Tuesday, March 31, 2009

What I learned this week - Hunter


When you child gets braces, they will loose weight.

Well, when your child gets two teeth pulled, spacers put in and braces put on they will for sure loose weight, even if they have no weight to loose.

For the past...well forever we have been trying to put some weight on Hunter. He will gain like a mad man in the winter and it slows to a crawl in the summer time. Not only do we have regular weight, but Hunter is adding muscle weight all the time. The kid is bulking up like crazy.

So, when we find out that Hunter lost 1/2 a pound since December you would think it is not a huge deal, except Hunter weighed himself in February and it is really 5 pounds since December...or more likely since the end of February when his teeth were pulled.

So, this weekend after much research I found some ideas to bulk him up a bit, or try to at least.

One idea that we had been doing I learned from An Iowa Mom long ago. Her kids deal with the same issues as Hunter, and she got a great piece of advice:

Eat a peanut butter sandwich every night right before you go to bed
The "right before you go to bed" part is key. You don't want the kids to burn it off, so they eat, brush teeth and hit the hay.

It works, trust me on that one. Hunter gained like crazy when we did this.

But no more peanut butter for Hunter, at least not for two years.

So I am on the hunt. I started adding butter to everything for the kid, having pasta more and forcing yogurt in his handsome face. We are adding cheese to as much as we can and making snacks that have a bit more bulk to them.

The kid has always been a twig, but we are working to get something on him. He is 12, and weighs the same as his 9 year old sister (at his mom's).

His doctor wants to see some bounce back come May, so we have a month.

For more What I Learned this Week posts head on over to Musings of a Housewife.

14 comments:

Melissa Angert {All Things Chic} said...

what about a bowl of cereal? my kids do that sometimes. i have some 'special cereal' they are only allowed to eat at night. since i just can't bring myself to serve cocoa puffs for breakfast, as much as i secretly love them!

Courtney said...

avocado, nuts, dates, whole milk, and whole wheat bagels are all higher in fat, but still healthy!!

Wendy said...

My nephew has the same problem, except that he doesn't gain in the winter. The suggestion that my sister got from the doc was use heavy whipping cream in as much as she could - smoothies, milkshakes, etc. I hope you can put some weight on your kiddo!

Emily said...

Make the switch to whole milk. That will help.
When I was pregnant with my first child, I got dreadful morning sickness and lost 22 pounds in the first trimester. My doctor put me on an "eat anything" diet to try and bulk me up again. She also prescribed a milkshake each day...made with whole milk and Haagen Daaz ice cream. At approximately 600 calories per shake, it did the trick. I'm sure Hunter won't complain! Oh look...the verification word I have to type to post this comment is treat....ha ha!

Anonymous said...

hmm thats a tough one.. my son is very light weight and eats so much food it is uncomprehendable.. aren’t toddlers suppose to not eat anything.. Sammy didn’t get the memo.. Does he drink milk? If so could you give him whole milk. Or make smoothies with whole milk or yogurt made with whole milk to go along with a meal.

Jaime (ChaseNKids) said...

I have the same problem with my seven year old. Thanks for the ideas...

Melissa ♥ Spoiled Mommy said...

Wow-my doctor wants my son to lose some weight~so Im no help.
Good luck!!

Terra said...

First because this is type not talk I do not mean this the way it may sound....

My two girls BOTH fall off the bottom of the weight charts and I have never thought to bulk them up...must be the difference between girls and boys. Not sure if it is funny or sad...

Second...Is your tag cloud wigging out or is it just looking funny on my computer? do you want some help with that?

Anonymous said...

Pasta with cream sauce, cheese in everything, I think someone mentioned avacadoes (guacamole), and smoothies made with his favorite two fruits, regular ice cream, and if you can get away with it, sneak in a raw egg.

Worked for your brother when he was 12.

Love, Ma

Musings of a Housewife said...

Wow! What a problem to have. My son is a skinny one but so far it's not a problem. I"ll remember this post if we need to bulk him up, though!!

Alison said...

Good luck--I'm sure you will find a way.

heidi @ ggip said...

Oh, that is tough. Is it just peanuts he can't have because there is almond butter and hazelnut butter too.

It looks like others already gave you some good ideas. :)

Julie From Inmates said...

WOW. Poor guy. I so remember the days of braces and retainers and all the nastiness that goes along with it. Great tip though. =)

Chris said...

My nephew and father in law both have huge problems gaining weight. Both of their doctors suggested they drink Ensure.

My father in law has Ensure delivered to his house from the VA. This makes me wonder if you can actually get a prescription for it so that insurance will help with the cost. It IS kind of expensive.