How much food does your child eat in a day ?

[CarolDW]

I've been keeping a food diary of what my 10 year old boy eats. I've had a look back at yesterday and here's what he had: (It seems like quite a lot)

Breakfast: 2 slices of toast(w/peanut butter), porridge

Lunch: (McDonald's) Happy Meal with cheeseburger, Chicken McNuggets (9 pack)

Dinner: Pizza(cheese & pepperoni) small bowl of pasta.

Snacks : Dairy Milk bar, Tangy Cheese Doritos, Apple, Pringles

How does this compare with what your DC's have to eat each day ?

I'm sure that you're not really asking if that's a healthy diet for a 10yr old. It's ridiculous amount of processed high fat low nutritional food. But I'm sure that you know that. I'm assuming that you want help with how to change his diet.
Just do little things. Next time he's at macdonalds and is 'still hungry' get the fruit packs/carrot sticks in.
Don't give him 2 breakfasts. 2 slices of wholemeal toast or some porridge.
Why does he ask for a drink? He's 10. He can get a glass and reach the tap.
How on earth can he have done nothing exercise related for 10 days? He should have an abundance of energy to run off. What does he do all day? He's a child, he needs physical activity everyday.
And I know it's rude to ask, but are you/your partner overweight? Why are you having separate meals from your child (ren?)

OP, I think it is about habits. Healthy food needs to be a habit.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere, fast or convenient food wasn't an option. When I left home I couldn't afford it even if I had wanted to, which I didn't because I had always had 'proper' food and that is the way it has stayed, proper food with the odd treat. The pancakes earlier were a treat, an unfinished treat because they were a bit sweet but still a treat.

Can you think of making gradual changes so that the fast/convenience food becomes less and less frequent - a once a month 'treat' perhaps. Same with the chocolate/crisps, once a week maybe?

I have a simple rule, I provide a healthy balanced amount of food for dinner - you don't have to eat it all, but if you don't (which is fine), then you must not be hungry enough for anything else during the evening. Because if you have eaten plenty of vegetables you have less room for anything else.

Same with exercise, we all expect to ride our bikes, go swimming, go for a walk, etc., every day - it is just another habit. Water too, we have refillable water bottles which go everywhere with us.

I think you have to start making changes, even if they are small to begin with they will pay off in the end

Best of luck.

OP, you must know that your DS is over-eating and eating the wrong sort of food. Why would it help to know what other children eat?

No more junk or double dinners. It must be hard but you have to say no. Cruel to be kind. That kind of diet is setting him up for so may health problems. It will also benefit you too as I assume you eat similar things

I mentioned that my DS was overweight, to be specific he's 4'5 and weighs 6 stone 6 lbs

Ds 9

Yesterday's meals

1 slice of toast & chocolate spread

School dinner (fish Friday)

3 chicken Goujons with tortilla wraps, Mayo & sweet chilli sauce also had a bit of leftover cheesy pasta as well but less than a handful

Snacks - mango and he only drinks water

He currently weighs around 4.6 stone

Too much junk OP for me.
Today 6yo DS had
4 weetabix with SSmilk
Toast with peanut butter
Banana
Apple
Baby orange (satsuma)
corned beef & beetroot sandwich
Carrot sticks
Half a pack of quavers (he got bored with them)
Italian Beef stew with gnocchi, peas & beans
Petit filious
Chocolate & raisin crispie cake he made & he licked the bowl.
Seems a lot for a 6yo but he's skinny & active
He eats what we eat & snacks are usually fruit.

My ds is also 10. Recently I have started to feel a little worried about his weight as he has really filled out and got a bit of a belly. We are trying to watch what he eats without making him think he is fat.
Today he had:
Breakfast: 2 weetabix and bran flakes with semi skimmed milk, a small fromage frais and a satsuma
Snack: lollipop
Then he played rugby for an hour.
Lunch: 2 slices of wholemeal toast, baked beans and 2 eggs scrambled. Followed by a small cake and a banana.
Snack: a selection of sweets left from Christmas
Dinner: Slimming World tikka masala (I'm on sw) with rice, a small cake and a plum.
I am trying really hard to get a balance between healthy eating and allowing him to still have the treats a child should have.

I should add that I weighed ds the other morning and he was 7st 4! I'm not sure how tall he is. It sounds horrifically heavy but he doesn't look massive, just solid. I am very aware of weight as I have always struggled and I really don't want him to. It doesn't help that dd is very skinny.

Is that a typical days worth of food?

If so, make the bread wholemeal (peanut butter can stay), and a peice of fruit and a yoghurt for breakfast

Snack of fruit or a biscuit

Lunch of something like a wrap (maybe tuna mayo) with cucumber, tomatoes.

Snack of crackers and cheese

Dinner something like pasta bolognaise, peice of fruit

Porrige for supper

My 7 yo ds had today,
1 weetabix followed by a banana
lunch: cheese and pickle sandwich, bag of quavers, and an apple
mid afternoon snack, frozen grapes and some cut up squares of cheddar
dinner, veg and a roast chicken leg, rice pudding and a square of dark chocolate.

He also did 2 amdnanhalf hrs of cricket training this morning. He likess weak squash but not fizzy drinks.

Mcdonalds is a treat one in a bkue moon 2/3 times a year.

Ref weight of your son -

Dd1 is 5ft 4 & 6st 13lb
Dd2 is 4ft 2.5 & 3st 9.5lb

Not sure the difference in boys v girls weight at this age, but suggest your DS is carrying quite a bit more than needs.

According to the NHS BMI calculator he is very overweight, this is worrying because I knew he was overweight but didn't realise just how overweight he was.

My DD eats at least as much as that. Is actually hard to keep up with her appetite. She is slim though.

For breakbreakfast she will eat 4 slices of toast with fruit cereal and raisins. Then goes straight into lunch
.yesterday was bacon sweetcorn and croquettes with strawberries and a satsuma then she had oatcakes on way to swimming. Got too hungry to swim and got out and had macaroni and chips and a malteaster biscuit ( weekends after swimming are treat food time). She wanted oatcakes on way home and had cereal more macaroni 2 bananas and another orange for supper.

She is very very active though.

If her diet seems not 100% virtuous she has severe multiple allergies and autism so actually eats very well. She eats veg every day and lots of fruit.

I fill her up with fruit and oatcakes and can definitely second that suggestion

But filling kids up with fruit isn't possible, fruits not feeling. Proper good, with scheduled meals is.

I'm sorry your DS has multiple allergies, but might be worth getting some protein into her - think smoothies, nuts - you haven't said what she's allergic to, so this might not be possible.

The OP's son would appear to be lazy & the OP facilities this, doesn't schedule meals & allows him to eat junk !

Aah predictive text

Fruit isn't filling. It's easily digestible & you get hungry very quick. Obviously ok as a quick fix between meals, but not every meal !

yes i mean as quick fix between meals, as my DD would eat all day.

so snacks are fruit and oatcakes. otherwise she would get overweight

Fanjo, have you had her thyroid checked ? How old is she, how talk & how much does she weigh ?

I do give her protein at meals. as you see she had bacon, and macaroni with cheese . She eats bolognaise, sausages, chicken, mince and tatties

(her allergies are eggs, fish, nuts, baked beans, lentils)

Yes her thyroid is fine. She is undergoing treatment for early puberty aged 8 but her appetite hasnt slowed down. She is 138cm tall and 29kg in weight

sorry for all the quick posts..at work :) thanks for advice