Reply to Helping kids learn to manage eating and exercise during the tween and teen years

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[quote=Anonymous]OP here,

First of all, I'm cringing at my grammar.  I hope you will all give me the benefit of the doubt that I know that "He has grew 6 inches" is not actually a correct sentence, and that I edited the top without realizing it threw off the middle part.

For my son, who is 15, the biggest challenge has been managing portion sizes when he's hungry all the time, and when there's no one "serving" him the food.  I think it's easy for him to come home from school, especially during the season for his sport, and feel starving, and then he starts eating and doesn't stop until long past the point when he's probably "full".  Helping him to slow down so that he notices the cues from his body, without stepping in and telling him to stop which doesn't help him develop his own skills has been a challenge.  Here are a few things that have helped with this:

1) Foods that are more "intense" seem to satisfy him longer or with less quantity. e.g.  trail mix with nuts, dried fruit and habanero peppers (spicy), or baby carrots and celery with guacamole (crunchy), granny smith apples (sour and crunchy), frozen berries (cold), plain kefir (sour).

2) Foods that are higher in protein seem to stick longer:  Hardboiled eggs, cheese sticks, peanut butter and cold cuts are staples.  I also like to have leftovers in the fridge:  chili, soup, a roast chicken to pick at . . . , we've also switched to higher protein breads and cereals, and Greek yogurt instead of regular.

3) Individually portioned foods slow him down a little, whether they come that way, or whether I buy them and portion them myself.

4) I try really hard not to nag about food, but the following piece of advice seem to have stuck:
         a) If you've eaten a few portions of something, and you're still hungry, try something different (e.g. don't go back for a 3rd yogurt or bowl of cereal, try some fruit or an egg or a PB and J instead).

Things that haven't worked:

1) Going low carb.  While more protein helps, taking this too far backfires, and makes him much more likely to go overboard on "junky carbs".

2) Too much advice, or too many rules.

3) Not keeping snack foods in the house.

4) Teaching him to cook.  This has been fun, and convenient in that I can ask him to make dinner, but when he's starving he goes for things that are fast and easy in the moment. [/quote]

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