Naturally petite ballerina, can't lose extra weight...

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Replies

  • kellicci
    kellicci Posts: 409 Member
    I didn't read all the posts but I think you have seen enough to knw that maybe toning is what you need.

    Go ahead and eat more and as much protein as you can fit in to help tone up. Don't be freaked out if you actually gain a couple pounds. When I started here I thought I wanted to be a certain weight now I'm 3 pounds heavier but my abs and legs afar more toned then they have ever been and my measuremnets are smaller, so please don;t be a slave to the scale. When you start weight training sometime muscles retain water and glycogen as they repair and get stronger but honsetly stonger toned muscles can only help you in your dnacing career and I think that's the way to go. Get some yummie protein shkaes and make them with almond or soy milk for a totally yummie and vegan high protein snack after you workout.
  • chrishgt4
    chrishgt4 Posts: 1,222 Member
    5'4": 105 pounds... do you even menstruate? And is that your clavicle in your picture? Because you shouldn't be able to see that. You need to gain weight.

    Clavicle aka 'collar bone'? As this is commonly showing on women who are at normal weights, not just underweight women.

    To add- mine is once again re-emerging and I'm 5'3" and 146 lbs and by BMI standards I am still overweight.

    Agreed. What the heck? I'm 5'6" and 132 lbs (no where NEAR underweight), and I think my clavicle is sexy. I thought it was perfectly normal to have a collarbone. Or are we tearing down that body part now too? There's a hell of a lot of skinny shaming going on here when the OP just wanted a bit of straight advice.

    Also - I'm a perfectly healthy 190+lb guy and my clavicle is quite clearly showing. Just a ridiculous, ridiculous comment based nowhere in reality.

    @OP - making a lot of assumptions about exercise etc, but I would say that you are probably eating roughly the right amount of calories. As for exercise - if you don't already - start lifting heavy weights doing compound lifts and keep eating what you are at the moment. Assess and take from there. Maybe eat a little more, maybe a little less (but I would guess on more if I had to choose).
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    Have you every considered adding 10 lbs of muscle? Which would probably take 2500+ calories and added some heavy weight training. Below is what happens when you add muscle. And since you have very little muscle, this is why you still have a pouch. You don't have enough muscle to protrude though your skin

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo?hl=skinny+fat+vs

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • ines25
    ines25 Posts: 107 Member
    This girl is all ready underweight she don't need to lose weight what she needs is a doctor because it sound like and eating problem she is 5'4 and 105lb and if u really are a professional bellerina u burn what u eat in one training section ballerinas burn lots of calories so I don't know what to say
  • mike_littlerock
    mike_littlerock Posts: 296 Member
    very sad that people are so rude and making personal attacks. Her question was quite valid and she is seeking advice. Many of us on this site do have issues with body image, but we can try to come at things from a position of knowledge and understanding instead of acting like children.

    BMI does apply to people in the very middle of the population, but does not apply to everyone. My BMI for example says I am very close to obese, but I wear size 34 pants. BMI needs to be revised to include body fat measurements or at least some metrics other than height and gross weight. Its an antiquated measurement that gives some people a false sense of comfort and causes concern for others that are at very healthy body fat levels.

    regarding your ACTUAL QUESTION.. I would want to know more about your current, and goal body fat percentages. I am aware that as an athlete your goals will probably be much lower than some people on here will find "reasonable" but the standards for recreational versus competitive athletes (YES. ballerina's are in a group that I would consider athletes) are vastly different. As a general rule, I would eat lean protein sources (not a problem based on your pescatarian diet), and get most of my carbs from Veggies. you probably already get plenty of cardio, so in the gym I would focus on compound lifts (squats, Olympic style lifts, etc..) and would use a HIT (High Intensity Interval training) style program.

    best of luck in your career and fitness goals.

    remember.. "Haters gonna Hate" lol
  • daryabella
    daryabella Posts: 56
    Thank you again to everyone who had understanding and constructive advice! I've gotten a lot out of it and I've taken it all into account. Basically I'll try out upping my protein as much as possible, sticking to 1800 calories, and strength training/weight training/pilates, etc. to create muscle. I've never been one to really step on a scale a lot because I usually just fluctuate 2 pounds up and down normally-- nothing crazy. I just base it off how I look in the mirror and how content I am with that. I learn more and more about what my body needs everyday.
    To the people who have absolutely nothing constructive to say and have gone out of their way to tell me that I am unhealthy, I have completely ignored your comments because you are absolutely ignorant to the fact that I eat enough and actually very clean (which you can conveniently find on my food diary just a couple of clicks away)... I am healthy, thanks for the concern. I'd like to second someone's comment about dancers being athletes; I train as hard as a football player and I have to make sure I look effortless and graceful while doing so.... don't tell me that wanting to tone doesn't matter.

    Again, to the people who went out of their way to HELP me... I owe you times a million.
  • Fat2Fit145
    Fat2Fit145 Posts: 385 Member
    Hi guys! So I'm 5'4 and 105 lbs... I know, I know, that sounds small but I have a naturally petite frame. I am not by any means fat but I do have a little extra that I'd like to get rid of. I'm a pre-professional ballerina so I'm pretty active/fit but I still like to go to the gym and tone/burn calories when I can. I usually eat around 1500-1600 calories a day and I have a mainly vegan diet (I still eat seafood occasionally, mostly just tuna cans and salmon). I need food to keep me going through class but nothing has been working to shed weight no matter how well I eat. Do you think lowering my daily calorie intake would help? I know anything below 1200 is unsafe and with the amount of calories I'm burning, I want to stay healthy but would it be okay for me to eat around 1200-1300? Or do I need to just tone more? HELP?!?

    Maybe, jus maybe... your body is saying "im at a healthy weight, i dont want to or need to be less"....
  • pullipgirl
    pullipgirl Posts: 767 Member
    I think you should stick with what you are doing and up your protein and of course work with agility and speed training exercises
  • Kalebsmommy424
    Kalebsmommy424 Posts: 110 Member
    Good god...

    This!!!!!

    If you cant say anything nice...yeah let me go out of this thread
    >
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member

    There is a difference from "showing" and protruding.

    Okay let's just kill the collar bone is a sign of underweight idea. Here is my collarbone protruding, not showing, at 5'5"/135
    322045_695471527791_1156601646_o.jpg
    It is the way that I am posed in combination with my bone structure and skin. I am surely not underweight by anyone's definition. Moving on.
  • fittiephd
    fittiephd Posts: 608 Member
    I just want to point out to everyone that BMI doesn't always count and different people weigh different amounts and aren't necessarily too skinny!

    Here is a gallery of women who are 5'4" and between 100 and 109 lbs:
    http://www.mybodygallery.com/search.html?height=5+4&weight=100&pant=any&shirt=any&zphoto=Large&new=1

    And here is the same but "under 100 lbs" --
    http://www.mybodygallery.com/search.html?height=5+4&weight=Below+100&pant=any&shirt=any&zphoto=Large&new=1

    Now, some of the ones in the under 100 look like they are unhealthy, but I didn't go through and look whether they were 99 lbs or 80 lbs, it says that under each image if you click through. But the ones in the 100-110 range look perfectly fine at that weight and it definitely looks like they are healthy. The OP is working on learning what works best for her and was asking for advice. If you had asked me 9 months ago I would have thought that eating as much under 1200 was good and that cardio on end was crucial and that the only thing important about how my body looked was what I saw on the scale! Then I learned about how much of a huge difference it can make to lift weights and eat enough to get muscle definition and how that is much more important than losing lbs for making my body look how I want it to. The OP will figure out what is best for her in her own time, all one can do is offer advice and resources for more information and encourage her to remain healthy. People need to be nicer.

    ETA: This woman is 5'4" and 99 lbs and wears a size M. http://www.mybodygallery.com/photos-10843-body-shape.htm#img
    weight is just a number, it means different things for different people.
  • JessieTangerine
    JessieTangerine Posts: 91 Member
    Not related to weight loss, but have you considered eating some legumes? I noticed your protein is low for a professional athlete (recommended amounts for active adults is around 1g per kg of body weight). Legumes are vegetarian, low in fat, and very filling. An increased amount of protein would help your muscles rebuild themselves after class. I love ballet but I understand that its fiercely competitive. Best of luck on your career!
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Hi guys! So I'm 5'4 and 105 lbs... I know, I know, that sounds small but I have a naturally petite frame. I am not by any means fat but I do have a little extra that I'd like to get rid of. I'm a pre-professional ballerina so I'm pretty active/fit but I still like to go to the gym and tone/burn calories when I can. I usually eat around 1500-1600 calories a day and I have a mainly vegan diet (I still eat seafood occasionally, mostly just tuna cans and salmon). I need food to keep me going through class but nothing has been working to shed weight no matter how well I eat. Do you think lowering my daily calorie intake would help? I know anything below 1200 is unsafe and with the amount of calories I'm burning, I want to stay healthy but would it be okay for me to eat around 1200-1300? Or do I need to just tone more? HELP?!?

    As a once underweight dancer I also second the weight training, and I relate to you on everyone making a big deal of something that I thought wasn't...and also the other side where it's concerning, but you seem to have a healthy mind set, which is reassuring :)

    I've been surrounded by a bunch of hot model dancer types before, and times get critical. And way to go for wanting to improve yourself, though clearly everyone will think you're nuts because you're thin and drop dead gorgeous. Get serious with weights for a while and then reevaluate later. And since you're a thin girl who's lifting don't be surprised if you hover over 105 but get thinner. I'm glad you don't want to eat less. If you're seriously big into dancing and doing that allot I think 1600 is on the very low side for food intake at your age and height and exercise level, but to each their own, everyone will have a different opinion about that. Be careful of injury since you're not eating much. I highly recommend at least not going below that and definately eating at least a bit more if you're adding weight training on top of things (you should still be able to firm up and be at a calorie deficit with that). With heavy exercise, I comfortably eat 2500-3000 calories.

    Also, the BMI scale, while not an accurate measure for those who are not sedentary, it's mostly less accurate for those over weight. When dipping into the underweight waters, don't dip to far. Make sure it's because you're eating a fair bit and exercising a lot, and not trying to mimic the world around you, because when living in a world that isn't common to the majority of society, one does occasionally need a reality check, like someone mentioned before.

    To put things in perspective you are lighter then Lee Kiefer...she is the lightest 5'4 athlete BBC knows of...In fact you weigh less then the majority of athletes...and those guys can get pretty slim.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19050139
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    BMI is definitely not always accurate. I too maintain on the low end of the scale, and am looking to add others who do as well.

    I've seen folks get freaked out many, many times by those of us who enjoy maintaining a high standard. Don't let them unnerve you - most of the time it comes from jealousy rather than just wanting to "help" you.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    BMI is definitely not always accurate. I too maintain on the low end of the scale, and am looking to add others who do as well.

    I've seen folks get freaked out many, many times by those of us who enjoy maintaining a high standard. Don't let them unnerve you - most of the time it comes from jealousy rather than just wanting to "help" you.

    haha *like*

    I out eat a lot of my larger friends, does that mean I should gain weight and just eat a bunch more because I'm not there size? I think not.
  • fromaquasar
    fromaquasar Posts: 811 Member
    Hey - Just had a click through your diary and would support what a couple of people have said about protein, it's pretty low. I think MFP has too low settings for protein anyway and changed mine. Generally 1g of protein for every pound of lean muscle mass is what you want - so as a rough estimate somewhere between 80 - 90g a day for you. This will help you stay full longer and give your body the building blocks for muscle to help shift your body composition. Do you know what your BF% is? Maybe look at that and your measurements, rather than the scales. They can be deceiving for progress tracking! :)
  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 827 Member
    Have you tried doing Pilates on the reformer machines? It's all body weight work and an amazing core strengthening workout. Also, what about yoga?
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    I am 5' 5" and 113 pounds...and the doctor told me no more losing weight!! I am 4 pounds from being under weight....I would think you must be under at 105

    I was underweight when I was younger and had to drink ensure, coconut waters, etc. to get rid of a heart murmur I had. However, I completely filled out once I hit puberty and the doctor has always said I'm completely healthy since.

    I know how you feel right now lol. I actually had a bunch of people pick on me in real life when I was 90 lbs and 5'7 in high school. Yep, very thin. A bunch of people were telling everyone I was anorexic and I literally went to my doctor and asked him what was wrong with me. I felt skeletal and ugly and wanted to cry. My parents wouldn't buy me long jackets because I 'looked sick'. He laughed in my face and told me I was fine. He knew how active I was and what my diet was like. I had a 'high metabolism' because I moved more.

    As for the protein comment above I'd also suggest around 1.8g of protein per kg of weight you have.
    I'm a contemporary dancer and also very petite and small framed. I also lift weights in a way that does not cause over training or injury, but increases muscle and improves my dancing. As a dancer you will be able to understand the best ways to work with your body and muscles. You should eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. I use the book "The New Rules of Lifting for Life". I am 5'2" and weigh 101, I try to never eat below 1800, but usually 1900 and often 2100 or 2200 or more on some days (2500). If I am hungry I eat because my body needs it. If I feel tired, I eat. I need to eat regularly.

    Also, it is a myth that dancers do not lift weights. The fitness industry has used "the dancer body" in a way that dancers never intended. Dancers are artists and athletes and trained in anatomy and physiology and kinesiology and all of that. They are not part of the fitness industry.

    I love you.
    sorry to be harsh... but I see here the classic ballerina syndrome..... to be thin thin.... and emaciated is better!
    I would recommend pizza and a psycho therapist .... :indifferent:

    539313_10151882600085607_1222237365_n.jpg
    ^under weight, can hike 20km straight and then stuff down 3500 calories and still be under my goal, beaoches. By what some of you are saying I should be eating more. Damn.
  • yourenotmine
    yourenotmine Posts: 645 Member
    I don't really have much to add... I think you're doing just fine, and if you're interested in lifting weights, and if it will help you achieve your dancing goals, then go for it. I mostly just enjoyed reading the suggestions and your measured and tactful responses.

    I hope you get all your dreams.
  • yayjay
    yayjay Posts: 84 Member
    Id like to begin firstly with saying no judgement

    but why is it that so many people here have gotten rude and downright nasty. And instead of people adding to the conversation to say that they are in fact being rude, so many others have ganged up on her. As far as I was aware we are on my FITNESS pal and not my weight loss pal. While many people on here are aiming to loose weight, the forum itself is set up with the end goal to be fitness, and in anyones pursuit of weight loss, they almost always relish in how fit they feel. Why is it then that we are so judgemental of people that are naturally skinny. If this thread had started out with an overweight persons questions about weightloss wouldnt the majority be positive, encouraging advice, and the level of abuse would not have been tolerated by the community.

    To all the people offering negative, judgemental comments based on one paragraph and picture, have you not ever on your pursuit of weightloss/fitness asked or wondered about an aspect of your training/diet/game plan that you genuinely had no idea about. Being Bigger does not make you more entitled to help and information, being skinny does not mean you automatically know everything there is to know about health and fitness.

    In my opinion, she should be seeking the help of a nutritionist simply because she has such a small frame and it is work related. I don't know enough about her situations, work ethic, build, weight ect to properly advise her. And while many people on here will come out as experts in certain areas, I think it would be hard to properly advise her from her online profile. Thats is my opinion and of course some people will think this isn't the ideal option but it is what it is.

    I wonder how many people who have commented negative comments have been bullied/laughed at/ taunted at some point in their lives for being overweight. I guess that makes them think they have the right to say whatever they want to you.

    SAD
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    Yayjay - this post is so refreshing, and so elegantly put. If anybody were to tear down an overweight person for choosing to eat a burger instead of a piece of fruit, they would be hung up by a string.

    Thin-shaming irks me to no end, and 99% of the time, it's just done out of sheer envy. Makes my blood boil.
  • sarahmichelle876
    sarahmichelle876 Posts: 94
    Well I think you're beautiful, and agree with upping protein and adding in weights and Pilates.
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
    Yayjay - this post is so refreshing, and so elegantly put. If anybody were to tear down an overweight person for choosing to eat a burger instead of a piece of fruit, they would be hung up by a string.

    Thin-shaming irks me to no end, and 99% of the time, it's just done out of sheer envy. Makes my blood boil.

    I concur. The body hate around here has been awful. There have been threads about women with noticeably large muscles that got the same treatment. And now this one. One of the most egregious in turning those good threads bad has on her profile that she's been fat and depressed all her life and got rid of all her friends on here because their success makes her jealous. And these are the people who highjack threads in anti women with muscles and anti slim women crusades. On a fitness site. I don't understand why it is condoned or let be by nods for days on end.
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    In defense of those saying this young lady is underweight...

    This site is, rightfully I think, about fitness and health and not just about weight loss. When most of us see someone of the OP's description, we think "wow, beautiful, fit, needs no weight loss to be sure." When someone of that description asks about weight loss, the first things we think is that she has a distorted and potentially unhealthy view of herself. People become concerned. Since many of us are not exactly born diplomats, the responses can look like they are not born of concern.
    We fail to take in to account that the OP is engaged in a very demanding athletic pursuit with very specific body composition requirements.

    Everything I've seen on this site tells me that the vast majority of members are about good things for their fellow members. Some may express themselves gently while others tend to lob in snark bombs to make their points, but few are likely motivated by anything other then genuine concern.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    In defense of those saying this young lady is underweight...

    This site is, rightfully I think, about fitness and health and not just about weight loss. When most of us see someone of the OP's description, we think "wow, beautiful, fit, needs no weight loss to be sure." When someone of that description asks about weight loss, the first things we think is that she has a distorted and potentially unhealthy view of herself. People become concerned. Since many of us are not exactly born diplomats, the responses can look like they are not born of concern.
    We fail to take in to account that the OP is engaged in a very demanding athletic pursuit with very specific body composition requirements.

    Everything I've seen on this site tells me that the vast majority of members are about good things for their fellow members. Some may express themselves gently while others tend to lob in snark bombs to make their points, but few are likely motivated by anything other then genuine concern.
    And the ones who have come here because they have weight to lose don't? :indifferent: :ohwell:
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    In defense of those saying this young lady is underweight...

    This site is, rightfully I think, about fitness and health and not just about weight loss. When most of us see someone of the OP's description, we think "wow, beautiful, fit, needs no weight loss to be sure." When someone of that description asks about weight loss, the first things we think is that she has a distorted and potentially unhealthy view of herself. People become concerned. Since many of us are not exactly born diplomats, the responses can look like they are not born of concern.
    We fail to take in to account that the OP is engaged in a very demanding athletic pursuit with very specific body composition requirements.

    Everything I've seen on this site tells me that the vast majority of members are about good things for their fellow members. Some may express themselves gently while others tend to lob in snark bombs to make their points, but few are likely motivated by anything other then genuine concern.
    And the ones who have come here because they have weight to lose don't? :indifferent: :ohwell:

    Not sure how your point is relevant to my defense of people's motivation.
    From what I've seen, most people that come here to lose weight have weight to lose. No doubt some have a distorted self-image.
  • yayjay
    yayjay Posts: 84 Member
    hey stevemphotog

    I in no way invalidate that there is genuine concern from the community for this girl. I did myself recommend that she talk to a nutritionist because in my opinion losing weight would not be a healthy option for her considering the demand she has on her body. however I do not know enough about her to make that decision, and as her lifestyle has a hard work ethic I believe anyone in that position should get expert advice.

    however there is a way to say things, and my point is, why because she is skinny is it ok to be rude or ignorant.

    Comments have been that shes stupid, deluded, needs a psycho therapist. And I wish that out of the number of negative comments that these were a minority, but they weren't were they? there was a lot.

    Hypothetically (and im not saying this is the case at all) if this girl had an eating disorder or low self esteem and genuinely does need help.

    Do you think shes going to respond better to;
    A. "You need Psycho therapy and a pizza"
    B. "You're disgusting, you shouldn't be able to see your collar bone, that's just wrong."
    C. "I think that weight loss with your work demand would not help, instead try toning and adding protein to your diet."
    D. "Because your work load is so high and its career based I would recommend a nutritionist so you are making healthy habits."

    There a mix of answers she got. I did put positive answers in because she did get some good advice. When I say good I don't mean that I necessarily agree, I just mean advice but in a way that wouldn't demean her, and she would be therefore more likely to take it.

    While I do agree with you that most people here are just concerned, I still think that this girl has asked for help, and has had an unusually high amount of unnecessarily nasty comments, that would not been put up with had she been on overweight person asking a naive question.

    It would be very hard for me to believe that those who wrote nasty comments wrote them out of concern, but at the same time I also think they probably haven't spend more than a second thinking about it. I drew a parallel to "what if an overweight person posted and was met with the same responses", because I wanted people to think why is it ok to talk down to her when she happens to be skinny.
  • pixiestick
    pixiestick Posts: 839 Member
    I would focus on toning and working with what you already have. You don't need to lose weight, simply tone what you have and your healthy diet and exercise will do the rest.


    This times a million.

    Sorry about the meanies on here. I'd just focus on ^^^ and ignore all the hate.
  • Kaiukas
    Kaiukas Posts: 111 Member
    Some very thoughtful and compassionate responses here. I think there are double standards: it is considered very politically incorrect to make any fat comments, yet it seems OK to say things like 'you are so skinny ugh!'

    I am actually a medical doctor and I do sometimes find it very challenging here on MFP. There is definitely a proportion of members who have an eating disorder and, in my opinion, should NOT be encouraged to diet or even exercise extensively. It is not about being rude: what may look like good advice may actually cost someone's health and, in very extreme cases, even life. And I wish more people realised that when they give advice, it does come with some responsibility. I don't think people with eating disorders should be taunted or judged, quite the opposite, they should be encouraged to get appropriate support in a gentle and compassionate manner.

    I don't know what is the real situation with OP here. It is clear that one of the reasons she is asking the questions is that in her industry a very slim figure is a prerequisite. Whether that in itself is right or wrong, healthy or unhealthy is a different matter altogether and probably outside the grasp of this forum. To me it seems that given the context her approach is unusually healthy. Doing an MFP is definitely much much healthier than the straightforward starving that is not uncommon in dancers as well as professional gymnasts, models and such like which we ALL for some reason expect to be on the skinny side. I invite us all to reflect upon our own hypocrisy: I strongly suspect that many of the people who are taunting the OP here would be fiercely judgmental if they went to see Swan Lake and Odette/Odile was on the chubby side :-)

    PS I really appreciate it that some posters reminded us that we are on the My FITNESS Pal, not My WEIGHT LOSS Pal. I have very little weight to lose, but a lot of fitness to (re)gain and just 50 days of MFPing has completely changed my life around :flowerforyou:
  • squeezetheday
    squeezetheday Posts: 3 Member
    Increase your calories, especially your protein intake.

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