Yes Texture is a massive thing for him. He takes after his mum on that one. Funny thing is after I wrote this post my misses sends me a text with a photo of him eating scrambled eggs for breakfast. He tried some of his sisters the other day and said he liked them. Today out of the blue he asks for eggs. I am taking that as a small win.
Unfortunately he doesn’t seem to like anything with a sauce, no spaghetti bolognese, no sauce on meatballs, no Gravy on roast dinner. It is hard to pack food when he likes raw ingredients.
Yep, this 100%. I am at the point that if he eats a banana split covered in cream and chopped nuts for desert every day. I am happy. I just want to shove food in him.
This however is a concern and I am trying to encourage him to eat for growth and training purposes rather than let him just fill up on lollies for no reason.
Yougurt is awesome, and can also mix stuff into it to make it jacked. Powder makes it like a pudding. Also good opportunity for some sort of nut or dried fruit.
I think he will eat most sweet pudding type things. Maybe not Greek yogurt but will eat fruit flavored yogurt.
I have tried in the past to stay away from pudding as a means to getting calories in him, with a somewhat foolish view that I wanted him to eat dinner and not fill up on sweet stuff. Now I am just concerned with nutrition, so using sweats and packing them with nuts and fruit to make the more nutritious is an excellent plan that I have not implemented yet. Need to discuss with the wife and put together some options.
It is amazing how much help just talking (typing) with others is, it allows some clarity of thought and acceptance of previously passed over ideas.
Big thanks to everyone who has posted so far. Please keep the ideas coming.
It is soooo hard when they don’t want to eat! Jed was a VERY picky eater. Texture was and is still a “thing”. Still no sauce except ketchup.
I definitely second the liquid calories. Even if if just chocolate milk. For extra calories throw in some heavy cream and peanut butter.
Extra cheese and oil on his pizza.
Does he like pasta? Mac and cheese?
Jed would only eat about 6 different things… over and over… and over. so that’s what we fed him, so he would eat.
Will he give you an answer if you ask him what HE WANTS to eat today?
We also figured out size matters. He would eat more if we made things into small pieces he could pop in his mouth. Apparently a grilled cheese or PBJ tastea better than one cut in half.
How about hockey pucks. Ritz crackers, with peanut butter dipped in chocolate haven’t met one person (who can eat PB) that doesn’t love them.
Hammer Inc press
20 x 10
50 x 10 (2 and a half plates per side)
50 x 10
50 x 12
Really like this machine. These moved good, can deff push this heavier in the future.
Hammer shoulder press
40 x 8 (2 plates a side)
40 x 8
40 x 9
This machine has a strange set up. You lay back on a 60 degree bench and push up in line with the bench. Takes a bit to get used to but really hits the shoulders especially around the the top.
Hammer strength pull over
40 per side - 3 sets
12, 11, 9
Lat pump city.
Seal rows - guessing the bar is 10kg
50 x 8 x 3 sets (1 plate per sode)
These are hard. Good
Lat pull downs close grip
3 sets - 50kg
15, 15, 15
High reps work really nicely on these. Solid burn for the last 5 reps of each set.
Dumbell Curls -15KG
12, 12, 12
Nice arm pump
Echo bike -
2 min warm up
Tabata 20 on 10 off - 8 rounds
The leg pump and lactic acid pain after this was next level. I could barely walk, standing still was so painful, waking was worse, sitting with legs bent was not going to happen, even lying on a bench with the legs only slightly bent made then shake. I settled on just walking around in pain for 5 mins until the pain had reduced enough to attempt waking down the stairs. Who the fk put the echo bike upstairs!!! Walked down stairs one step at a time clinging to the hand rail. Got a few funny looks from other members.
I’m way late to the party here, but everyone had some great suggestions. Food selectivity is tough and just finding something that he will eat is a win.
If liquid calories are a go, protein shakes are totally okay, my suggestion would be to make them “power shakes” - something like 1 scoop of protein powder + 1-1.5 cups whole milk + 2 T peanut butter + 1 banana + 1/4 cup oats (grind these up). You could even throw some yogurt in there or ice cream.
Fortify the foods that he does eat - so if cereal is a go, make sure he’s using whole milk and you could even mix that milk with protein powder to give it some extra muscle. If he’ll do oatmeal/overnight oats - load those up with peanut butter, honey, protein powder or greek yogurt, banana or other fruit of choice, or if fruit is a no go - chocolate chips.
I worked in a facility for kids with behavioral health problems and developmental disorders and food selectivity was one of the biggest feeding issues for a good lot of them. Try different things, find what works and then run with those things. If you’re looking to expand his palette, working with a speech/feeding therapist can help, so that might be an option too.
If you’d like to talk sometime, just let me know, I’d love to help in any way that I can!
+1 for chocolate milk! There’s no prep time or pageantry involved so it’s real easy to implement. And it’s a beloved classic that doesn’t feel like a weird, negative thing for abnormal kids that puts stress on the family.
I will reach out to my wife (pediatrician) and see if she has any ideas. There’s a lot of emphasis on weight management in her practice, she sees from birth to 18.
However, my first thought is that the ADHD meds may be doing a bit [or a lot] of appetite suppression (which I now see you mentioned). There may also be some reflux and/or food intolerances at play, making eating physically uncomfortable (which can become an unconscious aversion), if you care to investigate either of those.
With my kids, more physical activity does help drive up their appetites. At their current ages, that’s lots of playground time, and gymnastics tumbling class with the older one. We got a gymnastics bar this holiday so there’s even more opportunities at home, and they already fiddle with the swiss ball too much.
EDIT:
She responded
What about carnation instant breakfast with whole milk?
Or whole milk yogurt? Or maybe that’s too soft. Also could consider OT [occupational therapy] for food therapy depending on how bad the textural issues/pickiness is.
If losing too much weight may need to consider an appetite stimulant from his PCP.
There’s also adding extra butter to food and if he drinks milk then adding some whipping cream into that.
We are already using this to some degree but there is more we can do to super charge the liquids, so that will be the next step.
I really like this idea, its simple (like me) and not something I have really thought about. Supercharging things he does eat with nutrient dense add ons is awesome.
Yep this is a big thing too. We tried some special milk powders for kids but I think my son thought they were for little kids and decided he didn’t want (like) them. Luckily with the interest in training right now he sees protein powders as something more grown up.
so that’s what we fed him, so he would eat.