Dancer Problems

Anonymous Asked: im almost 200 lbs, and i have been dancing ballet since i was 4 years old and im 15 now, but i have been dancing en pointe for a year and 3 months. ive been trying so many things to lose weight, i eat nothing but bare chicken and salad and i dance 22 hours of class a week but i have only gained.. i have no idea!! but i need to get better and my weight is holding me back. im auditioning to all these amazing intensives and no one will accept me but im just as good as the others. help?

I’d like to start my response by saying that you don’t need to be a stick to be a ballerina. There are plenty of professional dancers who are not rail thin. Intensives don’t only accept extremely skinny dancers. The important thing is being able to dance. Focus on having the skill and showing what you can do. But I’d also like to say that in terms of losing weight, if you really want to, ridiculous diets aren’t the way to do it. You need to properly feed your body all the nutrients it needs to sustain yourself. So while it might be a good idea to avoid things like excessive sugars, or super fried meat, don’t limit yourself to bare chicken and salad. You need to eat from so many other food groups to keep yourself going. So remember, eat lots of small meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism going, and more than anything, listen to your body. It’ll tell you want it needs. Check out this chart to be able to decipher your body’s cravings and make more healthy choices. But try not to get caught up in the exact numbers of your weight, because that tends to lead to obsessive behaviors, and you don’t want to get caught up in that! So relax, trust your abilities, and work with your body instead of against it. The more you try to fight it and deprive it of its needs, the less it will do what you want it to.

I hope this makes sense to you and I hope you find the balance. If you have any further questions, don’t be shy to ask. Keep calm and dance on. =))

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