Can I please get some thoughts?

Dylan_Nizel · June 2017

So before I complain to my son's doctor, I wanted to get some of your thoughts. Recently I took my son to his doctor to get a physical. He was healthy, but the doctor said he has 30 lbs to lose. I forget exactly what weight the doctor said he was but it was 190 something. He is also 5'9. Now I know for a fact that for a teen his age, weight should not even be a problem. He isn't even overweight!!! But here is the part that really has me furious and wondering about his doctor. The doctor put my son on a daily calorie limit and here is the kicker: it is 1500 calories. The same amount of calories my fully matured adult body is eating to lose weight. He is a child!! How is this healthy for him? Me losing 2 lbs a week in this, his high metabolism probably will lose 4! My son now feels awful about the way he looks and now he won't eat any sugar. I'm worried about him! What are your thoughts and how can I help him? Please respond because I need help.

Unknown · June 2017

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captainfantastic94 · June 2017

I'm five nine and my "healthy weight" is 180

MrStabbems · June 2017

How old is he?

is he 190lb of muscle or is he podgy? (looking at this through parental eyes won't help here. be objective)

if he's still growing and active then 1500 imo is stupid. Growing takes energy

You don't always have to follow doctors advice.

If he's at the right age get him into fitness and weight training. He can address any body issues he has with that.

Dylan_Nizel · June 2017

MrStabbems wrote: »

How old is he?

is he 190lb of muscle or is he podgy? (looking at this through parental eyes won't help here. be objective)

if he's still growing and active then 1500 imo is stupid. Growing takes energy

You don't always have to follow doctors advice.

If he's at the right age get him into fitness and weight training. He can address any body issues he has with that.

Well he isn't a stick if that's what you mean. My whole family already goes to 9-rounds fitness club.

Dylan_Nizel · June 2017

Sizzling_Mess wrote: »

how old is you're son ? when you say your son is not eating sugar do you mean junk food ?

He is 15. He won't eat candy, chips, soda, etc

usmcmp · June 2017

Sizzling_Mess wrote: »

you should be proud of him for not wanting junk food i don't understand why you would be upset ?

Because if this happened right after the doctor's visit it could evolve into orthorexia.

OP: He is overweight for his height, but not dramatically. It might be time to focus on getting even more active as a family as well as centering meals around lean protein and filling vegetables. I wouldn't have him counting calories, but taking action as a family to build healthy habits to help lower his weight is a good idea.

Do start teaching him about macros and about micros. Teach him about balance and that treats can fit in from time to time without causing issues.

born_of_fire74 · June 2017

1500cal may be appropriate for him. If he eats at that intake for a couple of weeks and it has deleterious effect on him, low energy, excessive weight loss, obsessive behaviours etc., you can always go online and revise his calorie allowance with the help of a TDEE calculator at that point rather than dismissing it out of hand based on your emotional reaction. A second opinion couldn't hurt but beware of much more than that, you don't want to teach him to doctor shop until he hears what he wants any more than you want him to develop an ED.

Motorsheen · June 2017

Dylan_Nizel wrote: »

Sizzling_Mess wrote: »

how old is you're son ? when you say your son is not eating sugar do you mean junk food ?

He won't eat candy, chips, soda, etc

Good.

We should all follow his example.

at 5'9" .... 190 seems heavy

Lounmoun · June 2017

1. You can ignore it.
2. Get a second doctor's opinion on what a healthy weight and rate of growth for your son should be.
3. Calm down. Realize your ds may be overweight and doing something now could be healthier than continuing the path he is on. Stress to your ds it is about health not appearance and he doesn't need to overreact or demonize foods. Help him keep a food diary of what he typically consumes for a couple of weeks before making changes. See what he is really consuming and reduce calories from that by 500. If his weight starts going down by about .5 lb to 1 lb a week then that is probably fine and may be much more than 1500 calories. It may be enough to reduce high calorie snacks and drinks and replace with more nutritious lower calorie choices and being a bit more active.

Unknown · June 2017

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ninerbuff · June 2017

Ask to see a Registered Dietician. Doctors have only about 20 hours of nutritional training in their 8 year college study.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Motorsheen · June 2017

_MistahJ_ wrote: »

usmcmp wrote: »

Sizzling_Mess wrote: »

you should be proud of him for not wanting junk food i don't understand why you would be upset ?

Because if this happened right after the doctor's visit it could evolve into orthorexia.

OP: He is overweight for his height, but not dramatically. It might be time to focus on getting even more active as a family as well as centering meals around lean protein and filling vegetables. I wouldn't have him counting calories, but taking action as a family to build healthy habits to help lower his weight is a good idea.

Do start teaching him about macros and about micros. Teach him about balance and that treats can fit in from time to time without causing issues.

This will be the best advice you'll get in the Chit-Chat forum.

.... or most anywhere

Luna3386 · June 2017

I was told to lose weight by the doctor when I was 16. I probably weighed between 150-160 (also what I weigh now 17 years later). I ignored him because I was embarrassed. It took me years to learn about calories.

Needless to say, I've thought a lot about how to deal with this with my kids. I have one that weighs quite a bit more per height than my others. I don't restrict but try to teach him to not eat more than 1 dessert, etc.

Mine are all 10 or under but I plan on teaching a nutrition course (we homeschool so win/win): calories, macros and micros what they do. Probably throw in some fitness knowledge and then I will get them in the gym. They already want to lift because I do. But if they are gaining weight some of that might as well be muscle. I'd probably start them with stronglifts 5x5.

shadowfax_c11 · June 2017

In my experience most doctors don't know squat about nutrition or what calorie needs a person has. Mine told me to eat 1200. I am a highly active person who has a physical labor job. I am losing weight on 2400.

If your son really needs to get a handle on his fitness get him with a real nutritionist and maybe see if he wants to pick up a hobby that requires a lot of exercise.

Jimb376mfp · June 2017

Have you ever used a BMI calculator on line? According to that 5'9" and 170 is the top of the normal weigh range.
At 190 he is nearing the Obese category.

Is he active? Play sports or plays computer games?

Dylan_Nizel · June 2017

Jimb376mfp wrote: »

Have you ever used a BMI calculator on line? According to that 5'9" and 170 is the top of the normal weigh range.
At 190 he is nearing the Obese category.

Is he active? Play sports or plays computer games?

He is a drum major in marching band

MrStabbems · June 2017

I'm out lol. ne'er a direct answer. tinted glasses me thinks

Slimpossible007 · June 2017

I'm afraid that he is overweight for his height and age. (unless of course he is muscular)

this is a BMI calculator put his numbers in and see what it says .. but remember BMI is only a guide, its based on an average person .... different builds (muscle amount) can throw it off .. ..

A 5 ft 9 body builder could weigh 190 easily and not have any extra fat

http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx

you could also look here, this is a calc to work out how much a person should eat to maintain or lose weight ..

https://authoritynutrition.com/how-many-calories-per-day/

My daughter was starting to reach the upper healthy weight limit (when she was 14) and all I done was stop bringing junk food into the house and got a little more active with her over about a year she slipped back to the mid BMI range ... shes 16 now and enjoys walking/ swimming

Its difficult to look at our children as overweight but as a parent its our job

Poisonedpawn78 · June 2017

Slimpossible007 wrote: »

Its difficult to look at our children as overweight but as a parent its our job to do it in a way that doesn't make them hate their bodies.

Finished your sentence for you. I hope you dont mind.

Motorsheen · June 2017

Dylan_Nizel wrote: »

Jimb376mfp wrote: »

Have you ever used a BMI calculator on line? According to that 5'9" and 170 is the top of the normal weigh range.
At 190 he is nearing the Obese category.

Is he active? Play sports or plays computer games?

He is a drum major in marching band

Then odds are that he's not spending a lot of time in the weight room.

If he's really 190 at 5'9" and he's not rocked up from training, then he's rapidly approaching: Obese

The good news is that he's young and should be able to shed the extra pounds with the proper support and guidance.

Slimpossible007 · June 2017

Poisonedpawn78 wrote: »

Slimpossible007 wrote: »

Its difficult to look at our children as overweight but as a parent its our job to do it in a way that doesn't make them hate their bodies.

Finished your sentence for you. I hope you dont mind.

@Poisonedpawn78
Nope don't mind at all, and a fair add on to the sentence .. That's exactly how I done it with my daughter, I moved more and cut out the junk with her, in fact I don't even think she noticed and bonus is that its helping me

Dylan_Nizel · June 2017

Motorsheen wrote: »

Dylan_Nizel wrote: »

Jimb376mfp wrote: »

Have you ever used a BMI calculator on line? According to that 5'9" and 170 is the top of the normal weigh range.
At 190 he is nearing the Obese category.

Is he active? Play sports or plays computer games?

He is a drum major in marching band

Then odds are that he's not spending a lot of time in the weight room.

If he's really 190 at 5'9" and he's not rocked up from training, then he's rapidly approaching: Obese

The good news is that he's young and should be able to shed the extra pounds with the proper support and guidance.

Alright sounds good. I will try to cut out the junk food. However, won't 1500 calories a day result in rapid weight loss because of his teenage metabolism?

Slimpossible007 · June 2017

I wouldn't drop him to as low as 1500 (that would be rapid loss) ..

I'm 5' 6 female and I average 1600 a day ... and I'm almost 30 years older ... so my cals are lower than a teen my height should have

For a 5' 9 male he should have more than a female

check out the calculators I posted above.. as long as he is eating slightly under maintenance he will lost weight (even 100 cals) ... the slower he loses the better, hes also a growing boy so you don't want him hungry either

Francl27 · June 2017

I think a lot of parents are in denial of how heavy their kids are... so it's not just you.

He's overweight. However yeah, 1500 is too low. I'd focus more on getting him more active and giving him lower calorie meals.. you don't have to eat sugar or junk food to eat too much meat or pasta.

Can I please get some thoughts?

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