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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this isn’t really enough food for a 13 year old?

364 replies

ChocolateCrepe · 28/10/2022 20:46

DS has been given 2 slices of a supermarket pizza, 4 chicken nuggets, a handful of fries (literally about 12) and a few cucumber chunks for his dinner

I think this is nowhere near enough food for a growing teen
The adult who gave him the food thinks it’s plenty and I’m being silly

DS is far too polite to ever comment if he didn’t think it was enough but I’ve made him a sandwich and he is now eating it happily

WIBU?

OP posts:
strawberriesarenot · 28/10/2022 22:44

I think by the end of primary school age, children should be trusted to make themselves a sandwich, cereal, leftovers, etc meal top up. My ds13 went through a year or two of small meals, like you described, but every two hours or so. It was a bit aggravating until he learned to clear up after himself, but it kept him thin and healthy.

Nopeforme · 28/10/2022 22:45

NHS guidelines are 2414 kcals for a 13 year old boy, going up to over 3000 for an older teen.

My requirements as a mid 40s woman are 1600 kcals.

People saying 'that would be plenty for me' are missing the point. They are not a teenage boy trying to grow!

My DS eats much more than me. I'm jealous he can eat as much as he can and I would never ever restrict his food. He knows his body and I trust him to understand the signals his body is giving him.

Teens need lots of calories. The jokes about teenagers having hollow legs are true, it's why it became a joke in the first place.

Letting a teenager choose how much to eat - serving themselves, not forcing clean plates, providing decent snacks (not just fruit but protein and, yes, occasional treats) is what they need.

Untitledsquatboulder · 28/10/2022 22:49

Annoyingkidsmusic · 28/10/2022 22:32

Really? That’d be more than enough for me as a fully grown adult. It’s supposed to be one meal, not his daily food allowance

Are you a teenager? Male? Still growing? Hmm

Teenage boys need a lot more food than adults, esp female ones.

mincen · 28/10/2022 22:51

That wouldn't be enough for my 13 year old, of those particular foods. He would need double that, at least. But give him something he doesn't like much and he'll eat a tiny portion and be 'full'. He's generally not a big eater.

EscapeRoomToTheSun · 28/10/2022 22:55

ChocolateCrepe · 28/10/2022 22:01

@Thehawki agreed! I would much rather have some leftover in the fridge than DS not be given enough!
The 4 year old usually leaves some anyway (but annoyingly picks all the toppings off first 🙄)

Absolutely insane to give a 14 Yr old and a 4 Yr old the same size portion. Is his dad quite well? Are there other issues between them?

MsCactus · 28/10/2022 22:59

That's definitely enough food!!! Just the nuggets and fries I'd say are enough...

Look up how many calories would be in that meal, I bet it's about 800 minimum

Abraxan · 28/10/2022 23:00

ChocolateCrepe · 28/10/2022 21:12

I’m surprised people are saying they couldn’t eat a 10 inch pizza to their self?? They’re really not very big, one fits comfortably on a dinner plate - I absolutely could eat this and a 13 year old should be eating similar portion sizes to an adult woman so I don’t think that’s disordered at all?

This is not a one off it’s a few times a week (not always so unhealthy, pizza night is just a Friday night thing) but the portion sizes are equally small, as is the packed lunch size a few times a week
The person making the meals is his Dad

Don't be surprised, this is Mumsnet, Mumsnet tears claim to feed their entire family for a week in one chicken, or that a basic salad is a huge main meal of the day and more than enough for anyone to eat.

Mumsnet is often not the best place for asking about average balanced diets tbh.

arethereanyleftatall · 28/10/2022 23:01

Given that that food is processed crap, I would be pleased if it didn't full him up, so that he could make himself a decent sandwich an hour or so later.

leccybill · 28/10/2022 23:04

It would probably be fine for my 12yo tbh.

Who ate the rest of the pizza?

Bobbins36 · 28/10/2022 23:04

That would have been a pre,dinner snack for my son aged 13.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 28/10/2022 23:06

Where are you when these meals are happening? There and watching but not saying anything? If not saying anything, why not?

Or is this at Dad’s separate house?

It doesn’t make sense to feed a 4 and 14 yo the same, no. It seems on the small side for a meal for a 14 yo.

PuttingDownRoots · 28/10/2022 23:06

MsCactus · 28/10/2022 22:59

That's definitely enough food!!! Just the nuggets and fries I'd say are enough...

Look up how many calories would be in that meal, I bet it's about 800 minimum

1/4 supermarket pizza= 167calories
4 chicken nuggets= 160 calories
125g fries (recommended portion)= 184 calories

Total = 511 calories

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 28/10/2022 23:07

I have a 13 (almost 14) yo Dd who seems to be no longer growing, and she would eat more than that.

She’d eat a lot more if it was something she actually liked which this meal wouldn’t be.

Nopeforme · 28/10/2022 23:08

PuttingDownRoots · 28/10/2022 23:06

1/4 supermarket pizza= 167calories
4 chicken nuggets= 160 calories
125g fries (recommended portion)= 184 calories

Total = 511 calories

Show quote history

Glad you did this - shows it's not even a quarter of the calories a teenage boy needs.

Brigante9 · 28/10/2022 23:11

Having spent a week with 30 odd 13 year olds, I think they’d be starving if that’s all they had for dinner. Your Dh making it fair is curious, a 4 year old doesn’t eat what a 13 year old boy does!

WindyKnickers · 28/10/2022 23:12

Youdoyoutoday · 28/10/2022 21:18

Lol! My 8 year old can eat a whole pizza to himself, he's growing like a weed and already in 11-12 clothes!!

It's not enough but either address it or just feed him more when he comes home. We can't change this.

I'm not sure that having a huge overweight 8 year old is anything to brag about?

Florenz · 28/10/2022 23:13

It's a decent amount of food but none of it is healthy apart from the cucumber.

Too many people have forgotten what a portion size is supposed to be like. It's quite normal and healthy to be a little bit hungry after a meal.

Untitledsquatboulder · 28/10/2022 23:14

@Florenz no it isn't, you should feel sated, not stuffed and certainly not hungry.

Jellicoe · 28/10/2022 23:15

Sounds sufficient to me!

PickAChew · 28/10/2022 23:18

Well it's about 600 calories which would be OK for me as a middle aged woman who can only ever grow width ways but my boys would have been looking for pud, if it was meant to be their main meal.

Original poster
ChocolateCrepe · 28/10/2022 23:21

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing I usually get home either as they’re eating or just finishing up on the nights their Dad cooks, on the nights he makes lunches I’m out overnight and DS tells me the next day what he has had in his lunch

OP posts:
RedHelenB · 28/10/2022 23:22

ChocolateCrepe · 28/10/2022 21:13

@Wafflefudge i don’t think he’d get more if he said it wasn’t enough

Has he tried? Just pack him up sone snacks for when he goes to his dads of you're worried he's not eating g enough.

adriftabroad · 28/10/2022 23:24

That is not food.

Portion size irrelevant.

LuckySantangelo35 · 28/10/2022 23:27

adriftabroad · 28/10/2022 23:24

That is not food.

Portion size irrelevant.

@adriftabroad

if it’s not food, what is it?

LuckySantangelo35 · 28/10/2022 23:29

No one NEEDS a full pizza to themselves

unless maybe you’d done a particularly long and hard gym session or it’s your only meal of the day or something

it’s unnecessary and excessive and expensive

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