To think there's no way he can be hungry

[SlapACatFuckADuck]

Ds is 4 everyday we have the same discussions regarding food today for example he woke at 9:30 (didn't have nursery) we go downstairs i give him breakfast.

He eats all his breakfast puts the bowl in the kitchen and immediately wants lunch I of course say no. He then goes on continuously about how he "wants to eat" "I want lunch" "I'm hungry" "I want my sandwich" this has gone on for an hour and a half! when he gets lunch at lunch time the cycle repeats itself apart from it's not dinner because he doesn't like dinner he wants lunch as soon as he's finished his dinner the "he wants to eat" chorus pipes up again until bedtime where he will continue to go on about lunch until he falls asleep with the occasional check in that "you will give me lunch tomorrow right mum?"

I have no idea what his obsession is about lunch but inbu right? The kid can't possibly be hungry all the time especially after he's just eaten

Also another thing that makes a huge difference to getting veggies into my lot - letting them serve themselves. I put the veggies in bowls on the table and only dish up the meat/main component. It's amazing how many peas/carrots they'll eat topping their plates up. It does mean that sometimes DS eats all the broccoli and DD eats all the carrots, but if that's what they fancy then so be it.

Need I haven't but then again I've never had it I'll try it

tourmund Yes we've had words, he doesn't/can't cook he himself only eats sandwiches/microwave burgers/pizza's/nuggets or he'll order takeaway.

He loves pasta

He won't eat tuna mayo but he'll eat chicken mayo sandwiches from the shop so I assume he'll eat it if I make it for him!
My ds doesn't like sauces, If you put ketchup on his plate and it touches say a nugget, the whole meal is ruined! He won't eat anything with sauce on Bolognese ect he won't eat it. We've tried not a hells chance and nobody knows how to get him to do it. That is why he won't eat hummus he doesn't dip anything.

My diet is routine tbh. I'll have the same meats, the same veg, the same salad stuff. Nothing else. Albeit I don't mind some sauces, I just eat the same basic meals but I don't like much other veg/salad.

He won't eat omelettes we've tried, believe me when I say he doesn't like egg. Will try eggy bread never had it so can't say what it's like but if he sees me make it he won't eat it.

I make everything on the day, never batch cook but that is purely because I always forget to take something out and defrost it and it's easier to just cook on the day. He doesn't like Bolognese, potatoes (any but crisps) or chilli (neither do I like that) it has a sauce on or is potato. serve it separately and he'll eat it.

Thanks all.

Hi SlapACat I haven't read every post here, so apologies if this has already been mentioned. You said you were concious of the cost of food, and I completely understand that. Our circumstances have recently changed so I'm having to budget much more carefully than I have ever had to before. My lovely mum bought me a copy of Jack Monroe's cook book 'A Girl Called Jack' which is entirely budget recipes, and it's great! I was already a very keen cook, but every recipe is very simple. It has inspired me to think about using more very cheap ingredients like different beans and pulses, and most recipes also happen to be very healthy and filling, which it sounds like you want. Might be worth buying a copy or seeing if your library has it?
Also (again, sorry if this has already been said) but I wonder if you can your little boy more involved in food prep and cooking? It might encourage him to try different things, and help with any food anxieties if that is an issue as some have suggested.
Good luck! Hope you get to the bottom of things.

Oh, and my boy is much younger than yours, but my fall-back recipe when I'm out of ideas & time is salmon & brocolli pasta bake with a cheese sauce. Swap salmon for tuna, ham or chicken if your lad prefers, or swap brocolli for peas/carrots/spinach/green beans/sweetcorn whatever veg he likes or you have lurking in the fridge. Maybe try wholemeal pasta too? You can freeze a batch of the sauce with the flaked fish. It's got carbs, protein, fat, omega oils, and veggies and I am convinced that cheese holds magic powers for most children, especially if it's melted and bubbling on top of pasta. It's not very inventive, but it's nutritious, filling and cheap!

Are things improving OP?

That's great advice from WiddlinDiddlin.

If I overdo the carbs and sugar and don't have enough protein, even for one day, I feel awful and hungry all the time.

Not rtft but have read your posts op.

He does sound really fussy but that's not uncommon at this age, I had same with dd. On advice from a fab hv I involved dd in shopping, preparing and eating. Sounds weird but it works 'ooh x new thing is on offer shall we try it?' 'want to help mummy cook?' even at this age they can get stuff out fridge, rinse at sink, help decide how much to cook, what to have with x tonight (some odd combinations like sausages and cous cous but it's still protein and carbs), also letting them 'steal' stuff off your plate.

Also until the end of the thread you were often commenting 'i don't like x y z' I must admit that annoyed me as my mother did that, the other 3 of us could love a thing ( coleslaw was one I remember) but if she didn't like it, she did the food shop and she just refused to buy it!

Like maybe he likes subway partly because he can CHOOSE what to have on the sandwich quite precisely.

As for how much, yes childhood obesity is a problem but if they're eating healthy foods there's no reason for that to happen.

This is an idea what my dd ate at 5 (once at school and last the fussy pita bit)

Breakfast at home - 3 weetabix full fat milk and a banana and a glass of juice.
Breakfast at school - toast and full fat butter, f fat yoghurt, apple, glass of f fat milk

Snack - cereal bar and apple

Lunch - school dinner, usually meat and 2 veg plus gravy type meal, pudding usually sponge and custard

Snack at home 2 crumpets and butter, glass of milk 2 plain biscuits

Dinner pasta and sauce or chilli or store fry
Dessert ice cream with fruit usually banana, or rice pudding

Supper French toast with cinnamon milky hot choc (not much choc just enough to turn milk brown)

And she is not and has never been anything but ridiculously skinny! She's currently aged 15 5'7" and a size 6-8!

Some people just have a high metabolism, she takes after my dad's side they're all skinny as and eat CONSTANTLY