To address this constant snacking?

[coffeerevelsrock]

I'm just trying to get a picture of what is normal as I really don't know whether I'm being UR or not.

I've just gone to the cupboard and seen that pretty much all the bars bought for this week's pack lunches have been eaten. This is the final straw in the issue I have with the way my sons (12 & 14) snack. It's constant - in and out of the cupboard or fridge. This week is worse than normal as we were away last week so I did a shop on Friday and then we've been in most of the time since hence it's nearly all gone. Normally I shop on a Sunday and then they're at school but even then often we've run out by Wednesday.

We are talking about a packet of Seals (Aldi penguins), 8 Aldi chocolate crepes, a box of cereal bars, numerous cracker/breadstick type things (would be no good for lunches anyway), punnet of raspberries, blueberries and tomatoes, a few sausage rolls and some picnic eggs - whole box. It's also not unusual for them to eat extra bowls of cereal - weetabix or shredded wheats or make bowls of porridge, using up all the sodding milk. They've also had a malt loaf and a few bagels as well.

Obviously, I don't want them to be hungry, but isn't this ridiculous? Both are on the skinny side - ds2 was recently weighed/measured and was just above underweight on the NHs thing so normal BMI but right at the lower end of the scale. Ds1 was similar when he was done but that was about 4 years ago. Both wear clothes for their ages, though ds1 needs adult trousers but has to wear a belt if the waist isn't adjustable. Neither has any fillings.

Ds1 eats all meals and finishes everything - without fail, and he is the worst culprit when it comes to snacking. Ds2 has been known to leave quite a bit of his meal and I notice when we're away that he's far less likely to do so - presumably because he's not snacking all bloody day.

Aside from the cost, it's the inconvenience. I'm a lp and work full time and have to work at home in the evenings, so I really don't want to be nipping out to get top-ups for lunches midweek. But maybe they need it and I should just buy more. The thing is, I feel whatever I buy they will eat within days as I have sort of tried this and notice that pretty much however much I buy they eat!

AIBU or does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks for all the healthier snack suggestions. Some of them I have tried in the past but they don't get eaten. For instance, I'm always getting dips and spreads like hummus to put on crackers to make them more filling but they don't eat them. Same with cooked chicken mini-fillets - got chucked. I think they just have awful taste in snacks! I'm always telling them to make sandwiches/boil eggs but they never or rarely do. Unfortunately, chicken on the bone is a no - even with ds1 who eats pretty much anything. I need to remove the shit options though.

I think our meals are okay. They have weetabix, porridge or shredded wheat with fruit for breakfast and then can have more fruit and toast as they wish. Packed lunches - they have sandwiches with salad and filling, cereal bar or kitkat type thing, orange and crisps or cheese thing, or fridge raider type thing.

Dinners are homemade pasta sauces/shepherds pie/fish pie/noodles with veg. We all have the same portion sizes. Puddings of fruit and Greek yoghurts mainly.

If they are not overweight I'd say they need more calories than they are getting from their meals. As a teen my DS would eat at least half again of my portion size and didn't gain weight. If they don't want more at meal times, I would be encouraging them to make more filling mini meals in between if they are hungry, (the porridge sounds good, as would be egg or beans on toast) rather than constant small snacks.

Just saw they won't make sandwiches. They will if you ration the snacks and they're hungry!

I think your meals are the issue - your breakfasts have no protein and oatmeal and fruit is what I eat when I am watching my weight!

Lunches are harder because they are packed but you might need hardier sandwich fillings (meats) and sides of nuts / cheese etc - again things with protein.

Why would dinner portions be the same size when you likely all have very different caloric needs? What a teen boy needs and what a middle aged woman needs are worlds apart. Start by giving them bigger portions and ensure again, there is a protein.

I think you haven't yet adjusted your grocery shopping and meal planning to having two teen boys in the house. If they are active, they need 2400-3400 calories a day and you want quite a bit of protein in that.

It's protein. They need more protein, and stat. They're not greedy, they are hungry.

As others have said, stop buying crap. Of course they'll go for the easiest possible thing.

You can have a constant pot of soup going. You can cook a dozen chicken sausages every weekend and just have them there for snacks. You can make a quick salad of chickpeas, carrots, celery and some olive oil/vinegar dressing (this is delicious and gets more delicious the longer it stews). A big bowl of tunafish or chicken or salad (so, protein plus mayo plus chopped celery), plus as much wholemeal bread as they need.

If they can't eat the crap/snacks, they'll eat the other stuff. Protein is better for them, fuels muscle growth (which they need at this age), and will fill them up for longer.

When my son was small we had a rule that he had to ask before he took stuff from the cupboard. We were on a very tight budget and literally could not afford for him to help his self to food. If it was close to a meal time he was told no he had to wait for his meal. Otherwise he was offered fruit. If he was truly hungry he would eat it, if he was just fancying food he would turn the fruit down. 3 meals a day just became the norm and he rarely snacked between meals. As he became a teenager the munchies set in! I still asked him to ask before he helped himself, but if he was hungry his go to was cheese or beans on toast, sometimes just buttered toast.
It worked for us although I'm aware that a lot of people think that kids should have free reign to the food cupboard

Teenage boys consume food food data and that's about it.

@coffeerevelsrock

Aargh - meant to add they are at their dad's 4 days a fortnight (1 day one week and 3 the other) and I have asked if they do it there and they say no as he never has anything in! Sometimes I have even given them stuff to take there ti add to packed lunches as he only does a sandwich and a piece of fruit. Don't know if this is having an impact.

Bit of a clue there ! They can't eat what you haven't bought.

@SeasonalNamechange

They are in a hunger loop because they are just filling up on sugar..... they need protein to fill them

Also, they are likely bored

Yay, food madness bingo. Protein, sugar and stimulating activity all in one batshit sentence

These kinds of highly processed sugary foods just won't be filling them up - they will be getting a sugar fix followed by a low blood sugar crash, which just makes them crave sweet things even more, and so on, and on. They just need more healthy filling snacks (and meals) with wholegrains/fibre/plenty of protein/nuts/seeds etc . Lots of good examples mentioned above

@coffeerevelsrock
I would get them a big lunch box each ask what they want in it fill it up and tell them that's to do them until your next shop them hide all there lunch stuff. So they have control of how fast they want to eat there weeks supply but know when it's done it's done

Make veggie curry, and rice, easy for to fill up on if with pulses.
Peanut butter on toast is good, surprised not on your breakfast list

My teenage son is like this and has been for years. He is also skinny, very low end of the healthy weight.

I have tried buying higher protein, more filling foods, he won't eat them 🤷‍♀️ but anything sugary and quick will be gone. He does eat his meals but I can't have biscuits or anything like that in.

It's very frustrating. I have asked him not to do it and to make himself something proper to eat but he doesn't listen. We have resorted to hiding things.