AIBU to think that my DD eats far too much for her age (or any)?

[tequilasontuesdays]

For context, breakfast was 3 waffles and 4 muffins followed by intermittent snacking of sugar throughout the day. Her activity level leaves much to be desired and she claims the weather is what causes her to keep eating. My grocery store bill has become incomprehensible and I fear visiting family because of what they may think when they try to feed her. She thinks nothing of polishing off a big steak and continuously complains of hunger pangs directly after her (very large) meals. Her blood tests are all normal but I fear for her current and future health. Granted she is a teen, but isn't this a bit much?

The steak is alright IMO as long as it goes along with vegetables and not chips or crisps. The breakfast though, is way too much sugar. How about trying to substitute that with oats? You can add in a banana or even a drop of honey which is still infinitely healthier.

Afraid of tantrums? This is completely of your own making I'm afraid. Do some bloody parenting. How did she get all these snacks if the rest of you eat healthy?

This^^

You have control over what food you buy. Take control. Buy healthy food ad cook healthy food.

If you are worried about her eating muffins and waffles, do not buy them!

Get a grip. You are the parent. Stop buying sugary, fatty crap and enable her to make sensible choices. Tantrums? 10 years too late.

is this a joke? I cant believe anyone could buy all that crap and then complain when she eats it!

We don't need clarification about the sort of muffins. It doesn't make any difference

The poor child has no impulse control and the OP is enabling the shitty eating habits by dangling all these treats in front of her and doing nothing to stop her eating them!

Stop buying the crap. She will tantrum. Tough. She will then get over it. It may take a while because you've enabled her thus far and she's in a habit. Provide lots of healthy alternatives such as porridge, bananas, whole grain toast, peanut butter etc. All this is filling also. You are the parent and it will be your fault when she is obese/develops type 2 diabetes.

You must take control of this. Let her tantrum- she's 13. Tell her that you will be offering a choice of low-sugar cereals, eggs, or wholemeal toast with a variety of toppings. That is what's for breakfast and that is it.
Then remove sugar laden food from the house. You must take steps to help her now before she is an obese adult with an array of associated health problems.

Stop enabling her bad food habits. Provide healthy options instead.

Sorry but being afraid of her tantrums is not an excuse You need to get a grip.

Stop buying Waffles and Muffins

Get her thyroid tested. When I was famished all the time it was weird because im not a huge eater. Got tested and it's because my thyroid had taken a dive.

I do be
I eve there are some people who lack a 'full up signal'. That doesn't mean as a parent of a fairly young child that you just let them continue eating. At 13 she might have tantrums but you remain the parent. Let her stamp her feet and strop around- it will use up calories!
Stop buying sugary stuff at all. Clear cupboards and freezer of biscuits, jam, really sweet cereal, crisps, ice creams, smoothies, fizzy drinks etc.
I think you'll have to make radical changes quite quickly but focussing on health benefits rather than weight loss.
Use naturally sweet foods to fill the gap. Mini shredded wheat with fruit filling are sweet, filling and sustain throughout the morning. Use semi skimmed milk.
Make your own suppers not ready made cooking sauces and ready meals that tend to high sugar and fat.
Steak is just fine but with salads or vegetables not chips. Sweet potatoe wedges are good with chilli sauce for sweet toothed teens.
Do away with all pudding except fruit or just have pudding on Sundays.
Use baked potatoes a lot to fill her up.
Just don't buy waffles and make your own healthier muffins with carrots or courgette and apple rather than chocolate or fudge.

That should be I do believe

Her 'hunger pangs' may well be anxiety related stomach churning that she is 'treating' with eating lots of carbohydrate rich food for comfort.

Back off.
Never make food a battle ground. If she is overweight, she knows she is overweight and does not require anybody else to point it out.
Don't have pancakes/muffins/sugary cereal in the house.
Be available to her - listen to her.
Does she have friends? Is she happy at school? Is there stuff she enjoys doing? Encourage that.

This is not about food or 'hunger', it is about where she is in her life, how she feels about herself and her (misguided) way to make herself feel better.

You're the parent, tantrums are a part of parenting, get a grip.

Why are you buying in all this sugary carbsy food?
Can't you just offer porridge, fruit and a tea spoon of honey?
Make ano snacking between meals rule and offer veg heavy meals?
What's going on?

The sort of food she is filling up on is the sort of stuff you can just keep eating as it takes a lot of empty calories to make you feel full.

If sugar is her achilles heel you could do swaps for healthier things that still taste sweet perhaps. Banana pancakes for breafast are sweet and satisfying and are just mashed banana mixed with beaten egg and fried in a non stick pan with a a bit of spray on oil to stop them sticking.
Deserts such as chocolate avocado mousse are also sweet but healthy and very filling. There are healthier alternatives to the sort of things she is eating - a wholemeal English muffin with scrambled egg or no added sugar baked beans for instance.

Is there any physical activity you could do as a family that she might enjoy. A walk, swimming, climbing wall, geo-caching? It's important not to go on about her weight/activity but to subtly change the food available to the family and to make her feel loved and accepted as she is. Maybe ask her if anything is bothering her and that she can always tell you and you'll listen.

Sorry forgot to say that if the food available in the house is for everyone then your DD is not being singled out. Say you are swapping these things for stuff that will keep you ALL full for longer. Then the whole family is involved not just DD.

This is a very odd first post....

I used to have acid reflux when I was a teenager but the pain felt very much like hunger pains and eating would help to reduce it. It was only when I reached my twenties that I found out that this pain was reflux not hunger! It might be worth trying some gaviscon and seeing if it helps her, to rule out reflux.

I think we need clarification about which sort of muffins we're talking about! Bun/ cake muffins or bread roll type muffins!

Does it really matter? Even if it's bread roll ones no 13 year old should be eating 4 of them after having 3 waffles

The sugar might not be as high but that's still an obscene amount to eat for breakfast

I was coming along to post exactly the same as pineapple. I too get "hungary" after meals and it took me till I was in my late 30's to realise that it was indeed indigestion. Second the gaviscon idea.

oh dear hungary?! meant hungry obviously! Doh!

The more sugar you eat, the more your body craves. Your child is perhaps too young to diet but the usual junk she eats can be replaced with more bulky fibre based foods. So, porridge for breakfast and wholemeal bread toasted with an egg, lots of water before meals and snacks to fill you up first. Make your own cakes with sugar substitutes - look on vegan websites. Say she needs to save half her allowance for holiday money etc. or you will do it for her and encourage her to buy things other than chocolate e.g. clothes/dvds/tickets.

Just started a diet myself and the first week I didn't buy the usual chocolate/cakes/sweets/crisps and I didn't miss them for the first week ( and I only spent £17 for a weekly shop for one!). Then I made the mistake last week of treating myself to a packet of 3 ice creams- ate 2 straightaway as soon as I unpacked them at home so I can't be trusted to buy those again!!!!

Meals consist of homemade soup, fish with a multitude of veg but not potatoes, wholemeal bread, eggs, plain yoghurt and fruit, occasional chicken as I'm not much of a meat eater, porridge and nuts. I haven't weighed myself but trousers feel a big looser already round the waist.