RebJane:
Looking for input; my daughter has always been a good eater. Snacks alot! Her BMI is good but I noticed a decrease in her eating(much less snacking). Her last appointment she had lost 3 pounds; BMI still good. in fact she is perfect. But; I worry about making sure she understands that CF’ers should keep a little padding for illness etc. She can lose weight easily and I don’t want to make this an issue. She is 5foot 3 inches and about 118 pounds. Everyone around us keeps saying how beautiful she is. I want her to focus on health not looks. Hard to get a 13 1/2 year old listen without rebeling is my guess. Breakfast is a protein bar(usually) Lunch depends could be leftovers or just cheese and crackers. Dinner is usually a meat(protein item) rice or potato(with butter) and a veg. She also will have a desert ice cream or something else cookies and that’s it. I switched her back to whole milk(maybe a cup a day) It feels like much less food than she used to eat.. Should I relax and think it’s a phase? Or try to sneak in calories? thanks!!! otherwise her health is stable
Ratatosk:
I guess I’d be concerned as well with the weight loss, maybe not enough to sneak in calories, but offer more snack choices/reminders to snack. I think they get so busy with their phones, games, youtube and Netflix videos, hey forget to eat.
Now that DS is back in school, and he’s used to snacking most of the afternoon and the fact school lunch is low fat and portions are small, I worry that he’s getting enough to eat. We continue to give him carnation instant breakfast made with whole milk and cream with breakfast and supper. Lunch too if he’s home. I send along zone perfect bars, just in case he gets hungry, but he usually doesn’t eat them.
I try to make sure to leave out a variety of snacks for him when he gets home from school at 4 which is usually individual bags of jerky from Costco, nuts (sunflower seeds, almonds or peanuts), a Hershey bar… Plus he knows where the snack cupboard is if wants something else (fruit snacks, peanut butter balls, chips, crackers..)
Before bed he still asks for white cheddar, buttery popcorn. He’s not one for sweets.
This summer he DID discover premium (ben & jerry’s, hagen daaz) ice cream and I managed to get it a lot on sale at target with coupons and cartwheel. I guess I’d remind her that there are snacks if she’s hungry, ask her if there’s anything she likes that you could pick up at the store for her. M was on a ritz cracker with melted cheese kick this summer. I rarely buy ritz crackers, but he was at the grocery store with me and threw them in the cart…
RebJane:
She had her yearly bloodwork done so I should call after labor day just to make sure all is good with that. I think it’s a teen girl thing(not a CF thing) . She is a very mature 13 year old and wants to look a certain way. I think there is that pressure from society for girls and boys to not be overweight. I just am not sure how to convey the message she should eat more without sounding like a nag or having her tune me out. Honestly; she snacked everytime time she sat to do treatments now she doesn’t. I think her snacking helped keep her weight up. She said to me “mom I am just done growing”. Maybe she’s right?
Melissa75:
13 is definitely an age for experimenting with dieting, focusing on numbers and sizes with friends etc. It’s also quite possible, like she said, that she is done growing… IF she got her period very early (10/11). 2-3 yrs more growing after the period is typical i think. I was done growing by then, but gaining persisted until freshman yr. My bmi was just inside normal but my dad is a light guy (genetic component) and my periods were regular (my body had enough fat/mass), so no one was worried. But at that point all I had was asthma, and I realize it’s a different deal with CF.
My advice from more of a mom standpoint than CF experience. Try to work with her. Remind her that the calories she eats can be more or less nutrient dense, and encourage exercise rather than dieting. Legs that are solid with muscles will keep a person’s bmi up longer and are very pretty.
AboveAllisLove:
It is so hard because CF for girls means society’s beautiful (i.e. skinny) is easy to accomplish but dangerous. But on the other hand, and speaking from experience (Was 5’4″ and 105ish in high school), parental focus might backfire.) I love Ellyn Satter’s work on feeding and she has a book called “Helping, Not Hurting” re weight. I think it’s geared for both over and underweight, but you might want to check. She’s addressed 3 separate food issues for us and was spot on for all with her guidance.
LittleLab4CF
Eating issues in my limited experience can be physical or emotional/psychological in origin with CF. One thing that is definitely a CF issue for me is food and the inefficiencies of digestion/absorption. Like many CFers, skinniest kid in school was my badge. I wasn’t a finicky eater and with a grandmother who baked, was never short of available calories. My brother, 5 years older was a natural athlete who was interested in weight lifting and body building. He wasn’t like me but it took hard work and immersion into protein powders, shakes and all that went with scientifically proven nutrition for weight gain. I tried my hand at it and I did learn more about nutritional sciences.
I like food but food doesn’t like me. I began to feel sick with food when I was just about thirteen. When science fiction books and TV would laud the merits of a few pills instead of inefficient food, I would almost envy that future. It might be worth exploring if your daughter is feeling good after eating. She may not be aware that she’s doing anything in reaction to nausea or such.
I’m familiar enough with the whole body image issue that catches the attention of girls and women. Women understand the situation far better than I would pretend to. If you suspect this may be influenced by the changes in her brain and body in an unhealthy way like eating disorders, do something. For me, I would need an expert to guide my words and actions. Catching anything early is usually better than not.
It occurs to me that the broadening of the hips, flattening of the pelvis could be exaggerating her thinness. It’s a thought.
LL
Kenna2:
I never really had an issue with eating. I always just forgot I had CF and just ate everything and anything. I have always been thin and skinny ( I’m 31 and 117 lbs the most I’ve ever weighed…Yay!) I know body image is huge around her age. My parents always had to remind me that I could eat whatever and I wasn’t going to show the weight. Huge perk of CF!! There were times where I just got sick of eating food. I just wanted to eat my 3 meals a day and that’s it. I’m not sure about other CFers but I feel like when we’re pounding high fatty foods and things all the time, you just get sick of it and need to take a break from it. As long as she’s feeling ok and her doctors are content with her weight, don’t push it.
There is something you can add to her food, powdered egg whites, that is tasteless and gives her extra calories. I can’t remember the actual name of it, but when I had my stomach surgery for acid reflux, the nutritionist said this would help keep on my weight. It does help.
I just would like to say that having gone through this stage, the one thing I hate was when my parents pushed about my eating and weight during these awkward years. If she has issues offer to get her to someone she can talk to about it because I felt out of place being so underdeveloped. Which ironically did help with my eating.
If her friends are watching what they eat because they don’t want to gain weight, it is difficult as someone with CF to not feel guilty while you’re eating all the foods they’re trying to avoid in front of them. If you can find the solution to that, that would help out all of us..lol. Best of luck!
Looking for input; my daughter has always been a good eater. Snacks alot! Her BMI is good but I noticed a decrease in her eating(much less snacking). Her last appointment she had lost 3 pounds; BMI still good. in fact she is perfect. But; I worry about making sure she understands that CF’ers should keep a little padding for illness etc. She can lose weight easily and I don’t want to make this an issue. She is 5foot 3 inches and about 118 pounds. Everyone around us keeps saying how beautiful she is. I want her to focus on health not looks. Hard to get a 13 1/2 year old listen without rebeling is my guess. Breakfast is a protein bar(usually) Lunch depends could be leftovers or just cheese and crackers. Dinner is usually a meat(protein item) rice or potato(with butter) and a veg. She also will have a desert ice cream or something else cookies and that’s it. I switched her back to whole milk(maybe a cup a day) It feels like much less food than she used to eat.. Should I relax and think it’s a phase? Or try to sneak in calories? thanks!!! otherwise her health is stable
Ratatosk:
I guess I’d be concerned as well with the weight loss, maybe not enough to sneak in calories, but offer more snack choices/reminders to snack. I think they get so busy with their phones, games, youtube and Netflix videos, hey forget to eat.
Now that DS is back in school, and he’s used to snacking most of the afternoon and the fact school lunch is low fat and portions are small, I worry that he’s getting enough to eat. We continue to give him carnation instant breakfast made with whole milk and cream with breakfast and supper. Lunch too if he’s home. I send along zone perfect bars, just in case he gets hungry, but he usually doesn’t eat them.
I try to make sure to leave out a variety of snacks for him when he gets home from school at 4 which is usually individual bags of jerky from Costco, nuts (sunflower seeds, almonds or peanuts), a Hershey bar… Plus he knows where the snack cupboard is if wants something else (fruit snacks, peanut butter balls, chips, crackers..)
Before bed he still asks for white cheddar, buttery popcorn. He’s not one for sweets.
This summer he DID discover premium (ben & jerry’s, hagen daaz) ice cream and I managed to get it a lot on sale at target with coupons and cartwheel. I guess I’d remind her that there are snacks if she’s hungry, ask her if there’s anything she likes that you could pick up at the store for her. M was on a ritz cracker with melted cheese kick this summer. I rarely buy ritz crackers, but he was at the grocery store with me and threw them in the cart…
RebJane:
She had her yearly bloodwork done so I should call after labor day just to make sure all is good with that. I think it’s a teen girl thing(not a CF thing) . She is a very mature 13 year old and wants to look a certain way. I think there is that pressure from society for girls and boys to not be overweight. I just am not sure how to convey the message she should eat more without sounding like a nag or having her tune me out. Honestly; she snacked everytime time she sat to do treatments now she doesn’t. I think her snacking helped keep her weight up. She said to me “mom I am just done growing”. Maybe she’s right?
Melissa75:
13 is definitely an age for experimenting with dieting, focusing on numbers and sizes with friends etc. It’s also quite possible, like she said, that she is done growing… IF she got her period very early (10/11). 2-3 yrs more growing after the period is typical i think. I was done growing by then, but gaining persisted until freshman yr. My bmi was just inside normal but my dad is a light guy (genetic component) and my periods were regular (my body had enough fat/mass), so no one was worried. But at that point all I had was asthma, and I realize it’s a different deal with CF.
My advice from more of a mom standpoint than CF experience. Try to work with her. Remind her that the calories she eats can be more or less nutrient dense, and encourage exercise rather than dieting. Legs that are solid with muscles will keep a person’s bmi up longer and are very pretty.
AboveAllisLove:
It is so hard because CF for girls means society’s beautiful (i.e. skinny) is easy to accomplish but dangerous. But on the other hand, and speaking from experience (Was 5’4″ and 105ish in high school), parental focus might backfire.) I love Ellyn Satter’s work on feeding and she has a book called “Helping, Not Hurting” re weight. I think it’s geared for both over and underweight, but you might want to check. She’s addressed 3 separate food issues for us and was spot on for all with her guidance.
LittleLab4CF
Eating issues in my limited experience can be physical or emotional/psychological in origin with CF. One thing that is definitely a CF issue for me is food and the inefficiencies of digestion/absorption. Like many CFers, skinniest kid in school was my badge. I wasn’t a finicky eater and with a grandmother who baked, was never short of available calories. My brother, 5 years older was a natural athlete who was interested in weight lifting and body building. He wasn’t like me but it took hard work and immersion into protein powders, shakes and all that went with scientifically proven nutrition for weight gain. I tried my hand at it and I did learn more about nutritional sciences.
I like food but food doesn’t like me. I began to feel sick with food when I was just about thirteen. When science fiction books and TV would laud the merits of a few pills instead of inefficient food, I would almost envy that future. It might be worth exploring if your daughter is feeling good after eating. She may not be aware that she’s doing anything in reaction to nausea or such.
I’m familiar enough with the whole body image issue that catches the attention of girls and women. Women understand the situation far better than I would pretend to. If you suspect this may be influenced by the changes in her brain and body in an unhealthy way like eating disorders, do something. For me, I would need an expert to guide my words and actions. Catching anything early is usually better than not.
It occurs to me that the broadening of the hips, flattening of the pelvis could be exaggerating her thinness. It’s a thought.
LL
Kenna2:
I never really had an issue with eating. I always just forgot I had CF and just ate everything and anything. I have always been thin and skinny ( I’m 31 and 117 lbs the most I’ve ever weighed…Yay!) I know body image is huge around her age. My parents always had to remind me that I could eat whatever and I wasn’t going to show the weight. Huge perk of CF!! There were times where I just got sick of eating food. I just wanted to eat my 3 meals a day and that’s it. I’m not sure about other CFers but I feel like when we’re pounding high fatty foods and things all the time, you just get sick of it and need to take a break from it. As long as she’s feeling ok and her doctors are content with her weight, don’t push it.
There is something you can add to her food, powdered egg whites, that is tasteless and gives her extra calories. I can’t remember the actual name of it, but when I had my stomach surgery for acid reflux, the nutritionist said this would help keep on my weight. It does help.
I just would like to say that having gone through this stage, the one thing I hate was when my parents pushed about my eating and weight during these awkward years. If she has issues offer to get her to someone she can talk to about it because I felt out of place being so underdeveloped. Which ironically did help with my eating.
If her friends are watching what they eat because they don’t want to gain weight, it is difficult as someone with CF to not feel guilty while you’re eating all the foods they’re trying to avoid in front of them. If you can find the solution to that, that would help out all of us..lol. Best of luck!