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Original poster

To ask, if you have big solid boys...

52 replies

Mammysboys · 20/02/2017 22:48

What on earth do you feed them? My primary aged sons are tall and solid, in proportion for their height/weight and eat a wide variety of food.

However, here's my dilemma: They eat like horses and generally have a wide variety of wholesome food at their disposal.

Is there something different I should be doing? Is there?

I was constantly 'starving' when pregnant with them both & consequently I ate like a woman possessed. They breastfed like champs.

We're not exactly flush. Looking for tips, really. Thanks

OP posts:
CesareBorgiasUnicornMask · 21/02/2017 12:23

DS is only 2.5 but am already astounded by how much he eats. He's very tall and pretty skinny but he's just constantly hungry. Some days I think he eats more than I do! I actually mentioned it to the GP because I was worried and she just laughed and said she had three boys and it was normal. Am literally dreading the teenage years and taking note of all the ideas here!

Likeaninjanow · 21/02/2017 12:35

This is a great thread! I struggle with filling my 2 boys, and it doesn't help that one is allergic to dairy, eggs, nuts, sesame & all peas and pulses. Anyone any ideas that avoid all of these?

I currently give him toast with dairy free spread, ham slices, cereal with his own milk & biscuits!

ScarlettDarling · 21/02/2017 12:45

It's not just boys who eat like this though, girls do too! I've always been unfillable. As an adult (5'11", size 10-12 so not overweight,) I'm bad enough, but when I was a child/teen I just could not be filled. When I was pregnant I just inhaled food the whole time, I was ravenous.

Both of my dc go through phases like this. My dd is 13, tall and slim, but eats huge amounts. My dd is almost 10, tall and slim, and would graze the entire day if I let her.

Some great ideas for healthy, filling snacks in this thread. Love the peanut butter smoothies suggestion for me the dc.

MyBonnieLiesOverTheOcean · 21/02/2017 13:46

My boys are 8 & 11 and they are slim and muscular and eat ridiculous amounts of food.

I've started making omelettes for them every morning to fill them up well at the start of the day and I think that's made a difference. They like supper every night & they get oatcakes & cheese which is healthy & a good filler.

Apart from that it's the usual weekly round of pasta, noodles, potatoes, rice, couscous, pita breads & various types of meat or fish. I try to bulk up the protein with chickpeas & beans. Smoked mackerel is a big hit & really cheap so we have that every couple of weeks. Lentil soup, wholegrain bread, bananas galore and yes to full fat milk & proper butter.

Like the idea of adding peanut butter to smoothies...that will definitely go down well in our house.

CornetBlues · 21/02/2017 13:52

Likeanija that is a tough set of allergies. Vats of popcorn springs to mind as a snack.

Somerville · 21/02/2017 14:09

DS (13) appetite has got insane lately. It seems to be directly proportioned to him getting a lot taller and his shoulders getting broader, as he's still slim. His portions sizes are theee times mine at the moment, and significantly larger than either of his sisters.

Meat and eggs are the only thing that fill him for long. He makes himself 3 poached eggs most mornings and has that on seeded bread - as well as porridge and fruit. Otherwise he can't concentrate in class for feeling 'lightheaded with hunger'. Confused

A relative bought him a mini fridge for his birthday and I keep that stocked in his bedroom - with packets of cold cuts (esp chicken) and full cream milk.

Ladymadness · 21/02/2017 17:14

My 2nd son is like this he's is 8 and built like a brick house ! He's very healthy but eats like a horse. I can barely pick him up anymore he's rock solid and actually has some guns on his arms! His older brother eats the same amount as him but is very slim and tall I don't get it lol x

Likeaninjanow · 21/02/2017 19:20

Thanks cornerblues - popcorn is a great idea, he likes that.

Likeaninjanow · 21/02/2017 19:21

Sorry, meant CornetBlues!

GloGirl · 21/02/2017 20:18

Loving this thread too, also just popping in for some advice.

Mine is fussy and will often change what he likes but I do try and give as much cheese as I can, lots of full fat milk and mix cream in too sometimes. I buy cooked chicken for snacks although that's revoltingly expensive! Porridge for a good breakfast.

I do like to do french toast when he'll tolerate it and I'll serve that with some form of protein too. I've switched to wholewheat bread and pasta and so far no one is complaining.

umberellaonesie · 21/02/2017 20:22

Pot of soup on the stove or in slow cooker everyday. Lentil is good. 3 potatoes half a turnip. 5 carrots, garlic, celery 2 slices of bacon if I feel generous and handful lentils and stock. They get that In between meals and fruit.

whattodowiththepoo · 22/02/2017 04:53

To add something from another perspective I was a huge kid and very active, single working mum that hated cooking.

Snacks kept me full, lots of boiled eggs and carrots with home made hummus (my mum used to blend a tin of chick peas with some curry paste)

catinbooots · 22/02/2017 05:04

Eggs and eggs and more eggs! Cheap and filling.

Omelettes, supply eggs and toast, poached eggs on toast (and beans)

I buy instant noddles for after school snacks. Often eaten with grated cheese and any leftover meat in the fridge.

catinbooots · 22/02/2017 05:06

What are supply eggs? Confused

I meant dippy eggs

Buddah101 · 22/02/2017 05:34

Mine is only 4 and I'm astounded at the amount of food he can put away. Saving this thread for ideas, although he wont eat eggs - literally the only thing he wont touch.

When he was just 1 day old on the maternity ward I had to ask a nurse for an extra carton of milk as he was already on more than 1 carton at a time. She thought I was trying to steal them until another nurse walked in and confirmed what i'd said with a " Oh yeah, he eats like a horse already, god help her when hes a teenager" Blush. He is solid, stocky, but very active and has dh's metabolism for burning food off.

Spottyladybird · 22/02/2017 06:00

My DB is like this still and he's 34! Mum used to buy 6 pints of milk every day.

Things she did:
Scotch pancakes (good for non egg eaters)
Soup with rice, potatoes or pasta in it.
Sandwiches
French toast
Rice pudding or custard and fruit for pudding. Always crumble or sponge pudding at the weekend.
Oatcakes with milk as a snack.

His DP despairs! She says he still eats all day (and is a 6'4 beanpole!)

Juanbablo · 22/02/2017 06:30

Ds1 is small and slim but never stops eating! He has ADHD so he is never still and he plays a lot of sport.

He eats eggs for breakfast a few times a week, peanut butter on toast on the other days. He almost always finishes his meals, and quickly!

I keep a stash of crackers, cheese, mini sausages, yoghurts and plenty of fruit and veg sticks.

knackeredinyorkshire · 22/02/2017 10:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BathshebaDarkstone · 22/02/2017 11:01

A very small breakfast, coco pops at the moment
Fruit for a snack supplied by school (we aren't allowed to provide any food)
School dinner (ditto)
4 mini sausage rolls and a massive strawberry for a snack
Pizza, another massive strawberry, an apple, a few grapes, a handful of mini marshmallows and a 99 ice cream for tea

Chocolou · 22/02/2017 14:24

This is the thread I've been waiting for!! My 11yr old never stops eating. He is a good eater and will eat anything so guess I'm lucky.

He decided today to cut out biscuits and crisps and junk. What can I give him to snack on between?

I bought eggs to boil and leave in fridge, cheese, cold meat. Do any of you know any good sugar free cake, biscuit or flap jack recipes?

DaffodilsAndCrocus · 22/02/2017 14:44

Not a sugar free cake but a "wholesome"! spiced apple cake by Hairy Bikers is appreciated here. (Tbh sugar free cake recipes I have seen have something like maple syrup in anyway.)

fourcorneredcircle · 22/02/2017 14:54

Haha, I remember my one of my six teenage brothers asking for a roast chicken of his own every Sunday lunch for a month for his birthday...

Yes, yes, yes to a bread machine, the wholemeal loaves those things make are really solid and filling. Can buy the ready mix packets in B&M bargains etc. Pretty cheap. My brothers would make a loaf on the quick bake setting (took an hour I think) if they wanted more.

Cheap wheetabix, can top with banana, frozen fruit etc. Didn't matter if they are six. Worked out about 3p each.

Massive blocks of cheap cheese to help themselves to (nice cheese for recipes etc. was kept in a special box that we all knew not to touch). We had a chest freezer that was always full of really reduced food too (we would always hit the shops at closing time!), things like ready meals, filled pasta, portions of home made left overs very rare!

Can't believe how much food my dad had to have in now I think about it. How that man managed to work in between food shops is a mystery...

Now a personal moan - they all grew up to be over 6ft and very, very strong and lean. Meanwhile, I'm barely 5ft and distinctly dumpy. So unfair.

knackeredinyorkshire · 22/02/2017 16:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Westfacing · 22/02/2017 17:07

Chocolou for snacks for your DS you could have a packet of tortilla wraps to hand, they take a minute to warm up in the microwave, with (homemade) hummous as a nutritious and cheap filling.

This is a useful stop-gap for when he gets in from school and supper!

Chocolou · 22/02/2017 17:43

knackered have you got the recipe for banana bread? Could it be done in oven as don't have s bread maker.

Don't mind if cakes have maple syrup, a little of course. Know it's very difficult to go totally sugar free. The stuff is in bloody everything.

Tortillas a good idea except no microwave

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