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Post by monkey on Mar 22, 2017 16:34:28 GMT
LO is small for her size. She's 9 but in age 7 clothes. Her appetite is increasing and she now eats a lot more than me in a day but she's still claiming to be hungry. She's put on at least 5kg in the last 3 months and most of it around her middle. From Day 1 we've not been able to satisfy her "need" for food and drink but I have felt confident in letting her have what I thought was appropriate amounts. Recently I have been challenged by a couple of settings and I'm beginning to doubt myself. Some wise words would be helpful.......
I've written a list below of her usual intake:-
Breakfast (Big) bowl of cereal, toast (1 slice) and a piece of fruit. Large drink
Morning snack - 2 snacks usually fruit and breadsticks / cheese straws or similar. Bottle of water or squash
Lunch Sandwiches (2 rounds of bread) or sausage rolls / quiche Mini cheddars, crisps, savoury popcorn or rice cakes Sweet treat (chocolate mini roll, cupcake or a yogurt) Pot of vegetables - carrot sticks / tomatoes / cucumber etc Fruit or dried fruit Bottle water / squash
Afternoon snacks - sweet lolly in car on way home followed by biscuit / cake / chocolate & drink when home
Tea Cooked tea (meat & veg & potatoes usually) Pudding - yogurt / cake / something & custard etc Cup of squash or milkshake
She's been on Risperidone now for about 18 months and I know that this can affect appetite but it's only been the last few months that it has become a real problem. She is constantly hungry from the moment she has finished a meal....
Any ideas?
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Post by serrakunda on Mar 22, 2017 20:38:04 GMT
do you think you are giving her too much or not enough ?
Simba has similar range of foods and is always hungry, he is 12 and does some sport every day. He has adult portion sizes.
what time is tea ? if its quite early what about a slice of toast or banana before bed, it can be a long time between tea and breakfast. It looks like she is getting a lot of sweets and cakes,I find they dont really keep you going. Protein is what really fills you up, If she likes eggs try her with scambled eggs on the toast for breakfast.
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Post by monkey on Mar 22, 2017 21:05:28 GMT
do you think you are giving her too much or not enough ? Simba has similar range of foods and is always hungry, he is 12 and does some sport every day. He has adult portion sizes. what time is tea ? if its quite early what about a slice of toast or banana before bed, it can be a long time between tea and breakfast. It looks like she is getting a lot of sweets and cakes,I find they dont really keep you going. Protein is what really fills you up, If she likes eggs try her with scambled eggs on the toast for breakfast. Thanks Serra I think I'm giving her what she needs but the respite centre and school are telling me that she should have more. She has tea between 5.30pm and 6 and is in bed at 7. She does have quite a lot of eggs as we have our own chickens. She'll often have a boiled egg and soldiers for breakfast or omelette etc for tea. Perhaps I could substitute the after school snack to toast or a crumpet?
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Post by leo on Mar 22, 2017 22:15:01 GMT
It seems like the right sort of amount from my experience. My boys used to eat far more than they do now - despite now eating adult portion sizes - because their stress levels were so much higher. They used to eat and eat and eat but never gained weight or felt full. Stress still has a huge effect; Hurricane had to see the GP today and he has been complaining of being hungry all day - despite eating far more than normal!
It used to really worry me as I didn't want them to be hungry but, being overweight myself, I also didn't want them eating for stress relief either. It was a long slog to get them to realise when they really were hungry or when they were full and we still fail at this sometimes. My boys in public/when with others (especially if I am not there) will gorge on as much food as they are allowed and constantly say they are hungry so it may be a case of educating the respite centre and school about what this apparent hunger is based in?
Our therapist advised giving a range of crunchy or chewy foods as snacks as the process of eating them would help to calm the sensory system and make them think they had eaten something more substantial than they really had. Carrot sticks, dried mango, rice cakes etc used to go down well here - in fact bread sticks as we walked out of school used to be eaten with such force I used to flinch! They also advised a piece of cheese or meat with every snack to help curb any sugar rush and give longer lasting energy.
What about giving thick smoothies and drinking through a straw - again we found this really useful to both feeling as if they'd been fed but also to calm their systems.
We used to have the constant asking what the next meal was and the only way I overcame this was with a weekly menu planner that was stuck up in the kitchen - it includes school lunches and any snacks as well. At first I had to prove I had bought all the necessary items for the week ahead and couldn't deviate from it without meltdown but now we just have a main meal weekly planner up and it doesn't stress them too much if it changes as we go along.
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Post by mudlark on Mar 22, 2017 22:23:19 GMT
Lapwing is 8 in a couple of weeks, so similar age. She has always been smallish for her age and was the smallest in her class. I looked at your menu for your AD its almost identical to the amount/type of food Lapwing eats. She craves carbs, sugar and fat all of which is comfort/pleasure food. The hardest thing to get her to eat is protein..
If need for food is linked to comfort/nurture, which it might be, have you tried giving her thick smoothies with a straw which takes ages to drink and the sucking action is helpful. I also have a baby bottle which I fill with warm milk or chocolate soya milk and she enjoys drinking and feels full afterwards, ( I let her have the bottle herself) Both have a 'bottle' on return from school and sometimes later after teatime.
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Post by topcat on Mar 23, 2017 10:08:20 GMT
Ditto - BB is 8 and eats a very similar menu although I phased out the dessert at tea time, we only have that at the weekends and I make sure there is a fruit snack after school as well as a biscuit. BB often noticeably starts eating more before a growth spurt, she tends to get round on her tummy then just as I start to worry she's stretched out and looking in proportion again. It is said that thirst can be mistaken for hunger and LO might benefit from a water bottle on hand through the day. I often suggest to my two that they have a drink or a piece of fruit if they are moaning about being hungry between meals.
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Post by monkey on Mar 23, 2017 19:04:33 GMT
Thank you. That's helpful. I'll try the thick smoothies through straws - that might slow her down. I think I might try a bit of education with the settings who think she needs more around self regulation and never feeling satisfied.
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Post by knight on Mar 23, 2017 23:25:48 GMT
As above, Kitt eats similar volumes but I also find that constantly asking for food is out of habit, for example, swimming early on a Saturday morning: as soon as she gets into the car, she's on auto-pilot asking for food even though she's just had her breakfast. Sometimes I just give her raisins to nibble on if I feel she's had more than enough. I'm a great eater but I'm sure she eats more than me. I often tell her that her food goes right down to her toes: no idea where she packs it.
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Post by gilreth on Mar 27, 2017 10:29:47 GMT
Sqk will snack a lot given the opportunity but then doesn't eat his meals except when he is growing - the need to snack seems to be driven by his anxiety levels. We try to minimise sweet snacks (so one or two a day) - mainly bread sticks & toast with some crisps. The battle we have with him is over fruit & veg and carbs (other than toast & bread) - not protein most of the time. Of course we have the added issue of his intolerances which is why fruit & veg is an issue as he has been unable to eat most fruit (which is what he prefers like many children). We are slowly reintroducing the food that causes issues on a Friday night or Saturday (so we get consequences if any not school) - thus far no adverse reactions but it would appear he no longer likes the taste of normal milk. Complained on Saturday when he got that rather than almond milk The OT we are seeing for sensory stuff has suggested yoghurt through a straw - starting off with the thicker straws and gradually changing the size. Obviously smooth yoghurt - or in our case the soya desserts. Sqk enjoying the sucking - and I will admit he often has drinks in a sippy cup or with a straw to encourage the sucking....
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