How many days a week do your kids have sports?

[Anonymous]

Op, I have an almost 12 yo who is 4’8” and 72 lbs - it’s a healthy BMI, and so I don’t worry - she used to be underweight and then I did worry a lot but we never limited physical activity, just moved to higher calorie foods.

I wouldn’t worry about weight unless there is significant weight loss which is sustained over a long period (months) - my kids lose a few pounds each year at sleep away camp because they are very active while being picky eaters, but gain it back within a few months of coming home.

Ask your pediatrician if you are concerned. Mine always asks about any weight loss (like after summer camp) if we go in for a sick visit, but their weight always goes up at the annual exams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How old are your kids and how many days a week do they have practices for sports? If they are playing a bunch of days a week do you worry about them losing weight?

My two older kids (11 and 9 years old) have 3 days of practices and one game a week. They do not keep weight on well and the older one has started losing weight.

They love their sports and I don’t want them to quit. Do I try and do things like protein shakes? Oldest one only weighs 76 pounds and younger one weighs 70 pounds.

Need to know height

[Anonymous]

My son has sports 7 days a week. He lost about 15lbs over the last year. I think he last stabilized. We have lots of Greek yogurt drinks and protein shakes on offer; easy way to get extra calories in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a tall skinny kid who used to require a TON of calories. Basically, make everything count. For breakfast, scrambled eggs and avocado toast. For lunch, pack him a turkey sandwich with cheese and an apple with pb. Snack is hummus or apple and pb or berries and a cheese wedge. Dinner -- chicken or chili or meatballs with a salad and some pasta or rice.

Whenever you can get him to add a 4th meal, give him a mix of protein and carbs. Leftovers are great. My swimmer was a huge fan of second breakfast, which was usually a ridiculous number of eggs and an apple (or pancakes if it was the weekend). Peanut butter sandwiches were very portable. Same with hard boiled eggs.

If the sports are cardio intensive, like swimming or running or higher level soccer, you will want to up the carbs before practice for energy.

Good tips. For at home(bc there are a lot of kids on teams or at school with allergies), trail mix is another good high calorie snack.

[Anonymous]

My kids play sports 3-4 days per week. The teen asks to go to the gym on days not in sports practice. But all are on the higher end of heathy for weight. I don’t buy junk, but they all have big appetites and eat a lot.