Anyone that is a nutritionist or feeds and athlete want to take a look?

[Mom21]

My daughter has always been a big girl. Never going to be skinny. She has a beautiful, powerful, athletic body. Recently she has lost about 7 pounds and gained a few inches in height. She really wants to be more competitive this coming season. I'm not very up on nutrition, but I try. What nutrients is she missing? I do have to give her more carbs and protein than I would eat due to her rigorous schedule. She has gym camp from 9-4 and then team practice from 4-7 so 10 hour day. Camp has breaks. Team doesn't have any for 3 solid hours.

So I have to fix her a breakfast that keeps her going and pack lunch and snacks for all day until 7 when I pick her up and make her dinner.

Tomorrow's menu as an example:

Breakfast: 1 hard boiled egg white-no yolk, a small 100 calorie yogurt or some cottage cheese (depends on her mood), 1 piece of turkey sausage, 1 piece of cinnamon raisin toast.

Lunch: 1 piece of baked coconut chicken in a thermos, some type of fruit, quaker rice cake minis, a snickers or twix bar (yes she needs a sweet....LOL)

Snacks for camp and before team practice:
more fruit, teddy grahams, a homemade mix of granola, dried fruit, nuts, flax seed, etc (whatever I have at the time)

Dinner: spinich salad--we will put some fruit such as madarin oranges, strawberries, sunflower seeds, and a light Asian Sesame dressing
Shrimp Marsala over pasta
Garlic bread

beverages;
AM--usually a 6 oz glass of sometype of juice (Acai berry, pomegranate, pineapple)
1 G-2 (low cal gatorade)
All of the rest of the day only water

Edited to add I forgot she will have a small cup of soup before dinner. She loves it. It is the cabbage soup diet soup......LOL. Basically I make it with chicken broth, shredded cabbage and carrots, portobella mushrooms, a sprinkle of crushed red pepper, and some V-8 juice. She thinks it rocks---Um OK.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

What is your goal? Is it weight loss?

She is not getting enough calories/protein in the morning and throughout the day.

Need to beef up the calories in your breakfast, lunch and snacks and it needs to be all about protein. Cut out all processed foods such as granola, teddy grams, etc. Nuts are good, fruit is good but you have to have some serious protein in there. Eat more chicken.

Her breakfast should be like a brunch.

If she is working hard all day she is putting her body in starvation mode. Calories are a necessity if you are working your that body hard.

 

[mickeyboat]

I totally agree with MM. She needs MORE calories!

 

[IDoDis]

More protein.

How about a smoothie in the morning using the yogurt, cottage cheese, some crushed ice, some frozen berries, add some peanut butter and a scoop of protein powder?

 

[Mom21]

Really? Not enough calories? I added up what I wrote and it was around 2100. I'm sure she gets a few hundred more in: a bowl of ice cream, eating someones chips they don't want, etc. So say 2500 cals in a day.

Weight loss is not the goal, but not gaining weight is. She is perfect right now, but she needs to bulk up muscle. She does have a tendency towards pudge, and she wants to stop that so she can compete better this year.

So what can I add to her menu? She has protein every meal: turkey sausage, chicken breast, shrimp. She has a big sweet tooth so I try to feed that to satisfy her but not make it too much. KWIM? Thanks for the input so far. I am so not up on nutrition.

 

[Mom21]

More protein.

How about a smoothie in the morning using the yogurt, cottage cheese, some crushed ice, some frozen berries, add some peanut butter and a scoop of protein powder?

That is a thought. I have to go to the whole foods market tomorrow. I'll ask if she would like one and then pick up some protein powder. Thanks. keep ideas coming. She likes "real" food.

 

[mickeyboat]

When I exercise a lot, I crave protein. She definitely needs more.

http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/?PMID=0

Here is a link to a kid's calorie calculator. I think there is also a link on the page to adjust calories based on activity level.

If you think about it, an adult needs 2,000 calories just to maintain weight. If your daughter is as active as you say she is, she is burning more than 500 calories per day, and needs more calories.

How much water does she drink?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Really? Not enough calories? I added up what I wrote and it was around 2100. I'm sure she gets a few hundred more in: a bowl of ice cream, eating someones chips they don't want, etc. So say 2500 cals in a day.

Weight loss is not the goal, but not gaining weight is. She is perfect right now, but she needs to bulk up muscle. She does have a tendency towards pudge, and she wants to stop that so she can compete better this year.

So what can I add to her menu? She has protein every meal: turkey sausage, chicken breast, shrimp. She has a big sweet tooth so I try to feed that to satisfy her but not make it too much. KWIM? Thanks for the input so far. I am so not up on nutrition.

2500 calories is not enough for working out 10hrs a day. Now if she was at home that would be OK. However when you work your body hard, you need to have adequate calories to benefit from the workouts. Put it this way, it takes calories to burn calories. And to build muscle you need ALOT of protein. She needs to have close to 1000 calories just in her breakfast and 1000 for her lunch. Or break that up with her snacks. You want her to get in the calories as early as possible so she can burn it off.

Basically she needs to drop the crap food and replace it with protein, nuts, and fruits. If she is eating ice cream, chips, and processed foods like granola, teddy grams, etc....those are her sabotage items.

I do not consider her protein list you have to be adequate. And remember dairy is a poor source of protein. However it is needed for calcium.

Some turkey sausage is not good. Steak, chicken, tofu, beans, are what you need to go for. Go for lean proteins, aka things that are not processed.

She needs to get protein more often early in the day and throughout the day.

 

[Mom21]

When I exercise a lot, I crave protein. She definitely needs more.

http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/?PMID=0

Here is a link to a kid's calorie calculator. I think there is also a link on the page to adjust calories based on activity level.

If you think about it, an adult needs 2,000 calories just to maintain weight. If your daughter is as active as you say she is, she is burning more than 500 calories per day, and needs more calories.

How much water does she drink?

That calculator was eye opening. She is 5' 3" and 110 pounds. With using the option of exercise "more than one hour a day" she needed 3000 calories. keep in mind she isn't limited in her food. She is allowed full access to the kitchen. In fact most days she makes her own breakfast and lunch. I do dinner because I cook usually. She can get snacks anytime she is hungry. I'm just trying to help her make good choices.

Water: non workout day probably 4-5 bottles plus whatever else such as juice, milk, etc.
Workout days: 6 or more bottles if she has camp also in addition to practice.

Water is her drink of choice. She will rarely get a soda even when we go out. I don't have them in the house because they don't get drank. If we have some left from a party or her friends over they go bad.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

That calculator was eye opening. She is 5' 3" and 110 pounds. With using the option of exercise "more than one hour a day" she needed 3000 calories.

There you go. Put it this way, by lunch she should be already up to 2500 calories.

She is starving herself. You cannot build muscle that way.

 

[JessicaR]

How old is she? This is a great site with lots of info. I agree with the majority she isnt getting enough calories or protein.

http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/?PMID=0

 

[shortbun]

I'd add another 500-600 calories in mostly protein but I see very little fiber in her diet. Is the pasta whole grain? Grapes have loads of liquid and fiber. Beans have calories, protein and lots of fiber. Bean burritos, bean and egg burritos in the am? I think she's not getting enough calories to maintain weight while building muscle at her pace. The protein is important to retain or build muscle and the fiber will just keep her body healthy. You didn't give us serving measures but I'd make sure she was getting plenty of anti-oxidents every day-broccoli, carrots, acai, blueberries...also important is potassium: watermelon, almonds, avacado, o.j. -these all come without the salt of Gatorade and also omit the artificial sweetner.

 

[JessicaR]

There you go. Put it this way, by lunch she should be already up to 2500 calories.

She is starving herself. You cannot build muscle that way.

Exactly.

Muscle is heavier by volume than fat so her weight is not important. In other words she should not be alarmed if she gains in lbs and the gain is muscle. This would actually be her goal.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Exactly.

Muscle is heavier by volume than fat so her weight is not important. In other words she should not be alarmed if she gains in lbs and the gain is muscle. This would actually be her goal.

Right. As you gain the muscle weight the fat will burn off after that until you are equilibrium.

It takes awhile, esp with a girl. That is why getting her calories intake adjusted is key.

Michael Phelps ate 10,000 calories a day while training.

 

[jsmith]

she needs WAYYYYYYYYYY more low fat or fat free dairy and leafy greens-this is wayyyy wayyy wayy short on calcium for a teenaged girl-especially one working out-and that will cause her enormous problems later in life. one small yogurt and a small spinach salad a day do not cut it for calcium requirements-at least 3 8oz glasses of milk-three servings of cheese or a calcium supplement are a must.

 

[Mom21]

Ok. Trying to answer some questions. You guys are full of great ideas. I asked when I picked her up and she said she would love a smoothie for breakfast so I'm going to pick up some protein powder tomorrow at the Whole Foods market.

As far as fiber I plan to add flax seed to the smoothie. She also eats watermelon, grapes, etc every day. She likes brocolli and cooked carrots (not raw) a few times a week. Drinks acai or pomegranate juice.

She takes calcium supplements (I know not really a substitute but she eats way more cheese than she should).

She likes to add almonds to her salad depending on what dressing she is using and what extras she has.

Protein is a problem. She does eat it all lunch and dinner. breakfast likely only half the time when I push it. She doesn't like burritos in any form. She will only eat kidney beans and that is recent. No other beans. Tofu is a no-no unless someone can give me a good kid friendly recipe.

Oh yeah she is 12. I am worried about her getting the right nutrients. Believe me she isn't starving --girl can eat and does she. I just want her to learn proper eating habits to give her the edge she needs to compete.

thanks for the input. Lots of info coming in.

 

[jrmasm]

Maybe someone that is more knowledgable will jump in with pro/cons but my DD14 eats protein bars for snacks when she's training/games.

Did I miss it? What sport is your DD training 10 hrs a day?


eta: I thought G2 was a bad idea. We were told that for intensive workouts, the carbs in regular gatorade are beneficial.

 

[Wonders10]

My daughter has always been a big girl. Never going to be skinny. She has a beautiful, powerful, athletic body. Recently she has lost about 7 pounds and gained a few inches in height.

She is 5' 3" and 110 pounds.

Please tell me you are not calling her a big girl at 110 lbs. I know everyone has a different shape, and at age 12, you do not look like you will look at say 22 or 32, but 110 lbs at 5'3" seems pretty good to me.

I just have some eating issues and I'm a teeny bit concerned that either she or you (or both) are this concerned about her body at age 12.

 

[bookgirl]

Ok. Trying to answer some questions. You guys are full of great ideas. I asked when I picked her up and she said she would love a smoothie for breakfast so I'm going to pick up some protein powder tomorrow at the Whole Foods market.

As far as fiber I plan to add flax seed to the smoothie. She also eats watermelon, grapes, etc every day. She likes brocolli and cooked carrots (not raw) a few times a week. Drinks acai or pomegranate juice.

She takes calcium supplements (I know not really a substitute but she eats way more cheese than she should).

She likes to add almonds to her salad depending on what dressing she is using and what extras she has.

Protein is a problem. She does eat it all lunch and dinner. breakfast likely only half the time when I push it. She doesn't like burritos in any form. She will only eat kidney beans and that is recent. No other beans. Tofu is a no-no unless someone can give me a good kid friendly recipe.

Oh yeah she is 12. I am worried about her getting the right nutrients. Believe me she isn't starving --girl can eat and does she. I just want her to learn proper eating habits to give her the edge she needs to compete.

thanks for the input. Lots of info coming in.

Does she not like egg yolkes? Add some more eggs to her breakfast. Cook a turkey breast and feed that to her for breakfast, no one says you have to eat breakfast food for breakfast. Make sure she has a carb/protien combo for snacks, that way she'll have some fast carbs to burn but some protien to maintain throughout the workout. I'd call her doctor and ask for a meal plan, but really it may get to the point that you tell her if she doens't eat better she can't train. They do have rules about body fat/weight and competition, that may motivate her to start packing in the protiens at breakfast and lunch when she's working out.

 

[claudia]

My daughter has always been a big girl. Never going to be skinny. She has a beautiful, powerful, athletic body. Recently she has lost about 7 pounds and gained a few inches in height. She really wants to be more competitive this coming season. I'm not very up on nutrition, but I try. What nutrients is she missing? I do have to give her more carbs and protein than I would eat due to her rigorous schedule. She has gym camp from 9-4 and then team practice from 4-7 so 10 hour day. Camp has breaks. Team doesn't have any for 3 solid hours.

So I have to fix her a breakfast that keeps her going and pack lunch and snacks for all day until 7 when I pick her up and make her dinner.

Tomorrow's menu as an example:

Breakfast: 1 hard boiled egg white-no yolk, a small 100 calorie yogurt or some cottage cheese (depends on her mood), 1 piece of turkey sausage, 1 piece of cinnamon raisin toast.

Lunch: 1 piece of baked coconut chicken in a thermos, some type of fruit, quaker rice cake minis, a snickers or twix bar (yes she needs a sweet....LOL)

Snacks for camp and before team practice:
more fruit, teddy grahams, a homemade mix of granola, dried fruit, nuts, flax seed, etc (whatever I have at the time)
Dinner: spinich salad--we will put some fruit such as madarin oranges, strawberries, sunflower seeds, and a light Asian Sesame dressing
Shrimp Marsala over pasta
Garlic bread

beverages;
AM--usually a 6 oz glass of sometype of juice (Acai berry, pomegranate, pineapple)
1 G-2 (low cal gatorade)
All of the rest of the day only water

Edited to add I forgot she will have a small cup of soup before dinner. She loves it. It is the cabbage soup diet soup......LOL. Basically I make it with chicken broth, shredded cabbage and carrots, portobella mushrooms, a sprinkle of crushed red pepper, and some V-8 juice. She thinks it rocks---Um OK.

Breakfast: How about: 1 1/2 c. oatmeal (cooked, not instant) w/protein powder with 1/4c. lowfat milk, 1/2 melon (cantaloupe/honeydew). Also additional glass of lowfat milk. If she likes soymilk, use that.

Lunch: How about: 1 seasoned broiled chicken breast (cut up) add 1 cup brown rice...cooked, not instant, 1 cup veggie...ex. broccoli or whatever she likes, mix together in thermos. Low fat milk. Apple/orange/grapes. lowfat string cheese.

Snack:How about: almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, raisins, cranberries, blueberries, low fat greek yougurt....mix this together in another small thermos. Also you could pack some protein bars like Cliff or Soyjoy. She should probaly be having 2 snacks a day.

Dinner: How about: Salad is great, make with spinach or romaine. Soup before is great. If she can't tolerate a whole wheat pasta then try the calcium/protein fortified ones. Stick with whole grain breads for the garlic bread. I would go with a wild salmon or grilled chicken over the salad for a little variety. A glass of lowfat milk.

You will have to determine the calories she needs and then figure out the portion size. Try to get any bread product that is whole grain only.


ADDED: I just noticed Wonders10 post....and I totally agree....at 12 and that weight, your DD sounds ideal. I would totally take the focus off weight and diet at this point. My mom did that to me....told me I was too heavy at 5' 8" and 140 lbs....I have been dealing with an eating disorder for most of my life.....