Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 09:35     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
Anonymous wrote:Start with 1/4 lb to 1/3 lb of meat per person. Adjust up or down when you see the end of dinner (adjust for next time).

1/3 lb meat is reasonable per person.


I think this is low for a teen boys and I am frugal. A half pound can feel scanty.
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 09:32     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
At 19, your DSS is old enough to make more food if he is still hungry. That being said, I have two sons, 20 and 23, home from college and I definitely have to up our food game. Last night I made spaghetti and meatballs and the 20 year old high performing college athlete (burns ~3000 calories/ work out) made another entire dinner for himself because he needed more protein. For us
4-5 steaks
2 lbs ground beef
2.5 lbs chicken breasts

I do serve starches and veggies and it was a bit of trial and error to figure out the right portions. I eat less of the protein and more of the veggies, especially if my athletes seem really hungry.
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 09:21     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
Anonymous wrote:Start with 1/4 lb to 1/3 lb of meat per person. Adjust up or down when you see the end of dinner (adjust for next time).

1/3 lb meat is reasonable per person.


That’s crazy. Don’t starve them
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 09:03     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
Anonymous wrote:I recently got married, and now have a family of four: me, DH (50), DS (12), and D(step)S (19). This is our first time living together. The 19 year old just got home from college, at the same time the 12 year old started eating more, and I’m suddenly not making enough food.

The gentlemen in my family are big meat eaters. The 12 year old is used to getting a good portion of vegetables (and doesn’t eat a lot of starches except rice) but the other two are not (but they will eat starches). I don’t think right now is the time to force vegetables on them, but I do serve vegetables with every meal because DS and I eat them.

If you have a similar family demographic, how much meat are you cooking for dinner? When it was just DS and I, we would have leftovers from a pound of meat. Last night, I cooked two pounds of lean ground beef, plus rice and broccoli and it wasn’t enough. Is it normal to cook 2.5 lbs of meat per meal for a family of four?


Yes. We have two boys, 13 and 16. Both are swimmers. I usually make 3-4 lbs of meat at a time to ensure that there are some leftovers for my husband’s lunch the next day. It’s crazy. Sometimes I will prepare up to 7-8 lbs of meat at a time and freeze half of it.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2025 23:41     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You need to enforce servings. No one needs more than 4oz of a protein and then 2 sides at a meal. This is why Americans have a massive obesity problem.


thank you. the amount of meat being mentioned here is obscene. OP, add in more veggies, fruit, beans, etc. Three pounds of meat for a family of four every night is crazy.


Nobody said they are cooking meat every night. My kid might have fried chicken 4x a month, which is a lot, but it's his favorite food and he is rail thin and on track to remain so.

Also 3 pounds of meat cooks down quite a bit. I think recommended ounce portions usually exclude bone.

People know where to find diet info and portion size info.

Sometimes people want leftovers or a second helping.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2025 23:31     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
I had 2 boys, 2 years apart. From 12-19, they ate 5 full meals a day. Full nutritious breakfast, lunch at school, sandwich and snacks at 4pm, family dinner at 6, then final meal of leftovers or other full dinner at 8pm.

They were both 6ft string beans. They burned calories in marching band, but it was amazing the amount of calories they consumed.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2025 23:19     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You need to enforce servings. No one needs more than 4oz of a protein and then 2 sides at a meal. This is why Americans have a massive obesity problem.


thank you. the amount of meat being mentioned here is obscene. OP, add in more veggies, fruit, beans, etc. Three pounds of meat for a family of four every night is crazy.


I think you need to understand that people may be different from you. My 6’3”, 180 pound 18 year old athlete eats about 150g of protein a day. He also eats tons of veggies and fruits and carbs. Almost no sugar. He is a serious athlete and we consulted with a sports nutritionist.


Same for my 5’6, 120 lb 13-year-old athlete. He's at 130g of protein and also eats fruits and veggies and not much sugar, other than what he gets in Gatorades and yogurts.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2025 23:08     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
I don’t have teen boys but DH is a big man (before anyone starts jumping on the “he must be obese” bandwagon, he isn’t, but he is 6’3” with a very large frame -size 15 foot) and my general rule for the two of us is to make a recipe that specifies that it serves four. I will probably have about a quarter of it. He will probably have about half of it and then there will be some leftovers.

And yes, we up portions for salads and side veg and starch too, similarly. That way the leftovers actually make a meal rather than just having leftover meat.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2025 22:01     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
Anonymous wrote:Wow. I am the mom of two girls, ages 17 and 12, and I can mealprep a meal with 1 lb of meat in a casserole-type meal on a weekend and it will feed four of us for about three week nights. I think we would go broke if our girls were boys instead!


Seriously? 16 oz of meat for 12 meals including 3 adults? That’s less than 1.5 oz per serving. Can I ask what kinds of meat you typically use? I can only do that when I use a highly flavored meat like smoked pork or turkey or sausage for seasoning, and even then, I’m sure it’s more than 1.5 oz per serving.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2025 21:49     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m kind of grossed out at the quantities of meat people on this thread are eating.

No wonder the average American is obese.


Meat is not the reason people are obese, I can tell you that


It’s more that if you eat enough food for two adults (meat included) eventually you’ll weigh as much as two adults.

You’re grooming your kids for obesity down the line.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2025 21:46     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
Anonymous wrote:I’m kind of grossed out at the quantities of meat people on this thread are eating.

No wonder the average American is obese.


Meat is not the reason people are obese, I can tell you that
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2025 21:25     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
6 big porkchops for 4.

Then the kids might have a little bit of a 2nd porkchop or as much as an entire 2nd porkchop. Someone can have a leftover one for lunch the next day.

Homemade soft tacos are good for leftovers. Start with more meat, have leftovers and then pull back from there. Avocado slices for the tacos and/or guacamole and chips are good stretchers.

2-3 regular sized fried chicken pieces per boy.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2025 21:24     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
I’m kind of grossed out at the quantities of meat people on this thread are eating.

No wonder the average American is obese.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2025 21:13     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You need to enforce servings. No one needs more than 4oz of a protein and then 2 sides at a meal. This is why Americans have a massive obesity problem.


thank you. the amount of meat being mentioned here is obscene. OP, add in more veggies, fruit, beans, etc. Three pounds of meat for a family of four every night is crazy.


I think you need to understand that people may be different from you. My 6’3”, 180 pound 18 year old athlete eats about 150g of protein a day. He also eats tons of veggies and fruits and carbs. Almost no sugar. He is a serious athlete and we consulted with a sports nutritionist.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2025 21:10     Subject: New stepmom to boys—help me figure out portions
Anonymous wrote:Wow. I am the mom of two girls, ages 17 and 12, and I can mealprep a meal with 1 lb of meat in a casserole-type meal on a weekend and it will feed four of us for about three week nights. I think we would go broke if our girls were boys instead!


It’s not really boys versus girls as much as it is athletes versus non athletes. I have a teen girl high school rower and the idea of 1lb of meat in a casserole serving her for 12 meals is laughable. My teenage girl athlete and teenage boy athlete eat similar portions. But they are huge and both also often eat a second dinner.