Question

Weight Gain: College Football Player

JJ is a 22-year-old male college Division I football quarterback competing for the team’s number one slot for starting quarterback this upcoming season. JJ is 6’ 2” in height and weighed 197 pounds (lbs) at the end of the football season. For spring ball JJ weight trains 5 days a week for 1 ½ hours each session and plays pick-up basketball most days of the week for about an hour.

Reason for Nutrition Consult

JJ wants to increase his muscle mass to improve his power. He has been trying to gain weight throughout spring ball and would like to weigh around 210 pounds (lbs) by August when pre-season starts. JJ complains that he has trouble putting on weight.

Current Dietary Patterns

JJ has always eaten 3 meals a day, but since he has been trying to gain weight, he has started to add protein shakes after weight training and before going to bed at night. He eats his lunch out every day, usually a burrito or sub sandwich. JJ avoid soda but drinks lemonade with meals and water before and after practice. Sometimes after football practice and before a game of pick-up basketball, JJ will grab a sport bar, but his main energy intake comes at dinnertime. On the drive home, he typically stops and gets a medium pizza with sausage/mushrooms and lemonade. JJ's nutritional analysis revealed the following results: Total Calories: 4,738, Carb: 552 grams, Protein: 270 grams, and Fat: 149 grams.

1. Is it appropriate for JJ to be trying to gain weight at this time?
2. Use the EER equation from week 10 to calculate JJ's caloric needs. Show calculations.
3. What is JJ’s percent calories from carbohydrate, protein and fat? Is he within the recommended guidelines? Is he consuming the correct amount of carbohydrate and protein per gram of body weight? Explain.
4. After calculating JJ’s nutritional needs and assessing his intake, what recommendations do you have for JJ to help him meet his weight gain goal? Think critically here and be specific in your recommendations.
5. Suggest at least 3-4 specific alternative eating choices (meal or snack ideas) as it relates to the case study prompt.

Answer 1

Estimated energy requirement for men aged 19 and older is alculated by the below given formula

EER=662-(9.53×age+PA×(15.91×Wt in kg + 539.6× ht in meters.

PA stands for physical activity level which is 1-1.39 for sedentary lifestyle, 1.4-1.59 for low active, 1.6- 1.89 for active and 1.9- 2.5 for very active

So the calculation in case of JJ is

EER= 662-(9.53×22+1.89×(15.91×89+539.6×1.889

= 4557.13 calories

Lemonade and low in calories and gives filling of fullness so it should be minimized for weight gain goals

To increase muscle mass caloric intake through protein can be increased instead of carbohydrate