View Full Version : Sneaking food?
Ok everyone, I need some advice. Dustin has been sneaking food. He has done it off and on since dix. But this time he is not stoping like the other times. I have set him down and talked with him several times. I have ask him to come tell me he is hungry and we will find a snack. We have talked about how he gets sick if his sugars get to high. Even said we would cheat sometimes now that he is on the pump. But he just wants to sneak food when ever he can. Anything from bacon bits yesterday to a Rice Krispy treat last night.
I try not to leave food out in plane sight. We have fee food in the fridge he can help himself to anytime. Yet still this problem. It makes me cry thinking he thinks he has to sneak food if he is hungry. Yet he will not tell me he is hungry. This is breaking my heart. Any help would be great!
Amy C.
07-22-2006, 09:34 AM
You do not indicate in this message the age of your child. My son is 12 and I allow him to eat snacks as he wants, as long as he does a shot to cover the carbs and to let me know after he ate a snack so that I can record it. Is it possible for your son to have what he wants to eat and then you work out the insulin with the snack? Lantus and Humalog work well this way and a pump is even better.
selketine
07-22-2006, 09:46 AM
Even said we would cheat sometimes now that he is on the pump.
What exactly are you cheating? A meal plan? A set amount of carbs he can have per snack and meal?
If he is pumping and isn't have weight issues then I do not see why he can't eat when he is hungry - and not just free foods - but good healthy things and the occassional piece of junk too.
I think trying to keep him to a meal plan with limits on the carbs is setting yourself up for a huge battle that really doesn't need to be fought unless there are other issues (like if he is very overweight to begin with). I highly recommend the book Sweet Kids (available at amazon.com and other places).
Dustin is 6 years old. Yes he a little bit of wait issues. His doctor does not want him to gain much wait. At 6 Dustin is 4'2" and is 92 lbs. The doctors are not to worried about wait. They think he is going to just be a stocky when grown. So they want us to stick as much as possible to 60 carbs at every meal. And no snacks most days. Just at special times. They say keep veggies ready all the time. I do. But he just gets so tired of them. We have been at this three years now. And he has ate more veggies than most kids I know. lol
Thanks for the book recomend. I will have to read it. Any other books anyone can recomend. This is the first place in three years I have had someone to talk to about stuff like this! Even the JDRF says there are no groups close to where I live! Ugh!!
zimbie45
07-22-2006, 10:54 AM
Hi
I know how difficult the sneaking food is, Charlize has done it on occasion, but it has gotten better, IF i may ask why does he still have " free" snacks? The good thing with teh pump is that you can eat when you wnat to, of course we are still parents and they are still kids and have to eat proper regardless of diabetes or not... Charlize is always growing and always hungry... so she gets to snack, we still choose healthy snacks and choose snacks with in reason.. but hey ... if they dont have a weight issue, its not going to spoil dinner, ect.. WHY not.. I found that allowing more freedom helped because not she stopped sneeking foods and really listens to why i say no, ( now its not reasons due to diabetes and that makes her happy.. Grant it she gets mad because mom is now just being an meanie as she puts it, but hey what ever..
Yes he still can have a free snack when ever he wants. But what I know to be free foods are veggies. And he is so tired of them! Just don't know what else there is. I am going to talk to his endo. about this first thing Monday morning. I have learned in the short time I have been here that most of the time you all have the best advice because you have lived it! The endo. has not.
And the last two days I have heard that I am a meanie so many times I think I am going to change my name to meanie! lol But I am just trying to do what the endo thinks is best for Dustin. And it helps to know I am not the only meanie out there! heehee That in its self is wonderful! {{hugs****
mom2emily
07-22-2006, 11:47 AM
Here are some free foods that we use as a snack:
sugar free jello with whipped topping
string cheese sticks
lean lunch meat (you could roll them up with a slice of cheese)
pepperoni
summer sausage
olives
These are some of the things that my daughter likes unfortunatley most are high in fat and/or sodium:(
I know that is very hard to control the diet of a six year old.
wendyc
07-22-2006, 12:24 PM
Dustin is 6 years old. Yes he a little bit of wait issues. His doctor does not want him to gain much wait. At 6 Dustin is 4'2" and is 92 lbs. The doctors are not to worried about wait. . So they want us to stick as much as possible to 60 carbs at every meal. And no snacks most days. Just at special times.
It is really hard to expect a growing child to not have snacks, and while free's are healthy, they aren't always satisfying, or after several years, just plain boring! The other issue I am concerened with, and our dietician has mentioned it is a problem, is with sodium and fat content of cheeses and deli cheeses and meats. It seems that your son is in a bit of a rut when it comes to snacking. Is there anyway you could switch some free's into his meals, and save the extra carbs for snacktime? For example, if he has pretzels with his lunch, could you maybe cut the serving in half, make up the other half with veggies and give the remainder at snack time?
selketine
07-22-2006, 01:26 PM
I totally do not think he needs to have more choices of "free" snacks in terms of low carb snacks. The "free snacks" like cheese or meat are not exactly low calorie. I mean he could a mountain full of hamburger and not have many carbs but a lot of fat and calories. (I'm not saying that he does that of course). It is absolutely ridiculous of his pedi endo to be concerned with carbs when the real issue is CALORIES. Which is better - a bag of pork rinds with few carbs or a banana with a bunch of carbs?
Free snacks for your son should be the ones that are lower calorie rather than low carb.
I would personally forget about limiting his carbs. I would add snacks that contain carbs. I would take him to a nutritionist to come up with something that works. I would consult with your son and let him have input into what foods he likes best and make sure many of them are in his meals. Try to get him involved in some sports if he isn't already. If he isn't interested in the usual sports even things like golf, laser tag, playing frisbee, etc.
I think the situation now is that he is on a rigid plan - hates it - sneaks food - and it is to the point that BOTH of you feel the need to "cheat" at times and he is just six.
wendyc
07-22-2006, 02:23 PM
I agree with Carol. Does your endo have a dietician or nutritionist on staff? They could help you with snack/meal ideas that would be best for your son.
Is your child sneaking food because he's hungry, or because he's being told he can't have it? I would talk to your doctor, because this could create a bunch of problems with food down the road. Kids need carbs and fats to grow, but healthy ones. I'm surprised your endo is limiting his carbs, considering he is so young, and he's on a pump. This is the time when children learn best about food choices, as to what is healthy and what's not, excess and moderation. Your docs restrictions might actually be undermining this. As Carol said, what's better a bag of low carb pork rinds, or a carb packed bannana?
I know this is probably very frustrating for both you and your son, you're looking out for his best interest, and he just wants to be like everyone else.
I wish you the best of luck.
zimbie45
07-22-2006, 03:57 PM
ok maybe im not getting it, this is what we do... Charlize is 5 years old, she weights only 49lbs and is on the pump... she eats all meals and has at least 2 (sometimes 3 snacks per day)... we make choices together, but mostly she picks.. grapes, crackers and peanut butter, cheese and crackers, apples ( her favorite) fruit snacks, popcorn, chips, carrots, cucumbers.. a mixture of good and junkie... I think that regarless if there is a weight problem or not, you should not denie food, but just make diffrent choices.. any one that goes on weight wathers, jenny craig ect are taught to eat frequently, just smaller portions and better choices.... With both my kids i ahve done this adn i am teaching them there is a diffrence of good, bad and just plain yummy.. D or no D.. With the pump dustin should be able to have something when he is truely hungrey and needs a snack... i have charlize get involved with the choice... I aske her what has she eaten today, and then go from there, If i have to tell her no, i tell her why ( and use a reason not pertaining to d)...
the pump alowes the flexiblitly,
zimbie45
07-22-2006, 04:11 PM
ok maybe im not getting it, this is what we do... Charlize is 5 years old, she weights only 49lbs and is on the pump... she eats all meals and has at least 2 (sometimes 3 snacks per day)... we make choices together, but mostly she picks.. grapes, crackers and peanut butter, cheese and crackers, apples ( her favorite) fruit snacks, popcorn, chips, carrots, cucumbers.. a mixture of good and junkie... I think that regarless if there is a weight problem or not, you should not denie food, but just make diffrent choices.. any one that goes on weight wathers, jenny craig ect are taught to eat frequently, just smaller portions and better choices.... With both my kids i ahve done this adn i am teaching them there is a diffrence of good, bad and just plain yummy.. D or no D.. With the pump dustin should be able to have something when he is truely hungrey and needs a snack... i have charlize get involved with the choice... I aske her what has she eaten today, and then go from there, If i have to tell her no, i tell her why ( and use a reason not pertaining to d)...
the pump alowes the flexiblitly,
allisa
07-22-2006, 05:29 PM
I think that beyond "free" food vs. carbs.....kids just want that independence of eating when they want...not having to check in every time and have a big discussion, a mathmatic lesson, and a possible bolus......
It may just be that Dustin like every kid is resenting his Diabetes.....can't say I blame him a bit.....I can't even imagine how tedious it is for our children.
Having said that.....what is the right answer....I have no clue :(
I think some parents/pateints DON"T switch to the pump for that reason.....to save themselves from counting, calculating & bolusing....just to have a lousy snack.....THIS IS NOT MY VIEW/FEELING.....but again just the tedious nature of this disease.
I think it sounds as though Dustin has plenty of choices given by you ( and wouldn't bacon bits be free, anyways?).....but perhaps he just needs a chance to vent his frustration/irration at the whole ordeal.
Beyond that......the only other thing I can think of is to let him pick out the foods he wants when shopping, free & otherwise.....I'd check out the Atkins site for additional ideas of "free" foods. Not sure what my feelings are on "hiding" the other food ( you said you don't leave it out in plain sight )...makes it seem so "forbidden" or tempting somehow....maybe that "control" issue is causing him to rebel....
I wish you the best of luck !! Let us know how things are going !!
Just wanted to throw my $.02 in as someone who has had T1 for 32 years. I've been lurking here recently b/c I found out my son who is 3 has all the autoantibodies for T1:( Anyway, what I want to tell you is that I think all kids with T1 go through periods of eating off meal-plan and the more rigid the plan, the harder it is for the kid. You aren't doing anything wrong and it is just the nature of a child to want to indulge in the simple pleasure of eating without constant restrictions. I would try and lose the term "cheating" though. It's a term that was around a lot when I was dxed in 1974 and it's a concept that leaves a kid feeling guilty and a parent anxious. I'm not sure why your son needs to be on such a strict plan when he is on the pump? Giving him a little more freedom with what he eats and allowing him to indulge in treats once in a while, might decrease the amount of "sneaking" going on. Believe me, I did plenty of "sneaking" back when we didn't even have humalog or bs testing, and all my T1 friends would tell you the same. I know it is so hard, but try not to get so upset every time your son eats something off-plan. I don't know if you have many T1 adults who post here, but I wanted to also say that diabetes has not stopped me from living a great life. I know it is so hard for parents to manage this and I am also feeling very sad and angry about my son's impending diagnosis, but know that it is very possible for your child to do anything he wants in life. All of my T1 friends are doing great, and many have multiple kids, great careers, etc. Take care.
Wendy
Thanks everyone for the help. I am not mad at Dustin for this. It just breaks my heart to check his sugar and it be 300 or 400. And him tell me he just wanted to try somthing he found in the fridge or pantry. And than he is sick (gets sick when sugars are high). I never yell at him. I even tell him to come to me and we will try to work more food in on the days he is extra hungry. Some days I just don't care what the endo. has to say (don't tell him that)! Still he would rather go get somthing him self with out telling me.
Allisa I think you may be right. Rebeling aganst D maybey what is going on. Because he has done this from the start. Even when he was on the shots and eating 3 meals and 3 snacks. And I enclude him in food buying and he picks out what he wants to eat (to a point).
Wendy thank you for the insight to what a kid going through this feals like. I am amazed daily by how brave and tough my son is!
I want to thank everyone again for all the info. You all are great!
twicker1
07-24-2006, 08:09 PM
Is this something he has just started doing, or was he doing it before he started pumping? Back before he was on the pump, it was probably a bigger deal because he might have to get ANOTHER shot to cover what he ate. Don't attack me here, but I know I have used that as a deterrent on a rare occasion. If this is the case, then maybe he still hasn't comprehended that as long as you know about it and pick it out together, all you have to do is push some buttons, not get out the needles. That way, you know how much to give him so he doesn't get sick. Just an idea...
I'm not suggesting that you disregard the advice of your doctor but 6 is awfully young to be on such a restricted diet. Not only that but most meal plans for diabetics encourage small snacks btwn meals as a way to keep blood sugars more stable( as far as I know). I can't imagine how it must feel to be 6 and on such a rigid plan set by the doctor.
I think a consult with a dietician/nutritionist would be a great start as well as discussing this issue with your endo. I'm sure sneaking food is something a lot of diabetic children do, my son does it as well.
Good luck. I hope you can find a happy medium :)