Food for underweight teen to keep in bedroom

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, ignore all the PPs who say no food in the bedroom. They are talking out of the arses and have no clue.
High calorie nut bars have no crumbs.
Is there space for a mini fridge? You can stock it with Ensure and other weight-gaining shakes.
Eating at night right before bed is a good time to eat if you need to gain weight. Just make sure that he brushes his teeth.

And why can’t this be done where everyone else eats?

Do you have a teenager? Obviously not. You want to remove all barriers to food access.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldnt keep food in his room. Unless he is mobility impaired, he can eat meals and snacks at the table or in the kitchen

OP back. Thanks again everyone for your suggestions. To this pp and the others questioning eating in the bedroom--I hear you and this isn't something I would have permitted a few years ago. But I have a 13yo who weighs 65 pounds and gained less than 3 pounds in a year despite efforts we were already making. So we need to switch up our tactics and give him as much opportunity to eat as possible (ideally without ending up with rodents). And like many kids his age he spend a LOT of time in his room. I'm certainly happy to consider other options and welcome all the ideas. I am definitely going to investigate some shakes and see if I can find some he likes. There is space for a mini fridge in his room.

[Anonymous]

Snacks packed with protein - protein granola bars, protein waffles. Helped DC gain 7 pounds!

[Anonymous]

Does he like milk shakes? You can buy a simple milk shake mixer and he can throw ice cream, fruit and all kinds of things including some of those bulk powders in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, ignore all the PPs who say no food in the bedroom. They are talking out of the arses and have no clue.
High calorie nut bars have no crumbs.
Is there space for a mini fridge? You can stock it with Ensure and other weight-gaining shakes.
Eating at night right before bed is a good time to eat if you need to gain weight. Just make sure that he brushes his teeth.

And why can’t this be done where everyone else eats?

Just because something CAN be done doesn't mean it will. Yes, you COULD keep your sponge in the closet down the hall instead of on the kitchen counter and you COULD just go and get it every time you wanted to wipe the counter. But the counter would probably be cleaner if you had it by the sink. (Better analogies welcome.)

He isn't eating enough. If you want him to eat more, just telling him to do it won't work as well as making it EASY to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't do food in the bedroom but on our peds advice we do a Boost Plus drink one hour after bedtime.

I've got a kid with ADHD and medication really did a number on his weight. It took me a long time to get over the notion that nutrition had to be chewed. When I finally did, we tried ALL the meal replacement drinks. He, like your DS, didn't like Ensure but did really like the Boost drinks. You can get them just about anywhere. Once I found what he liked, I ordered by the case from Amazon.

My advice would be to buy a bunch of different kinds and have a taste test party like we did. It was fun and helped us identify who liked what and what not to touch. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I feel for you OP. Had same issue with my DS.

Nuts all day in small doses helped.

Ice cream. Peanut butter. Egg/Sausage sandwiches. Whole milk.

But things really changed when he started to be interested in girls in high school. They need to want it. He eats and now weigh trains.

So please don't beat up on yourself. You can't make him eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP back again. Many thanks to pp's for ideas and advice, especially those who have been there. To answer some questions: DS is 13 and has been tested for Celiac, IBD, hormonal issues, etc. His bone age is several years behind which is a good thing from his endocrinologist's perspective, because it means he still has lots of time to grow. All testing has been normal and we're confident he's getting great medical care. It's pretty clear that genetics are behind this, due to parent and grandparent history. In addition, DS's younger sibling is a very picky eater (unlike DC who eats almost anything) yet despite their totally different eating habits the height/weight for these two kids tracks almost exactly by age. At this point though it doesn't matter if genetics are the issue... he needs to gain some weight.

Re food in the bedroom, I appreciate that this is an unorthodox strategy! My hope is that having food right there will make it easier for him to snack. It's one less obstacle. Just like at work, if there's food in or on my desk, I will eat it (won't we all). DS is highly motivated to gain weight so I don't think he would lie to me about eating when he isn't. I definitely do not want a mouse infestation in his room however so we are trying to be careful there.

We do a lot of ice cream but no one has recommended lots of unhealthy food like chocolate bars and donuts. They've encouraged things like avocado, full-fat Greek yogurt, nuts, energy bars, etc. The usual. That said we haven't seen a nutritionist yet (I think that will happen next) so maybe this person will have different suggestions. DS did try Ensure a couple years ago and hated it, but I know there must be other similar options. I welcome suggestions there too.

Thanks again and please keep the ideas coming.

I am pp who posted about donuts and all that. Nutritionist from Georgetown pediatrics told me and DS to do all that. Have a home made stew and then second lunch of burger and fries. To add oil to his soups, all that came from a pediatric nutritionist. She has moved to Louisiana since, but she is the reason my DS gained weight and hence grew.

OP again, thank you PP for sharing all of this and it's great your son is now doing so well as a young adult. But there is no way my kid could eat all this in one sitting! I wish he could. For example, breakfast is often a bagel with lots of cream cheese, a couple sausages, and some fruit, and then he is maxed out. I am wondering if that's part of the challenge... He has what seems like a regular appetite to me but not anything more than that. I will be curious to hear what a nutritionist says and really appreciate all the suggestions.

There was no way my DS would eat all that in one sitting either either. He thought that one a half slice of pizza is more than enough food. He fought it tooth and nail. It was eat now, then an hour later, like a hobbit, second breakfast, etc, first lunch, second lunch, two dinners, that type of thing. Then get him a snack, then stop at McD on the way home from sports and get a Mcflurry and a small hamburger then eat dinner at home. It was not easy, at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, ignore all the PPs who say no food in the bedroom. They are talking out of the arses and have no clue.
High calorie nut bars have no crumbs.
Is there space for a mini fridge? You can stock it with Ensure and other weight-gaining shakes.
Eating at night right before bed is a good time to eat if you need to gain weight. Just make sure that he brushes his teeth.

Shakes in a minifridge is one thing. If my kids were making peanut butter sandwiches and keeping trail mix and pretzel in their room, we'd have mice and bugs!

I don’t understand this. I snack in my bedroom which is also my office all the time and often have a trail mix, chips and other snacks on my desk for days at a time. Why would it cause mice and bugs? What is so magical about the kitchen and dining room that it keeps mice and bugs away?

[Anonymous]

Mini fridge with ensure shakes

[Anonymous]

Please get a good family therapist, OP. The issues are bigger than your child’s weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please get a good family therapist, OP. The issues are bigger than your child’s weight.

Agree with this. Food in the bedroom isn’t the solution nor something I would do. Why is he in his room so much? Yes I do have a 13 yr old as well. I would explore why he isn’t eating, why all time is in bedroom. If he isn’t able to eat normal portions or normal foods I would explore what the medical/mental problem is. Is he depressed? Anxiety? Dislikes being around family? Crohn’s disease?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, ignore all the PPs who say no food in the bedroom. They are talking out of the arses and have no clue.
High calorie nut bars have no crumbs.
Is there space for a mini fridge? You can stock it with Ensure and other weight-gaining shakes.
Eating at night right before bed is a good time to eat if you need to gain weight. Just make sure that he brushes his teeth.

Shakes in a minifridge is one thing. If my kids were making peanut butter sandwiches and keeping trail mix and pretzel in their room, we'd have mice and bugs!

I don’t understand this. I snack in my bedroom which is also my office all the time and often have a trail mix, chips and other snacks on my desk for days at a time. Why would it cause mice and bugs? What is so magical about the kitchen and dining room that it keeps mice and bugs away?

Most people are cleaning their kitchen much more thoroughly than the bedroom, plus there is a sink. I vacuum kitchen and dining room daily, wipe down counters several times a day, clean the dishes daily, etc. I don’t vacuum my bedroom daily and maybe people that eat in bedrooms end up leaving the dirty dishes sit out long time

[Anonymous]

Pocky. It's seen as trendy among that age group because it's Japanese, caloric, and the flavors aren't that strong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please get a good family therapist, OP. The issues are bigger than your child’s weight.

Agree with this. Food in the bedroom isn’t the solution nor something I would do. Why is he in his room so much? Yes I do have a 13 yr old as well. I would explore why he isn’t eating, why all time is in bedroom. If he isn’t able to eat normal portions or normal foods I would explore what the medical/mental problem is. Is he depressed? Anxiety? Dislikes being around family? Crohn’s disease?

Do you have an underweight teen whose parents and grandparents were also underweight as young teens, despite eating and enjoying plenty of food? If not, you really do not know what you are talking about. I never said he wasn't eating; in fact I described some of his eating upthread, which his pediatric endocrinologist at a major children's hospital thinks sounds very reasonable. If he wasn't eating we'd be dealing with a different set of challenges, though I hope I'd be a lot more compassionate, and a lot less presumptuous, towards someone facing that than you are.