ISO healthy way for 12 yr. old to gain weight

[ewatkins]

Help -- my son's dr. has said he needs to gain weight. She is worried as he gained nothing over the last year. He is 12 and weighs 68 lbs. He just doesn't get very hungry, plus he takes meds during school that suppress his appetite at lunch. The dr. wants him on whole milk, with a milk shake at bedtime, and lots of cheese pizza. Any ideas for high calorie snacks or dinners that won't clog his arteries? He likes pretzels and popcorn but I find myself thinking "No, you need to fill up on something fattening" !

[JanetB]

My brother had a similar issue when he was young. The boy didn't have an ounce of fat on his body until he hit 25!!

I recall that my Mom used to make him drink banana shakes. (whole milk, vanilla ice cream, and a banana or two in the blender) Outside of that I don't remember anything else specific.

What about adding fattening things to his pretzels - like a dip of some kind?

Good Luck.

[beccathebaker]

I feel like I have lots of experience in this area- not just because I am a nutritionist but also because I have similar problems due to my past cancer treatment.
I do think that first and foremost, he should eat the "bulking up " foods that he most desires, so if that is milkshakes and pizza, so be it. If you are worried about his arteries, perhaps he could snack on things like peanut butter and banana sandwhiches with honey, protein shakes with fresh fruit and frozen yogurt, nuts, bean burritos with lots of guacamole, or thick turkey sandwiches.
If he is having trouble with appetite, I would say that the best thing to do is to try some liquid calories, whether it be from a protein shake, a regular shake, chocolate milk (or soy milk for that matter), or juice. These add lots of calories without filling up too much. I would recommend the protein drinks over the juice, just because protein will help him to build muscle more quickly. Powerbars and other sports bars may also be good for him -or even granola bars, just something to give him some calories without too much volume.
There are powdered protein powders and calorie powders on the market that are tasteless and can be added to drinks and also to food, like soups, sauces etc.. These are a wonderful idea.

Good luck. I understand fully how difficult this is and please feel free to PM me anytime you'd like more advice.

Becca

[eas11]

Originally posted by ewatkins
Help -- my son's dr. has said he needs to gain weight. She is worried as he gained nothing over the last year. He is 12 and weighs 68 lbs. He just doesn't get very hungry, plus he takes meds during school that suppress his appetite at lunch. The dr. wants him on whole milk, with a milk shake at bedtime, and lots of cheese pizza. Any ideas for high calorie snacks or dinners that won't clog his arteries? He likes pretzels and popcorn but I find myself thinking "No, you need to fill up on something fattening" !

Is this the same doc who is prescribing his meds? Is a change in schedule possible? Many of the kids I work with take their meds with or right after lunch so they can eat. Also, there can be other options, even with stimulant therapy, that may not have the appetite suppression effects.
Did the doc mention ensure or a similar product? Our doc's often suggest those products, rather than milkshakes, for our students.

How about penut butter filled pretzels, would he like those? More calories.

Ellyn

[AD]

I'm 19 years old and weigh the same--68 pounds! I'm a 5'2" male so my issue is a bit more serious. Anyway, I look for calories more than protein and nutrition since I get those things anyway. I can't stand the taste of milk or anything that tastes similar to milk. Besides, my digestive system reacts badly to a lot of high-calorie, high-fat foods due to IBS. I don't consume dairy products or their soy substitutes. I find that using Karo corn syrup instead of sugar helps since it is half as sweet for the same calorie value.

There is a tasteless powder called Polycose (maltodextrin). It dissolves easily in liquids and liquid foods and is very well-tolerated. It's all carbohydrate though and is best as an additional supplement.

A HUGE variety of nutrition and weight gain supplements are available from www.ross.com including Polycose, Ensure and many others.

I like peanut butter occasionally, and I have found I do best staying away from liquids. Smaller, denser solid foods aren't as "bloating" or filling to me.

Anyway, everyone is different, and gaining weight is difficult. I've about given up. While I never lose, I can't gain weight either. However, each person must find the eating patterns that work for them.

[wallycat]

I am not sure that teaching your child to love high sat. fat foods is healthy either...
If he has no peanut allergies, PB sandwiches would be great. Also, you can drizzle additional olive oil into his sauces . Avocados are also a healthy fat--if he likes mexican food, maybe guacomole more frequently. Full fat soy milk (the unsweetened kind) can be used if he doesn't like dairy. Also, rather than trying to stuff him at one sitting, maybe more frequent meals with the higher calories would be better.
There are some olive oil potato chips that could be a healthy alternative to traditional chips which may encourage him to snack more. And I also agree about either trying new meds or taking them at different times.
Good luck :D

[ewatkins]

Thanks for the tips. I don't think the meds are a big factor as he doesn't take anything on weekends and summer, but still doesn't eat even then. He has an am and pm dose, but just isn't hungry at lunch.
He does like PB and I have been trying that at breakfast to get some protein for the day. Also the protein bars are great, but so expensive! I do try to get him to snack on turkey or ham after school -- what I call "real food". It's hard at this age because he's not a toddler where I can control all his food choices and I don't want it to become a battle. I think if I fix something, he will eat it--just hoped I was past that stage of spending all my time fixing food for kids!
Any suggestions on a tasty brand of protein powder? he does seem to like the liquids. I will look into Ensure--his teacher mentioned some other kids who have that.