How much protein?

byHISstrength
byHISstrength Posts: 984 Member
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
Ok, so my 15, soon to be 16 year old son Josh had his free session with a personal trainer at the gym and the guy told him to take in 180g of protein everyday. Josh is a about 160lbs and plays WR on his high school football team. Josh is a slender kid and really wants to gain weight.

My question is what is considered a safe amount of protein to take for him? 180g seems like A LOT. My concern is that this personal trainer, for all we know is not a certified trainer and most likely not a nutritionist / registered dietician, so should he really be advising a kid on his diet so specifically? Josh seems to really like the guy and is impressionable...

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • bsparks81
    bsparks81 Posts: 29
    hmm, I would say to talk with his dr about it especially if you are not comfortable with what the person told your son. Explain to your son that the best way in life for anything medical or fitness related would be to get more than one opinion because sometimes people push what they believe and end up hurting others that don't always need that. Good luck!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Set up an account on MFP for him and customize his goals to 30% protein, as anymore than that over a long time horizon can have negative heath impacts, this will give you a good idea on how much he should get, you may also want to set his goal as gaining 1/2 pound per week, with light active activity level. The 180 grams will probably be pretty close and I'm guessing the caloric intake will be over 3000/day.

    I ate like a pig while I played high school football just to maintain my weight and I only weighed 145 ish pounds.
  • byHISstrength
    byHISstrength Posts: 984 Member
    Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

    bsparks--yeah, I did tell Josh that we really need to get opinions from others...perferrably a professional. You are right about people pushing what they believe. I guess I do that too because I try to encourage others about what works for me...every body is different.

    erickirb--I actually thought about setting up an MFP account for Josh, but I just tried and apparently members have to be at least 18, which of course makes sense.

    Thanks again. Have a great day!
  • byHISstrength
    byHISstrength Posts: 984 Member
    Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

    bsparks--yeah, I did tell Josh that we really need to get opinions from others...perferrably a professional. You are right about people pushing what they believe. I guess I do that too because I try to encourage others about what works for me...every body is different.

    erickirb--I actually thought about setting up an MFP account for Josh, but I just tried and apparently members have to be at least 18, which of course makes sense.

    Thanks again. Have a great day!

    [apparently, all of my previous post did not appear]

    erickirb--I actually thought about setting up an MFP account for Josh, but I just tried and apparently members have to be at least 18, which of course makes sense.

    Thanks again. Have a great day!
  • thumper44
    thumper44 Posts: 1,464 Member
    I'm at 150-175 grams of protein a day. 40-30-30 daily intake of ~2100 calories.
    I'm at ~190 and want to lose more weight.

    One example.
    If he was eating 3000 calories a day at a 40-30-30 ratio that would be about 250 grams of protein a day.

    He wants to gain the right kind of weight, IMO, I think it's ok.
  • Thrust
    Thrust Posts: 63 Member
    There are few reliable studies that correlate high protein intake with impaired health. One of the most often cited anecdotal myths is "it'll hurt your kidneys." I have consumed in excess of 2g per lb. of body weight. As you can imagine, when I first heard this myth I was a bit concerned about extended high-protein consumption. I consulted with a personal physician, who is one of the leading urologists in the US. His response? "Drink plenty of water and there's nothing to worry about."

    Finally, I'd suggest reading the information available at this link: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne38.htm

    "Are High Protein Diets Safe? Dispelling the Myth" by Layne Norton. Layne in a PhD candidate and recognized expert on protein synthesis. He's been published in several refereed journals, including The Journal of Nutrition.

    Finally, I believe your son's trainer is right on target with 180g per day recommendation.
  • jsabol21
    jsabol21 Posts: 5
    Not about the protien, but about his age and MFP. Why don't you just say he is two years older on the age? Unless you find anything here offensive or dangerous (I'm not sure how you could), he's fine to use the tool. Also, as his parent you have the right to consent. If you think you'd like to monitor it, make it a password you know. I'm sure facebook is more "dangerous"!
  • angiemartin78
    angiemartin78 Posts: 475 Member
    I'd say ask his dr or take him in to see a nutritionist
  • dirtbikegirl5
    dirtbikegirl5 Posts: 391 Member
    I would definitely check with his doctor. Protein affects different people in different ways.
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    Not about the protien, but about his age and MFP. Why don't you just say he is two years older on the age? Unless you find anything here offensive or dangerous (I'm not sure how you could), he's fine to use the tool. Also, as his parent you have the right to consent. If you think you'd like to monitor it, make it a password you know. I'm sure facebook is more "dangerous"!
    It's actually against the terms of service to use MFP if you're under 18. I wouldn't tell people to actively by pass this.

    Regarding the amount of protein, I think it's pretty spot on.
  • MikeSEA
    MikeSEA Posts: 1,074 Member
    This is only anecdotal, but if I ate now like I did when I was 15, 180g of protein wouldn't seem like all that much to me.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    You should ask his pediatrician that question. Strangers on the internet and personal trainers are not always good sources of nutritional information, though many of think they are experts.
  • jdragonfly
    jdragonfly Posts: 64 Member
    Hi there on reguards to the protein you should add him here and it should show you sorry i can not be to much help just a suggestion though
  • jdragonfly
    jdragonfly Posts: 64 Member
    GREAT WEIGHTLOSS :)
  • rachf2013
    rachf2013 Posts: 69
    My boyfriend was into body building and was doing the same thing. He's about 160lbs as well and his trainer told him to eat more than his weight in protein in a day.

    He ended up really messing up his body; he got very sick and had to get a minor surgery (endoscopy) so they could figure out what was wrong.

    FInally, I convinced him he was eating too much. He now eats like a normal full grown man (70-110g of protein a day) and is perfectly healthy and still gaining muscle mass.
  • Lanna74
    Lanna74 Posts: 203 Member
    Hi! I have 15 year old twin lacrosse players who are working out with a trainer now too. They are loving the looks of the new muscles they are building and have even gotten compliments at school which is keeping them going. ha ha ha.....

    I am sure you're getting much better advice than I could give, like to ask his doctor and such. But as a mother, I would just be sure he is eating protein at every meal. Lean protein. And if he wants to add in a protein shake instead of a junk food snack after school, I'm sure that would help as well.

    Best of luck to you both!!! =)
  • junyr
    junyr Posts: 416 Member
    My boyfriend was into body building and was doing the same thing. He's about 160lbs as well and his trainer told him to eat more than his weight in protein in a day.

    He ended up really messing up his body; he got very sick and had to get a minor surgery (endoscopy) so they could figure out what was wrong.

    FInally, I convinced him he was eating too much. He now eats like a normal full grown man (70-110g of protein a day) and is perfectly healthy and still gaining muscle mass.

    So what did they determine was the problem that they discovered if you don't mind me asking?
  • fatguyweightloss
    fatguyweightloss Posts: 145
    bsparks--yeah, I did tell Josh that we really need to get opinions from others...perferrably a professional.

    Be careful who you ask for incites from professionals, most medical doctors have little training in education and too little free time to keep up with latest technical documentation and normally will side with "convential wisdom" to reduce risk of litigation. Get advice, research the claims and make smart decisions.
  • rachf2013
    rachf2013 Posts: 69
    My boyfriend was into body building and was doing the same thing. He's about 160lbs as well and his trainer told him to eat more than his weight in protein in a day.

    He ended up really messing up his body; he got very sick and had to get a minor surgery (endoscopy) so they could figure out what was wrong.

    FInally, I convinced him he was eating too much. He now eats like a normal full grown man (70-110g of protein a day) and is perfectly healthy and still gaining muscle mass.

    So what did they determine was the problem that they discovered if you don't mind me asking?

    They actually didn't, but he stopped eating so much and about a month later the problems went away. But I know correlation doesnt equal causation...
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