Last updated on October 31, 2025
Question:
Hello Sir,
Before going to the questions I am about to ask. I want to thank you for guiding many of us, including myself, in a godly and spiritual way to understand our purity and ourselves.
I have some questions to ask:
I am 17.5 years old. Around the age of 16, I was about 5’7. From that point, I grew about 2 inches. When I ran the calculator back then, it showed me to be around a 3.8-3.9. I reached 4.0 approximately around age 16.5. Currently, my score shows a 4.4 on the calculator. When might I reach Tanner 5? Possibly by the time I am 18.5 to 19? Can my Peak Height Velocity (PHV) determine when I reach Tanner Stage 5? I think I had a phase of rapid growth between the ages of 15 and 16.
Is it humanly possible to delay your growth plate closure and affect how much you grow? I know for sure that growth is in God’s hands, but could factors other than genetics also influence your growth to some extent? For example, a healthy diet is essential, and it’s best to avoid eating junk food frequently.
Would improving IGF-1 levels help us grow overall more and reach our maximum genetic potential better than if we didn’t do anything? Would there be a difference?
For example, instead of someone ending up 5’10, he could have ended up 5’11 or 6’0 with the proper natural habits. I mean improving IGF-1 naturally, not taking supplements or something that is unnaturally going into your body.
Is it possible for me to reach 5’11 at this point? Currently, my morning[maximum] height is about 5’9.3 [176 cm]? I just want a realistic answer. How likely am I to grow, technically speaking?
Answer:
Each stage typically lasts around two years. You are halfway through Stage 4, so you can expect to reach Stage 5 in approximately a year. During that time, your growth rate will continue to decrease until it reaches zero at the start of Stage 5. I would expect you to add about an inch or less in height by the time you reach stage 5.
The sequence of hormones in the body that causes growth is complex. While there are drugs to delay the closure of the bones, these drugs cause side effects because they interfere with the sequence. It is better to allow the body to handle its growth.
Eating well provides the body with all the nutrients it needs to reach its maximum potential, but it can’t exceed these limits. Sickness or eating poorly during the time you are growing may cause you to be shorter, but there isn’t a way to force yourself to be taller. The body best produces IGF-1 when you are eating animal protein, so you should have some meat and dairy in your diet. You have to be careful with a vegetarian diet because it might not provide sufficient protein needed to produce IGF-1.
Question:
Thank you, sir, for the info!
Thanks for replying soon enough! I appreciate it!
By the way, I do eat red meat, dairy, and seafood on a very regular basis, so I guess there’s no worry in that part.
Anyway, the reason why I was kind of optimistic about my patterns is for this one reason (and yes, it’s appropriately measured at the same time of the day to avoid errors over a 6-month to 1-year period, so no cap in measurements). Between 16 and 17, I did grow, but not a lot! Possibly I grew by 1.5 inches at most, which is not what I expected personally, since I never thought my growth would slow down so rapidly from the previous year. However, it was expected since I was not very physically active last year due to the pressure of college entrance exam preparation.
However, now that that’s all done and over, I’ve become more physically active, increasing my playing time from barely 15-30 minutes a day to 1 to 2.5 hours daily outdoors over the past 3 months.
What I noticed is another mini shoot up in growth of an inch to 3 cm this year, which was pretty surprising since this was my 1st inch after long time of 7-8 months of barely any growth, and it came pretty fast — so much that I felt growing pains in my limbs, foot and spine during night time.
So, I could suppose that if I could do an inch over in less than 6 months, I still have some growth left.
Besides, compared to most boys my age, at least in terms of facial maturity and hair, I lag behind many of the guys of the same age.
It is not annoying to me, since I know everyone develops at their own God-given pace. However, I don’t lack the genetics for facial hair; both sides of my family are pretty hairy.
In my face, most of my hair is pretty like long vellus on most of the face, except the mustache and chin, which do have a few terminals.
Nor is the spread of hair all over for now. However, as of now, my muscle size, especially in my arms and chest, is slightly more noticeable than it was a year ago. Do you think with proper exercise and healthy habits, I could expect a good increase naturally in the next few months or by next year?
Answer:
Your facial hair will continue to develop, even after you stop growing in height.
Exercise is definitely beneficial, and you have reached the point where your muscles will grow with regular exercise.
However, as I explained, if the estimate is accurate (and it sounds like it is), then you can expect your growth to slow down over the next year. Yes, growth sometimes comes in spurts, but at this stage, each spurt will be smaller.