How tall will I be at 18?

PCS244 · February 18th, 2008, 08:30 PM

My dad is 5'9 1/4 and my mom is 5'2. My grandpa WAS 5'11...so basically my dad had potential to be taller but wasnt privelaged at the time or whatever. height is very important to me (dont know why) so I was wondering how tall you think I will be at 18? right now I am a little over 5'9 1/2, I am almost 15 and a half years old and I exercise and eat very healthy. an online height predictor says I should be 5'11 but how tall do you think I will be?

also, how do I know whether I am on a growth spurt or not? from september to the end of janruary i grew about an inch and a half but now things are seemingly going slow..i only grew 1/8 of an inch in the past two weeks recently, which isn't that much. am I at a spurt? how will I know if I am at a spurt? what's the average amount of inches a boy my age grows during summertime?

**wildstang** · February 18th, 2008, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PCS244

My dad is 5'9 1/4 and my mom is 5'2. My grandpa WAS 5'11...so basically my dad had potential to be taller but wasnt privelaged at the time or whatever. height is very important to me (dont know why) so I was wondering how tall you think I will be at 18? right now I am a little over 5'9 1/2, I am almost 15 and a half years old and I exercise and eat very healthy. an online height predictor says I should be 5'11 but how tall do you think I will be?

also, how do I know whether I am on a growth spurt or not? from september to the end of janruary i grew about an inch and a half but now things are seemingly going slow..i only grew 1/8 of an inch in the past two weeks recently, which isn't that much. am I at a spurt? how will I know if I am at a spurt? what's the average amount of inches a boy my age grows during summertime?

theres really no way for any of us here to make a accurate guess. thats just what it would be is just a guess. just because your father was only 5'9"+ dosent necessarily meen thats were your height will stop. genetics is what determines what height you will be. say for instance your grandfather was 6'4" and his wife was 5'1" that dosent necessarily meen you will be either of those heights. meening the dna is present in your genes and were you will stop growing is up to mother nature

just dont overly worry yourself with it and continue eating healthy and accept what height you will be in time.

**pliny_2001** · February 18th, 2008, 09:09 PM

Agree - it's massively complex.

A number of doctors will use a formula based on how much growth remains in your wrist bones as a predictor, but it's notoriously inaccurate (it projected me to be 6'10'' which, while freakishly tall, would allow me a significant income as an NBA forward - of course, I ended up topping out at 6'3'').

I was reading a more recent study that suggested a great deal of one's predicted height depended on the nutrition that your mother received during her adolescence. It's fairly provocative, but the researchers certainly defended it well.

And this is a case where "averages" are worthless - because you're an individual, not an average. There's no statistical relevance.

Also: Your numbers don't add up. If you put on 1.5" in 6 months, then your "current" rate of 1/8" in two weeks translates into ... drum-roll ... another 1.5" in the next six months. Also: I'd think that it's nearly impossible to accurately measure 1/8" growth, given the variance just in spinal compression over the course of the day.

Sorry this isn't too helpful, but I'd argue that this is really one of those things that you can't control. Just continue to eat well and follow healthy habits, and you'll grow to whatever your potential is. And really, that's all you can do.

PCS244 · February 19th, 2008, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pliny_2001

Also: Your numbers don't add up. If you put on 1.5" in 6 months, then your "current" rate of 1/8" in two weeks translates into ... drum-roll ... another 1.5" in the next six months. Also: I'd think that it's nearly impossible to accurately measure 1/8" growth, given the variance just in spinal compression over the course of the day.

well my dad's a doctor and we have an old measuring/weight thing in my house. usually after I wake up to go and eat breakfast every Sunday morning I measure myself...so I think it's pretty accurate. And I grew an inch and a half in a 4 month range..not 6, so yeah.

if you had to guess though, for a person my height at my age - around where would most people my height end up at 18?

**tooncesthecat** · February 19th, 2008, 06:37 PM

To reiterate, THERE'S NO WAY TO KNOW HOW TALL YOU'LL BE AT 18. How does 6'1" sound...

**wildstang** · February 19th, 2008, 06:45 PM

what does your father the physician estimate? actually he would be better qualified to give an estimate. but to bring up your spirits i estimate 5'11 to 6', based on the younger generation appears to get taller each generation, and important!, eat healthy these last important years of puberty.

PCS244 · February 19th, 2008, 07:07 PM

my parents think I'm going to be around 6'0... to me the perfect height would probably be 6'3 but I know I won't be that tall. I could settle for anything over 5'11 though. thanx

**pliny_2001** · February 19th, 2008, 08:52 PM

It really isn't anything that you have control over, once you ensure that you're eating and sleeping and just being healthy - it's a life lesson that things which cannot be controlled shouldn't become a source of constant tension. You'll just grow, and that's pretty much it.

And yes, 6'3" is pretty good, though the downside is that nothing fits. I mean, literally nothing. I can pretty much only wear clothes that were designed for Scandinavians or tailored to me (fun clothes fact: some companies - Etro comes to mind - have different cuts in the US and the rest of the world. Here in the States, their shirts do not fit at all - I'd have to put on 30-40 pounds of fat to get it to hang properly, or get it heavily tailored. In Sweden, I can buy THE EXACT SAME SHIRT off the rack and wear it out the front door. In Hawaii, no clothes at all fit, because they're geared towards the Japanese market). Except for jeans, which confuses me. If they fit me, they'll only fit about .03% of the population. But the store's full of them. It's confusing.

**wildstang** · February 19th, 2008, 09:00 PM

in my youth i was 6'4" but most of us lose a little height with age. im currently 6'3" and i can reiterate what pliny said. pants im torn between 36" inseams a little to long or 34" inseams to short. my millitary uniform luckily was tailored. shirts im stuck wearing xl. if i want them to fit loosely i have to go with 2xl. arm length has always been a problem also.

**cujo-1** · February 20th, 2008, 07:16 PM

im only 6'1" and 34" inseams is almost to short. just hate how much anke shows while sitting

**JoeBAR** · February 20th, 2008, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PCS244

My dad is 5'9 1/4 and my mom is 5'2. My grandpa WAS 5'11...so basically my dad had potential to be taller but wasnt privelaged at the time or whatever. height is very important to me (dont know why) so I was wondering how tall you think I will be at 18? right now I am a little over 5'9 1/2, I am almost 15 and a half years old and I exercise and eat very healthy. an online height predictor says I should be 5'11 but how tall do you think I will be?

also, how do I know whether I am on a growth spurt or not? from september to the end of janruary i grew about an inch and a half but now things are seemingly going slow..i only grew 1/8 of an inch in the past two weeks recently, which isn't that much. am I at a spurt? how will I know if I am at a spurt? what's the average amount of inches a boy my age grows during summertime?

I haven't grown since I was your age, actually, I reached my size at 14 and 4 months or so ... everybody's different

butch517 · February 20th, 2008, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PCS244

My dad is 5'9 1/4 and my mom is 5'2. My grandpa WAS 5'11...so basically my dad had potential to be taller but wasnt privelaged at the time or whatever. height is very important to me (dont know why) so I was wondering how tall you think I will be at 18? right now I am a little over 5'9 1/2, I am almost 15 and a half years old and I exercise and eat very healthy. an online height predictor says I should be 5'11 but how tall do you think I will be?

also, how do I know whether I am on a growth spurt or not? from september to the end of janruary i grew about an inch and a half but now things are seemingly going slow..i only grew 1/8 of an inch in the past two weeks recently, which isn't that much. am I at a spurt? how will I know if I am at a spurt? what's the average amount of inches a boy my age grows during summertime?

Between just your Dad and your Grandpa you'll probly be around 5'11''. However, I think it matters how tall your Dad was at his "tallest." Guys start shrinking pretty early...I think around 50. So your Dad might have lost an 1/8 or so already. So how old is your Dad or how tall was he at his tallest? Also, how tall is your Mom? That matters because you could have her genetics instead of your Dads. Can you tell if your body type is closer to your Moms or your Dads??? After you determine that, you'll be able to get a better idea I think.

I was pretty concerned when I was in high school as well. I didn't reach puberty till almost my mid-junior year, and then after I graduated I grew another 4 inches. My dream was to play college football, but I was only 5'10'' when I got out of highschool, and only 155 lbs. Now I'm out of college, I eventually got to play 3 years as a 6'2 1/2'' safety. So good luck and relax you'll get there. My only advice would be to make the BEST OF WHAT YOU HAVE NOW because that will in turn help you out even more when you get to the height you're meant to be at. More athletic I mean because if you learn to handle yourself as a smaller guy against the big guys now, it will definatley help you more later! Good luck buddy!

**wildstang** · February 20th, 2008, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by butch517

Between just your Dad and your Grandpa you'll probly be around 5'11''. However, I think it matters how tall your Dad was at his "tallest." Guys start shrinking pretty early...I think around 50. So your Dad might have lost an 1/8 or so already. So how old is your Dad or how tall was he at his tallest? Also, how tall is your Mom? That matters because you could have her genetics instead of your Dads. Can you tell if your body type is closer to your Moms or your Dads??? After you determine that, you'll be able to get a better idea I think.

I was pretty concerned when I was in high school as well. I didn't reach puberty till almost my mid-junior year, and then after I graduated I grew another 4 inches. My dream was to play college football, but I was only 5'10'' when I got out of highschool, and only 155 lbs. Now I'm out of college, I eventually got to play 3 years as a 6'2 1/2'' safety. So good luck and relax you'll get there. My only advice would be to make the BEST OF WHAT YOU HAVE NOW because that will in turn help you out even more when you get to the height you're meant to be at. More athletic I mean because if you learn to handle yourself as a smaller guy against the big guys now, it will definatley help you more later! Good luck buddy!

classic example of growing.....you never know when its done.

getterdone71 · February 21st, 2008, 08:23 AM

If I remeber right there is an old wives tale that you double your height at the age of 4 and that is how tall you should be.

**wildstang** · February 21st, 2008, 08:30 AM

ive got some neighbors down the road who are the parents anyway normal height father being 6'1" mother being around 5'8 to 5'10" and there two teenage sons are 6'6" for peets sake so somewere along the line in one or both of the parents family tree they had some tall relatives.