7 year old hungry all the time

[aprilsanc]

My 7 year old in the the last year or so will tell me that he is hungry and when I dont feed him at that specific moment then he goes in his room and screams and cries and "flails" around in his room. We has his random blood sugar tested and the dr said that his blood sugar is fine but I still think that something is wrong, a child should not be hungry ALL the time everyday.
His teacher said that he never complains of hunger at school but as soon as he comes home he feels like he needs a meal for a snack and a couple hours later another meal for dinner (and he eats 2x more than me at every meal). He is in counceling for other issues and the councelor said she cant figure out the hunger issue either.

Advise on what to do - anyone?!?!?!?

[Renee Radenberg]

Would you state your son's height and weight (in kg or lbs). Thank you.

[aprilsanc]

I dont know for sure his height and weight but the dr told me that he is between 30 and 35 lbs overweight

[Renee Radenberg]

Most children are hungry when they come home from school and are able to eat dinner a few hours after the snack. I really need to know his height and weight to help you. If he is 30-35lbs, as you stated, then he is not over weight for his age. He is a growing boy and needs food to grow.

[aprilsanc]

I weighed and measured him - - he is 4'5 and weighs 92 lbs
Dr said he weighs as much as a 10 year old (and he is only 7) and is between 30 - 35 lbs overweight

[Renee Radenberg]

Now I see what his weight and height is and yes he is very over weight. Sorry about before, I misunderstood what his weight was. It is recommended to increase children's physical activities to loss weight, and not lower calorie intake due to the need of calories for growth. Have your child go and play outdoors, run, walk, and dance. Limit time in front of the TV or non-active-video games. There have been studies showing the longer the length of time a child sit in front of the TV, the greater the weight gain. I suggest you do limit high sugar drinks/snacks and replace with low fat milk/yogurt or fruit/popcorn/low fat cheese. High sugar drink and snacks do not give the child nutrients they need. Hope this helps now.

[aprilsanc]

My question was what could cause him to be hungry ALL the time. His doctor has given me guidelines on what he should be eating and he is a very active child the only TV time that he gets is 30 min at night before bed.
But he continuously screams and cries and "flails" around when he is hungry. The crying is almost like he has colic but he is too old for that isnt he?? His doctor said that when a child has indigestion that they are hungry at that time so he gave him Zantac and said that would help. But its not helping.
Is there something else that can be causing this???

[what2donow]

My 7 year old girl is the same way!!!Hungry All of the time.She is the right size for her age,but is eating all of the time.The dr told me it was a phase.He said now is a time they are growing alot and their bodys need the calories.

Good Luck

[Renee Radenberg]

I really do not know what can cause the hunger all the time. If he is hungry then feed him "empty” or very low calorie foods. It would fill him up but he would not gain weight. Examples of some foods are: diet Jell-O, water, diet lemonade, salad with very little salad dressing, carrot sticks, or air popped popcorn.

[BeckyDrake]

My 8 year old is the very same. He weighs 101lbs. I really could indentify with you when you described your son wanting to eat a meal for an after school snack.  We keep low calorie foods so he's not getting a lot of calories here.  We eat whole wheat everything, drink calorie free drink mix, use turkey burger instead of beef, and buy fat free when ever it's an option.  My son is also very active, and when he does watch TV he can't sit still, to the point of rolling around doing summer-saults etc during his TV time. Granted since it's winter, he does have more TV time but still....my question is the same as yours: "Why is he hungry ALL the time?" He's constantly mad at me because I have to tell him "no" about eating at least 5x in the 5 hours he's awake after school. Keep in mind he asks 5x or more after having a snack, dinner, and sometimes, very rarely dessert...usually something like a granola bar or apple/bannna.