My 7 year old son has a high metabolism and he is only 47 pounds but he eats almost 24 hours a day. I don't allow candy, and other sweets a lot as I don't like the lasting effects but I do e ncourage snacks such as fresh veggies, fruit snacks, crackers, yogurts and other foods like that. Don't get me wrong I do give candy every now and then but not on regular basis. Anyhow, I feed my son 3 meals a day and allow snacking in between but he seems to never be full and he doesn't gain weight. He is extremely energetic and burns everything off but I am concerned about problems later. He can eat breakfast and 20 minutes later he is needing something else to eat and he eats a huge bowl of cereal for his size. I just thought maybe there are some other moms out there going through the same thing that may have some advice. Thank You. To add a little info., I have had him on a high protein diet for about 2 years now and no change in appetite. The pediatrician did a complete blood draw and all is normal. I have no clue what is going on.
Well good news everyone. I took him to his pediatrician and his metabolism is even higher than I thought. She said to just allow him to eat but just make sure to stick with the protein based foods which I already had been doing. So I guess I am just gonna sit back and count my blessings that he is just healthy and there is nothing wrong with him. Thank you all for your wonderful advice.
Try to give him more proteins. Cheese, lunchmeat, hardboiled eggs. They will stick with him longer than the crackers.
Fyi fruit snacks are not very good for your child, most are loaded with high fructose corn syrup. Also they stick in the child’s teeth and can cause cavities.
My 15 year old son is the same way right know he is 5'8 1/2 but only weighs 120 pounds approx, he is very athletic play's football, runs track ect. We have had his thyroid checked and blood work up done but he comes back perfectly healthy, even though he is small he is very well built, Don't stress out about it if everything check outs fine and he is healthy then all is good, all my kids are different shapes and sizes, sometimes nature plays a part in how we are shaped, and we can't argue with nature.
Both of my boys eat a ton too, and they are little. They eat several bowls of cereal at a time and are almost always hungry (sometimes only 20 minutes later too).
They say eating late at night puts the pounds on. Do you have dinner really early? Maybe have a later dinner or a big bedtime snack?
Yes--my kids too.
My kids when they are home eat every 2 hours!
They both are thin.Yet when my daughter was about a year old would eat 2 eggs, piece of toast,a banana and about 16 oz. of oj. Eventually I would have to just stop feeding her (LOL). Now she is a teen, and still can eat whatever!
I think we should be happy, and live vicariously through them. It would be so nice to eat what you want when you want at my age now!
I agree with the other moms, this doesn't need to be something you worry too much about- you might mention it to his pediatrician but I have a brother who can eat anything anytime and never gains an ounce and he is 27 now.
As for how frustrating it must be to always be feeding him I would suggest heavier foods that stick a little longer, protien laiden, oatmeal instead of cereal, whole wheat bread and peanut butter instead of crackers, veggies and dried fruit.
Man I wish I had that kind of metabolism :) Good luck!
HI D.
I have a seven year old who only weighs 40 pounds! And it seems like he can eat constantly, too. We've tried to make sure he's getting 3 balanced meals and then 3 smaller "snacks" that are nutritious too. One thing we've noticed is the snacks seem to be more habit than necessity. Ask him to explain what "hungry" feels like to him...and stick to more complex carbohydrates that will stay with him longer. Sounds like you're doing all of the right things, don't worry too much!
D.,
Have you thought about adding more protein to your son's diet? The analogy I like to use is that of building a fire. When you build a fire, you need paper and wood. The paper burns fast and the wood burns slow. The same is true with our diet. A huge bowl of cereal is like "paper", especially for someone with a fast-burning metabolism. All of the snacks you mentioned (veggies, fruit, crackers, yogurt) are healthy foods, but they might not have the "staying power" your son needs. Some suggestions: nuts, trail mix, hard-boiled eggs, celery and almond butter (or peanut butter if he's not allergic), cheese. It's especially critical to start the day with protein...instead of cereal, consider eggs, a smoothie with protein powder in it, steel cut oats with nuts and fruit. You get the idea. Good luck!!!
