What am I going to do about 7yr old greedy ds?

[Snowfedup]

My ds who is almost 8 is a big boy always has been, 90th percentile for height and weight and boarder line overweight :(
He is just so greedy and obsessed by food always complaining of being hungry ! He gets plenty of exercise and we have kept his weight steady by reducing portion sizes and keeping treats to weekends only.
Tonight I discovered he had found a large chocolate bar that I had put away for myself for later (ok I shouldn't have had it in the house but I blame monthly sugar cravings) he took it and hid it until after bedtime then ate the lot.
It's like an addiction and i have now removed every sweet and chocolate from the house ! But am I doing the right thing - by banning it all am I making it worse. It should I try taking all sugar out of his diet in the hope that the addiction stops ??

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

Yes you're doing the right thing. Don't use it as a reward ever...just don't buy it.

I had a similar problem...not perhaps as severe because DD never actually got overweight but she was heading that way.

I stopped buying all crisps, cake, biscuit and snack type foods...nothing processed at all. Not even juice.

Rather than removing sugar, remove anything that isn't a whole food.

So have fruit, have meat, fish...veg and salads...do not have yogurts, biscuit bars, and cereals other than porrige oats.

Bread is ok in small amounts...not sandwiches daily.

Cheese...a little cut up...it's a protein and has fat in it but it's not a terrible food...but I treat it as part of a meal and not a snack. So if DD has a baked potato and salad then she can have a bit of grated cheese too.

Tuna is good...watch portion sizes...google amounts for a child and stick to that. Do NOT get upset when he cries he is hungry...insist that he's thirsty and needs water or offer an apple or raw carrot.

If you don't get it in check now it will get worse.

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

Also...food is not "treats". It's food. It's either good for you or it's not.

Processed food on weekends is not ok either. We have got DD to an ideal weight now...and I'm not saying she never has a muffin...she does...but it's not once a week.

[DecaffCoffeeAndRollupsPlease]

If you are going to try to control what he eats, be mindful that if he has access to money and a shop/school tuck, your efforts could be easily undermined.

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

Also, watch well-meaning relatives. I had to tell my Mum to stop bringing family packs of chocolate and instead to bring something like strawberries or cherries. She took a while but she got there.

[Helenluvsrob]

Not saying you are wrong to think about his eating but 90th percentile for height AND weight surely means he's in proportion but taller than average? It doesn't mean he's " borderline overweight" .

If he was 50 th centile for height and weight he'd be appropriate weight for height - 90th for both is the same ..l.

How are you thinking he's overweight based on what you've told us?

[Snowfedup]

Thanks I have googled his bmi using weight and height for children and he is overweight !
We do eat healthy food but I realised a while ago that portion sizes were too big and reducing these has kept his weight steady at least !
He doesn't have money or access to shops at school yet thank goodness and I want to nip this in the bud before secondary school in 4 years when he will.
He honestly behaves like an addict always wanting his next fix and not being able to stop when he is offered some this latest stealing and binge eating in secret is really the last straw - I just wish he could be like his younger brother who eats one square or one bite and then tells me he has had enough and runs off to play.
I blame myself he was my first and not a bit of sugar passed his lips until his first birthday, I also always encouraged him to finish his plate :(

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

How long is it since you began reducing portions? Also, what's a typical day's meals for him? What sort of foods?

[Snowfedup]

About 6 months - today as an example he had 1 round of toast with banana for breakfast, bagel with butter, baby tomatoes, cheese , petit filous for lunch, snack in school an orange and some grapes with milk. Dinner was Irish stew with bread and butter. He loves food his favourite dinners are stir fry, roast anything with potatoes and veg, I try to cook from scratch most nights but usually 1 night a week we will have something like pizza or chicken or fish goujons with oven chips.
I'm a slim size 8 and my husband is a medium sized 6 footer, our other ds is edging towards skinny but he is only 3 and going through that picky stage !

[Snowfedup]

Sometimes I think there might be something wrong with ds but I think I'm just wishing there was an easy fix :(

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

It doesn't sound like an abnormal diet...but as you're struggling with him, it's perhaps things like having bread and butter with his stew which is affecting him. It's not needed when the stew presumably has potatoes in it...the Petit Filous might be best off gone too. They're packed with sugar....if you want to add something sweet into his lunch, stick a small pot of strawberries or a satsuma in there.

The only other thing I can point to is that he's having a lot of bread...toast, bagel and bread and butter with three different meals....as a guide my DC don't even have it daily...maybe every few days..

It's such a fine line and don't beat yourself up....just perhaps give him porrige for breakfast....make it exciting with different toppings he can add...blueberries, or raisins etc...drop Petit Filous and ditch the bread with meals.

I had to train DD into eating porridge...sometimes she chooses two boiled eggs with toast....and that's fine....but I bear that in mind and will try to avoid more bread and butter that day.

[TheExMotherInLaw]

Might I suggest giving him a more substantial breakfast, balanced by a smaller portion evening meal?

[swashbucklecheer]

I was thinking breakfast sounded a bit small too. I know if i had a small breakfast I'd feel like grazing all day. Not so much when I've had a bigger one

[CiderwithBuda]

More protein with meals to fill him up.

Toast and bagels and bread and butter and fruit for snack is all carbs. It will raise his blood sugar quickly but it will crash just as quickly leaving him craving more carbs or sugar.

Bananas are a great food but high in sugar.

Breakfast suggestions:

Porridge - proper porridge not instant or quick cook - add fruit and or yoghurt.
Bagel - add Cream cheese (low fat maybe) and some ham
Toast - again cream cheese or peanut butter or eggs.

Make sure he has protein with every meal.

For snacks - an apple alone makes me starving later. So I sometimes have with almond butter or some cheese.

Oatcakes, peanut butter and sliced apple or a few grapes are a great snack.

[Snowfedup]

Thanks for the suggestions, he wont eat cream cheese but will try the peanut butter which he does like.
He had wheatabix this morning and asked for sugar but ate it ok when he was told no sugar.
I cut sugar out of my coffee last year and i explained to him that it took a few weeks to get used to the taste without it but that i like it better now without sugar so hopefully he will too.
Have decided to really try no added sugar or sweets chocs etc for at least 2-3 weeks and will try increasing the protein and drinks (he is happy today with water in my new water bottle with the fancy bit in it with lemons and lime slices)

[TheWoodenSpoonOfMischief]

Will he eat an omelette? Try keeping carbs at breakfast to a minimum.
Or have a look at low gi type of diet.

I don't know the technicalities of it but he may be sensitive to insulin highs.

[CiderwithBuda]

Weetabix not great TBH. Leaves me starving sugar or no sugar!

Would he eat some cheese or ham once he has had the Weetabix? My DS isn't a great eater in the morning and went through a phase of only wanting dry Cheerios so I used to take a couple of Babybels and he would have them in the car.

DS sometimes just has a plate of ham and cheese for breakfast. Or cheese and Branston on toast.

Would he eat quiche? Yu could make up a batch of mini crust less quiches in a muffin tin and freeze them.