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Dd 17 needs to gain weight. healthy protein laden snack ideas please

49 replies

QOD · 09/01/2016 23:32

Got her to weigh herself today as she told me her friend told her that her mum ( my friend ) said she looks really skinny

She's 7st 2lb at 5ft 5 that makes her in the red and underweight on the nhs bmi checker

I feel guilty that I'd not noticed. She was about 8St 7lb last summer so has lost weight

We've cleaned up our diet at home this last 18 months. We now have fresh meat delivered, have a slow cook casserole twice a week, chicken breast and chips, a toast and then she has spag bol once or twice a week. Rarely do we have an unhealthy meal now so basically her calorie intake has dropped
she only drinks water
has 2 rolls (no marge ot butter) spread with mayo for lunch with cheese 8n one and ham and cheese in another

I'm 100% positive no bulemic or anorexic stuff going on. She eats a good size meal but rarely snacks these days as she worries about her skin

She's always bern that kid who doesn't finish a bag of maltesers

Tomorrow we are going shopping for healthy snacks

Smoothie to take to school
fruit juice cartons instead if just water (doesn't do fizz)
Pistachios are the only nuts she's tried

She doesn't want to eat cakes and choc aa will just get spots and fat tummy

.I've been very fat in the past. Always worried she might get fat as I "took the easy option" and had a gastric bypass
I'm so gutted I missed this and in case I've made her too worried about getting fat Sad

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QOD · 09/01/2016 23:34

Ps I'm not saying our diet is healthy healthy but 18 mnts ago it was all processed "meats" and chips or similar.

Chicken nuggets and smiley faces and beans etc

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Christinayangstwistedsista · 09/01/2016 23:35

Peanut butter, nuts, advacado, salmon

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Christinayangstwistedsista · 09/01/2016 23:36

Slice an Apple in half and spread peanut butter on it, it's sweet and tasty

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chipsandpeas · 09/01/2016 23:44

some protein bars are nice, specially if they are peanut butter based

or get some protein powder and use it for baking ie pancakes or flapjacks

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QOD · 09/01/2016 23:45

Oh thank you. I have an advocardo she can try tomorrow
she's never even tried peanut butter
doesn't have jam
ugh.

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Onykahonie · 09/01/2016 23:45

How is her mood and behaviour? I would take her to the GP and get her checked to be on the safe side.

Nak'd bars and smoothies are a good way of getting in extra calories and nutrition without eating much.

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Christinayangstwistedsista · 09/01/2016 23:48

Try and get her some reading material so that she can understand nutrition a bi better, good fats etc are really good for skin and hair

What about hummus, cheese etc. Encouraging her to snack would probably be good for her

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defineme · 09/01/2016 23:59

She won't get a fat tummy specifically from chocolate. Refined sugar has been linked to acne though. Why protein specifically-growing teens need lots of carbs too-wholemeal bread, pasta, potatoes, rice etc. That is a lot of weight to lose. She needs snacks reintroducing and I would highly recommend complan milkshakes in between meals to build her up. My teen eats 3 healthy meals and snacks on cheese, bananas, wholemeal toast, no added salt or sugar muesli, full fat natural bio yoghurt with berries and honey, peanut butter, full fat cream cheese or houmous with veg sticks.
Also has the odd bag of crisps or cake too.

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KanyesVest · 10/01/2016 00:01

Cashew nuts are great, and have a mild flavour if she doesn't really eat nuts (my 3&5 year olds love them). They are good on their own or can be added to stir fries, curries, etc. Could you increase her lean meat portions?

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Aftershock15 · 10/01/2016 00:28

What about just swapping water for milk as a drink? Easy extra calories and extra calcium is probably no bad thing.

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QOD · 10/01/2016 10:27

Cashew nuts are now on the list.!
We did go to the gp recently as she has had some problems with feeling sick (not bulemic) and puking bile. She had full bloods Inc iron and blood counts and liver and kidney function and all normal. However, I didn't realise about the weight loss then
I need to go back. Ugh.
Her mood and behavior are great, she's 99% out of the teen bitch zone, has her moments
she did change schools.for 6th Form and actually eats breakfast now which she never would.before as she is conscious about her tummy rumbling in class (at a boys school.that's mixed in 6th form ) so actually eats more
I know it could sound like I'm being naive but I do believe she is eating her meals it's just it's not high enough calorie for her needs.
I'm shit at portions due to my surgery (gastric bypass 4 yrs ago) and either over or under load people. I need to work on that
she's actually quite worried now about her weight and wants to build.up
Ugh. Never easy is it.

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Artandco · 10/01/2016 10:34

Tbh some people are just lower weight also. I'm 5'5 also and vary between 7 1/2 -8 stone naturally. It goes up and down all the time without me really changing anything.

Is she very active? I realised that although I eat healthily around 2000-2500 calories a day at a guess, I never stop moving so obviously wear it off. And find it hard to eat even more as I would never stop eating

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bakeoffcake · 10/01/2016 10:35

Cheese would be great as a snack- lots of calories and tasty too.

I would also up her portion size, it sounds like she's eating good food but not enough of it.

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TheBestChocolateIsFree · 10/01/2016 10:40

Avocados on toast or in sandwiches (with mozzarella) or as part of a salad with creamy dressing are a good healthy high calorie option.

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QOD · 10/01/2016 10:47

Further complication is that she's not my bitlryh child (life is so complicated lol) and half her birth mum's family are tall and big of bust (her) but prone to apple tummy and matronly breasts as getting older, and the other half are short and slight. So I think she's a combination of them
it's the fact that she's so much less than last year that freaks me (and her) out
But then yeah, I have a couple of friends of her height and weight as adults.
I tend to worry. Can you tell?

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bakeoffcake · 10/01/2016 11:00

I really eoulnt worry about what her relatives' body shapes are. She's an individual Smile

She's lost weight and needs to put a bit on so just focus on that. Remember also that she probably hasn't stopped growing yet so will need energy for that too.

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lastqueenofscotland · 10/01/2016 12:47

Hallumi
Nice bread and butter with your meals (MN hates double carbs mind...)

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1frenchfoodie · 10/01/2016 21:28

Peanut butter, dark chocolate, hummous, avocados on side salad, tahini, up the protein portion with meals and more ham in her sarnies. Basically you want to up protein and calories without too steep an increase in saturated fat or salt (cheddar for eg is pretty salty).

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QOD · 10/01/2016 21:33

She was a tad awkward at sainsbury earlier and I've had a helpful pm so we've made a Dr appointment for weds

Dd is a rule and adult in authority follower so if they say eat more, she will

Ps. I strongly recommend anyone registering for the patient access app. We can make appointments on our phone and order repeat prescriptions

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PitPatKitKat · 10/01/2016 22:24

Roast chicken thighs

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cdtaylornats · 10/01/2016 22:37

Glass of wine at dinner
Mini Babybels
Nuts and seeds are high calorie as is dried fruit. If she likes pistachios then macadamia nuts and cashews might suit. Almonds with skin on are healthy.

You could try Graze boxes for snacks, the protein option might suit.

Some low-salt cheeses are mozzarella, goats cheese, swiss cheese and cream cheese.

Try a curry - a korma is mild and has nuts and cream in it
www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/creamychickenkormawi_90196
serve with rice and a naan or chapati

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hellsbells99 · 10/01/2016 23:13

Hello Op. I have a 17 year old DD too (who is the same height as yours) and have also noticed she has lost a noticeable amount of weight over the last year. Due to your posts I have weighed her today (but unfortunately I don't know what she weighed last year) but at least I can ensure she doesn't lose more weight. She has gone from being a large size 10 to a size 8 but surprisingly does weigh just over 9 stone so a healthy weight according to the charts - but she is starting to look underweight in my opinion (has lost her boobs and her hip bones are prominent - she is not a petite build). The main thing I have noticed with DD is she is too lazy. When I prepare a meal/sandwiches she eats but if she is sat studying at home, she forgets to get herself lunch etc. She is also anaemic and on iron tablets. She is due for blood tests soon so I am planning to point out her weight loss to the GP as it is not through intentional dieting (although she may be skipping eating sometimes due to laziness). It is hard at this age to monitor what they eat - is your DD missing meals? DD also doesn't always eat her sandwiches at school due to lunchtime clubs or seeing a teacher for homework help etc - is your DD also doing this? Just over 7 stone is very very light for her height. Hopefully your GP will also do blood tests to check for things like thyroid function. In the meantime all you can do is keep preparing meals and encouraging her to eat 5/6 times a day - it may also be worth getting her to keep a food diary (my DM has to do this as she is underweight for medical reasons). Good luck.

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Higge · 11/01/2016 11:49

If she is healthy and happy and eats a varied range of foods then I'd leave her be. My dd is underweight and I am happy with her diet - she has bright skin, no dark circles, full of energy and rarely ill.

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misscph1973 · 11/01/2016 12:17

I wouldn't worry too much about it, I was underweight most of my teens, in spite of eating like a horse. The school nurse told my mum I was under weight, so for 6 months she made me hot chocolate wth whipped cream with breakfast ;) It was lovely, but I didn't gain any weight.

If you do want her to put on weight, then you need to give her carbs. Good fats are great, but they don't make you put on weight. Make her proper mashed potato, baked potato, rice tec., focus on good carbs (ie not bread and pasta).

Very impressed that she is staying off the sugary snacks! She has the chance of building life long good habits.

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Dancingqueen17 · 11/01/2016 12:33

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