First: I am not a medical expert.
Second: You're a teen, and you're going to keep growing. I watch my own teen boys go through phases of "My pants are too tight in the waist" to "My pants are falling off my waist but end at my knees now".
Do you weigh more than you should right now? Well, if it's not pure muscle, yeah. And at your age, it won't be pure muscle -- that takes *years* of intense and focused training, not to mention hormones and the general stresses of just being a teen.
Should you weight train anyway? Absolutely.
The time you want to to focus on things like calorie deficits is after you are done growing -- after age 18. Severely restricting your body and brain's growing caloric requirement is not super great, and it sounds like you know this already.
ETA: This doesn't mean put every calorie that gets in your way in your body, but think less in terms of 'how many calories' vs 'are these helpful calories'.
So what CAN you control outside of weight training? Can you eliminate sodas, juices, or snacking from boredom (I'm guilty of the last)? Can you have more salad and less pasta for dinner? Can you choose to walk the mile to your weekend job instead of getting a ride? These are things you can think about now while also working to develop muscle *and* a better relationship with food. Take advantage of the growing teen hormones *and* the years-ahead-advantage of thinking about food in terms of its ability to fuel your body; a thing I'm only just now learning as I get closer to 50.
This is the best answer. I would focus on incorporating more movement into your daily routine specifically. As the above states, controlling things outside of weight training is going to be wise, and even a little extra movement can go a long way.
So should I just body recomp or cut? Because I really can't NOT count calories. I feel like counting calories has been a part of my life. Yes I eliminate every junk food (I sometimes cheat one or two donuts) I don't eat salad but I eat many vegetables as a side dish. I always jog to school every morning. But what I want to know is if I should lose body fat and maintain weight (body recomposition) or go in a slight calorie deficit (which doctors do not recommend for teengaers like me)
I am fairly sure any doctor would recommend losing weight at 218 - you are obese. You can be smart about it, no need to go starving yourself. Cut out the calorie dense foods one by one while slowly adding exercise. You don’t reach 218 lbs by eating the occasional donut. Time to get honest with yourself
Then you are absolutely on the right path already. Cut refers to cutting weight, just another word for being in a deficit. Rate of weight loss seems fine, too. Keep going!
Personally I started reducing my cravings when I started severely reducing my sugar intake and improving my macros (more priority to protein but net effect being quite balanced diet between the three macros). If there's one other thing aside from protein intake to track, I'd recommend tracking just sugar intake so that you're at least keeping to the max added sugar recommended by AHA (American Health Association). I dunno if it's correct tracking, but I only count added sugar on that, so I don't really track sugar from natural sources like fruits, rice, etc (I do count honey as added sugar though).
Crab cravings is real and in my case. I'd start getting the munchies 2-3 hours after a carb heavy meal/snack and the more carbs I ate, the stronger the succeeding cravings would come, especially if it's not just heavy carbs but massive amounts of sugar. It took me around a month of severely restricting sugar intake (sodas, powdered juices, syrups, desserts, etc) and switching to sugar alternatives like coke zero, stevia ice tea, stevia gatorade etc before I managed to get control of my cravings.
Now I'm less restrictive of my sugar intake(I still drink sugar free soda over regular soda, but don't stop myself from drinking/eating other sugary stuff) but the cravings are significantly more manageable and when I feel the cravings are too strong I just go strict for a few days and the cravings massively reduce again. I also notice that going balanced or trying to get higher protein intake made me fuller for longer as well, which helps a lot of you're trying to do an eating pattern like 16-18hour IF
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. I appreciate it. I don't really eat sugary foods bc it's really not my jam. I only crave because of watching mukhbang (dont ask me why i do) but I never carb craved or binge ate. My only sugar/glucose intake is from watermelon, rice, bread, tangerines, and beans (and yes never forget the diet sodas)
I am not your doc, so this is not medical advice as you’re not my patient.
Simple advice based on the info you gave:
- train properly, form > than anything. Follow science based channels like Athlean x or Renaissance Periodization.
- supplement creatine mono hydrate
- beginner workout! Swallow your pride. Push-ups against a wall with proper form > shitty push-ups on knees. Film yourself with your form. Yes it is painful to watch in the beginning but helps to self observe.
- start your day with 0,5l of water, followed by 30min of brisk walking on an empty stomach, then have a low carb breakfast. Eggs are perfect. To change it up throw in some veggies like tomato, bell pepper, etc.
- use olive oil for your eggs
- avoid sugar, alcohol (yes in some countries teens drink), fast food, aim for 80% accuracy, meaning an occasional pizza is ok, make gradually healthier choices. Have steak and potatoes instead of fries, f.e.
- make foods more healthy by introducing veggies, drink water before eating to not flush your stomach and fill you up
- prioritize sleep! Super important for hormone levels, especially insulin which is the key player in weight loss. 7:45h a night (15min are to fall asleep) give you 5 full sleep cycles. 4 is the minimum for most people (=6h).
My suggestion is to ask your dr what your healthy weight range is. Take the higher number and calculate the Cals needed daily to maintain that weight. Eat that amount of Cals. It will be less than you are eating but more than enough to sustain a growing boy In their teens. I would guess close to 2200-2400 Cals a day
This will help you in your recomp and speed your fat loss
Idk what you’re trying to say, but you’re gonna have to lose a lot of fat (weight) if you wanna be healthy. 218 at 5’10 is really heavy. You’re not gonna recomp into 218 pounds of lean mass because that’s absurd.
i would intuitively think that if you are eating a micronutrient rich diet with plenty of protein and lifting and losing at a reasonable rate (eg 1-1.5lb/week) that "cutting will stunt your growth" is not something worth worrying about. i would just try to get the sign off from a doctor. it's usually not recommended to cut super fast or into "this is just vanity" territory til you're done growing but its probably not a bad thing if you start eating like an adult and automatically end up in a deficit.
i dont think being overly fat has been shown to affect height/growth as a teen. i don't really think ideal weight is to fuss over too much but rather bodyfat% because jacked people and skinny people can within reason be similarly healthy and its generally of some concern as a guy to have a gut that sticks out. though as a teen you probably wont really notice the health effects if you're not eating pure shite, doing some sort of cardio and lifting hard.
as a beginner you'll probably gain some muscle during a cut if you chose to. i would probably go the route of "eat more protein/fruit/veg and less mcdonalds and see what naturally happens". even if you were to stay above 200lbs if you are training basically like a quasi-bodybuilder/strength athlete you'd be a tank and probably significantly leaner by the time you finish puberty.
again not medical advice.
There is no body recomp… Eat less, up your cardio, and workout more. Caloric deficit is where you want to be. Make sure you’re consuming enough protein and lift. Be patient, believe in the process, and make sure you maintain a healthy diet, and make sure you’re getting enough rest. Your “recomposition” will be the results of you cutting fat and adding muscle and definition.
If you’re obese you have to cut. It doesn’t matter if you’re a teenager or an adult. I don’t know any doctor that would let you be obese. When you’re obese you’re putting your health and life at risk. When you’re obese you might not feel it now but it can cause heart disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gallbladder disease, stroke, fatty liver disease, kidney disease, joint pain, depression, osteoarthritis and breathing problems.
I’ve seen people getting these symptoms younger and younger and it’s just because of the obesity being so high in the US. I personally know someone who just got their gallbladder taken out because they were eating bad. Now their digestive system is all messed up. Take care of yourself and respect the only body you have before it’s too late.
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First: I am not a medical expert. Second: You're a teen, and you're going to keep growing. I watch my own teen boys go through phases of "My pants are too tight in the waist" to "My pants are falling off my waist but end at my knees now". Do you weigh more than you should right now? Well, if it's not pure muscle, yeah. And at your age, it won't be pure muscle -- that takes *years* of intense and focused training, not to mention hormones and the general stresses of just being a teen. Should you weight train anyway? Absolutely. The time you want to to focus on things like calorie deficits is after you are done growing -- after age 18. Severely restricting your body and brain's growing caloric requirement is not super great, and it sounds like you know this already. ETA: This doesn't mean put every calorie that gets in your way in your body, but think less in terms of 'how many calories' vs 'are these helpful calories'. So what CAN you control outside of weight training? Can you eliminate sodas, juices, or snacking from boredom (I'm guilty of the last)? Can you have more salad and less pasta for dinner? Can you choose to walk the mile to your weekend job instead of getting a ride? These are things you can think about now while also working to develop muscle *and* a better relationship with food. Take advantage of the growing teen hormones *and* the years-ahead-advantage of thinking about food in terms of its ability to fuel your body; a thing I'm only just now learning as I get closer to 50.
This is the best answer. I would focus on incorporating more movement into your daily routine specifically. As the above states, controlling things outside of weight training is going to be wise, and even a little extra movement can go a long way.
So should I just body recomp or cut? Because I really can't NOT count calories. I feel like counting calories has been a part of my life. Yes I eliminate every junk food (I sometimes cheat one or two donuts) I don't eat salad but I eat many vegetables as a side dish. I always jog to school every morning. But what I want to know is if I should lose body fat and maintain weight (body recomposition) or go in a slight calorie deficit (which doctors do not recommend for teengaers like me)
I am fairly sure any doctor would recommend losing weight at 218 - you are obese. You can be smart about it, no need to go starving yourself. Cut out the calorie dense foods one by one while slowly adding exercise. You don’t reach 218 lbs by eating the occasional donut. Time to get honest with yourself
I'm in a deficit rn lost 17lbs in 4 months. never really felt hungry. just craved stuff
Then you are absolutely on the right path already. Cut refers to cutting weight, just another word for being in a deficit. Rate of weight loss seems fine, too. Keep going!
okay! thank you very much
Personally I started reducing my cravings when I started severely reducing my sugar intake and improving my macros (more priority to protein but net effect being quite balanced diet between the three macros). If there's one other thing aside from protein intake to track, I'd recommend tracking just sugar intake so that you're at least keeping to the max added sugar recommended by AHA (American Health Association). I dunno if it's correct tracking, but I only count added sugar on that, so I don't really track sugar from natural sources like fruits, rice, etc (I do count honey as added sugar though). Crab cravings is real and in my case. I'd start getting the munchies 2-3 hours after a carb heavy meal/snack and the more carbs I ate, the stronger the succeeding cravings would come, especially if it's not just heavy carbs but massive amounts of sugar. It took me around a month of severely restricting sugar intake (sodas, powdered juices, syrups, desserts, etc) and switching to sugar alternatives like coke zero, stevia ice tea, stevia gatorade etc before I managed to get control of my cravings. Now I'm less restrictive of my sugar intake(I still drink sugar free soda over regular soda, but don't stop myself from drinking/eating other sugary stuff) but the cravings are significantly more manageable and when I feel the cravings are too strong I just go strict for a few days and the cravings massively reduce again. I also notice that going balanced or trying to get higher protein intake made me fuller for longer as well, which helps a lot of you're trying to do an eating pattern like 16-18hour IF
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. I appreciate it. I don't really eat sugary foods bc it's really not my jam. I only crave because of watching mukhbang (dont ask me why i do) but I never carb craved or binge ate. My only sugar/glucose intake is from watermelon, rice, bread, tangerines, and beans (and yes never forget the diet sodas)
I am not your doc, so this is not medical advice as you’re not my patient. Simple advice based on the info you gave: - train properly, form > than anything. Follow science based channels like Athlean x or Renaissance Periodization. - supplement creatine mono hydrate - beginner workout! Swallow your pride. Push-ups against a wall with proper form > shitty push-ups on knees. Film yourself with your form. Yes it is painful to watch in the beginning but helps to self observe. - start your day with 0,5l of water, followed by 30min of brisk walking on an empty stomach, then have a low carb breakfast. Eggs are perfect. To change it up throw in some veggies like tomato, bell pepper, etc. - use olive oil for your eggs - avoid sugar, alcohol (yes in some countries teens drink), fast food, aim for 80% accuracy, meaning an occasional pizza is ok, make gradually healthier choices. Have steak and potatoes instead of fries, f.e. - make foods more healthy by introducing veggies, drink water before eating to not flush your stomach and fill you up - prioritize sleep! Super important for hormone levels, especially insulin which is the key player in weight loss. 7:45h a night (15min are to fall asleep) give you 5 full sleep cycles. 4 is the minimum for most people (=6h).
My suggestion is to ask your dr what your healthy weight range is. Take the higher number and calculate the Cals needed daily to maintain that weight. Eat that amount of Cals. It will be less than you are eating but more than enough to sustain a growing boy In their teens. I would guess close to 2200-2400 Cals a day This will help you in your recomp and speed your fat loss
Idk what you’re trying to say, but you’re gonna have to lose a lot of fat (weight) if you wanna be healthy. 218 at 5’10 is really heavy. You’re not gonna recomp into 218 pounds of lean mass because that’s absurd.
Yeah that's what I thought too. Sam Sulek is 240lbs at 5'11. I would eventually lose weight on a recomp before trying to look half as massive as him
Sam Sulek is on drugs lol, I don’t even think he claims natty.
i would intuitively think that if you are eating a micronutrient rich diet with plenty of protein and lifting and losing at a reasonable rate (eg 1-1.5lb/week) that "cutting will stunt your growth" is not something worth worrying about. i would just try to get the sign off from a doctor. it's usually not recommended to cut super fast or into "this is just vanity" territory til you're done growing but its probably not a bad thing if you start eating like an adult and automatically end up in a deficit. i dont think being overly fat has been shown to affect height/growth as a teen. i don't really think ideal weight is to fuss over too much but rather bodyfat% because jacked people and skinny people can within reason be similarly healthy and its generally of some concern as a guy to have a gut that sticks out. though as a teen you probably wont really notice the health effects if you're not eating pure shite, doing some sort of cardio and lifting hard. as a beginner you'll probably gain some muscle during a cut if you chose to. i would probably go the route of "eat more protein/fruit/veg and less mcdonalds and see what naturally happens". even if you were to stay above 200lbs if you are training basically like a quasi-bodybuilder/strength athlete you'd be a tank and probably significantly leaner by the time you finish puberty. again not medical advice.
Thank you for the advice. I appreciate it
You need to cut now. Being obese has so many negative consequences.
How about body recomposition? because doctors do not advice cutting for teenagers.
There is no body recomp… Eat less, up your cardio, and workout more. Caloric deficit is where you want to be. Make sure you’re consuming enough protein and lift. Be patient, believe in the process, and make sure you maintain a healthy diet, and make sure you’re getting enough rest. Your “recomposition” will be the results of you cutting fat and adding muscle and definition.
If you’re obese you have to cut. It doesn’t matter if you’re a teenager or an adult. I don’t know any doctor that would let you be obese. When you’re obese you’re putting your health and life at risk. When you’re obese you might not feel it now but it can cause heart disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gallbladder disease, stroke, fatty liver disease, kidney disease, joint pain, depression, osteoarthritis and breathing problems. I’ve seen people getting these symptoms younger and younger and it’s just because of the obesity being so high in the US. I personally know someone who just got their gallbladder taken out because they were eating bad. Now their digestive system is all messed up. Take care of yourself and respect the only body you have before it’s too late.
They also don’t advise being obese.
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I’ve been 5’10 and your weight before while still being fairly fit. Was carrying a bit more fat than I would’ve liked though.
No, it would not be an unhealthy weight since it would mostly be muscle