Hello! Need advice for 15 year old daughter!

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phoebe1975
phoebe1975 Posts: 55 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hello- I am on MFP for weight loss, but I noticed the weight gain section and was hoping someone could give me some advice. My daughter is 15 and a competitive dancer. She dances ALL THE TIME (sometimes 20 hours a week!!). She has also recently lost a lot of weight from a combination of new braces, dancing, and just being busy (as she says, I forget to eat). She definitely does not have an eating disorder, and I took her to the doctor last week to make sure everything was okay. She is very muscular and weighs 104 lbs (she is 5'3"). I just want her to gain weight, but don't want to make it into a big ordeal where she starts to focus on calories and eating all the time.

I was wondering how much she should be eating (like 3000 calories?). Is it bad if I make her a milkshake in the morning with some healthy ingredients too? What can I add to make her put on a couple pounds? Thanks for your help!!
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Replies

  • blueboxgeek
    blueboxgeek Posts: 574 Member
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    What did the doctor say? Did he/she think your daughter needed to gain weight?
  • trufflecshuffle
    trufflecshuffle Posts: 1
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    Just keep in mind, if she stops menstruating and continues to have a low body weight that is somethig to bring up to her pediatrician. As for shakes, just make sure she's getting the protein she needs with the amount of physical activity she's doing - adding whey to shakes is a good option.
  • CarrieCans
    CarrieCans Posts: 381 Member
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    When i was 15 i was a competitive dancer too. I was 5'4 and weighed around 150 lbs. I was seriously fit back then. <sigh> Everyone is going to be different so if she is small framed i would think she might not want to be that big.

    Get her to start eating more protein. Start switching out portion sizes of her foods. She doesn't need to be aware of any changes because they can be small.

    If she plans on dancing for many more years, it wouldn't hurt for her to understand the macro part of things. She can be conscious of which things will help her in the long run without counting the calories themselves. Teach her to focus on the fuels for her activities.

    I really wish i would have had a better understanding of that part of it all when i was that age. When the dancing stopped, my weight shot up and i lost a lot of muscle.
  • phoebe1975
    phoebe1975 Posts: 55 Member
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    Thanks for the replies! She went in for a general check-up, and he said he wasn't worried about it as of now (everything was fine- blood work, etc.)....but she is definitely in the lower percentile for her weight and height. She does not have a normal menstrual cycle (she skips some months) and is going to see a gynecologist next week (some of the other dancers also skip periods- I know this is not normal). I will get the whey protein today!!
  • phoebe1975
    phoebe1975 Posts: 55 Member
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    CarrieCans wrote: »
    When i was 15 i was a competitive dancer too. I was 5'4 and weighed around 150 lbs. I was seriously fit back then. <sigh> Everyone is going to be different so if she is small framed i would think she might not want to be that big.

    Get her to start eating more protein. Start switching out portion sizes of her foods. She doesn't need to be aware of any changes because they can be small.

    If she plans on dancing for many more years, it wouldn't hurt for her to understand the macro part of things. She can be conscious of which things will help her in the long run without counting the calories themselves. Teach her to focus on the fuels for her activities.

    I really wish i would have had a better understanding of that part of it all when i was that age. When the dancing stopped, my weight shot up and i lost a lot of muscle.

    She is small framed, but I guess what has me worried is she was 120 pounds a year ago- and the braces and a new ballet teacher has seemed to slim her down too much!! Many of the girls have went from larger, muscular thighs to an elongated look, if that makes sense. Anyway, thanks you guys I will definitely up her protein, add a milkshake with whey, and try to sneak in bigger portions!
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I'd say, as a dancer, she's going to need carbs, carbs, carbs for energy to fuel gruelling practise sessions.

    Plenty of snacks be they 'junk' or 'healthy'.

    Hopefully @JoRocka‌ will chime in, as a dancer herself, I'm sure she'd have some tips for you.

    I honestly would not waste money on whey protein if she eats a normal diet.
  • radmack
    radmack Posts: 272 Member
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    If they have a new ballet teacher and the thighs have slimmed, it could be from better technique. Ballet done wrong leads to more bulky muscles than ballet done right. (Both my daughters danced for years with one continuing for fun in college.)
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
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    I'd say no to the whey protein too. Lots of fun snacks and food events. It's so hard to cook buttery Nutella pancakes when you're on a cut, but I have to do this for my skinny 10 year old.

    High calorie sandwich fillings, muller rice, fruit, smoothies, and sneak some full fat dairy in there too.
    Bagels pasta and bananas! If she can't eat volume you'll have to sneak in the high calorie stuff.

  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
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    radmack wrote: »
    If they have a new ballet teacher and the thighs have slimmed, it could be from better technique. Ballet done wrong leads to more bulky muscles than ballet done right. (Both my daughters danced for years with one continuing for fun in college.)

    If muscles grow or shrink its to do with calorie consumption. The muscles will grow if they are being worked hard and there is an excess calorie situation.

    im genuinely intrigued about better ballet technique creating slimmer thigh muscles. Can you expand on that?

  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
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    phoebe1975 wrote: »
    CarrieCans wrote: »
    When i was 15 i was a competitive dancer too. I was 5'4 and weighed around 150 lbs. I was seriously fit back then. <sigh> Everyone is going to be different so if she is small framed i would think she might not want to be that big.

    Get her to start eating more protein. Start switching out portion sizes of her foods. She doesn't need to be aware of any changes because they can be small.

    If she plans on dancing for many more years, it wouldn't hurt for her to understand the macro part of things. She can be conscious of which things will help her in the long run without counting the calories themselves. Teach her to focus on the fuels for her activities.

    I really wish i would have had a better understanding of that part of it all when i was that age. When the dancing stopped, my weight shot up and i lost a lot of muscle.

    She is small framed, but I guess what has me worried is she was 120 pounds a year ago- and the braces and a new ballet teacher has seemed to slim her down too much!! Many of the girls have went from larger, muscular thighs to an elongated look, if that makes sense. Anyway, thanks you guys I will definitely up her protein, add a milkshake with whey, and try to sneak in bigger portions!

    1. All the girls have grown, that may explain the slimmer legs.
    2. There could be a competitive skinniness going on there! Watch the ballet teacher isn't giving 'advice' or pressure. I teach 2 prima ballerinas, and I shudder at some of stories.
  • phoebe1975
    phoebe1975 Posts: 55 Member
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    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    radmack wrote: »
    If they have a new ballet teacher and the thighs have slimmed, it could be from better technique. Ballet done wrong leads to more bulky muscles than ballet done right. (Both my daughters danced for years with one continuing for fun in college.)

    If muscles grow or shrink its to do with calorie consumption. The muscles will grow if they are being worked hard and there is an excess calorie situation.

    im genuinely intrigued about better ballet technique creating slimmer thigh muscles. Can you expand on that?

    Honestly, I am not sure about the mechanics- but I think Radmack is right because since the new teacher came (I said a year ago but it's prob been more like 1.5 years), most of the girls have slimmer thighs now- they just aren't as bulky. But, they are still muscular, but they look more toned if that makes sense?!
  • phoebe1975
    phoebe1975 Posts: 55 Member
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    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    I'd say no to the whey protein too. Lots of fun snacks and food events. It's so hard to cook buttery Nutella pancakes when you're on a cut, but I have to do this for my skinny 10 year old.

    High calorie sandwich fillings, muller rice, fruit, smoothies, and sneak some full fat dairy in there too.
    Bagels pasta and bananas! If she can't eat volume you'll have to sneak in the high calorie stuff.

    Thank you for the advice! She loves Nutella and bananas- part of the problem is she eats really healthy on her own lol- she loves salads and vegetables, which is great, but she needs more calories- again thanks for the advice!!!
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
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    I would love to know how this leg muscle elongation is accomplished. I'm not a dancer, but I am a person who develops big ol' bulk doing ANYTHING and my thighs bulge and pants never, ever fit right. Very frustrated.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
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    As for your daughter, lest I derail things: Cheese!!! It has calcium, protein, *and* fat, and almost everybody loves it!
  • phoebe1975
    phoebe1975 Posts: 55 Member
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    gothchiq wrote: »
    As for your daughter, lest I derail things: Cheese!!! It has calcium, protein, *and* fat, and almost everybody loves it!

    Thanks for the advice- I am making a grocery list from y'alls advice!

    As far as the elongated muscles, I know that her ballet "workout" consists mainly of plies, lots and lots of plies- and then, when they are sick of plies, they do even more plies lol. Then they stretch and stretch and stretch- she uses a superiorband and basically sleeps with it...literally I have found it in her bed before :)
  • KatieHall77
    KatieHall77 Posts: 129 Member
    edited January 2015
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    With competitive athletes, this is actually pretty normal. Gymnasts in the Olympics, etc. By all means provide her with easy mobile snacks, especially when she's really busy, but it doesn't sound like she has a problem. The doctor does not sound very worried about her at this point.
    My sister and I did competitive figure skating as teens and we often would skip a month or two of menstruation, especially with intense training months. It will return to normal when she "retires" from highly intense dancing. I think my mom worried about us too at the time, but my sister and I went on to give her five grand- children between the two of us.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    She's at a stage where her whole body shape will be changing a lot anyway, so the look of her legs probably isn't a concern as much as her total body weight and the fact that she's losing weight. Has she gotten taller in the past 1.5 years? That plus the drop in weight would account for her legs looking more elongated.

    If she likes vegetables, try roasting them. You can add a lot of fat and calories from olive oil and they won't "feel" heavy or greasy to her. Plus, they're softer than raw vegetables so they will be easier to eat on days when her braces are painful.

    At 15, isn't it somewhat common for girls to have irregular periods? Obviously, please check with her gyno and take their advice, but I'm not sure whether or not that's a huge red flag for someone her age (whereas it would be if she were a little older).
  • phoebe1975
    phoebe1975 Posts: 55 Member
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    KatieHall77 wrote: »
    With competitive athletes, this is actually pretty normal. Gymnasts in the Olympics, etc. By all means provide her with easy mobile snacks, especially when she's really busy, but it doesn't sound like she has a problem. The doctor does not sound very worried about her at this point.
    My sister and I did competitive figure skating as teens and we often would skip a month or two of menstruation, especially with intense training months. It will return to normal when she "retires" from highly intense dancing. I think my mom worried about us too at the time, but my sister and I went on to give her five grand- children between the two of us.

    Thanks- that does make me feel better, and I am a worrier. I am also a hypochondriac so that makes my anxiety even more pronounced lol!
  • echofm1
    echofm1 Posts: 471 Member
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    You don't even need to necessarily add in extra snacks and foods and shakes. If you're making meals, you can make her stuff more calorie dense. Kind of like the Michael Phelps approach. Full fat dressing on her salad, use oil instead of the oil spray, put real butter on/in mashed potatoes, etc. These things don't add a lot of extra food, which can get rejected because someone isn't hungry. None of these things are bad, and can even have a lot of health benefits because your body really does need fats.

    Peanut butter is also a great calorie dense food, and delicious.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    edited January 2015
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    When I graduated high school, I was probably around 105 pounds and 5'4". I'm guessing that when i was 15, I was under 100 pounds. This doesn't strike me as underweight for her age, but everyone is different. I also was never 120 pounds at that age, so it might be for her. I was naturally skinny.

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