Bad advice to son?

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rowdylibrarian
rowdylibrarian Posts: 251 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Good choice or Crap? My teenage son (16), who is a bit too heavy, has been trying to make healthier choices, and has been doing Extreme Workouts, kettlebells, ropes, etc. with his dad and a Personal Trainer. On our vacation, he ate a lot of junk food, and gained some weight back, probably salt-based. His dad and PT have told him that he can't have any sugar, fruit, bread, or pasta for 7 days "to jumpstart his metabolism" and get him back to where he was before the trip. This seems like it could be Not A Good Thing. Thoughts?

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  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    It won't jump start his metabolism but it'll jump start him into Ketosis. Harmless and potentially helpful to get him back on track. People do respond differently to this however. Some tolerate it and do fine, some are tired, grouchy and irritable.
  • Jules2Be
    Jules2Be Posts: 2,267 Member
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    He is 16. Eat a balanced diet and smash things at the gym. tell the trainer to jump in a lake.
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
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    He is 16. Eat a balanced diet and smash things at the gym. tell the trainer to jump in a lake.

    I agree. My kids are younger, but we control what they eat. We restrict junk food and in turn they magically eat healthy things when they get hungry enough.
  • Bluepopsicle_25
    Bluepopsicle_25 Posts: 62 Member
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    That is essentially what the first stage of the south beach diet is like: Low sugar, low carb. It is designed to address insulin resistance which occurs in individuals that consum to many sugars and simple carbs over an extended period of time. I don't think that eating this way for 7 days would harm your son, especially if he is eating alot of colorful vegitables to make up for the lack of fruit.

    I am not an expert in nutrition, nor do I have a medical background, this is just an opinion :smile:
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    Good choice or Crap? My teenage son (16), who is a bit too heavy, has been trying to make healthier choices, and has been doing Extreme Workouts, kettlebells, ropes, etc. with his dad and a Personal Trainer. On our vacation, he ate a lot of junk food, and gained some weight back, probably salt-based. His dad and PT have told him that he can't have any sugar, fruit, bread, or pasta for 7 days "to jumpstart his metabolism" and get him back to where he was before the trip. This seems like it could be Not A Good Thing. Thoughts?

    try not to post things in two different groups. It makes for confusion and clogs the boards. thanks :)
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,821 Member
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    I never eat sugar, bread or pasta and I limit the fruit. I think it's smart idea. I doubt you can jump start your metabolism, but most folks who eat less carbs lose more weight.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
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    Trainer is wrong. Find a new one or tell him/her to stop giving terrible nutrition advice.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    I never eat bread or pasta and I limit the fruit. I think it s smart idea. I doubt you can jump start your metabolism, but most folks who eat less carbs lose more weight.

    Actually most data shows that low carb intake diet and regular calorie deficit diet result in approximatley the same weight loss over the long term. Just a matter of preference and low carb can be a good tool for some.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    I never eat bread or pasta and I limit the fruit. I think it s smart idea. I doubt you can jump start your metabolism, but most folks who eat less carbs lose more weight.

    I'll reiterate. It's a 16 year old CHILD who needs to learn how to respond to situations like vacations, holidays, etc. and encouraging him to cut out entire food groups in order to lose weight is not keeping his emotional/mental wellbeing when it comes to food and his body image at the forefront. I think it isn't going to do much good anyway so the only lasting effect is the thought that "when i eat bad food i have to restrict myself because my weight MUST go down."
  • kathleennf
    kathleennf Posts: 606 Member
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    Ah well- it wouldn't be my first choice either BUT- if he and his dad and his trainer want to do it, I'd ignore it and let them. The most important thing is I think it's GREAT that a dad and a 16y boy are doing something like this together- this is GREAT for your son in the big picture. Let them be.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    I'll reiterate. It's a 16 year old CHILD who needs to learn how to respond to situations like vacations, holidays, etc. and encouraging him to cut out entire food groups in order to lose weight is not keeping his emotional/mental wellbeing when it comes to food and his body image at the forefront. I think it isn't going to do much good anyway so the only lasting effect is the thought that "when i eat bad food i have to restrict myself because my weight MUST go down."

    Very good point here!
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    damn. If I was a teenager, and I was in that situation, I'd feel extremely resentful.

    Who took him on vacation and let him have all the treats? The adults around him. Now he gets punished? Dislike.


    I dislike all of this. The crazy working out, the message that vacation=eat with abandon, the punitive measures being used now.
  • taylor5877
    taylor5877 Posts: 1,792 Member
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    he's 16 and lifting weight.

    Eat as healthy as he can, lift hard, and enjoy the hormones...

    The more muscle he puts on for the next few years, the better.

    just my opinion. I'm on board with forget about diet adjusting, and just go back to what he was doing before the vacation.
  • magj0y
    magj0y Posts: 1,911 Member
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    If he's been with this trainer for awhile, stay with him. It's a week, not a month or forever, simply a week. If it starts disagreeing with his body, it's easy to fix. He's not going to die.

    When I go on vacation, so does my diet. When I get back, if work harder to get back to where I was.
  • dhakiyya
    dhakiyya Posts: 481 Member
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    he's 16 and lifting weight.

    Eat as healthy as he can, lift hard, and enjoy the hormones...

    The more muscle he puts on for the next few years, the better.

    just my opinion. I'm on board with forget about diet adjusting, and just go back to what he was doing before the vacation.

    ^^^ this

    And also the advice I've heard from paediatric dieticians in the past about childhood and teenage obesity, is not for them to lose weight, but to keep their weight stable and "grow into" their weight, while eating a healthy diet and doing lots of exercise. They slim out and improve their body composition as they grow taller, basically. Anything too strict can potentially limit their growth (as well as risking other nutritional or psychological issues). And I don't know what level of calorie restriction is too strict for a growing child or teenager, so if it was my child I'd see a paediatric dietician for advice about this.

    Is the trainer actually trained and qualified to give dietary advice to children and teenagers? What's concerning me is whether he's taking advice that's suitable for adults and thinking that the same advice will do for teenagers. If that is the case then don't take advice from him and instead see a paediatric dietician. I don't think it's right to advise a teenage boy who is still growing, and possibly still growing very fast (depending what stage of puberty he's at) to give up carbs for a week. And yes it's just a week but if he's giving one piece of dodgy advice, then what about his dietary advice the rest of the time?

    I also agree with some of the points already made about the "punishment" aspect of this. Yes he over-indulged on holiday, maybe he's having a growth spurt or maybe he wasn't eating enough before going on holiday. Just going back on track with a healthy eating and exercise plan would be better I think, both physically and psychologically.
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
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    I never eat bread or pasta and I limit the fruit. I think it s smart idea. I doubt you can jump start your metabolism, but most folks who eat less carbs lose more weight.

    I'll reiterate. It's a 16 year old CHILD who needs to learn how to respond to situations like vacations, holidays, etc. and encouraging him to cut out entire food groups in order to lose weight is not keeping his emotional/mental wellbeing when it comes to food and his body image at the forefront. I think it isn't going to do much good anyway so the only lasting effect is the thought that "when i eat bad food i have to restrict myself because my weight MUST go down."

    This is excellent advice. A healthy relationship with food is essential as well as parental control. Our oldest 2 kids 7 and 9 know about carbs, protein, fat and sugar as well as the importance of regular exercise. Enough to know what food is what and that they need to eat all three major food groups for health and to feel full until the next meal. They also know sugar/junk is for an occasional treat. They are still working down their Halloween candy which wasn't really that much. Maybe I'm a nazi but they are all in extremely good health and are now begging to come with us on runs and cycling rides.
  • Shange_Gully
    Shange_Gully Posts: 106
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    The reasoning isn't right, but the diet itself can be very useful. Refined carbs are full of **** anyway so it's no biggie taking them out.
  • rowdylibrarian
    rowdylibrarian Posts: 251 Member
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    Thank you all so much for your advice and input! I really do appreciate it! You've given me a lot to think about. His dad and I are going to talk privately about this tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks again!

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