5 year old ds always starving

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amother

Wed, May 03 2023, 3:29 pm

My 5 year old ds has gained a lot of weight in the past two years, before hand he was just normal weight, now he is overweight. He really loves snacking, of course I let a snack after school but then he just grabs 2 more and says he’s starving. How can I help him before it gets worse, without giving him a complex about food.

giftedmom

Wed, May 03 2023, 3:32 pm

Is it possible he doesn’t recognize his brains full signals? Or he uses food for comfort? Can you have him evaluated to see if there’s something else at play?

SG18

Wed, May 03 2023, 3:39 pm

Offer fruits and vegetables as snacks?

amother

Wed, May 03 2023, 3:43 pm

giftedmom wrote:

Is it possible he doesn’t recognize his brains full signals? Or he uses food for comfort? Can you have him evaluated to see if there’s something else at play?

He probably has ADHD according to the neurologist, and I think maybe all of the above, but now what?

giftedmom

Wed, May 03 2023, 3:48 pm

amother OP wrote:

He probably has ADHD according to the neurologist, and I think maybe all of the above, but now what?

That makes sense. Get him evaluated. Therapy and possibly meds might help.

amother

Emerald

Wed, May 03 2023, 3:52 pm

Possible causes

Leptin deficiency
Cortisol issues
Thyroid issues
Dopamine/serotonin imbalance
Brain inflammation
Blood sugar issues
Yeast
Parasites
Gut dysbiosis

amother

Seagreen

Wed, May 03 2023, 3:54 pm

Partially it’s a limited language issue.
I’m thirsty
I’m bored
I would like a snack

amother

Seagreen

Wed, May 03 2023, 3:58 pm

If possible keep him very busy.
Scheduled art time, sports and active play-going to park. Buy balls, new toys that interest him- anything that will be more interesting than food

Amarante

Wed, May 03 2023, 4:16 pm

What are you feeding him for snacks?

If you are feeding him something that he can grab easily, it seems as if it is probably stuff like pretzels or chips or cookies. None of these are particularly satiating and so it is easy to eat multiples quickly before one feels full

You should feed him a well balanced snack in the afternoon - that would mean a combination of a complex carb - something that has fat and protein - and a fruit that takes a while to eat like an orange or apple slices. A classic snack combination would be something like a small serving of peanut butter - whole wheat crackers or pretzels and a fruit - or hummus and a half of whole wheat pita and fruit - or some string cheese or peanut butter on half a WW English muffin - or an open faced grilled cheese sandwich with tomato slices -

Well you get the picture - feed him a well balanced mini meal which is high in satiation, nutrients and relatively low in calories

amother

Wed, May 03 2023, 4:28 pm

giftedmom wrote:

That makes sense. Get him evaluated. Therapy and possibly meds might help.

He’s young for meds. But any other ideas to help with the snacking?

amother

Wed, May 03 2023, 4:30 pm

Amarante wrote:

He loves cake and chips so does grab that if possible, but also loves and will grab bananas apples yogurt and cheese.

Amarante

Wed, May 03 2023, 4:46 pm

amother OP wrote:

He loves cake and chips so does grab that if possible, but also loves and will grab bananas apples yogurt and cheese.

You should be serving him up his "snack" and not allowing him to grab the cake and chips that are more easily accessible

amother

Slateblue

Wed, May 03 2023, 7:01 pm

You could consider having supper ready to serve as soon as he gets home

amother

NeonPurple

Wed, May 03 2023, 7:11 pm

amother Slateblue wrote:

You could consider having supper ready to serve as soon as he gets home

I remember my next door neighbor did this when her sons were young. They had dinner at 3:30pm.

amother

Wed, May 03 2023, 7:13 pm

amother Slateblue wrote:

You could consider having supper ready to serve as soon as he gets home

Right that is probably the best answer but is it insane to serve dinner at 4 pm?

WhatFor

Wed, May 03 2023, 7:29 pm

amother OP wrote:

He probably has ADHD according to the neurologist, and I think maybe all of the above, but now what?

Is he being treated for the adhd? On my adhd eval there was a whole section on eating. Apparently it's related. (Not all ADHD people have it, but sufficient enough that it was included.) If it's actually a biological issue in his brain, then that's what needs to be treated first.

amother

Teal

Wed, May 03 2023, 7:31 pm

I serve dinner at 4 to my little ones and then they can have a snack or banana or apple before bed which is around 6:30/7

amother

Wed, May 03 2023, 7:36 pm

WhatFor wrote:

We’re getting OT and speech he’s young for meds. What else helped your dc?

WhatFor

Wed, May 03 2023, 8:27 pm

amother OP wrote:

We’re getting OT and speech he’s young for meds. What else helped your dc?

This was for me Smile

meds helped me. I'd probably look for a professional (psychologist or psychiatrist) who specializes in children with ADHD.

Usually they'd probably try to treat behaviorally to start with. If it doesn't work, then meds may be recommended if his ADHD is interfering with his life. After seeing how my meds helped me, I no longer have reservations about trying medication where indicated. I think it works in about 80% of people. I know your son is young, so it may not be right immediately, but if it can help and a doctor thinks it's okay, I'd strongly encourage it. ADHD is truly a medical issue. If behavioral doesn't work by itself for him, and medication does help, every day that goes by that he's not getting into trouble from his impulsivity, that he's able to actually learn, (in your case, that he's not compulsively overeating) can go a long way to paving his way to success. But to start with, I'd recommend seeing someone to address the behavior. Maybe the neurologist can recommend someone?

WhatFor

Wed, May 03 2023, 8:31 pm

amother OP wrote:

Right that is probably the best answer but is it insane to serve dinner at 4 pm?

Don't worry about "insane". If you think he'd eat a normal healthy meal at 4 and then would eat less later, definitely work with him right now to get him that healthy meal at 4. Even if for other kids dinner would be a bit later, he's behaving differently than other kids and might need some flexibility. (Also I think an earlier larger meal and lighter snacks later makes more sense biologically and is healthier than the other way around, even though we tend to do it differently.)

If this is really the primary issue and it could be solved with an earlier dinner, then disregard my prior post, lol. (Although I assume it's more than just this if he's seen a neurologist.)

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