weight on him.  He is just a super healthy eater and doesn't eat a ton.

Whew! You're making me feel better! 

[TechWife]

2 hours ago, PeterPan said:

Ds is growing, but he's now lower than he was 2 months ago and 2 weeks ago. He had been at 102 2 months ago, 105 2 weeks ago, and now he's 101. Well I guess that's 4 pounds, but still it's not good. He's 5'5 ½" which puts him at the 93%ile and 50%ile for weight for his age. He's always had that discrepancy, but it's usually 25%, not this high. He looks really thin for his frame.

Added complications:

-limited dairy because he gets grouchy with it

-orthodontic appliance so can't have crunchy or super sticky 

-he seems to eat only in small amounts (one modest bowl at a time), not ravenously or with a hollow leg.

-no chocolate because that makes his mood irritable. White chocolate is ok.

-not a great lover of peanut butter

I had been trying to give him a bowl of beans and rice with guacamole every day. Apparently that was a fail, because he actually LOST weight! What in the world??? 

I could try letting him eat dairy (cottage cheese, milkshakes) and hope for the best. Maybe I could *grind* nuts?? He eats a wide range of foods, so he just needs something calorie rich and dense.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to lose a little and he does it without trying, lol. 

Is there something obvious I'm missing here? Cookies made with some other nut butter? If the cookies were pulsed into bits (not dust but pieces), he could eat them in cookies, yes? 

I looked for protein powder but most use whey. I'm guessing the vegan ones are weird. And I'm not really sure he needs more *protein* anyway. Does he need protein or FAT? Or both? 

I haven't read all of the replies. Has he been screened for type 1  diabetes? It’s what immediately came to my mind.

Edited July 22, 2021 by TechWife

[Toocrazy!!]

I have a skinny 19 year old. It’s hard to put weight on teenage boys who skew naturally thin. Ds is trying to gain weight- lifting, protein shakes etc. and he lost 3 pounds the first couple weeks. He just does. It’s a gift I don’t have🤪

That said he’s a super picky eater but does like the orgain vanilla protein powder. He mixes it with chia seeds, avocado, mixed fruits and pineapple or orange juice. It adds up to a decent amount of calories. 

[TechWife]

51 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Oh wow. And yeah, that's the kind of swings we're talking, where it's not a health problem but just whoosh some is lost. 

Yup.

So if swings are normal, then just be honest, do I plan for these excursions that require a minimum 110 pounds or just give up and do different excursions? They're ziplining, REALLY BIG ziplines, really awesome. I did one of them (in Roatan) and it was an affirming experience, something I wanted to share with him. But both places would be there later as they're common cruise ports. Is it realistic to say he'd be 110 pounds reliably by then or should I just refund those excursions and pick something different?

What a ridiculous problem, lol. 

I wouldn’t encourage a child to gain weight or mess with their eating patterns to participate in an optional activity. The mentality can cause problems down the road. Honestly, I think that this is one of the reasons having kids participate in sports that have weight divisions is dangerous. Those sports should be left for the people who have finished growing. As far as activities that have minimum heights and weights, just be patient. Kids grow up. They will have time & opportunity to participate in many appropriate activities over their lifetimes and if this particular activity is one they want to take part in, they will seek it out. 

[maize]

Meat sticks/beef jerky make for good snacks.

Flavored nuts are popular here--say, almonds with chili-line flavoring, or whatever flavors he likes. 

Good bread dipped in olive oil.

Add olive oil to pasta.

I have a kid who is struggling to eat enough because of OCD issues; it is a serious problem and we are fighting hard to address it. I worry first about just getting enough calories into him and let nutritional concerns take second place.

 

[PeterPan]

14 minutes ago, TechWife said:

I have read all of the replies. Has he been screened for type 1  diabetes? It’s what immediately came to my mind.

I'll bring it up with the doc just in case. He goes for an annual annually (haha), and I think insurance will pay for anything he wants done. I doubt it's sugar, but he usually has some kind of basic cover your butt kind of answers for stuff like this. 

9 minutes ago, Toocrazy!! said:

I have a skinny 19 year old. It’s hard to put weight on teenage boys who skew naturally thin. Ds is trying to gain weight- lifting, protein shakes etc. and he lost 3 pounds the first couple weeks. He just does. It’s a gift I don’t have🤪

Well that answers that, lol. 

9 minutes ago, TechWife said:

I wouldn’t encourage a child to gain weight or mess with their eating patterns to participate in an optional activity. The mentality can cause problems down the road.

Ok, I'm listening. I clearly had not thought hard enough. I'm realizing I've known other teen boys (long ago, before I had my ds) who got caught up in that wanting to be what you aren't (yet). They blossom out at the right time and don't need to be doing it too soon. He's never been a big person. He'd go to running classes and the foot ball player boys were twice the size he was, haha. He's just very trim. He's gaining nicely and proportionally strong. He can do his pullups, which I think are just a nice general level of fitness. 

So I told him that he might be shy of the weight based on the growth charts and that I'd make some other plans. I think we'll just let him grow at the pace he's going to grow. It's going to be the more mentally healthy place to be.

[PeterPan]

1 minute ago, maize said:

Meat sticks/beef jerky make for good snacks.

Ooo, I forgot they had made venison jerky! The mix musst have had msg, because his mood was terrible after he ate it. I finally took it away and said they had to stop it. But you're right, he likes that kind of stuff. I would just need it without msg. 

2 minutes ago, maize said:

Flavored nuts are popular here--say, almonds with chili-line flavoring, or whatever flavors he likes. 

Normally we do that, but now he has this wire orthodontic appliance thing in his mouth. If he damages it, it's stupid $$$ to repair. Wish we had known and gotten it done years ago not during these growth spurts, lol. 

[cintinative]

Most of the foods I would try with my youngest are on your list of no-gos. That said, he eats ravenously when his meds wear off, so it doesn't sound like you are in that situation.

I don't have anything to add to the others really, I thought it might be worth asking if his bowels are moving normally. Not to be TMI, but when I am plugged up I lose my appetite.  

[Kanin]

When I was trying to feed DH up, I put butter in his instant oats 🙂 Is he OK with butter? Or ghee? Just put butter in everything. Shortbread is full of carbs and fat and is high cal 🙂

Chomps jerky sticks don't have anything weird in them. They're expensive but delicious. Not high calorie, though.

 

[sheryl]

Can you call first and explain to nurse?  They will probably advise you on what to do and reweigh for a week or two to see if he's gaining or not.   That might help jump start w/o panicking.  When was his last annual?

[kbutton]

3 hours ago, PeterPan said:

Ooo, I forgot they had made venison jerky! The mix musst have had msg, because his mood was terrible after he ate it. I finally took it away and said they had to stop it. But you're right, he likes that kind of stuff. I would just need it without msg. 

If you look for uncured jerky, you'll probably find more options. I know you don't favor beef, but if he processes it just fine, I wouldn't worry about adding it to his diet. 

[Splash1]

My sons both ran light for their heights.  His older brother is 23 and 5'8"  He lifts weights and still only weights in the 130's.  They just run lean.  It's okay so long as they are eating and not losing lots.  When either son gets sick though they can lose up to 5 lbs in a couple days easily.  The younger one was monitored for failure to thrive when younger but doctor determined after watching him for several months that it was just genetics. (not from me sadly)

 

[kbutton]

27 minutes ago, Splash1 said:

My sons both ran light for their heights.  His older brother is 23 and 5'8"  He lifts weights and still only weights in the 130's.  They just run lean.  It's okay so long as they are eating and not losing lots.  When either son gets sick though they can lose up to 5 lbs in a couple days easily.  The younger one was monitored for failure to thrive when younger but doctor determined after watching him for several months that it was just genetics. (not from me sadly)

That's how it goes here, lol! If it's at all from my side, it skipped generations, which I totally believe can happen (one of my kids is twinning one of my grandparents--the pics don't lie). 

[PeterPan]

3 hours ago, Kanin said:

Chomps jerky sticks don't have anything weird in them.

Ooo, I will go look.

2 hours ago, sheryl said:

Can you call first and explain to nurse?

Actually I think I know what is going on. I watched ds eat tonight, really watched him, and he's literally taking a drink of water for every bite he puts in his mouth. THAT is why he gets full! And we started myofunctional therapy on it. Things were going better (I thought) so I had let it drift from my monitor. Well just standing there watching him, the data was crazy.

So I think a first line thing I can do is change what he is drinking at dinner to make it something with calories. That would be instantly better than drinking water. The water thing will only improve as his ability to move his tongue improves. It is, but there's obviously more to go. Maybe almond milk? Might be fine. It's what he normally drinks and it has calories. I'm going to broach it with him tonight. It would be a simple change.

14 minutes ago, kbutton said:

When either son gets sick though they can lose up to 5 lbs in a couple days easily. 

Yeah but right now ds' fingers are REALLY thin. If he got sick and lost more weight (which I agree happens), that would be too thin. We used to see his ribs in the old days. I haven't seen him without his shirt in a while, but we don't want that. 

I think I'm going to make his meal drinks caloric as that would be something. At one point I bought him smoothies in bottles (tasty!), but he'd kind of go in and out of favor with them.

[Alicia64]

7 hours ago, PeterPan said:

I looked for protein powder but most use whey. I'm guessing the vegan ones are weird. And I'm not really sure he needs more *protein* anyway. Does he need protein or FAT? Or both? 

The plant-based protein powders are fantastic. Very tasty. I get the plant-based pp at Costco. Comes in chocolate or vanilla.

Edited July 22, 2021 by Alicia64
Spelling!! :)

[Katy]

12 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Ooo, I will go look.

Actually I think I know what is going on. I watched ds eat tonight, really watched him, and he's literally taking a drink of water for every bite he puts in his mouth. THAT is why he gets full! And we started myofunctional therapy on it. Things were going better (I thought) so I had let it drift from my monitor. Well just standing there watching him, the data was crazy.

So I think a first line thing I can do is change what he is drinking at dinner to make it something with calories. That would be instantly better than drinking water. The water thing will only improve as his ability to move his tongue improves. It is, but there's obviously more to go. Maybe almond milk? Might be fine. It's what he normally drinks and it has calories. I'm going to broach it with him tonight. It would be a simple change.

Yeah but right now ds' fingers are REALLY thin. If he got sick and lost more weight (which I agree happens), that would be too thin. We used to see his ribs in the old days. I haven't seen him without his shirt in a while, but we don't want that. 

I think I'm going to make his meal drinks caloric as that would be something. At one point I bought him smoothies in bottles (tasty!), but he'd kind of go in and out of favor with them.

He’s at his set point.  If he got sick he’d weigh less for a week or two, but when he felt better he’d get hungry until he regained the weight.  You really should not try and force feed him.  You might teach him to ignore his natural hunger cues & have weight problems for life.  Leave it alone.