Growing boys at puberty?

amandaeve
amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
A family friend has a 13-year old son of normal weight. He is growing taller by the minute and complains of eating and eating and never feeling full. He is sick of eating all the time and always feeling hungry. I guess she bought him protein powder to supplement his diet, which seems a little odd to me because I never felt more full from protein powder, and it seems to be this feeling of fullness that he craves. Anyone have any suggestions?

Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,224 Member
    At that age my brother could put away 14 tacos in a sitting. I think it's just symptom or puberty for some guys.
  • tomhurst
    tomhurst Posts: 47 Member
    Protein shakes always used to fill me up!
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,162 Member
    That sounds pretty typical for a boy that age. If I was his mom I would also have tried the protien powder to supplement since most people feel fuller when they get more protien. My only other suggestion would be for her to have plenty of things that he can snack on and make sure that he eats plenty of fruits and vegetables (for fiber) and doesn't just load up on "junk" (I don't really like to use that term) food. At this stage if he's not overweight then I wouldn't worry about what he eats too much. But foods with protien and fiber might help him to not feel so hungry all the time.
  • icemom011
    icemom011 Posts: 999 Member
    At that age ( and even later) my son used to eat everything in sight. I couldn't keep enough food around the house. Parent could provide healthy options for a kid to choose from, and keep on restocking fridge and pantry. Protein powder or not, makes no difference.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Growing teenage boys should eat plenty of food. The end.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    Protein, fiber, and fat can all help with fullness.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    The teenage boys I know/knew are/were food vacuum cleaners with hollow legs. It's fairly normal for a teen male to be unable to fill up/constantly eating.

    If he were my son, I'd let him eat whatever would fill him up.
  • billglitch
    billglitch Posts: 538 Member
    thats kind of normal for teenage boys. Maybe try some more fats in diet
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Protein fills me up.

    Buy him a jar of peanut butter.... and a jar of Nutella. Job done!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I study adolescents for a living. Yes, they grow as fast as toddlers. At that age I grew an inch a month for 8 months. Calorie dense foods like peanut butter, cream . . . . basically anything with a lot of fat. Then they have to slow down. Peak height velocity for growth lasts around a year. And protein powder isn't that good for them at that age. Real food.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    If added to his regular diet, then it would help him feel more full.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    When I was 13 I was a bottomless pit...comes with the territory.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    PB&J on whole grain bread with milk is the go-to snack for my 15-year-old boy. Well, that or a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
  • Rage_Phish
    Rage_Phish Posts: 1,507 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    When I was 13 I was a bottomless pit...comes with the territory.

    this

    there was no "full"
  • brendak76
    brendak76 Posts: 241 Member
    I have 2 teen boys and @JenHuedy is right. They need food. Make sure calorie dense choices are available. My oldest could live on salad and fruit and veggies. Ended up seeing a nutritionist because he couldn't get enough calories that way. I was buying healthy low calorie foods which he loves but it wasn't enough. Along with our "healthy" family foods I added, peanut butter, avocado, trail mix, full sugar yogurt, regular mayo, butter, full fat cottage cheese, and protein powder. Both of my boys are athletes (one is a gymnast who trains 20 hours a week and the other is a serious runner). Very hard to get enough calories in them.
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
    My food bill has doubled in the last 1.5 years. I also have 14 and 17 year old boys and let me say that in my house, there are never leftovers and I don't throw food away either. It's kind of hard to when it is all gone. If I want a treat, I have to get something no one but me likes so I am guaranteed to have it later. Otherwise, anything is fair game around my place. Boys especially at this age needs good, nutrient dense foods. Peanut butter is a staple in my house.
  • ericatoday
    ericatoday Posts: 454 Member
    Hes growing which takes a lot of energy so he eats more it will slow down once his growth spurt slows down. As for the protein powder yes ut should help protein is what helps keep you full longer. That and fiber
  • ouryve
    ouryve Posts: 572 Member
    Adolescent boys are like a one man swarm of locusts. Mine would live on biscuits, if I let him. We buy some on a Friday and this week's ration is already gone. He has a fairly narrow diet (ASD) and has a big portion of pasta and tomato sauce with whatever protein I can get past his lips, every night - usually meatballs or chicken thigh. Daft thing is, he can spend a full hour eating without stopping for a break, then in a situation where anxiety hits him, not eat anything at all for 10 hours.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    Sounds like a good idea to me.

    "Protein's position at the top of the satiety hierarchy is fairly well accepted"
    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224414002386
  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,267 MFP Moderator
    JenHuedy wrote: »
    I have a 14 year old and 17 year old. We'd be broke if it wasn't for Costco. They are like sharks, constantly swimming through the kitchen, leaving nothing but dirty dishes and banana peels in their wake. Last night, the 14 year old ate 2 sloppy joes, 2 ears of corn, a large baked potato loaded with cheese and sour cream and then asked me what was for dessert as he put his plate in the sink. His 17 year old brother, who is currently 6'3", was the same way at his age, and grew 8 inches and put on over 40 pounds that year while staying the same waist size. They need food.

    Oh my god! I literally laughed out loud at this and had to explain to my 15 and 12 year old sons why I was laughing. They eat so much (and sniff out all the 'hidden' treats, damn it)! I have no idea how one person can eat so much and not be the size of a whale.... and it gets worse? Mine aren't even (apparently) the right age yet. LOL! So serious question... when do they STOP eating anything not nailed down?
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    JustSomeEm wrote: »
    JenHuedy wrote: »
    I have a 14 year old and 17 year old. We'd be broke if it wasn't for Costco. They are like sharks, constantly swimming through the kitchen, leaving nothing but dirty dishes and banana peels in their wake. Last night, the 14 year old ate 2 sloppy joes, 2 ears of corn, a large baked potato loaded with cheese and sour cream and then asked me what was for dessert as he put his plate in the sink. His 17 year old brother, who is currently 6'3", was the same way at his age, and grew 8 inches and put on over 40 pounds that year while staying the same waist size. They need food.

    Oh my god! I literally laughed out loud at this and had to explain to my 15 and 12 year old sons why I was laughing. They eat so much (and sniff out all the 'hidden' treats, damn it)! I have no idea how one person can eat so much and not be the size of a whale.... and it gets worse? Mine aren't even (apparently) the right age yet. LOL! So serious question... when do they STOP eating anything not nailed down?

    When sex takes over. ;)
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited August 2016
    There is no feeling of full at that age. It is actually weird that the teenager is actually looking to be full or satisfied. Usually they are quick in and out to eat and move on to the next venture and that thinking about food satiety would be the furthermore from their minds.. Hard to say what exactly is going other than they growing boys and high activity! Put loads of food on the table they will stop when full!!

    However, the protein shake idea really is your friends business. It may be overkill for you to consider it for your children, but your friend some how finds it necessary. I have never ever felt full on a protein shake. So hopefully they will provide the protein shake with a larger meal!
  • amandaeve
    amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    There is no feeling of full at that age. It is actually weird that the teenager is actually looking to be full or satisfied. Usually they are quick in and out to eat and move on to the next venture and that thinking about food satiety would be the furthermore from their minds.. Hard to say what exactly is going other than they growing boys and high activity! Put loads of food on the table they will stop when full!!

    However, the protein shake idea really is your friends business. It may be overkill for you to consider it for your children, but your friend some how finds it necessary. I have never ever felt full on a protein shake. So hopefully they will provide the protein shake with a larger meal!

    Yeah, the kid is troubled by his hunger, which I admit I haven't seen much of in boys. I wasn't so much asking what his family should do for him, that is not my business. I was mostly curious if protein shakes were a reasonable option for satiety. I drink protein shakes to get more protein in my diet, but they don't make me feel full. I wondered if I was unusual or if others just drink more servings that me? I usually think of fatty stuff for that full feeling, similar to the comments other people made.

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