To ask for your opinion on increased appetite DS11

[SharonCarter]

My ds (11) has always had a hearty appetite but in the last few weeks it has rocketed to where I feel a bit concerned

Today for example
Breakfast 2 slices marmite on toast and banana
Mid morning he said he was hungry so I gave him an apple
Lunch bacon roll and cucumber sticks
Mid afternoon he said he was hungry again! So I chopped some babybels up on crackers.
Tea roast chicken dinner.
He’s just made a ham sandwich!

If I say no he waits for me to go out of sight and steals food by hiding it under his top!

He has ASD - not sure if that’s relevant or could it just be a growth spurt? He’s been eating this amount for about 6 weeks now

What do you think?

Is he significantly into puberty? That can make a lot of difference.
My DS is nearly 13, about 5 foot 8 and 11 stone (so similar proportions to your DS); but voice completely broken and all that does with it, so I just view it as early entry into young adulthood rather than being greedy or getting fat (he isn't). He has eaten loads in the last couple of years though.

It really isn’t much.

I cook for kids that age who are on residential activities breaks and the menu is:

Breakfast - toast/cereal/full English cooked breakfast

Lunch- filled sub roll/piece of fruit/bag of crisps/flapjack

Dinner - two courses for example pasta and bolognaise sauce with salad and garlic bread, apple crumble and custard.

Our menu and portion size is based on schools/nhs guidelines for balanced nutrition and calories.

It doesn't sound that much to me. My ds is ten. Today he ate.

Breakfast.. croissant, yoghurt, apple, glass of milk.

Had a bag of crisps and another apple.

Lunch..sweet and sour chicken, rice, peas. Bowl of ice cream for pudding.

Dinner...chicken nuggets, chips, carrots, peppers, cucumber. Piece of Yule log for pudding.

Supper...breadsticks, apple, yoghurt, biscuit.

This isn't an unusual amount at all. He is not overweight either.

Looking at teenage boy BMI - he's in slightly overweight category but how likely he is to grow another foot would probably affect how worried I'd be.

My 11-year-old eats like that - but isn't overweight and is nowhere near that height yet and doesn't seem to have obviously started puberty yet.

I try more protein on really hungry days to keep him full for longer - but reading what your DS had to day doesn't seem excessive amount of food though I don't know your portion sizes.

My 13 year old would eat that and is only 5ft2 and about 6stone!

I wouldn't worry- your lad sounds like a big boy and they can't half eat at that age.

Try more slow release carbs, oats etc and lots of sweet potato and pasta at lunchtime- especially on school days when your fridge isn't so nearby! That may help fill him up.

Porridge and eggs for brekkie if you have time, overnight oats are great if you're in a rush.

I'd agree with others above that more food at breakfast and lunch will help, especially protein with breakfast. When children are growing they need protein and if their diet is carb heavy that can, I believe, lead to actual overeating triggered by trying to get the nutrition they need.

As an adult I find I eat less on days that I have had a good protein-laden breakfast!

He needs more protein at breakfast and more for lunch. He's 5 ft 7, no wonder he's hungry.

Try and take out your head the stealing food thing. It isn't stealing. Giving him foods that are just basically sugar and water won't fill him up i.e fruit.

11 year old boys eat a lot, and they keep eating more for years. My little skinny DS started eating, sleeping and growing a lot at that age. Ate more, slept more and grew more even more through puberty, and is only now starting to eat a bit less at nearly 20 and 6ft 2. He would still sleep all day given the option though.

Those big growth spurts and all those hormonal changes use a lot of energy, teenage boys are eating machines for a few years. Protein helps. I used to feed DS a lot of omelettes, with various vegetables and whatever else I could put in them. Eggs are pretty cheap and filling. Beans on toast was another thing that went down well. He loves noodles too, though they are just carbs and calories.

on the big size I meant he is in small men’s clothing

He's 5' 7 - of course he's in small men's clothing! What clothing size do you think a male that height should wear?

My 9 year olds eat like that. You’re not feeding him enough.

I read somewhere that teens need calories at least equal to adult portions, especially once they start puberty. Can’t remember where so don’t quote me!

He has growing boy syndrome. My DS (12) is still under 5 ft, but is matching my portion sizes already. Sometimes he eats more than me - last night we had sausage, mash, veg and gravy. We split the mash and veg evenly, but out of the 8 sausages I cooked, he had 4 and I had 2 (I saved 2 back for a sandwich today), so he ate more than me, and cleaned his plate too! He's always crouching away - some of it with ASD can be sensory (mine likes crunchy foods), but really I think at this age they go back to eating like toddlers with 3 meals plus 3 snacks, only bigger portions!

*troughing not crouching!

My DS is 14, has ASD & eats none stop all day, he doesn't have a full button, on a typical school day he eats cereal & toast, a bacon sandwich & coffee from shop on way to school, slice of pizza at break, panini with cheese & ham & jacket potato for lunch, chip butty on way home from school, main meal like chicken & pasta with a yoghurt & fruit for afters & will snack in the evening on toast, cereal & anything he can find. It's impossible to fill him up, he is 6 foot tall & still growing, very active, walks 2-3 miles a day, often walks a couple of miles with friends after school before catching the bus the rest of the way home, takes the dog out when he gets home. I dont stop him eating, he needs the energy.

It sounds fine and my 11 YO DS has similarly hollow legs, BUT I do understand your concern about ASD and hiding food. DD (10) has ASD and is an absolute bugger for stashing food, and is rather obsessed with eating. I'm currently treading a fine-line between not making it an issue and monitoring what's going on because I do recognise it's something of a problem for her.

I think she finds eating comforting when she's anxious which isn't great so we're trying to teach her other techniques for managing her anxieties.

Ha Titty, DD loves crunchy foods, and eats whole peppers In the style of an apple.

Lunch seems small to me.
More protein in general too.