Parents 11 yr old needs energy food !!

[Gymmom82773]

My daughter just turned 11 and she is competing level 9 this year . Her training hours and conditioning have increased a lot this fall . When I took her to the dr for her 11 year checkup , she has dropped off the charts in weight and the dr thinks she is burning more calories than she is eating . She is somewhat picky .. I have tried pediasure shakes , she says
they make her nauseous. Any suggestions o high calorie high energy foods ? I have noticed she is very tired by the end of her 4 hour practice .. more than she used to be .

 

[txgymfan]

I suggest making an appointment with a registered dietician. Call the nearest children's hospital and ask for a RD specializing in Child Athletes. You can also ask for recommendations from her head coach and her pediatrician.

Based on my personal study I would recommend protein, nutrient dense carbs and FAT! If you search on CB you will see all kinds of suggestions including smoothies, homemade with ice cream and possibly peanut butter, homemade granola type bars and lots of easy to tote snacks with both carbs and protein.

 

[gymgal]

I would also recommend making an appt with a nutritionist. I am actually surprised the dr didn't set one up for you. The nutritionist will work with your dd regarding high nutrient foods that she will be accepting of.

 

[txgymfan]

When looking for a specialist please search for a Registered Dietician almost anyone can describe themselves as a nutritionist. An RD has specific and hard earned credentials.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

second that, but in this world of dieting its really hard to get full fat yoghurts in the supermarkets, I really have to search for Pink and Fluffy, an she can munch her way through 4-6 a day easily. Its her go-to instant fix food.

 

[gracyomalley]

2 thoughts as a mom and pediatrician - how was she weight wise in comparison to herself in previous years? At 11 many girls are gaining weight faster as they are into puberty, so a slower developing, thin gymnast may have gained at the normal rate for a pre-pubertal child, but look like she's not gaining enough compared to her pubertal age mates on the standard growth curve. also at 11 they often are much more tired after workouts than at 9-10 if they are themselves starting into early puberty and school requirements go up to....and it really depends upon how much her hours increased (my 11 year old does 4 hours 5 times a week - but that worked up slowly over years - and I know there is a big variety in how many hours gyms do...). Its possible that this is "normal" for your daughter.

I agree that a nutritionist specializing in child athletes would be ideal - many parents/kids/nutritionists grossly underestimate the caloric needs of these kids - especially during puberty. ( I had a 15 year old football player come in for passing out at practice - he had been trying to shed a few pounds and was put on an 1800 cal per day diet by some "health coach"....his estimated need at his age and activity level was 2700!! eating helps you not pass out!)

Lastly, if she actually LOST weight while training more and getting older (which should have led to more muscle and weight) then that's a red flag for a health issues or an eating disorder - unless someone is restricting her access to food her natural needs should have led to her seeking out more calories...if she's picky they may not be ideal calories, but she should have been eating more to compensate.

 

[htimcj]

second that, but in this world of dieting its really hard to get full fat yoghurts in the supermarkets, I really have to search for Pink and Fluffy, an she can munch her way through 4-6 a day easily. Its her go-to instant fix food.

I think you aren't in the US but look for the Fage brand for yogurt. They actually have two percent greek yogurt. I think some of the "baby" brands like Sunnyhill are also full fat.

 

[emorymom]

And in athletes celiac and other malabsorption problems can be misdiagnosed as eating disorder if the athlete denies but the doctors think he or she is lying.

 

[leotardmakermum]

We took our daughter (with food allergies and intolerances) to a sports dietitian, recommended by the gym. It was one of the best things I have ever done for her (AND ME! seeing I'm the one who is responsible for her food intake).

I agree with the poster above who suggested protein; dense, low GI carbs; and fat (and a good range of fruit and veg). For me it required a complete rethink of what I knew about nutritious eating. For me to ADD fat to her food intake seemed so very wrong, but it was what she required.

Her diet is unusual even compared to her team-mates (due to her ultra high metabolism, and allergies etc) but we have the support of the HC, who actually said to her "you eat what you have to eat" as she was about to stuff a cupcake into her mouth post-training.

Oh, and the other thing I suggest is to go for real food, rather than food that has been mucked around with, like a proprietary shake has been.

 

[txgymfan]

There is nothing wrong with adding fat to the diet when needed. These athletes work out hard and their caloric needs are much greater than our active lives that do not include working out 15 plus hours a week. Add to that,muscle burns more calories than fat and they have a lot of muscles to burn calories for them. This is the one time in their lives when they can burn off an extra cookie or two. Personally, I suggest adding in some treats.

 

[JBS]

My daughter just turned 11 and she is competing level 9 this year . Her training hours and conditioning have increased a lot this fall . When I took her to the dr for her 11 year checkup , she has dropped off the charts in weight and the dr thinks she is burning more calories than she is eating . She is somewhat picky .. I have tried pediasure shakes , she says
they make her nauseous. Any suggestions o high calorie high energy foods ? I have noticed she is very tired by the end of her 4 hour practice .. more than she used to be .

Pediasure is disgusting...how about a crazy fun cheeseburger. Honestly...what your child does is crazy...feed her some crazy sometimes.

My daughter can't hardly stay on the charts...we do feed her like below. If we fed her a balanced diet...she would disappear.

 

[JBS]

Here you go...this is an actual picture of our fun burger dinner one weekend...she ate the whole thing...

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I made millionaire shortbread for mine to eat on the way home from gym, I worked out the cals per portion - 365, good job I don't eat 'em, but great way of recharging her on the ride home

 

[Gymmom82773]

Thanks so much for all the tips ! I am going to seek out an athletic nutritionist . She has increased from 16 last school year to 21-22 per week and this is her first year in middle school (6th grade ) she was always around 50% in weight and now she's 30% it's not a huge drop off in my mind but the dr was concerned . She has gotten taller so to me she seems thinner . I've started making her homemade shakes with ice cream , chocolate , banana, and peanut butter . She likes hard boiled eggs so I'm going to get them more often . Some nights after practice, she seems so tired she doesn't eat much ! Thanks again!

 

[leotardmakermum]

Thanks so much for all the tips ! I am going to seek out an athletic nutritionist . She has increased from 16 last school year to 21-22 per week and this is her first year in middle school (6th grade ) she was always around 50% in weight and now she's 30% it's not a huge drop off in my mind but the dr was concerned . She has gotten taller so to me she seems thinner . I've started making her homemade shakes with ice cream , chocolate , banana, and peanut butter . She likes hard boiled eggs so I'm going to get them more often . Some nights after practice, she seems so tired she doesn't eat much ! Thanks again!

If you can't get her to eat much after practice, then try to at least get a piece of fruit and something with protein into her. They need something to help with muscle repair, straight after practice. I usually put some sort of food in my daughters hands immediately after practice, so she eats it walking to the car. A smoothie can work well if your daughter is too tired for anything more taxing.

@BlairBob knows lots about food and fuel, so can probably correct me about suitable foods for post-training muscle repair, if what I have said is wrong or misleading.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

was thinking of you this morning ( well it is for us) as Pink and Fluffy was eating breakfast. What she likes are (English) muffins with pate on them, good boost of protein and fat

 

[thefellowsmom]

Oops, I wrote another book. So sorry! Hopefully you something in here helpful

Just a couple ideas. My dd runs in the 18-22% range in weight so we are always trying to get her enough fuel. She upped her practice hours this year too, but she is just 9 so no puberty type things yet. She also doesn't like to eat much after practice. Here are some things that I have found work well.

I try to get a full balanced meal into her before practice. I know that this can be a tough one. We have an hour between school and gym and we spend it in the car so we had to get creative.

I bought one of these. It's awesome. A little spendy but worth it. It is wide so easy to eat out of and keeps things really hot for a long time. No spills but need to hand wash.

http://www.amazon.com/LunchBots-The...1381854141&sr=8-4&keywords=hot+food+container

She likes things like chicken and rice, mashed potatoes and gravy, bbq pulled pork with cut up veggies, yakisoba noodles with chicken and veggies, left over stirfry, steak and noodles etc.

I also found a container for salads (has a salad dressing container and separate spaces for stuff to keep the lettuce/veggies crisp) and she likes chicken with salad (lettuce, carrots, snap peas, cucumber etc). I put some nuts and olives and some croutons in.

She eats right away so that she has ample time to digest.

We also found that the right snack during practice makes a big difference. Her current favorite is dried fruit (cranberries, mangoes, pineapple etc) and a couple of dark chocolate covered almonds.

For after practice we vary it by what she feels like. She doesn't typically eat with the rest of us as she gets home late and she doesn't usually want a full meal. She likes chocolate milk and then she will have some cheese and lunchmeat (we have access to really good stuff, not packaged crud) and fruit.

She also likes a roast beef sandwhich with some au ju or I make these meatballs that are about half veggies that she loves. She will do a few of these and some buttered pasta with salad or carrots or fruit.

Really, I just try to keep it real food as much as possible. I think about the before, during and after practice food as one large meal and try to make sure she has a good balance over those three mini meals with the right energy food at the right time.

We have a rule that on gym days she keeps the processed food and sugars to a minimum. The worst would be a birthday party at school and she would eat a big cupcake at 3pm and then have to go work out. That was a nightmare so we worked out that she could take a bite or two and then wrap it up to eat after practice. Not always the most fun idea for a kid, but a couple of times almost passing out in the middle of conditioning and she realized I might be onto something.

On her days off, I let her eat pretty much what she wants. If she wants sugary things or fast food (on rare occasion) or big meals out, we do them on her off days whenever possible and I don't hassle her about it. She works really hard and deserves a treat.

 

[Gymmom82773]

Thanks so much !!! Such great ideas !! I found out today that she likes Nutella lol not the healthiest of foods but at least it's something different she will eat !!

 

[amphomma]

I love this discussion! We are new to the world of gymnastics, as Little A is nearly 4 and recently moved up from a 3-4 year old class to an invitation only 4-5 year old class. She would go to the gym every day if there was an opportunity, and when she's at home, she is constantly in motion, doing cartwheels, pirouettes, leaps, tumbles, I'm sure you get the picture.

Physically, she just got onto that weight chart last year, and even still she is 27-28 pounds (39 inches tall), but with the determination and strength of a...rhino?

I loved all of these suggestions for fueling these growing, moving, striving bodies! I'm starting to figure out Little A's rhythm--moderate breakfast, always with some element of protein, but by 10 a.m., when we are just at home, she gets really hungry, so she asks for things like a personal size thin-crust cheese pizza, or peanut butter and jelly, or instant noodles (skip the MSG packet and use chicken broth instead). It's odd to me to see her eating more than her brother would in the middle of the morning, but if this is what it takes to keep her energy and strength up, and her mood as far from meltdown as possible, then I'll do it. I'd love to see her break past 30 pounds soon, too!

I'm ok with her being on the small side; her pediatrician before we moved knew her from infancy to age 3 and figured as long as she slept, ate, played, and developed well, then she was just a small kid! We have a new pediatrician now and at our first visit (which happened to be because Little A was sick), she mentioned as an aside, "you know, she's a little underweight...". I'm curious to see what we discuss at Little A's well-visit next week when she turns 4.

I'm learning so much from all of you here...thanks for letting me glean some wisdom!

 

[Seeker]

I think you aren't in the US but look for the Fage brand for yogurt. They actually have two percent greek yogurt. I think some of the "baby" brands like Sunnyhill are also full fat.

Yeah...we never buy low fat stuff because a) she needs the fat and b) they usually replace what they take out with salt, sugar or chemicals. Full fat stuff for us.