Weight Loss | ADHD Information

I am also a fan of carnation instant breakfast...we have made a variety of yummy smoothies using this as the base with whole milk...some  variations you might try include chocolate peanutbutter, vanillia with pumpkin/pumpkin pie spice, and anything with extra fruit.  I have my son drink the instant breakfast as his beverage in addition to a meal.  My DS loves chicken so he has a chicken pattie every breakfast along with some carb and his drink. Yep it sounds like a glass of sprite and candy bars won't hurt him as long as he's not constipated.He probably desperately needs the calories. I get tired of everyone asking me if she's ill. Doc said her health is fine but she is tired alot. Insommnia too.  She's not an energy bundle.
My doc said absoluteley no  sugar because it kills her appetite ?
She is constipated alot and doesn't drink enough water.
I bake her cheesecake and apple pie,strawberry tarts. I try to compromise my mixing fresh fruit with sugars. Lord knows she needs the calories.
worldisround39064.6286689815

My guy has not lost too much weight yet, but I am watching him!

I have started giving him the carnation instant breakfast, also have tried the protein bars at breakfast...a good way to start the day.

Does he like cereal?  Seems like an easy thing to get kids to eat, and with whole milk it will boost the calories.  My boys also love scrambled eggs...I may go to making him that for breakfast.

 

My daughter lost 5 lbs when first starting concerta (over 6 weeks). It does not sound like much, but she was 58lbs and 9 years old (wears size 6 pants), so could not afford the loss. We took a short break from the concerta (and started guanfacine) and she gained back 3lbs before school started and we put her back on the concerta. During this time she was still growing taller so looked even skinnier. In the last 3 months we have increased the guanfacine and my daughter is now up to 62lbs, so we will see if this dose helps with the weight long term. I can bribe her to eat protein (chicken, hot dogs and fish) by offering ice cream and magic shell. I would be careful of the soda, because there are studies showing loss of calcium due to intake of carbonated drinks (it was the worst with colas).

He does not seem to like the "rich" drinks, so could you mix orange juice with sprite and slip in a little olive oil and ice to make a blended drink? If he drinks this, try adding a little protein powder, but not so much that it make it too filling for him. Also, you might require that he eats a bite of protein (chicken, fish) before having a small piece of chocolate.

He may need to aquire the "taste" for these foods. There was a time my oldest (not the diagnosed child) could not go to a restarant without throwing up. She had eaten too rapidly and too much one time and then would get sick every time we went out. We had to only go to certain places and have her eat just a tiny amount, and gradually the aversion to restraunt food went away.

And if you do not see weight gain with the antidepressant, you might discuss switching to guanfacine with the doctor. In addition to helping with weight gain, it is effective for many ADHD symptoms (hyperactivity, impulivity, etc) and can be given multiple times a day for 24/7 coverage. My daughter is on guanfacine and concerta, which is a great combination for her.

My son hates the taste of the pediasure drinks as well, but loves carnation instant breakfast.  I just mix it with whole milk and add some cream as well to make it more calorie rich...it is packed with vitamins too, so that makes me feel better.

My pediatrician also prescribed Periactin (cyproheptadine) to help with appetite stimulation.  It is an antihistamine that has the side effect of appetite stim and weight gain.  Chase has been taking that for about a month and he now has a normal appetite, but like your son, rarely sits still and I am not sure if he has gained any, but I think he has at least gotten back to where he was when we began this journey of simulant meds back in March.  Before this med, Chase was also like your son..one green bean would fill him up, and if I did not make him sit down to eat, he would not even think about it...couln't be tempted with any food, including the junk that most kids will eat no matter how full they are.  Now he comes to me and says.."Mom, I am hungry!  What have we got to eat?"  And he will eat whatever is handy, so I keep lots of healthy stuff around for him to grab. 

forgot to add, chase is 10 and 54 pounds, 52 inches tall...

chasesmom7939064.4094444444

He is not a breakfast eater at all.  My dh works third shift and gets home around 6:00 a.m.  He tends to eat diner type foods when he gets home (like we do if we get home around 5:30 p.m.) So sometimes he will get him to eat whatever he is eating.  I'm sure the teacher thinks it is strange when he tells her that he had hot dogs for breakfast. 

As for protein he likes summer sausage and hard salami.  Occassionally he will eat cut up chicken breast or hotdogs.

I have tried cereal again and again.  We'll make a big deal out of it and let him pick out what he wants...scooby doo etc.  We get it home and he won't eat it with milk...sometimes he will eat a handfull dry from the box.

Today he entire lunch, minus the juice box came home from school

I think part of it is this wiggle tooth...if that darn thing would just fall out already!!!!  It is just adding insult to injury...I pray each night that it will be gone in the morning and no such luck!!

My son will eat corn dogs, chicken patties, leftover chinese teriyaki chicken, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches...whatever he is hungry for and we have I fix for breakfast! 

If he mainly drinks at lunch, make sure that the drink you send is the most calories you can find!  I am forever in the store aisles looking for the item I want with the most calories, like canned fruit, tortillas, etc...you would be surprised how different brands differ in calories!  One brand had 70 calories, and one had 110 per tortilla!  This was during Chase's scrambled egg/cheese/bacon bits wrapped in a warm flour tortilla phase.  This lasted for about 3 weeks, and whenever he was hungry it is what he asked for. 

My DS is so skinny, he barely eats, and also he has really bad food allergy (eggs, peanut, soy, pork, rice, nuts) so it is so dificult, because everything has eggs or peanut oil, so you can imagine.

But give him a lot of whole milk, he loves potatos, chicken nuggets fried so he can get a little fat, Not even like that he gains an ounce. But he is always active and strong, his Ped says that if he is healthy and active there is nothing to worry.

My son is in the 3rd percentile for weight and is on the short side as well.  He has gone through phases but for the past 6 months or so has been eating pretty good (thankfully!)  He is on Focalin and Pamelor (for anxiety but also tends to cause appetite and help sleep).

We've tried all the things mentioned here.  Carnation breakfast is great but he got tired of that really quickly.  Sister ended up wanting it and she doesn't need it!!   Our saving grace recently has been Eggnog.  He loves it which suprised me and it is chock full of calories ... 160 in like 6 ounces .... no wonder it's bad for the rest of us! 

Keep trying.  I know it's really frustrating. 

As cr12345mr said, Tenex (guanfacine) can be used to augment the med and help with weight issues. It can take quit a bit of work to find things they woll eat. Some things you can use to add calories to foods are: olive oil, baby formula powder, protein powder, egg beaters (egg substitue). I add olive oil to my daughter's chicken noodle soup (her favorite breakfast) and protein powder to the creamy soups that I make (corn chowder and potato cheese). I also make chicken legs and bribe her to eat those or other high protein foods by allowing her to have ice cream. If I would let her, she would eat nothing but tomatoes and chicken noodle soup.

My ds is going to be 6 in two weeks and has always been very skinny due to other health issues.  Now dx'd with ADHD the meds make him even more not hungry.  The doc rx'd an antidepressant to help with make him hungry.  I find that I am giving chocolate and soda more than ever.  His favorites are water and carrots.  He used to drink pediasure when he was an infant and loved it.  Now he hates it .  I have tried to add chocolate syrup to it, or even make milk shakes, but he takes one sip and goes yukkk you put pedia in this.

At our last visit the doc weighed him and he lost almost 5 pounds, bringing him down to 33 lbs at almost 6 years.

Does anyone have any ideas other than chocolate, chips and soda??

After dd started Tenex, we could lower her stim dose significantly.  Also her appetite returned to normal.  Sorry you are having to deal with this...it is such a pain, these side effects. 

My son even on meds has way tooo much energy.  We are invloved in swimming twice a week and now basketball starts once a week, before that it was football.  We don't live in front of the TV by any means. but I sometimes wish he would sit still and stop burning calories.  He is an extremely picky eater, but his favorites are carrots, water or plain noodles, no butter, salt, chesse etc.  I try to get him to eat as often as I can and as much as I can but after a few bites he tells me he is full!!! 

We had family over for an early Christmas diner.  He ate 1 green bean... just one and then complained that he was full.  We offered his favorite chips seeing if he was just playing games and he turned them down.  We all giggled that it must have been the magic beanstalk bean to fill him up with just one bean.

The anti-depressant is not for his mood.  The dr said that a common side effect is that it makes them more hungry...It seems like it is working, but I want to see the weight gain instantly.  DH keeps telling me that it took him two months to lose the 5 lbs...it might take him two months to gain it back again.

I'm just concerned about his growth or lack there of.  He isn't going to gain much weight drinking water and eating carrots and green beans.  Is a glass of Sprite once a day and a couple of candy bars going to hurt????

Most people have babies that weigh 25 - 30 lbs.  I am talking about an almost 6 year old who barely tips the scales at 30 lbs..

I will have to try the carnantion instant breakfast instead of the pedisure and see if he likes that.  He's not much of a milk drinker except at school, so we will see how it goes. 

Thanks for all the help.

Make sure he is getting lots of fresh air and exercise. Swimming,ice skating whatever (daily !!) .Lots of physical activity !!
I hope you are not raising him with and  in front of the TV set as most americans do. (been there ,done that, I'm american and can't believe how much more the kids sit in front of the TV and the crappy diets they are fed in the States) I've noticed that since I live here in europe . It seemed perfectly normal before.

Cook and keep things in the house he likes.

Make sure his bowel movements are regular. Constipation takes away your appetite. Soda pop is terrible. Why keep it in the house ? Chocolate is very constipating. Chips are VERY carcenogenic. This junk food is ok once a week (maybe ?? )

Fruits have natural sugar for sugar cravings and increase appetites. Giving vitamins also help appetite.
Can you give him weekend and vacation med breaks ?
This can also help.

I have been through all this as a child and then with my daughter. I know what you are going through. Is he tired alot ?
worldisround39064.0364351852Have you tried carnation instant breakfast?  They come in different flavors and have nutritional value.  He can drink one with every meal and as a snack drink.And with the carnation instant breakfast, you can use whole milk to mix it...I sometimes put some cream in there...lots of calories in cream!!