Weight gain shakes for teen

[Luckystar7jf]

Hi can anyone recommend any weight gain shakes cor a very underweight teenage boy. He’s 6’2” and weighs 8 stone 12 should be 11 stone. He eats normally but just think he needs extra calories. Any advice please ?

Have you done all the basics first like switching out low cal stuff for full fat stuff? Does he like nuts?

@Icedlatteplease yes where possible we still have treats etc but he’s not really a smacker anyway and when he is here he will have a good high calorie dinner. He’s out a lot at work and college as 17 so hard to monitor all he eats all I can to is advise but doesn’t always want a packed lunch.

All I can suggest is Fortisip and Complan but they aren't that great. My dd was in them when her weight was incredibly low due to not being able to eat (JIA in her jaw).
I think he would be better off to add cheese to more things, full fat milk in cereals etc

This list is what my son was given by his dietitian. He also has 2 Ensure drinks a day (on prescription). He's very similar height and weight to your DS and is now very slowly gaining weight.

Mine used to make protein shakes with added peanut butter and ice cream, he was an older teen though (not sure if protein shakes are advised for younger)

Has DS been referred to a dietician? They would recommend 3 meals and 3 snacks a day and fortifying food e.g. adding cream, butter, cheese etc. to food, cooking in a higher calorie/fat oil. They can then also prescribe the right supplement for him.

DS is underweight, but at 17 he doesn’t need to be 11 stone. A healthy weight would be somewhere between 9st6 and 9st9 depending on when he turned 17.

@WhatHaveIFound thank you so much for sharing that is so helpful. I will get him some ensure drinks. ☺️x
@JustKeepBuilding thank you for the advice. Unfortunately gp has not referred him wasn’t that helpful at all. Told him to go on weigh machine that said he should be 11 stone.

Thanks for everyone comments so appreciated. He hates cheese but will drink milk so that’s one thing. He’s not here too much like I said as at work, girl friends etc but will do all I can where I can. X

If DS will drink milk swapping to Jersey milk is an easy swap. Would he have a milkshake? They can be loaded with cream and other high calorie items.

Even as an adult to have a healthy BMI DS wouldn’t need to be 11 stone (10st4 is the start of the healthy range for an adult), and at 17 child BMI should still be used.

In some areas you can self refer to dietetics, it is worth seeing whether you can.

I guessed your son was 17 from what you said about college, and played on the NHS BMI calculator. 9 and a half stone puts him at a healthy weight. 11 stone would be nearer the middle of the (very large) healthy range, but he doesn't need to gain that much weight to be in a healthy range.

Does he think gaining a little weight would be a good thing? Is he healthy and active and have enough energy? It might just be how he is.

@JustKeepBuilding thank you again. I will be buying whole milk today and will grab some jersey milk if they have it. He loves milk shakes ice cream etc which is a good thing. I will look into self referral to a dietician but may try some of the advice given first. He has been skipping breakfast he tells me so that’s something I can change by getting him to drink a shake in the am. He struggles to eat solid food before 2 pm