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DS overeating and becoming overweight

4 replies

Liesmorelies · 14/12/2024 10:41

I'm not sure what to do about this. He's 17 and always been slim bit has always loved his food since being a baby. I remember taking him to a tapas restaurant with a friend when he was about 2 and her saying he ate 'like a bloke'!

I was pretty strict on junk food/sweets etc when he was little but nothing has been forbidden and treats were given and as he's got older I obviously have less control. I don't buy much in the way of biscuits/crisps to keep in the house as I never have but he has access to his own money now.

Since the summer I have noticed he's not as slim as he was and when he needed new trousers recently he needed the same length but next waist size up. Then ds2 mentioned at their dad's (there 4 nights per fortnight) he has loads of chocolate wrappers in his room and the other day he heated up 2 chocolate croissants for himself - they're the ones in a pack of 10 from Lidl so not huge but I still think that's OTT and made him put one back. I then found an empty McDonald's box of 20 nuggets in the bin from a day when he studied at home to wait in for a repair man for me, so I know he was alone. I think that's a disgusting amount for one person to eat in one go and he would have had fries too.

He walks around half an hour to school and back every day and has a kick around with friends now and again but otherwise not massively active and doesn't do sport other than cricket in the summer, which doesn't help much. He's very able academically but putting a lot of pressure on himself and studying very hard and I wonder if some of this is stress eating. I don't know what to do as I don't want to cause issues around food. Should I raise it? I can't just limit what's available at home as I already do that but this is mainly what he's buying himself. I feel he's going to end up seriously overweight and unhealthy if this continues.

OP posts:
Weekendsarehellish · 14/12/2024 10:46

Check in with him but don't mention the food, he may be comfort eating. Is he doing his A Levels at the moment? Is he stressed out? Is he smoking weed (the munchies are real). Open the channels of communication and keep talking - about anything but food.

Runskiyoga · 14/12/2024 10:50

I'd go for general advice - while you are studying and stressed it's hard to keep active and it's easy to eat easy stuff, but your brain needs real food that gives it nutrition and it needs you to release some of that stress, then studying will go better too - how can I help, how about I buy in some easy but healthy foods, or pack you some half decent food for a while, what do you want, am I allowed to invite you for a walk now and again. I want you to feel good and put your hard work in to flourish.

Liesmorelies · 14/12/2024 11:00

Thanks both. He's definitely not smoking weed - doesn't drink, smoke or vape. I do think food is turning into his vice. He does talk to me and I know he is pressuring himself to be the best at everything in his A levels. He had an interview for Cambridge this week which he says didn't go well, so that won't have helped.

I'll definitely put some effort in to doing some healthy but filling packed lunches for him and encourage us all to get out on a Sunday for a walk.

OP posts:
FutureFry · 14/12/2024 11:27

2 choc croissants for a 17 year old doesn't sound excessive.

And I'd say most boys his age are eating a similar amount of McDonald's. It's not filling.

His daily calories requirement will be about 3,000, or a bit more.

Obviously he should be eating healthier food, but I'd think these 2 examples aren't out of the ordinary for a teenage boy.

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