How to gain weight (for people)

MoochNNoodles

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I need some ideas please!

My DS just had a well visit with his pediatrician and they want him to gain some weight. He's in the 80th percentile for height; but has slipped below the 20th for weight! :oops: He is really light. I can easily flip him upside down or over my shoulder still even though there is barely a foot height difference between us now. My Dad always says he had trouble putting on weight until he was a teen and tried some weight lifting. So I think it's genetic. He does have my dad's legs. I just want to help him have healthy habits; not stuff him full of donuts or something. ;)

He's too young to do things like weight routines. He's not a huge protein fan and not really a big eater. The doctor actually said to put butter on his food and give him almond or peanut butter. He's not extremely picky; but he is selective with meats especially. He doesn't usually want much sauce on things.:dunno:

I'm over here losing weight so I guess my mind has been geared more that way.

Any ideas on how to help him gain weight in a healthy way? I wonder if he'd eat a loaded baked potato. :yummy:
 

verna davies

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Smoothies and shakes might appeal to him. Whole grain bread, cereal, nuts, pasta that sort of thing.
 

Lari

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I was going to suggest pediasure.
 

denice

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I also was going to suggest Pediasure. Does he like fruit? Fruit contains a lot of sugar, not refined sugar but sugar nonetheless and is healthy. Something like ice cream and milkshakes aren't pure junk, they have milk in them along with a lot of calories.
 
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MoochNNoodles

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Ooo...maybe some kind of banana peanut/almond butter shake would interest him. He does love bananas but maybe things can be added to it and I could make it with whole milk. I see Pediasure has a shake mix. I'm hoping to get some short and long term ideas that will work for him. We had stopped getting whole milk and switched to 2% because it seemed like they were drinking it better. I could always get a small jug for shakes or something.

Now to find ideas to hide calories in his dinner...but not mine! 🤪
 

Jem

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You say he's not big on meat, but he needs protein.
Does he like eggs? A fried egg sandwich, with cheese on a english muffin or bagel, is a protein and calorie rich meal.
You could also keep potato salad (with eggs) on hand if he likes that too, as well as deviled eggs, boiled eggs...pretty much any way he will eat them.
perhaps keeping pasta salad with tuna in it on hand as well.
Keep mixed nuts on hand for him to snack on. Almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, brazil and macadamia are the better choices. Sunflower seeds are great too.
Oatmeal, oatmeal cookies, oatmeal protein bars (you can make them yourself)....essentially, oats are a great source of protein.
Other healthy protein options include:
Cottage cheese
greek yogurt
beans and lentils
Tuna
Milk
Quinoa

Dried fruit is a great way to gain weight...you can add them to the oatmeal bars/cookies!
Many of the items that I already listed are also a healthy high caloric food.

You could also hide other items in a smoothie if the "good" flavors are strong enough, like avocados

Not sure what kind of milk you keep in the house but perhaps use homo milk when making things for him.
Also always use full fat milk products.

I'll keep thinking.....
 
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MoochNNoodles

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Oh I hadn't thought of adding tuna to pasta salad. He loves when I make pasta salad. I usually add the mini pepperoni. He's not big on mayo so I don't know about actual tuna salad. I can't remember if he likes my potato salad with it. But he does eat eggs. Maybe just buying some pre-made hard boiled eggs would be a good thing to fill in breakfasts or lunch when we are busy. I've heard they are super easy in the instant pot too. I just saw you can buy liquid egg whites too.

I think he would snack on nuts. I make my own snack mix with some dried fruits and unsalted nuts. I could do something for him too. He liked the dried coconut. I'll have to see about getting more of that. He used to eat yogurt more but he got tired of it. I'll have to try again. I have cottage cheese on hand for this week.

I'll have to ask DH if he's had sunbutter. I think we tried one years ago that DH didn't like. But I really like the idea of it being unsalted. Or less salted. I know we have a variety of almond butters here. DH was making some no-bake almond bars with them that were REALLY good. They tasted more like cookies than healthy food. I like the idea of it being unsalted. I've found I like the less salted almond butters too.

I'll need to get to the dry-goods store and see what I can find for fruits and nuts. Both kids go nuts (pun intended :nerd:) picking out dried fruits there when we go. Sometimes they have different nut-butters too.

Thanks for all your ideas! That helps!

My cousin suggested protein bars and I found some good looking ones. I'm going to have to look for recipes I think though. They are a bit pricey!
 

Willowy

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I've heard they are super easy in the instant pot too.
They are! Super easy! Just put a cup of water in the bottom, put a trivet in, put your eggs in, cook on high pressure for 3-5 minutes (this can vary according to elevation, etc., takes a little experimenting), then let the pressure release naturally. Some people say to put them in an ice bath afterward, but I dont; ain't nobody got time for that ;). No reason to spend money on the pre-made ones when it's so easy.


Also maybe try Korean Sauna Eggs. You put them on high pressure for 2 hours (yes, 2 hours!). They get brown and kind of nutty/meaty tasting, very yummy. He might like those better than regular hard-cooked eggs.
 

Norachan

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How old is he now MoochNNoodles MoochNNoodles ? Have you tried getting him interested in cooking or preparing his meals?

Maybe you could get him interested in making his own milkshakes or sandwiches, so he learns a bit about nutrition. He might be more adventurous with the food he'll eat that way.
 

Jem

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I just saw you can buy liquid egg whites too.
I would steer clear of liquid egg whites as a regular substitute. The majority of the nutrients and calories come from the yolk as well as nearly half the protein.
 

maggiedemi

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The only thing that helped me gain weight was protein. Will he eat veggie burgers? Or tofu? My meat substitutes helped me gain 5 pounds. Nothing else worked.
 

neely

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Would he eat homemade granola? It's easy to prepare and you could choose whatever he likes to put in it.
Since you mentioned he likes bananas, what about baking banana bread and adding some chopped nuts to it?
If he will eat peanut butter there are so many ways to use it in food. When my daughter was young she would only eat peanut butter sandwiches with sliced bananas in it since she didn't like jam/jelly.
 
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MoochNNoodles

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How old is he now MoochNNoodles MoochNNoodles ? Have you tried getting him interested in cooking or preparing his meals?

Maybe you could get him interested in making his own milkshakes or sandwiches, so he learns a bit about nutrition. He might be more adventurous with the food he'll eat that way.
He is 8 now. He will help in the kitchen sometimes. It's getting easier with him getting taller to see. He seems to do more for my mother though. Maybe I can get her in on some plans.
I would steer clear of liquid egg whites as a regular substitute. The majority of the nutrients and calories come from the yolk as well as nearly half the protein.
I was reading something about using them to help bulk up recipes. It seems like some professionals can't make up their mind on whether or not eggs are good for us. I personally like them because I feel like they satisfy me more. I don't look to snack in a few hours when I've had eggs. And I don't get that energy crash. But I remember when I was pregnant with DS my OBGYN wasn't happy when I put on 3 pounds in a week. I'd had eggs almost every day that week. I like to "light fry" by either using just a very small amount of butter or I spray the pan and then when the bottom of the eggs turn white I add a little water and put on a lid. It helps minimize the added fat at least.

I've never tried the liquid eggs because it just seems like they are more processed and therefore more at risk for not being fresh or being contaminated somehow (improper handling and things).

I usually buy the precooked hardboiled eggs if I'm making deviled eggs. They just save so much time. :crazy:
The only thing that helped me gain weight was protein. Will he eat veggie burgers? Or tofu? My meat substitutes helped me gain 5 pounds. Nothing else worked.
That's what I'm thinking he needs. Whole grains (which we mostly use anyway; he's not a fan of my good whole grain bread though) and protein. I'm not sure about veggie burgers though. When he was a baby and had some sensitivity to his formula we were cautioned about trying soy. Some pediatricians say baby boys especially should not be on soy formulas longer than necessary. But then formula can be 100% of a baby's diet. So a few soy burgers here and there might be ok for him. I might e-mail the ped and ask. Maybe I can find some vegan recipes that he would eat too.

I bet he would help making homemade granola for himself. DH was making some last summer and it was good. That might be a good way to get him helping to cook with picking out things for himself too.

I'm going to start a list of all these ideas so we can get some variety in there. He might not notice we are trying to change his diet that way.

Our rules for eating are pretty simple: 2 cups of milk a day before any juice (which is watered down). You have to try several bites of things before you decide you don't like it. If you liked it before; you like it now. He's pretty good with breakfast and lunch. It's the dinner meals that he would rather skip than eat some days. He gets more options for breakfast and lunch but I cook one meal for dinner. We generally have options for veggies; but then he eats all of those anyway. He resists the proteins and grains.
 
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