My Girl Eats Non-stop!!!

My suggestion is don't buy the sweet treats and chips and soda. I grew up a little overweight as a kid, but very active and was horribly teased even though I wasn't "fat". Now that I am a mom of 2, I realize that the main reason I was overweight is that my mom was a thin junk-a-holic, so there was never a limit as to what I could eat. I ate chips, soda, cupcakes, snacks because that is what I wanted and it was available in the house. I would choose it over healthy foods every time. My parents had dieticians to see me, etc., but nobody ever told my parents to stop buying junk food. Let her eat as much healthy food as she wants. If it's not in the house, they won't eat it and you all will be healthier for it. It's a hard thing to do, but pretty much the only thing that will truly work. Good luck!

Hey Rebecca,

There is so much to address in your request so I apologize for the bluntness of my answers, I have a newborn, so limited time.

First, take her to see her pediatrician. Have a general health work up inlcuding checking labbs regarding thyroid etc. Overall health as well as unsatiable appetite should be your presenting complaint. She might even have a tapeworm if she is eating like that and not gaining. Simple science says that food is an energy source, so if you daughter is not as active as the calories she is consuming, and not gaining, then you need to consider metabolism, eating disorder or a parasite. If it is ruled out to not be a genreal medical condition then step 2 is below.
Take her to a counselor. Probably best to see a psychiatric medical doctor therefor a child's psychiatrist. There may be a diagnosis here that causes her to want to show off so to speak and follow up with a social worker for counseling might improve her self esteem.
Now the third part. If neither of these proove fruitful, then be thankful she just has a hearty appetite. But even admist these concerns DO NOT lock the refridgerator. I do not care if your hubby turned out okay after this was done. Most kids do not and females fair worse regarding self esteem and weight issues. Males can fair as worse but the prevelance is less. So please do not do anything that damages self. Continue to be the wonderful more you sound like you already are. Have her health checked, her mental health and spend some one on one time with her. Explain your concerns of her physical health and organ development admist all her food choices. And lastly, before doing any of the above... go through the house and rid it of anyting like ravioli, just clear out all the snacks, junk food, etc. So that when she is hungr for a snack all that is available is a fresh piece of fruit. At first she will ignore them and still feel hungry, but eventually if she really wants something, fruit will do. Do not lock away any food or hide food. This is going to affect the whole family for awhile. And while some might feel like they are being punished when they did nothing wrong. You might want to remind them and yourself that it is a family's love that gets us through and the support is needed from all. It is also likely to help the whole family. Snacks are not needed. Just 3 square meals a day. Try had to not speak negative to her about her appetite. The attetion, even though negative, may be purposely sought.
Many Prayers & God Bless,
Mimi

Have you had her thyroid checked?

My daughter will be 10 in feburary and she does the same thing. SO I am hoping it is just a phase. My daughter is a little chunky too. Ex we went to IHOP the other day and I ordered a quick 2 egg breakfast, 2 eggs, 2 bacon, hashbrowns, and 2 pancakes which I share with my 3 year old, my daughter orders the same thing except sausage and biscuits and gravy and she ate everything with the exception of 1/2 the biscuits and gravy.

Hey. Still at work, so have to be quick about responding :-) She sounds a little like I was at that age. I ate a great deal, but it was because I was really active, the way you seem to describe her. (and I'm not heavy now, nor have I ever been) Honestly, she could be eating this much, because she is burning so many calories. I'd suggest taking her to the doctor, but DON'T make an issue out of how much she eats, because then it will become an issue. You don't want her to decide that's she fat and start cutting out food if she really needs it because that could lead to even bigger eating disorders. She's still young enough that this food could be fueling the growth that her body is doing. Keep in mind that even though she hasn't hit the growth spurt that you talked about yourself having, her body is preparing for it, so it probably needs that extra fuel. If anything just make certain she gets the healthy foods she needs.

I don't have any experience with older kids, but when my girls ask for snacks and it's after meal time or at a time when I know they shouldn't be too hungry I offer only healthy things and water. If they truly are hungry they eat it all up and if they aren't they only take a few bites. I would try offering her more healthy snacks only inbetween meals. I know you said she doesn't like them, but if she really is hungry she will eat it. Good luck! It's a hard spot to be in. You don't want to obsess about it, like my mom, and give the kid complex about weight. But you don't want her to be unhealthy. I think if she is exercising enough and you do healthy snacks then she is fine.

If she's actually hungry all the time, perhaps she has a metabolic disorder. The first thing I would do is take her to her doc and have her thyroid hormone and insulin levels checked.

I didn't even get through all the responses because I just couldn't wait to respond. I am 30 and remember myself being that little girl about 20 years ago. We would go to dinner and I almost obsessively would order the salad bar every time because I couldn't wait to pile it high....and ate it all! Around that age, I could eat almost an entire pizza myself. I would have eating competitions with my brother and his friends of who could eat the most slices. I was thin and still am (but have to use calorieking.com to keep the baby weight and holiday weight off, will gain some if not careful). So, by genes, I am thin but I do have to watch what I eat. I never EVER had to until after college. When I was that age, I really could eat a ton and my family all said I had a hollow leg and that I ate like a horse. I ate more than everyone in my family, but I wasn't gaining so they knew my body was telling me that I was doing what it needed. The only thing different from my experience was that I loved healthy food. I ate bad stuff too but had more balance. If you notice her gaining or want her calorie intake to reduce, she can still eat just as much, just make her choices with less calories. Chicken and fries would be fine, doesn't have to be super healthy or anything, just try to limit the sugar and excessive burgers or fried food. The most important thing is that her doctor says she is healthy. Oh, one more thing, I used to think it was cute too, and my family just smiled and supported whatever I chose, because I was healthy.

Does she eat the food quickly? If so, see if you can get her to slow down. If she eats slower, her body will have more time to sense that she's full, and hopefully she wouldn't eat as much.

When you go out to eat, have her order a small salad to eat before the rest of her meal.

At home, when she is wanting a snack between meals or before bedtime, try to only have healthy snacks for her (like the apple, banana, carrots, etc). If she truly is hungry, she can eat, but the healthier foods would be better for her of course.

Also keep encouraging any physical activity she is interested in. If she maintains a balance, I think she would be fine.

Good luck!

I too would hate telling they couldn't eat if they said they were hungry, but you know this is certainly not normal eating and this is a problem. Her daily calorie intake sounds very high and it will catch up with her or cause medical problems just because of the poor nutrients. She could begin to suffer from high blood pressure or other related problems. I don't know the name of it, but there is a medical condition where the patient feels like they are continuously hungry. You're right, over-eating is not funny or something to take pride in, and it could lead to a life-time of medical and personal issues. You're on the right track by asking other moms for support and suggestions. I think a new doctor might also be in order if you share this same info. with them and they still feel it's okay.