13yr old son with no appetite / interest in food

Indie_Kid

TheSaint wrote: »

After what you said about him eating loads when you go out this is definitely down to poor parenting. You need to take responsibility for this and sort it out.

How rude.

I was labelled a picky eater as a child. It's actually a sensory thing.

Is anything going on in his life which may have caused this type of behaviour?

I think you need to see a doctor over this. I would also suggest keeping a food diary so the doctor can see how much he's really eating.

pingufan

No veg at all. Will eat Yorkshire pudding and sausage but not mashed potato, in fact he's not keen on potato in any form. If you put two things on his plate, say pasta and sausage, today he may eat all the pasta and leave the sausage, tomorrow the other way around. Mealtimes are a headache as I don't want to serve up junk meals, I enjoy cooking and do all the usuals like soups, stews, roast dinners, lasagne, curries, chilli etc then I have to give him pizza or something junky. Even then he won't eat it all!!

poet123

I think it could be just a phase. My 16 year old was just like that from 11-15, he was never very hungry, he ate enough to survive that was all. He was very skinny. Suddenly, when he turned 15 he started to eat much more and ask for food, whereas before, if it had not been put in front of him he wouldn't have bothered. From being young he has played sport at quite a high level and it never hampered him energy wise. He still hates veg and fruit, but will eat carrots and apples so he just sticks to them, and he has the fish oil capsules.

There were times when I was really worried but he is my fourth son so I have seen a lot of phases come and go between them. If he is not physically ill, and is energetic and not lethargic I wouldn't worry too much.

pingufan

He's been like it since a baby so no I don't think it's a stress thing, as a baby he would never take more than 2oz milk at a time, every 2 hours night and day, he slept poorly as a little one too. My daughter, brought up exactly the same way slept, eats normally etc

peachyprice

pingufan wrote: »

No veg at all. Will eat Yorkshire pudding and sausage but not mashed potato, in fact he's not keen on potato in any form. If you put two things on his plate, say pasta and sausage, today he may eat all the pasta and leave the sausage, tomorrow the other way around. Mealtimes are a headache as I don't want to serve up junk meals, I enjoy cooking and do all the usuals like soups, stews, roast dinners, lasagne, curries, chilli etc then I have to give him pizza or something junky. Even then he won't eat it all!!

Sounds like dinner time in my house.

Wilma33

Food aside, is he happy? Might the food be a symptom rather than the cause?


Edit: Just seen your comment about him being like this since he was a baby, so ignore the above!

littleredhen

You will always have lots of opinions on subjects like this, not sure there is an easy answer, otherwise you wouldn't have this problem!!
Maybe you could try a mix of the suggestions, echinacea is great to see off colds, you can get more info on it but again, he would have to take it. Good luck I hope things work out for you, parenting is not an easy job!

fluffnutter

IME, 13 year old boys are normally STARVING. They might be fussy but they'll generally have a good appetite. Two possibilities spring to mind (although there are no doubt more) - an eating disorder or some sort of physical health problem that affects his appetite.

I'd probably start with the latter because it should be easier to rule out... back to the GP and ask for a full assessment of his health, including blood tests and hormone tests. There are quite a few things in the endocrinology area that affect appetite and I'd ask the GP to check him over thoroughly, referring him as necessary.

pingufan

Like I say he's been like it all his life so unless he was born unhappy then no, I don't think so. He's a great kid in every other way, I just wish he looked well and enjoyed his food a bit more

sleepymans

In the past I starved myself....it brought on extreme feelings of well-being but inevitably very serious mental distress in the longer term.....
sadly the "high" you can get from starving yourself can be damaging and lead to more serious consquences.
Keep an eye on your loved-one,,,,,and be ready to pick up the pieces and support him. when necessary