Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 6/30/2010

Question
I am a 14 year old ballet student. I don't consider myself fat, but I am trying to keep my weight down. I have been told that I have a very good body for ballet, although I have really muscular legs. I am 5'3.5" and weigh about 100 lbs. Out of curiosity, I have been researching the average weight of a ballet dancer on the internet. I discovered that I am just barely in the ideal range for a professional dancer and that most dancers my age are much thinner than I am. Now I am really scared that I am too heavy. Is it possible that this is only because I am more physically mature than most young dancers? I reached puberty when I was nine and my doctor says I am probably done growing. Should I lose some weight to be safe? Thank you so much for reading all of this!

Answer
Hi Bailey. If you want to lose a little weight, I recommend that you cut back on all the empty carbs you may be eating. Bread, pastas, crackers, buns, cereals and potatoes. However, you must not go hungry, and you must eat enough proteins, vegetables, salads, fruits, and healthy fats.

You don't want to lose any muscle mass, or visceral fat - the fat that protects your organs. Some dancers weigh too little - oh yes.

Here are some tips to keep this all in a healthy perspective:

http://balletshoesandpointeshoes.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-lose-some-weight-an...  this article has a link to protein calculator;

http://balletshoesandpointeshoes.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-ballet-dancers-need-t...

http://balletshoesandpointeshoes.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-is-your-protein-requi...

http://balletshoesandpointeshoes.blogspot.com/2008/07/learning-to-develop-lean-m...

http://balletshoesandpointeshoes.blogspot.com/2008/09/healthy-fats-for-ballet-da...

All the best, Dianne