You know the story. You bring your child in after a great few weeks on a new medication for ADHD, only to find out--they're losing weight. Maybe only a little, maybe lots! What can you do? Especially if you live in a house like ours where there's one person who is obese, and one who needs extra calories, just thinking about the extra meals is enough to be overwhelming! It doesn't need to be. Here is a step to step guide to making a plan that will work for your person who needs to keep on weight to stay on a medication that is working.
Plan 1. Medication breaks
Skipping a dose of medication on off days works best for people who have mild ADHD symptoms, who only need their stimulant medication for work or school work, and who only have mild weight loss.
Plan 2. Beef up breakfast
This works best for people who like breakfast, or who like certain breakfast foods. It is also helpful for people who have a household member who is obese, because many people do not eat breakfast together as a family. Also, it is easy to serve one person cold cereal. Healthy ways to increase calories at breakfast include adding a little extra to your milk (such as protein powder, powdered milk, instant breakfast mix), adding a piece of meat, or fruit.
Plan 3. Keep them eating when they aren't interested.
Often a lack of appetite does not mean the stomach is full. It could mean the child has lost patience with eating, though. To combat this issue, try to serve larger portions. If your child has to ask, prepare, or wait for more food, they may lose interest and just not bother eating, but if it is on their plate already they may be willing to eat more. Sometimes kids with ADHD need a parent or responsible sibling to sit with them to keep them focused on eating when they'd rather be doing something else. If your child says he or she is full, though, its best to not force them to continue to eat unless you are confident it is not possible they are truly full.
Plan 4. Add-ons for dinner
For dinner, the strategy you will most likely want is to use add-ons to add calories to one person's meal without killing another person's weight loss diet. You do this by doing things like adding spreads, dips, nuts, seeds, sauce to the meal of the person who needs to gain, while either leaving them out or using them more sparingly for what you are cooking for the family as a whole.
Plan 5. A healthy, but hefty after-dinner snack
Also known as second dinner, but not really. You and I are both too tired to cook another meal at the end of the day. But you can try saving leftovers and serving them now. Making a sandwich is another option. If you want to avoid lunch meat, make extra pork chops, save chicken breasts or meatloaf, or boil some eggs for egg salad. Tuna fish, hummus, or a quesadilla are other options. Other ideas for hefty after-dinner snacks include crackers with cheese and fruit or a bowl of granola cereal.
Plan 6. Add to their liquids
Don't serve water to the person trying to keep on weight. Add a scoop of powder (protein, milk powder, instant breakfast powder) to milk to add calories and protein without seeming to add to volume of food. In our house, person who is obese gets water with enhancer, the person trying to gain weight gets instant breakfast, and the rest of us get skim milk. For instant instant breakfast, individual premade servings are also available, and are especially handy for school lunch.
Whatever plan, or plans you choose, work with the person who is trying to keep/gain weight. Accept honest feedback from them, and keep tabs on their weight according to your doctor's instructions. If things aren't working out, it may be time for a different medication or medications for appetite.
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