So far this week has been much better than last. Getting the news on Sunday that Sasha lost a significant amount of weight (1.8 kg or 5 pounds in one week) for the first time since December was good news- this is not because he needs to lose weight, but because the weight loss is a sign of improved metabolism consistent with the changes we saw during the fall when he showed more improvement overall with his reduced appetite, improved mood, decreased food seeking, etc. To me, it was a sign that maybe we were back on track with the therapeutic doses of both melatonin and oxytocin. It's still too early to tell but my husband and I have both detected Sasha's improved mellowness around food. It is actually palpable... he appears more relaxed and less anxious about eating! His mellowness then definitely rubs off on us and we can also relax a tiny bit more. Ahhhhhhh.
After quite a bit of thought and consulting with other parents of adolescent boys, we are trying out a new theory to explain his increased hunger, food seeking, and weight gain over the past month or two. Besides the possible metabolic disturbance from the addition of testosterone, subtraction of melatonin, and temporary change of oxytocin (from 6 to 9 back down to 6 iu), we believe that part of his hunger may be easily explained by his simple need for more food because of his current GROWTH SPURT. On December 18, he was 172.1 cm (5'7.75") and weighed 70.6 kg (155 pounds). He started testosterone on December 21. Today he is 175.9 cm (5'9.25") and 71.9 kg (158 pounds).This means that he has grown 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in 11 weeks which is equivalent to growing 7.1 inches (18 cm) in one year! Yikes! That is rapid growth! What all parents of teenage boys tell me is that they get HUNGRIER. Of course, we are traumatized by Sasha's hunger because it has been HO hunger, a very different type of hunger when he was constantly obsessed with his next meal or snack. Intellectually, I know that teenage boys get hungrier but when Sasha gets hungry. I get anxious (at best) and turn into a kitchen bitch (at worst). This is not a helpful way to be with Sasha since I know it makes him more upset and more likely to rebel and seek food.
We know that he is going through puberty, thanks to that weekly testosterone shot. We see the changes in his body (more muscle, flatter stomach, pimples, breast changes) and of course, he's growing taller, too. I get it! But it's still hard for me to get my head around the fact that Sasha will NEED more food to keep up with his growth, duh! Despite his probable NEED for more calories, we have not been permitting the increase of calories. Maybe his increased food seeking and food intensity is in reaction to his genuine hunger from this growth spurt?!
*sigh*
I need to "chill-ax" as my daughter says and have a new attitude about Sasha's physiologic need for more food now. Of course, we will still stick to his lower carb, higher protein, higher fat diet and hope that providing more food to him will help ease his hunger. We shall see what happens as we try to relax and permit more food to Sasha- stay tuned...
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