Parents Super Skinny Gymmie

[COz]

I was wondering about protein powder... Since it says on the label not to feed to the kiddos.

Because if you're silly about it and give too much, ie adult servings there's too much protein going into the body.
If this happens on an ongoing basis it's bad for the kidneys which have to work really hard to get rid of the extra protein.
You can find protein requirements by body weight for kids around the place. Gymnasts training high hours might require more than average, but only add smaller amounts anyway.

I usually just sit there and feed mine chicken. If she eats in the car we're OK, but by the time we get home it's basically bed time and she eats super slow so I just give in and shovel it in to her so it's quicker.

 

[skschlag]

I'm pretty sure a lot of 6 year olds photosynthesize, it's the only explanation I have for some fussy kids who seem to eat virtually nothing

I am starting to wonder if the chalk they absorb/inhale/ingest converst to nutrients....that woudl explain a lot!

 

[twinmomma]

I have a skinny Minnie too. She's been BARELY on the weight chart literally since birth. She's 9 in April and weighs 47 lbs. We've tried everything. Pediasure, avocados, nuts, etc and we never went OFF whole milk. Her Ped remarked that he's never seen abs like hers on an 8 year old. LOL. At this point in her life we just hope she eats. She's pickier than picky, and some of what she does like doesn't help her in putting weight on (salad, etc...). I've honestly stopped trying. What she eats, she eats. She knows she has to eat right before gym and has snacks for during. This helped immensely as she was having dizziness after gym. Sometimes it's trail mix, sometimes it's chips and fruit snacks. Truly, at this point, I don't care. I know that makes me a horrible mom. But we make good healthy snacks available and she eats them more often than not. And sometimes she'd rather have BBQ potato chips. We've stayed away from protein powder because there are things in there I have no idea what they are and that makes me nervous. She will eat chicken and hard boiled egg whites (hates the yolks) but won't take them as snacks for gym. She drives me insane!

 

[Ex member]

My dd is a skinny Minny, she was 8 in October. She is around 119 cm tall and 36lbs in weight, she has a six pack and seems to have no fat on her at all, I think it does effect her gymnastics as she cannot jump as high as the others on the fast track etc as she hasn't got the weight or the power at the moment.

 

[COz]

I am starting to wonder if the chalk they absorb/inhale/ingest converst to nutrients....that woudl explain a lot!

Well it would help with their calcium requirements

She's been BARELY on the weight chart literally since birth. ... I've honestly stopped trying. ... Truly, at this point, I don't care. I know that makes me a horrible mom. But we make good healthy snacks available and she eats them more often than not. And sometimes she'd rather have BBQ potato chips.

I don't have the energy to worry too much, with getting to and from gym and organising food beforehand and looking after a 3 year old too.
We certainly haven't gone low fat anything. We've been having fairly regular hot chips as part of our diet too. Real double cooked chips, cooked in lard. Mmmmm, fat

I was just below the bottom line on the growth charts all the time. My mother got sick of telling the doctors that I was fine and did eat, honestly

 

[COz]

My dd is a skinny Minny, she was 8 in October. She is around 119 cm tall and 36lbs in weight, she has a six pack and seems to have no fat on her at all, I think it does effect her gymnastics as she cannot jump as high as the others on the fast track etc as she hasn't got the weight or the power at the moment.

Has her weight increased with increased training hours do you think, or is it too soon to tell?

 

[Ex member]

She has put on a lb or 2 and grown a little but hasn't put on any bulk since she started training nearly a year a go, she has increased in strength and flexibility.

 

[COz]

I know there are kids out there that seem to bulk up, but I think it's a body type thing. The little ones just seem to stay the same shape and get more obvious abs.

They look like normal children until you go to pick them up (mine's 5 so this still happens a lot) and then you realize that they're in fact made of bricks.

 

[twinmomma]

I definitely think her weight increase is partially due to the added muscle from conditioning. She will add a day in January, so I'll be interested to see if that changes anything. She's got more "bulk" if you can call it that, in her thighs and her butt (as in she has a butt where she didn't before) but other than that it's all muscle definition. She's also gained a couple of inches in height, though she's still a shorty. She's still not 48".

 

[momto2js]

My son is 8 and not yet 50lbs. He eats very little. He is on some meds that limit appetite so ill pretty much let him eat what ever he wants. I have had good success with bisquick complete pancake mix. Is make it with milk and add 1/2 a cup of greek yogurt to the mix. I have gotten it up to about 8 grams of protein per pancake. They are tasty too.

 

[COz]

as in she has a butt where she didn't before

Ah yes, the gymnast butt. I think I'd like one of those for myself.

 

[mimi]

My dd is tiny and quite skinny. It is a constant source of anxiety for me to make sure she gets enough calories to replenish what she burns. She never has a problem with energy level or strength, so I try not to worry too much. It has never held her back in gymnastics, much the opposite in fact. I still wish she could put on weight but it is just not her body type, so I have come to accept it. I do Ensure Plus drinks with her everyday. They have lots of protein and vitamins and 350 calories.

 

[mimi]

My son is 8 and not yet 50lbs. He eats very little. He is on some meds that limit appetite so ill pretty much let him eat what ever he wants. I have had good success with bisquick complete pancake mix. Is make it with milk and add 1/2 a cup of greek yogurt to the mix. I have gotten it up to about 8 grams of protein per pancake. They are tasty too.

That's a great idea to add the Greek yogurt to the mix! I'm going to try that!

 

[iwannacoach]

Milk shake and toast for breakfast.

 

[Mom2Chickadee]

Thanks for all the replies! It makes me feel better to know that she's not the only skinnie minnie gymmie out there! And there are some great ideas to help make sure she stays healthy with all the gym hours. My DD had lots of energy and her strength continues to improve so I guess she's doing just fine .

 

[refugee]

Lots of good suggestions in here. You may want to research "nutrient timing" as well. Wouldn't hurt to consult a sports nutritionist (be sure they understand the younger athlete).

 

[anothergymmom]

I think the main concern would be if your daughter's height-weight ratio changes as she adds more gym time. My daughter had usually been about 25% for height and 8-9% for weight. After she started 9hrs practice per week, she remained 25% for height but had dropped below 5% for weight. That's when our pediatrician became concerned and we became more conscious and vigilant about making sure she ate denser, more nutrient-packed food. We added a lot more eggs, and definitely the Greeks-style yogurt helps (more protein than American style too). Nuts would be great to add too. When my daughter regained her traditional height-weight ratio, the doctor was content. We have to remain pretty vigilant to maintain the weight.

I think all the gym time does take a lot out of them and we probably need to be a little careful.

 

[leotardmakermum]

I second the suggestion of a sports nutritionist. We have particular issues with our gymnast - lots of food intolerances and a food allergy. It was very difficult to figure out how to get all the nutrients she needed into her to keep up her energy levels for training. She'd get to the end of a training session and be absolutely wiped out, whereas gym mates who seem to eat air only would still be bouncing with energy!

I presented the situation to the sports nutritionist, and she agreed that it was a difficult situation and could see why I had been having trouble! However, she gave us great advice that has really helped. Things like never worry about fat content as she needs it, eat a second lunch before afternoon training, at least 5ograms of protein (in our case meat, due to dairy allergy) in every meal, a good range of fruit, veg and carbs.

She also advised that we should give her pure glucose tablets for training - she usually has one before and one or two during. The days she forgets or doesn't have enough with her, you can REALLY see the difference at the end of a training session - she melts out the door instead of bounding out.

Many of these things are things you wouldn't do with "normal", not quite so active children (and nor do we do them with our non-gymnast) but for her, they are an important part of keeping her happy and healthy, and on track with training. Her old head coach knew that we had some specific issues with her diet, and always was terribly supportive even though what we were feeding her seemed a little unusual at times.

 

[JMACAZ]

My 8 year old is very tall and thin and most of it is legs. We do whole milk,eggs Greek yogurt etc. She is always eating. She goes 12 hours a week and is able to add some muscle. Overall though she looks more like a thin dancer.

 

[refugee]

One more suggestion...if your daughter has afternoon/evening practice after "conventional" school hours (I.e.9-3) and a traditional (strict) environment, work with your nutritionist/pediatrician to "prescribe" an appropriate afternoon snack about 90 minutes before practice starts. One of those nutrient timing ideas.