my child is always hungry.....?

Question

my 4 year old weighs about 75 pounds he is tall for his age but i know he is over weight. i have a teenager and a preteen that never seemed to have a weight problem. but my 4 year old was 10lbs and 2 oz when he was born, he never seemed to be to heavy until he was about 3. i know that he over eats, family members and friends always offer him food, regardless of my concern. my true concern is that he can eat and eat without every being full. could this be a condition?

Answer 1

take him to the Dr. and get him checked out to make sure he is okay .2nd feed him less junk and more good food.and have him run and play outside more this should help good luck
and tell your friends and family if theycan't resecpt your wishes that they will not be able be around him to you get him to loss wieght you are on the right ttrack.best to take care of it now then later.

Answer 2

We are talking about your child's current and future health, that warrants a trip to the pediatrician. In the meantime... 1. Stop spanking. Seriously, don't you know better by now? You say it doesn't even work, so don't do it! 2. It's possible she is experiencing constant nausea, which would make a person feel like they are hungry when in fact they are not. Once while on an anti-depressant within a week of starting it I felt hungry 24/7. I was also nauseous. I ate non stop. Come to find out nausea is a common side effect, and my doctor explained that when we are nauseous our bodies seek food to calm the nausea feeling, which makes our brains process it as hunger. For a 4 year old child, they may not be able to communicate "nausea" to you. 3. Make sure the doctor checks her blood sugar levels and her thyroid function. If they do not automatically do this, push it. Both can impact appetite and weight. 4. Look for fiber rich filling foods. Steel cut oats with fresh cut fruit in it and a little cinnamon is a much better option that a bagel or a pop tart. It will keep her satisfied longer and her blood sugar more even. Focus on protein in the evenings. One of my favorite dinners is turkey burgers fried in a skillet with nonstick olive oil spray on a toasted whole grain English muffin, a side of blanched asparagus with garlic and lemon juice, and a piece of fruit (apple, peach, whatever I have). Focus on foods like that, keep the carbs to a minimum. Quinoa is another great food to try. I like the red king myself. 5. Whatever you do, do NOT make this about her weight or image. Do not criticize her, put her down, or focus on the number on the scale. This can really hurt her developmentally long term. Good luck!

Answer 3

I hate to hurt your feelings, but the problem isn't your little one...it's you and your family. But don't worry....you aren't the only one. This is a typical American attitude (and I'm an American too...so don't think I'm bashing them all!).

First off: You are his mother. Step up and protect him. Tell your friends and family "NO" when they offer him food that is outside of mealtimes. You are teaching your son very bad eating habits...you are basically telling him that people show their love for him with food. If your family and friends want to show him affection tell them to do it WITHOUT food.

Secondly: You need to lay out scheduled meal and snack-times. During those times make him a plate with healthy portions of each item. Use your head. If it seems like he has had enough then he has. You aren't starving him if you tell him that he can't have any more.

Remember: It takes at least 20 minutes for our stomach to signal our brain that we are full. If he scarfs down his dinner in 10 and demands more then he doesn't even know he's full! Use your common sense. I have 2 little boys.....if I let them they'd eat certain things all day long. I don't let them. That is my job as a parent....to deal with things that they won't control on their own until they are older.

Finally: send that kid outside to run, bike, whatever. 75lbs is very much overweight for a 4 year old and you are setting him up to be picked on when he gets to school. If you are uncertain of what you can do to help your child get back to a healthy weight talk to your pediatrician.

Good Luck!
~C

Answer 4

the question is not how much you feed him. the question is what your family and friends offer him.

You should never let our child be hungry. You should always feed him but in a balance diet. You should follow the food pyramid.

Your child is eating and eating but is not full because he is in taking a whole ton of carbs. Carbs are stored in the liver. He needs to use it by exercises. When he doesn't exercises the carbs will turn into fat and he will want to have somemore. That is why can eat and eat but is not full.
You should feed him more protein and he should stop eating.

Answer 5

Children go through growth spurts, where they eat everything in sight--then (when not growing) hardly eat at all. You did mention that this child weighed more at birth than your older children, and is tall for his age--that could have something to do with it too.

I would keep the family members from offering him extra food, and make him eat a healthy diet (lots of fruit and veggies, not too much meat and starch, not fast, fried, or junk food).

Answer 6

Human infants are supposed to eat frequently; this is normal. Humans are biologically designed to carry their young around and breastfeed them frequently; the normal newborn human nurses 15 times every 24 hours in the early days of life. Human infants do best on smaller more frequent feedings -- this supplies plenty of calories for rapid growth, does not overdistend the baby's stomach, and lets the baby stop eating when he/she is comfortably full.

Artificially fed (bottlefed) infants should conform as much as possible to the normal breastfed feeding pattern. By forcing the baby to take large quantities of fluid and calories at a feeding, the baby may learn to overeat. This may lead to an increased tendency to become obese. Furthermore, the gastrointestinal tract of an infant at 2 months of age is still quite immature; all of the digestive enzymes are not fully developed and large proteins may be absorbed whole instead of being broken into useable components. Absorption of whole proteins is thought to be associated with development of food allergies. The undigestible rice starch could lead to upset stomachs and other digestive difficulties.

For these reasons, I would strongly recommend against adding rice starch to your baby's bottles. Allow your baby to feed normally; i.e., small, frequent feedings

And stop your friends, families, relatives feeding your child food because habits that shape at an early age of overeating is dangerous. It's your responsibility, be firm but polite. And if they still don't listen then get really firm and tell them straight.

Answer 7

I highly recommend eating the low glycemic way. http://www.glycemicindex.com/ (i myself am a raw foodist, but a low glycemic one:-))

There are plenty of healthy choices for your son...so he won't have to cut back on his grazing habits. He can eat as much raw fruits and veggies he wants without putting his health at risk. And remember: It's ok to say no to bad unhealthy food for your children!! You are the mother; you make the rules! You are teaching him to eat for a lifetime....it's your responsibility to give him a strong foundation of health NOW, so he doesn't suffer ill health as an adult. Make it a family project -- don't do it with an attitude of deprivation. Eating a diet full of sugar and lots of prepared processed food is malnourishing. Your son may be hungry because he's not getting enough vitamins and nutrients. It takes commitment and discipline to change habitual eating habits...and your son is going to protest at first. But trust me, he'll go along with whatever eating rules you initiate -- because he still looks up to you as an authority. But if you don't nip it in the bud now -- he's likely to suffer obesity later in life.

You really hold the key to his future health! I wish you strength and awareness in tackling your issue and getting your son's health where he deserves it to be. You can do it! You know you can!

Answer 8

I would certainly let my family know that they do not need ot feed your child unless it is passed through first. They do not get a say over what the child eats. i would also get him to a doctor to get the weight under control.

Answer 9

My sister has the same problem, she had some kind of worms in her stomuch, but it was not biggy, they have medicines, cheap too..
I recently had this problem of eating till i get full and then i kept eating like crazy, it becomes a habbit, sometime you have to control it, ,make him eat less for a few days and he will hopefully get used to it after a while........

Answer 10

Yes it definately can be a medical condition.
I don't know the name but have seen it.
Get him to a really good pediatrician soon and have him checked.
I suggest one that has affiliation with a teaching hospital or a childrens hospital.
Best Wishes