I left my 16 year old at home for 24 hours and he ate...

[mrsm43s]

A ready meal (mac & cheese)
A pot noodle
A family sized pizza
A full tub of 40 cocktail sausages
At least 2 big buckets full of buttered popcorn (maybe more, but only evidence of two pots where he melted the butter).
4 and half bags of crisps
Several bowls of cereal (I'd guess about 3 or 4 from the number of bowls left)
Multiple rounds of toast/sandwiches- about half a loaf worth, with a mix of fillings - choc spread, jam, cheese, soft cheese
A block of feta
A 2 person packet of fresh tortellini
and something chocolately that came in a plastic tub that I can't remember what would have been in there, but there was definitely cocoa powder residue in the bottom of the container.

He did not eat the cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, hummus, apples, grapes, bananas or yoghurts.

He's as skinny as a rake!

I'm not complaining as we were away on a Uni visit with eldest, and he was alone overnight for the first time and the house was still standing, the cats and dogs were fed and let out appropriately (the dog wasn't actually walked, but we went early evening to early evening, so we've walked her early Friday then late Saturday and she's only a Chi cross that doesn't need hours of walking), but no poo, so he def did garden runs with her. The house was pretty tidy apart from the stack of dirty crockery and empty food packaging.

How would your 16 year old son have fared?

My dear step son has been here for 24 hours, he is 14 so far he has scoffed a banana, 3 packs of grapes(we got them for 50p in Morrisons!) a full 400g pack of wafer cooked chicken, 2 rolls, at least 10 cheese slices. A full curry, full pilau rice meant for 2, 2 Naan wraps, 3 ham and cheese sandwiches, a yoghurt and choc some maoms....at least 8 bottles of flavoured water we are only on Saturday! Thank the lord for yellow stickers!!!

...BTW he is like a beanpole!!
At least 6 ft!

When I was first married we took in my 16 year old BIL when FIL was seriously ill. I remember buying my food for packed lunches the next week (think four rolls, pack of Turkey, 4 yogurts, 4 apples and a multipack of crisps) one Sunday. Monday morning I came down to make my lunch and there was literally one apple left. I presumed he had friends over, “no he just got hungry yesterday afternoon/evening”.

He was a beanpole.

I remember my Nan telling me to buy boxes of cereal and milk to fill him up and label anything I didn’t want eaten.

Haha, that was not the work of one lone teen.

They must have done a helluva great job of cleaning up.

He didn’t eat all that, he had friends over

I reared two of them, about a year apart. They were LOCUSTS! They would walk in the front door, start chewing and not stop till the place was down to the studs. Well, not literally, but it felt that way. Boys that age have at least two hollow legs. I'm not in the least surprised, and be happy that it was just ONE!

Why wouldn't you? My nephew cat sat for me for a weekend at that age and I sent my twins to Cardiff for a week on their own. I arranged accommodation (youth hostel) and train tickets but they had to feed and entertain themselves.

Years and years ago, when I was newly married we lived in a terrace house with thin walls…one day I became aware of shouting from next door neighbour. She was a nurse, single mum, teenage lad….” How could you have eaten an entire loaf…muffle…muffle…I only bought it this morning….shout…shouty…I can’t bloody afford you….muffle”
i still remember her incandescent yells…never heard her raise her voice again in entire 3 years we lived there..guess the message got through to the lad
😱😱😱

My son is coming back from Uni tomorrow. For the last few weeks I have spent less than £50 on food. Today I spent £110 and can guarantee that by Wednesday I will be shopping again!! Oh to be young!

I'm starting to see why everyone makes comments about our food bill when my 3 boys get to their teenage years. We're going to need bigger cupboards.

I have a 6’3” human dustbin, however, since starting PE Alevel his eating habits are much healthier. Still costs me a fortune but at least he eats far more sensibly when he needs a glucose fix.
He doesn’t eat sugary snacks now, but still eats for four.

Mac & cheese , pot noodle, family sized pizza, 40 cocktail sausages, 2 big buckets of popcorn, 4 bags of crisps, 3 or 4 bowls of cereal, multiple rounds of toast, multiple rounds of sandwiches with chocolate spread, jam, cheese, soft cheese, a whole block of feta cheese, 2 portions of tortellini, chocolate from a tub, 8 jumbo sausage rolls and baked beans.

Of course he didn't eat all that so yes, he either had friends over or the OP is exaggerating.

Oh, and after my weekly shop he makes a special visit to the fridge and spends 10mins scanning the contents of the fridge to plan his snacks. We call it fridge porn.

Not surprised at all.
You can't fill teenage boys.
They will eat you out of house and home.

Of course you can fill teenage boys, the same as you can fill any other human being.

How do you think the 2.17 million people using food banks manage it?

All this 'they're locusts', 'they have hollow legs', 'they hoover food' is just silly MN hyperbole and quite frankly pretty sexist.

stacked the recycling neatly on the side why wouldn't he just bin it tho?

It’s not much to expect him to eat normally, put things he’s used in the correct place like the recycling bin or the dishwasher. And walk a dog. Definitely a low bar. Does he not do those things normally when you are there?

He’s probably good at Jenga though to be fair. 😅

That level of food consumption in the absence of codefendants suggests that it was really good weed .

It's from 3 pm to 6 pm tho so

Family leave.
Bag of crisps and some popcorn

4.30 large bowl of cereal

6 pm mac and cheese with extra feta and cocktail sausages

8 pm pizza with the rest of the feta

11 pm pot noodle and a bag of crisps

Midnight bowl of cereal and toast

Popcorn s offed in between and into the night as he's gaming, along with cocktail sausages

10 am cereal and toast

11 am crisps

1 pm tortelinni and chocolate dessert

Rest of popcorn before Mom got back. Plus feeding the dog sausages. I reckon Fido had half of them at least

Unless OP scoured the bin he might have left a slice of pizza here, some toast there

Because we recycle our recycling, not just put it in the bin. I'd actually have been livid if he's put recycling in the waste bin. That would have been really lazy.

Well we have a recycling bin. I think other posters might also have confused this point - that stacking it is correct rather than there being a recycling bin.

Because we recycle our recycling, not just put it in the bin

Eh? So why didn't he put it in the recycling bin?

This is completely normal. It doesn't get better. My eldest still eats this much and he's STILL skinny! Luckily, he's moved out now, has his own place, feeds himself. Thankfully, I taught all of my kids how to cook, and whilst some of their offerings have been a bit dodgy, I'm so pleased that they're eating their own stuff! Gives me a bit of a chance! If someone called Richard offers to cook you a spaghetti bolognaise, please say no. Be busy that day. Something, Bless him, The cheese was nice. Bless him. Bless him. He'd worked so hard. I ate all of it, of course I did.

What about all the sandwiches, 8 jumbo sausage rolls and beans. 🤣 Theres just no way.