Losing Fat - 13 Year Old

You even got CT to post in your thread.

Read what he said and take those things into consideration.

You need some variety in your eating, it seems to be mostly just milk, protein bars, and deli meats. What about throwing in a piece of fruit or vegetable with each meal or snack. Most of the foods you are eating are not very nutrient dense. An exception is the broccoli, but you are eating it raw, so you are not getting some of the antioxidants.

Also, by nutrient dense I mean the ratio of vitamins and minerals to the amount of food.

Surprises me that a 13 year old is this concerned with his diet.

I’ll say this - you seem remarkably focused and knowledgable for a 13 year old.

Since I seem to remember how a 13 year old mind works:

This is Christian Thibaudeau

When I was 13 I lived off of candy and cereal.

yes. thanks to everyone who posted thank you also CT. Ive read alot of your articles and Im glad you helped me out.

HJlau75, I do throw in fruits and vegetables, if you look at my original diet, I had maybe 4 fruits aday and 2 vegetables. My revised diet is what Im adding onto my original one.

Ive came to a realization that, a little fat is ok as a growing kid, all that will somewhat go away when I get taller. Though I still think some people over exxagerated to my original post, I understand that as a kid I need a surplus of calories since Im still growing. Most kids do live off candy, chips, and soda, so I cant imagine how I could possibly stunt my growth with my original diet.

Like CT said, I need to make sure I get enough nutrients and protein. I belive I was getting enough nutrients in my original diet but now enough protein.

Thank you everyone who posted here again.

[quote]HJLau75 wrote:
You even got CT to post in your thread.

[/quote]

Well, because a lot of my articles are more “advanced” peoples seem to forget that I got my start training young athletes. In fact, even last year I trained 420 athletes from 26 different sports, all of 'em between the ages of 12 and 18.

I was also a football coach for 8-9 years so I know the dynamics of yougn athletes and what they need.

Glad I could help.

I will say one thing from an igonrant point of view: don’t try and be normal. Normal=fat and slow. Aim to be exceptional

I like you, man. You’re lifting at 13. Don’t leave T-Nation.

Here are my take home points:

  1. Keep food diversity in mind. Try as many different foods as you can. That doesn’t mean get the multi-pak of cereals at the grocery store. Try new things at restaraunts, friend’s houses and what your parents make.

  2. Cut back on the milk. Your new plan calls for seven glasses a day. This could be a large part of your weight gain. Milk has more sugar than protein, try using something else for your protein source for most of those meals.

  3. Forget about what other kids do. Stay focuse on your goals and your way of getting there. Take the advice of the experienced over what seems to be working temporarily for other kids. This may apply to more than diet.

  4. Eat FOOD. Avoid things that come in wrappers and boxes. It is much better to be made of beef than protein bars.

  5. Just because you should eat more doesn’t mean you have to eat worse. Big Macs have no place in any diet.

  6. In lifting, focus on form over pounds. At this age, the name of the game is practice. You’re building a foundation that you’ll draw upon in a few years. Don’t be too concerned with complicated rep schemes and percentages. Go out there and practice the lift.

[quote]travisimo wrote:

  1. Cut back on the milk. Your new plan calls for seven glasses a day. This could be a large part of your weight gain. Milk has more sugar than protein, try using something else for your protein source for most of those meals.[/quote]

There is no way I would tell a growing boy to avoid milk. I am very thankful it was a large part of my diet from the beginning. Most people will tell you the same if they relied on it.

[quote]
5. Just because you should eat more doesn’t mean you have to eat worse. Big Macs have no place in any diet. [/quote]

While most of what you wrote seems fine, I think people need to quit thinking in absolutes.

If this kid has the occasional hamburger, it won’t hurt him AT ALL. He should NOT base his entire diet around it, however. Becoming some extreme diet fanatic at the age of 13 is ridiculous.

At 13, I needed all of the calories I could get because of how fast I was growing. People need to be able to think in shades of gray rather than strictly monochrome.

This is good advice for any beginner.

Hamburger yes. BigMac no or at least not like he was doing before. Those things are full of soy and shitty fats and carbs.

Very unhealthy and will bring his test levels down. Occasionally yes but not like he did before. I know you are probably saying the same thing I just said here but, I want to make sure the op gets that message.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
travisimo wrote:

  1. Cut back on the milk. Your new plan calls for seven glasses a day. This could be a large part of your weight gain. Milk has more sugar than protein, try using something else for your protein source for most of those meals.

There is no way I would tell a growing boy to avoid milk. I am very thankful it was a large part of my diet from the beginning. Most people will tell you the same if they relied on it.

  1. Just because you should eat more doesn’t mean you have to eat worse. Big Macs have no place in any diet.

While most of what you wrote seems fine, I think people need to quit thinking in absolutes.

If this kid has the occasional hamburger, it won’t hurt him AT ALL. He should NOT base his entire diet around it, however. Becoming some extreme diet fanatic at the age of 13 is ridiculous.

At 13, I needed all of the calories I could get because of how fast I was growing. People need to be able to think in shades of gray rather than strictly monochrome.

  1. In lifting, focus on form over pounds. At this age, the name of the game is practice. You’re building a foundation that you’ll draw upon in a few years. Don’t be too concerned with complicated rep schemes and percentages. Go out there and practice the lift.

This is good advice for any beginner.
[/quote]

[quote]Professor X wrote:
travisimo wrote:

  1. Cut back on the milk. Your new plan calls for seven glasses a day. This could be a large part of your weight gain. Milk has more sugar than protein, try using something else for your protein source for most of those meals.

There is no way I would tell a growing boy to avoid milk. I am very thankful it was a large part of my diet from the beginning. Most people will tell you the same if they relied on it.

  1. Just because you should eat more doesn’t mean you have to eat worse. Big Macs have no place in any diet.

While most of what you wrote seems fine, I think people need to quit thinking in absolutes.

If this kid has the occasional hamburger, it won’t hurt him AT ALL. He should NOT base his entire diet around it, however. Becoming some extreme diet fanatic at the age of 13 is ridiculous.

At 13, I needed all of the calories I could get because of how fast I was growing. People need to be able to think in shades of gray rather than strictly monochrome.

[/quote]

I need to clarify a little bit. I think it’s great he’s drinking milk. I just don’t think there’s any need to plan on drinking that much every day. It seemed like people were telling him “eat more protein”, and he was hearing “drink more milk”.

Secondly, I love hamburgers. Had two today myself. They’d be just fine for him. My beef (sorry, had to do it) is with McDonalds.

[quote]norcal_BALLER wrote:
Thanks. everyone seems to HATE me for my username, I’ll find out how to change it later.

So… you think my diet is “puny/not enough” AKA eat more? Well, I went on one of your proposed “EATING BIG” type of “diets” and it wasnt too succesful.
Eating big macs isnt an eating big diet thats a dumass approach Dave Tate took who has godly genetics…still a dumbass move…a good bulking diet for you would/should consist ofplenty of eat grains fruits and veggies yada yada yada I mean ya I did gain of all 3 major lifts but I got slow and (dare I say) fat.

How is that going to transfer into athletics? after all acceleration (which is in my opinion the #1 skill to have) is your bodies ability to overcome inertia.
if you want to become faster to shuttle runs or do sprints and each week beat your time until your happy.

So if I gain 15 lbs. of not 100% functional muscle/fat by “eating BIG” then my acceleration goes down.

And I have witness that in myself, Im not as explosive as I used to be.
DUH big macs tend to do that…look around at micky d’s and look at everyone else with a big mac…fatass…did you think you were special?

As for your “growing kid” reply, think of this Id say that 75% of my school and most kids in America today skip breakfast. So am I really killing my self that much?
So you think your every other kid? well with that thought process you wont get anywhere in your athletics career…

the population who workout with a goal and mind and never quit to become better are a whole new breed of human beings [as TC might say] we are T-Nation…your better than the rest of the kids because you have goals and are/will be better than them.
Ohh… and for your comment/prejudgment on all I probably care about is the visibility of my abs… thats somewhat offensive (but since it was a prejudgment I won’t take it offensivley). I could give a FUCK about my abs compared to my hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and quads.
good…but if you want to have fine ass muscles feed them what they need
I can understand where your coming from, after all this site is a powerlifting/meathead (non offensive) dominated site. Most people would be proud of me if I said I gained 15 lbs in 2 months. But after that then what? Sure Im Big on the field but what about that 135lb. kid who outruns me?

But thanks for your reply, I might change my approach to eating but I see how kids eat and its definatley WORSE then how I eat. Whats so wrong about substituting a Tuna Sandwhich for a Pizza, or apples for a bag of hot cheetos. You tell me I dont need to eat with that much restriction, who says so?

Ya maybe my metabolism is going at 100 mph but who says I cant eat healthy? And what WRONG direction am I moving in? Gains in all 3 lifts? a 2 times body weight squat? Relative strenght superiour to most? A low bodyfat percentage? what?[/quote]

well clean up your act smallfry and you can get those results,maybe even more, without the lowered speeds or fat gain. good luck…btw when you learn to do everything right check out the anabolic diet [its seriously how real men eat]

Ditto what CT said ~ I and a lot of my brothers, I have 10 younger siblings are generally an athletic family. Just from my perspective toss in 2-5 miles of running everyday and eat like CT noted and you’ll be fine, if it’s fat you want to lose. Along with excercise and rest :).

Football as noted by CT is more about speed, and velocity is king. Try this after a workout or in a seperate cardio workout if you wanted to build speed.

Run a mile then if you have some big old football bleachers - sprint up and down x 10, rest 1 minute then again, rest 1 minute, then again.

Also to increase your speed ~ use interval sprinting. Either the running 25-40 yard sprints x 10 then rest 1 minute, repeat 2 more times.

Or try this track and field interval sprinting method - sprint the long ways and jog the short ways.

Just remember as your sprinting your pain focus is to pump your arms and legs, at top speed your face should be completely relaxed.

Either way your ability to go from 0-100% is important!

Hope this helps, besides the regular horrible liners, 5 yards and back to goal line, 10 yards and back, 15, and back til you do 100 and back. Long horrible sprinting progression with rest of only 5-30 seconds o.O Add that at the end for fun!

[edit] pain = main -____-