Eating Healthy/Diet Charts

[ML]

I'm trying to put together a chart for manster as per our therapist's suggestion. Something to help us keep track of what he can and does eat. I'm just having trouble visualizing it. I've googled trying to find something with no luck. I was wondering if anyone can suggest a site or perhaps some specifics to what may have helped you.

Thank you!

 

[klmno]

difficult child and I ran across a great one for counting calories and watching certain types of foods about a year ago (to make sure meals are balanced and there's not too much carb intake, if my memory serves me correctly). I'd have to do a little digging to find it again but I might be able to. What is it you want Manster focused on the most- calories, healthy foods, etc?

 

[ML]

Thanks KLMNO I would sure appreciate it. We're focusing on portion control and cutting calories. keep in mind that his obsession *is* food so we're fighting an uphill battle. therapist said he can have 6 meals (BLD and 3 small snacks). Also, he is allowed a small amount of forbidden food that we will decide upon weekly (this week it's 4 oreos) that he can have whenever he wants. Then, to address "hunger" (or what he perceives to be hunger) during meals we're going to teach him to find ways to distract himself from it.

 

[klmno]

Ok, I'll see if I can find it today sometime. It helped difficult child to sit at the computer and see the chart and calories of each food, etc for himself. We were shocked about some of them. This was a website where you registered (for free) but kept up with the daily intake on the website. You might be able to improvise and do a hardcopy if it's a problem for Manster to do it online daily. I should point out, again if my memory serves me correctly, that the calories they suggested as daily intake were for grown men and women. Since my son was already the size of some grown men (height and build), I assumed that he would need slightly more calories being that growing kids burn more than adults. I guess you are aware that if Manster is on medications, that can make the struggle more difficult for him- the MS's apparently short circuit the message to the brain that the stomach is full. You might also consider allowing him fruit if he's having a lot of difficulty staying away from an extra snack. I'd do that before I'd live thru a rage but you might not have that issue with Manster.

 

[ML]

Well he's on an SSRI which is just as bad I guess. Manster is a couple inches shorter than me (5 1") and weights 5 pounds more.

I agree with fruit which is why I will allow him to have as much as he wants because I've never seen him overeat on it. If I see that change I will revisit the current decision. I'm just trying to gravitate to a balanced diet. Well frankly his diet *is* balanced he just eats too much junk. It's actually quite overwhelming.

Beyond that we are riding bikes every night and I'm doing the best I can.

Thank you for your support on this.

 

[klmno]

Ok, fortunately I found three sites that I had saved to Favorites. I'm putting all three here but I think we did the free registration for the first one. If you scroll to the bottom on the home page there is a place where it will calculate your BMI if you're interested in that, too. This site apparently lets you track moods along with food intake which could be useful with our difficult child's but I don't recall if that was an option with the free registration or if you had to pay for the Premium membership to get that.

http://www.fitday.com/

http://www.thecaloriecounter.com/

http://www.google.com/webmasters/igoogle/calorie.html

 

[ML]

Cool! Thank you so much

 

[klmno]

You're very welcome! Please relay my "good luck" and well-wishes to my board nephew!

Now that I look at those sites again, we might have also used the google one.

 

[Wiped Out]

ML,
You'll have to let me know how this goes. My difficult child could really use something like this but is SO resistant.