Teenage son not eating enough to recover from rides?

Gti Junior aged 16 and I rode from Barrow in Furness to Glasson Dock last Thursday, 86 miles with 3650 feet of climb. Then last Monday he did a 30 minute time trial at Cycle Sport Pendle’s track near Nelson. So he’s made some prodigious efforts in the last few days. Yesterday he necked a bowl of crap cereal then went to Manchester with Mrs Gti. Walking around Manchester he suddenly got chest pains, palpitations and felt dizzy. He sat down, ate some food and had a coffee and everything went back to normal but as a precaution I’m taking him to see the Doc tomorrow morning. He’ll be hungry so the Doc can check his blood sugar and I also plan to ask the Doc to check his BMI and his iron. He is almost 6′ tall and very skinny and always looks pale.

I’ve told him to be sure to follow up the non-nutritious cereal with some wholemeal toast with plenty of proper butter and jam this morning and not to skimp on lunch either. He probably doesn’t get enough because Mrs Gti and I, being old beggars, tend to keep the meals light and unfortunately Mrs Gti, as a picky eater and veggie, has succeeded in convincing him that he doesn’t like fish or eggs, so there are two excellent soures of fat and protein that he doesn’t get.

Can anybody give me some perspective on just how much a growing lad who undertakes strenuous exercise ought to be eating as a matter of course?

Can anybody give me some perspective on just how much a growing lad who undertakes strenuous exercise ought to be eating as a matter of course?

Generally, shed loads. Most teenagers can eat for their country and put on minimal weight, add some serious exercise into the equation and you’re definitely there.

Picky eating parents can be a challenge as they pass their, not always good, food habits on to their kids. Try and make sure he does not have a complex about his food.

My nine year old eats considerably more than I do.
He is very competitive in three different sports and hasn’t an ounce of fat on him.
Breakfast is three weetabix and two thick slices of toast. He eats a cooked lunch and dinner and then supper after his evening training.
In short, he eats us out of house and home.
I would imagine an active sixteen year old would be even worse.

As a once pale, skinny and sickly teenager, what sorted it out for me was going to the army. Three square meals a day. Toast and jam was a snack for after breakfast.

So maybe you need to take the mess hall approach.

it’s almost impossible for an active teenage boy* to eat** too much. If they’re not out or sleeping, expect them to be wearing a groove in the kitchen lino.

(*no experience with teenage girls, but i suspect it’s similar)

(**qualifier: proper food, not shite)

Can anybody give me some perspective on just how much a growing lad who undertakes strenuous exercise ought to be eating as a matter of course?

As a 16 year old who undertook reasonable exercise, I ate:

Toast or cereal for breakfast
Pie and chips or similar for lunch
Cheese sandwich after school
Meat and two veg type dinner
Cheese sandwich/bowl of cereal/toast about half eight.

and I was a 6ft lanky streak of pi$$.

Sounds like you’ve ingrained in him not to eat a lot, and you’re now worried that he’s not eating enough.

If he’s into his cycling/exercise, why not get him a book on sports nutrition?

As a teenager who rode my bike a lot I can conclusively say the answer is “lots”

After a big ride I’d normally come home, stick 4 slices of bread in the toaster, then butter another 2, and cover another 2 in nutella or marmite, scoff them while waiting for the toast, then add either cheese or tuna, or scrambled eggs to the plate, and pint of juice or milk to go with it, and maybe a something chocolatey to finish off.

Then I’d eat full meat+veg dinner later with my parents as normal.

I’d probably also have snacks or another bowl of cereal later in the evening before bed.

Brekkie would be cereal + toast + an apple OR bacon and eggs if my dad was cooking 🙂

Normal balanced diet rules apply 😉

Bluddy hell, no wonder the poor lad felt faint! He doesn’t get anything like that much nutrition.

Thanks for the replies, they’ve certainly given me some perspective.

Can anybody give me some perspective on just how much a growing lad who undertakes strenuous exercise ought to be eating as a matter of course?

Young lads eat a lot, my son is a 6’2″ beanpole and is constantly hungry. He has breakfast then asks ‘whats for lunch’. He doesn’t smack much though as he’s type 1 diabetic so any snacks he has are pretty much carb free.

If you are tall it takes longer for blood to reach the brain – so you feel faint more quickly. I passed out 3 or 4 times (once down a flight of concrete steps) before this was explained to me. I now never drink alcohol without a glass of water and a full stomach. I am also really conscious of hot environments (gigs / pubs etc) as this has been a factor every time.

I already eat more than anyone I know, so that was not the problem for me, but sounds like it might be for your son.

Just talked to me Dad about my intake when I was 16. I too was a lanky streak of p…, still am actually, and was playing football twice a week, basket ball once and competing in athletics too, I was never still. My “diet” was:
Breakfast – big bowl of cereal and 2 pieces of toast
Break time – 1 bar of chocolate, likely some crisps too
Lunch – a “proper” school meal and some cake
Snack – Big bowl of cereal as soon as I walked in the door at home.
Dinner – Proper, home cooked meal
Supper – a sarny of some sort

I could not get full and did not get fat. Only started getting fatter when I got an office job in my mid 20’s.

So I’d say feed him until he won’t eat any more, as long as it’s good, properly made food he’ll be fine.

If you are tall it takes longer for blood to reach the brain – so you feel faint more quickly.

Hmm…

I have a teenage daughter who could give most teenage lads a run for their money when it comes to eating. She’s like a bottomless pit.

I could not get full and did not get fat. Only started getting fatter when I got an office jobdiscovered the pub in my mid 20’s.late teens

get eggs into food and hide them somehow…
stir fry is always a good way

I’m 24 now and eat 3000-3500 calories a day unless it’s the Monday after a active weekend then I feel like I’m 16 again. An appetite that couldn’t really be sated about 4000-5000 calories more like 6000 when I was doing the Pennine way.

My nine year old eats considerably more than I do.
He is very competitive in three different sports and hasn’t an ounce of fat on him.
Breakfast is three weetabix and two thick slices of toast. He eats a cooked lunch and dinner and then supper after his evening training.
In short, he eats us out of house and home.
I would imagine an active sixteen year old would be even worse

This, but my son is six 😯

This, but my son is six

you’ve probably upped his FTP too much on Trainerroad as well 😉

If you are tall it takes longer for blood to reach the brain – so you feel faint more quickly.

Hmm…

makes sense to me, you heart also has to pump harder to get the blood higher. When you faint it is because you body wants you to be horizontal to get blood to your brain.

I was pretty skinny, active and hungry – my Mum gave me sandwiches to take to school for a 2nd lunch as my school lunch wasn’t filling me up.

“If you are tall it takes longer for blood to reach the brain – so you feel faint more quickly.”

No. Just no. Really. There’s probably an inch or two further to go, people are usually in proportion. Blood doesn’t travel slowly, there’s a reason it squirts out of arterial injuries.

This, but my son is six

yep, got a 4 year old who has 3 weetabix for breakfast, cooked lunch , cooked dinner, then a snack.

He never stops moving

A mate has a 12 year old who won’t eat – no interest in eating for purpose or pleasure, but is convinced that he will grow up to be the next Mo Farah with all the athletics he does.

He’s under height, skin and bones and always tired and pasty looking.

Rest of the family are fine, it’s just him.

And his mum is a therapist who works with faddy eaters…. 😯

OP. If your son doesn’t sort it and eat sufficient amounts of food to sustain his activities then he’s most likely to experience one of the two following outcomes:

If he continues to under eat, his body will eat itself.
If still continues to under eat, his body will just make him feel too tired to move.

Caveat being, I do not know if he may have any underlying clinical condition (obviously, I hope not). Which is why I expect you’ve decided to get him to the Docs, for a check. Obviously a good idea.

Good luck.

he’s 16. Take him to a pub after his bike rides and feed him up, make sure he has a decent meal inside him or he’ll grow weak. he needs to get into the habit of eating properly doing that kind of mileage. I couldn’t get enough food inside me when I was that age, my mum always said I must have worms.

My dad’s mantra was “All I need is three square meals a day and a spot of supper”. He was a lanky streak too. I still try to live by that – at 61.

Thanks again for all the friendly advice, especially the pub meal straight after a big ride.

As above really. In my teens did lots of hiking / climbing with D of E, Scouts and the like. After a weekend in the hills my mum would cater for 5 or 6 teenage lads. At the time she used to “joke” about killing the calf to feed us all; I now suspect it wasn’t a joke but almost literal. By her accounts it would be something in the region of 1lb+ of meat per teenager; two large baked potatoes; veg and a substantial desert.

“Hollow legs” was the on going banter..

Breakfast. – 3 weetabix, 2 slices bread, butter and jam
Morning snack – crisps, apple, choc bar, flapjack
Lunch – pie/pizza/garlic bread chips and gravy. Cake and custard
Afternoon snack – 4-6 slices bread with butter and golden syrup
Dinner full home cooked meal meat 2 veg usually 2nds plus a plateful of potatoes (my brothers record was 26 roast potatoes with Xmas dinner). Dessert crumble and custard
Supper 2+ jam butties

Was known as hollow legs or human dustbin

Was a lanky beanpole at the time.

One of the things about a lot of teenagers that you need to remember too, is that they tend to eat a lot of high calorie foods. Sweets, chocolate, stuff like that. So it’s not unusual to see them skipping proper meals, and sometimes not appearing to eat much. Not an ideal diet by any means, but it’s something to factor in.

Based on me as a 6ft teenager doing high impact exercise 6 day a week (rugby and rowing) with a manual labour sunday job I could never stay full.

Breakfast would be 4-6 weetabix covered in honey while I waited for the 4 slices of toast to pop so I could marmite them.
midmorning snack of 4 slices of bread in some form of sandwich with a ceral bar and a banana.
Lunch – full meal plus pud and custard followed by minesweeping others plates.
Afternoon snack of a jamaican ginger cake.
Post exercise snack of another 2 rounds of sarnies.
Dive into cold past kept in fridge while waiting for dinner.
Full dinner. Finish everyone elses too.
Toast or more weetabix before bed.

On the other hand my younger brother did the same level of exercise and seemingly existed on whatever he could filter out of the air. He is 6ft 7 and could hide behind a lamp post. He also did the feeling faint thing with palpitations. Docs said it was to do with the skeleton growing up faster than the heart and circulation coupled with mild anemia. Apparently not uncommon in gangly lads. He grew out of both by 20.