The Ballet Bible
Discover the Secrets to Conquering Some of The Most Common Pitfalls You Face When Learning Ballet
DietDo you think that a fruits & vegies diet is a good idea? I’m pressured to lose weight. October 26, 2006 | In Questions | 27 Comments27 Comments »RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment |
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You need some protein — lean, like chicken and fish — if you are physically active. Veggies are good, a little fruit is ok but has relatively a lot of calories. Don’t starve yourself. A tiny amount of fat (like olive oil) is good for you. Do you get cardiovascular exercise (walking, running)? Ballet is anaerobic exercise, meaning it does not get your heart rate up sufficiently for long enough periods of time to start burning fat; you need to be consistently active for a minimum of 30-40 minutes a day to lose fat. See Covert Bailey’s excellent book on weight loss, “Fit or Fat.” Good luck!!
Comment by Zoe — October 26, 2006 #
How much do you currently weigh? How much weight are you being pressured to lose? Are you within a good BMI for your height?
Just so you know, I do ballet, and I’m “medically obese” (I weigh around 100kg and am 5’8″) so unless you are being pressured to lose weight so that you fit into costumes or some other weird reason, there should be no hurry to lose weight, don’t give in to peer pressure!
J
Comment by Jen — October 26, 2006 #
I’m in the exact same situation you are. Out of 15 girls in my class, I’m the 7th tallest (5’3) and third heaviest (118 pounds). My biggest problem is my butt- I have a fairly normal body shape except for this huge disgusting butt. I’ve tried dieting to make it normal-sized, but I went about it the wrong way- just eating less at meals and not snacking during the day. But when I actually gained weight from that my friend told me that what happens is that if you just eat less, your body goes into starvation mode and saves whatever’s put into it, so instead of digesting normally, it saves it in deposits in your stomach, thighs, or, in my case, butt. I don’t have any information on whether a fruit and veggie diet is good, but I do know that the “just eating less” method is bad!! Don’t do it!!
Comment by Audrey Elise — October 28, 2006 #
Fruit doesn’t have many calories. An apple has what, 80 calories? That’s nothing.
If you’re lowering calories, cut the breads, starchy things like potatoes, corn, rice.
Also, while monounsaturated and saturated fats aren’t really bad for you, they aren’t essential like omega 3/6 so you can cut them too since fat is calorically dense.
Eat slightly more protein than you need for body maintenance, muscle repair and muscle growth. Any more is just converted to glucose or fat.
Comment by Tyciol — October 29, 2006 #
LOL! one of the commenters made me laugh, but anyway… im a freshman in my highschool, and they have a jazz style (sadly) dance class, as an alternative to doing PE. im 5’3 and 186, and im pretty much the best in the class! (my teacher has said so to my mother) from wat ive found and tried, TRIED to put to action is to, yes, eat a variety of fruits and veggies (no beige diet!). a colorful diet is good, so dont cut out all of your carbohydrates unless u are planning to eat a large amount of alternative carb-containing food to get your main energy source. just eat whole wheat! read the ingredients and be sure that /the first/ ingredient is whole wheat flour. not an obscene amount, of course, but the whole (or brown, if its rice) is better than the white (bleached!), because of the fact that your body digests the whole wheat slower, causing your body to burn more calories (even if its only a little bit more). and you want… FIBER! try to get most of your nutrients from food instead of multivitamins, because it is easier to absord the nutrients from foods (so in theory youd get more). youd want to have a bowell(sp?) movement about three times a day. and, of course, the number one rule! drink WATER! dehydration can cause cramps and headaches! 64oz is recommended, so aim for that amount! (8 8oz glass, as you have probably heard)
omega 3 fatty acids are GOOD for you..! so eat fish! it is also rich in protien, but if you consume too much protien, your body will not use it and just urinate it out (ive heard this in my health class, but im not sure exactly if this is good or not..!), so it would just be a waist. exercise, yes…
but also your bone structure is an important part, too. take ur middle finger and thumb and wrap them around ur wrist..! if they overlap, u have a small build; if they touch, you have a medium build; and if they dont reach (like me), then you have a large build. and, of course, if you DO go on the anorexic diet (as one person commented), then you will NOT consume calcium, which will cause your bones to loose density, making you VERY brittle! especially not good for dance, seeing as you are very active, and there is a large chance that you may get injured by simple practices!
drink/eat low fat milk products, skim milk if youd like, but i prefer 1% milk. if you ARE already very thin and frail (like my aunt, who has 6 children and was too busy to eat, going down to 80 pounds), you may need the fat in the milk to be healthy. but, most of all, TRANS fat is… EVIL!
saturated fat isnt too great (clogs arteries in large amounts), but fat in general u NEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!
or u will DIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (seriously!)
so
yeah
….
coffee (can)= gittery; bad
tea (does)= water! GOOD! VERY GOOD! (for you!)
and by the by… because im giving out all this information that i believe is true, i may as well mention thaaaatttttttttt—
should you ever come down with a disease such as CANCER–
drink a lot of Red Clover Blossom tea!
it helped my grandfather, and if could help you too! it clenses the blood, which is /always/ good. and ginsing(sp?). mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, ginsing(sp?!)!
have fun! n_n
Comment by Nobody — October 29, 2006 #
i’m 5ft 2 1/2 in. i weigh 45-48 kg. my BMI shows that i’m underweight but i still am fat. i’ve got skinny arms and all that, but i’ve got big thighs.
Comment by Samantha — October 30, 2006 #
I am 170cm tall and weigh around 55 kilos. What I have found so far that has worked for me is going to the gym three times week on days that i’m not dancing. Gyms can get expensive though so instead you could try walking, swimming, rollerblading or something that you enjoy and if you can, alternate what you’re doing so you don’t get bored. Fruit and vegies are an important part of healthy eating but you also need to have good fats found in things like fish and nuts. DO NOT avoid fats all together as you’ll find that you will have less energy and it can cause your hair to fall out (true story, happened to a sister of mine). Lose a sensible amount of weight each week (no more than a kilo) as it is unhealthy to lose any more than that. Don’t go by how much you weigh on the scales as muscle weighs more than fat and can be discouraging. Don’t feel as though you have to be as skinny as everyone else, if you want to lose weight for yourself than good luckand i hope this helps (even though its a bit late, sorry!)
Comment by ashley — November 17, 2006 #
I’m just wondering why is everybody telling other people how much weigh and how tall they are?
But any way I heard that fruit is a great dieting food.
I myself has a qustion why is a white bread so bad for people? Also is white bread a good dieting food?
Comment by Nancy — February 27, 2007 #
@ Nancy: fruit is part of a balenced diet, but if you are just eating fruit and veggies is really bad for you because your body needs protein and fat. white bread has almost no nutritional value. it has a bunch of calories but almost no fiber, vitamins, or minerals. whole grain bread is a much better food for everyone, dieting or no. it contains more vitamins, minerals, and fiber. it also keeps you from getting hungry as soon.
Comment by Marissa — February 27, 2007 #
I am 5’6 and i am 130. I do ballet.
I used to be nearly 140. the best way to lose weight (my opinion) is to stop eating carbohydrates and also try exercising once in a while. it took me less than 2 months to loose weight
Comment by amanda — November 1, 2007 #
hi im a 16 yr old girl and im wanting to lose some weight, especially from my upper body. I eat really healthy, but im scared that if i work out my arms to much they will get really big muscles. I am aiming to be a slender dancer.
Comment by antonia rose — March 21, 2008 #
First of all, you’re a girl. You can lift weights all you want and your arms won’t get huge unless you are pumping testosterone hormones also. If you are really worried about your arms getting big, do less poundage with more reps. It strengthens and tones yet does not build bulk.
And as for loosing in only your upper body, can’t do it. You lose fat from all over your body as a whole. If your upper body is bigger, then it means that is where your body naturally stores fat. Aerobic activity should help rid you of that. Just do something that involves major muscle groups like walking, running, swimming, biking.
Just be patient. You can only lose 1-2 lbs of fat a week, the rest is water weight. And trust me, losing water is not a good thing.
Comment by Julia — March 28, 2008 #
“The McDougal Program For Maximum Weight Loss” book is hands down the best diet I have ever tried. Check it out!
Comment by brightbite — July 22, 2008 #
I am 16 years old 5 ft 8 inches and I currently weigh 145 pounds. I am starting ballet this month and I was wondering, for someone my size doing ballet, how much should I weigh?
Also what can I do to get there?
Comment by MKay — November 10, 2008 #
I am 14 years old 5ft 5in and weigh 110 lbs. One way I avoid white bread is I wrap ham into lettuce. It tastes great AND it’s healthy!
Comment by Aurora — December 28, 2008 #
ôîðìà ïîëèñà îñàãî…
ôîðìà ïîëèñà îñàãî …
Trackback by ôîðìà ïîëèñà îñàãî — February 25, 2010 #
Hi! im not a dancer but i came here to see what kind of diets dancers typically have. I myself am itrying to lose weight and i have read a few great books that make a lot of sense, i just havent been able to commit myself 100%. I just want you guys to know fruit diet is not bad…. read 80 10 10 by doug graham and eat to live. hope this helps!
Comment by jessica — December 11, 2010 #
The rule I have always heard about ballet weights if you want to go professional is 5′ = 85lbs. Add 5 lbs for every inch after that.
That will in fact make you underweight on the BMI scale.
However recognize that’s on a professional athlete with an exceptionally low body fate percentage. A pound of muscle is smaller in size than a lb of fate, therefore if you’re out of shape, you’ll look bigger at that weight than a professional ballerina.
Some companies of course like their dancers smaller. Size matters less in jazz and modern when lines don’t need to be as straight.
But if you’re not going professional, calm down, be healthy, and down worry about it.
Comment by firebird — December 16, 2010 #
hello, i am 12 and have a medium build. i just have no clue what to do to get me toned, i just want to be a size or two smaller than a seven (big)!
Comment by paris lover — January 5, 2011 #
Hey, I’m a ballet dancer, going for an audition at the English National Ballet on the 29th of January. i really need to lose weight for it though!
I currently am 5 8” and weigh 7stone 2lbs. I really need help!! i am worried they wont even glance at me because i am so fat! oh, and i heard people talking about this BMI calculator thingy? can someone check my weight and height in it?
Ta xx
Comment by Tori — January 13, 2011 #
all the above comments have been really helpful to me.
im just starting out for dance and needed advice about the balance of foods and fats.
Thanx x
Comment by Mandy — January 20, 2011 #
I’m 13, and have been doing ballet for almost 8 years now. My height is 5’6 and I weight around 118. I believe I’m healthy but what I personally don’t like are my thighs. They’re fat, but the rest of my legs are slimmer. It makes me look weird! And thank you for all of your comments, they really help!
Comment by Paulina — February 13, 2011 #
Hi i am a ballet dancer I am 15 at a height of 5’2 and 95 lbs is this good or bad?
Comment by Ballet girl — April 12, 2011 #
Okay back to answering the question originally asked I think! Fruit is good, however, it’s high in natural sugars…which can cause teeth to rot etc just as if you were to eat lots of sugary foods, so keep the fruit to a minimum. Veggies are extremely good for you, with greens containing iron…lots of it
I’d say eat wholewheat foods, as white bread/pasta has been bleached and has no goodness in it at al really, whereas wholewheat is just that. It contains whole wheat and therefore more goodness nutritionally. lean meats such as chicken and also oily fish such as tuna, salmon, sardines etc are high in protein, with the fish being high in essential fatty acids….which are required by the body to help it function properly.
Comment by Sarah — May 3, 2011 #
Good strong technical ballet is hard. I have played many sports ballet is so much harder and physicaly enduring. If you aren’t tired at the end of a dance class change studios becuase yours must suck. I burn so many calories (all kinds) dancing for seven hours a day.
Comment by loveballet — May 18, 2011 #
Hey- I’m 5 foot and around 110. Healthy? No? I have large bones in proportion to my height, and also have curves (unfortunately…). However, the ’85 pound rule’ is not accurate because one of the kids at my ballet school is super- curvy, and she got into the Boston Ballet School intensive. It’s not SAB, but its close. Also, one of my instructors has huge curves, and apparently she was a principal at a huge ballet co. (sorry, no idea which….Pacific Northwest, I think maybe). I know it is rare, but youtube Polina Semionova. Anyways, I just want to know if this is a good weight for me.
Comment by EpaulementFreak — July 1, 2011 #
Hello Ive recently wanted to join ballet, I am 17 years old and have no experience in ballet but would like to know a good schedual for eating while preparing myself for ballet. I dont think my body is doing so great. Ive tried everything from starving to eating only once a day to just giving up. What is the best way?
Comment by Emily — July 14, 2011 #