Body Image and Gymnastics

[gymluvr33]

Whenever someone talks about this subject, I always think about something a good friend said once (and that I DEFINATELY agree with her on). She had just done this 24 hour fast thing (at our church), and she said that she could never just stop eating, because now she realized just how much she LOVED food!! It was semi-funny at the time, but now I'm beginning to realize how true that is, and how it really is sad that some people can just stop eating.

 

[nicci1999]

That is the thing though, you don't just stop eating. You don't wake up one day and go, hmmmm, I think I will become anorexic today, or bulimic today. It's all about control. Control, and maybe even the attention you get. You may not be able to control someone making fun of you, or your coach telling you your too fat, but you CAN control what you do and do not eat. Maybe you cut back a little on what you eat. Start getting some compliments maybe, cut back a little more. Becomes a vicious cycle until you can't stop. Same with bulimia. Sorry, that is stemmed both from experience with having had both bulimia AND anorexia, as well as having a degree in Psychology.

 

[gymluvr33]

Ok, so we had a talk at gymnastics about food, and our coaches were saying how muscle weighs at least 3x more than fat, we can't compare ourselves to our friends or by how clothes fit, blah blah blah, yada yada yada. They actually said to eat what we want now, because once we stop gymnastics we won't be able to eat how we do now (all the time, basically eating anything {come on, you know its true }). But they added that we should by trying to eat healthy, so I've basically stopped eating pretzals, and chips. But now I'm kind of worried because of how you described it. So should I be worried, or am I just overreacting? Thanks.
-Julie

 

[coachmolly]

Most gymnasts cannot eat anything they want. Gymnastics, minus a few very short conditioning exercises, is an anaerobic sport. Because of that, it's not something that is known for helping you lose weight. It does build muscle which can speed up your metabolism, but it's not like swimming, running, cycling, etc. where you burn an incredible amount of calories.
Some gymnasts do have very good metabolism and can eat what they want when they are young, others cannot. Even when I was training 20 hours a week I still had to watch my diet or else I could get pretty big for a gymnast.
Gymnasts also need to watch their diet not only to keep weight from becoming a problem but also to ensure their needs are being met so their body has appropriate energy stores, protein for muscle development and recovery, and vitamins and other nutrients. So while a young gymnast should not be obsessed about her diet and does have room to enjoy a treat a few times a week, they shouldn't think that just because they are active they can eat whatever they want.

 

[gymmouse24]

I didn't have an ED until after I stopping gym. I was always average weight and height, and ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I was dancing and training about 20 hours a week, though. Once I slowed my training to about 6-10 hours a week, I started gaining weight. THAT was when my ED began. But now, two years into recovery and back up to my average weight, I have a lot of people tell me I look much better than I did when I weighed less. I was actually looking at pictures from when I was at my lowest, and I looked terrible.

I have to agree with a lot of people here that if a coach or trainer or parent puts too much emphasis on the gymnasts weight and blames the weight for their performance, it can have a detrimental effect on the gymnast. Like, if a coach tells the gymnast, "You'd get higher on jumps/flips/etc if you weighed 5 pounds less", I can see how that would affect a gymnast, especially one who is 100% dedicated to the sport and wants to do anything to make their coach happy.

 

[sgnsp235]

Good timing for this thread. I am a 5'7" level 7 female gymnast. Good body image is something I lack big time. I weigh about 130 lbs and I really am not happy with that number. It is definitely hard for me because I am very tall for gymnastics. I am the second tallest in my gym, including coaches so I empathize with people who can't learn skills because the coaches can't spot me. Luckily, my coaches don't mention my largeness but I still am not comfortable with myself. My parents always tell me I look chubby which really bothers me but they are both overweight so I tend to think they are a little jealous. I have been working hard to try and lose a little weight by eating healthy which is hard because I love soda and restaurant food.

wow, I thought that i was the only one! Im like 5'7.5, 16, fluctuate between 130 and 135 pounds, and a level 4 (maybe), and I just started so I don't even have all of that muscle that most gymnasts have.
Im pretty sure im the tallest/biggest girl in my gym. All of the team girls seem like they are half my height!

 

[fishchimes]

I think it's really very different for everyone.

Since I've done gymnastics I've been a little bit more conscious about my eating habits... But not to the extreme. Basically the only thing I'm stressing about is my chest size (it's not flat, which is what I want), and there's not much that can be done about that. I'm 5'6 and I weigh 107lbs or so. More or less.

 

[lifesentencegymmie]

I think some of the problems come when gymnasts stop gymnastics, and they are no longer as ripped as they once were, it is hard to adjust to being normal after gym it can be a hard thing to accept.

this is such a good point!! I know that most of the girls in my group are really concerned about what's going to happen to them when they quit...I've already had a taste of it -quit for one year and gained 15 lbs- ...but I find that now that I'm competing again I know better then to mess around with my body and try and lose weight too quickly...when you quit and dont have to worry about maintaining strength, there is less to prevent you from crazy strict dieting.

 

[gracefulone]

She also is embarrassed when she isn't in the gym and she is small--she wants to wear clothes most other 12 yo are wearing. She isn't close to puberty and her younger sister is.

I know how she feels, especially with the clothing. I was still wearing child size swimsuits until just a few months before my 16th birthday. It's hard, I know it is...I bought my first homecoming dress at limited too, not Windsor or Boston Store like the other girls. So I do get it, but trust me, it only gets better. You learn how to be really creative with your clothing, and I've always been known for wearing cute, unique outfits...that everyone always tells me they wish they could pull off . My little sister (3 years younger) started puberty well before I did. Again, it's just tsomething you have to get through. Self confidence is such a huge learning process; I can't stress that enough. She won't wake up one day and love her tiny frame, gradually, she can.

 

[gracefulone]

this is such a good point!! I know that most of the girls in my group are really concerned about what's going to happen to them when they quit...I've already had a taste of it -quit for one year and gained 15 lbs- ...but I find that now that I'm competing again I know better then to mess around with my body and try and lose weight too quickly...when you quit and dont have to worry about maintaining strength, there is less to prevent you from crazy strict dieting.

When I quit gymnastics, I was already doing a speed program for track, and I started a lifting 'class' at school. The first week or so, you learned about the lifts, then our teacher set up a program designed for us, and we came in and did whatever the program said every day. It was actually a pretty open structre-he said he didn't care if you did the workouts or not, it was your body. So I had a fallback. What I liked about lfiting is that it is such a lifetime activity-no limits at all. Now, I've really gotten preoccupied with running. I mean long distance running. My long run days are creeping up on 2 hours now. It's another thing that can go on the rest of my life. And then eating. The way I see it, it's about respecting your body. I had that epiphany one day, because I've always eaten pretty healthy, and didn't even really know why. I appreciate everything my body does for me, and I want it to perform at its best. Right now, this summer, I'm having issues with my weight-I'm losing too much too quickly. I always just want to maintain, because that's what's best for pole vaulting. Well just 3 weeks into summer and I lost 7pounds. I was too far under my pole to be on it correctly. My challenge is fitting in my work (6am-3), during which I have no time to eat lunch, running(the program I have is about 45min-65 a day), friends, family, and sleep. I'm trying to figure out how to make this work.

 

[T.Gymnastics]

i have never been skinny... never been overweight...i have like a four pac and the bottom is not really defined however its still muscular... but i think its mostly cuz im 14 now. obviously we are all comparing ourselves all the time but i dont think that its really a problem.

 

[mbphoto]

Well--I can't believe this has been brought up just this very week. My dd had to seek counseling under the advice of our pediatrician to rule out an eating disorder. She has a hard time maintaining weight. She is 12--4'7" and 68 pounds. She is a very lean build and has the pretty lines of someone with that lean type of muscle mass. Funny thing is, she doesn't necessarily see this as a good thing. She told the doctor that she has a hard time keeping her muscle strength (which is true in that body type) if she is out of the gym for any period of time. She also is embarrassed when she isn't in the gym and she is small--she wants to wear clothes most other 12 yo are wearing. She isn't close to puberty and her younger sister is. She also knows that if she doesn't gain some weight...her ped might make her take a bit of a break from the gym. BTW--she doesn't have an ED. She is petite and no body fat. I think she looks great for a gymnast---it is strange to hear her struggle with it though.

I do wonder how all of this will play into her image of herself as she grows older. Will she accept that she is built the way she is or always see herself as not having the perfect body to do what she wants. It is interesting to hear it from both sides of the coin---those that struggle b/c they are more muscular and those that aren't. I like to point out that all gymnasts have different bodies and are successful---Mary Lou, Shawn, Shannon and Nastia. I try and point this out to my dd when this topic comes up....

I also like the poster that said the parent, coach and gym could all be doing the right thing---and a negative self-image will still develop in the child. These kids are perfectionists with type A personalities---a common personality trait in kids with ED's. As parents--we need to be aware and in communication with the coaches if we even suspect something is off. I also know we all want the best for our kids and am glad we have this forum to be reminded of the challenges of this sport our kids love!

I thought I would chime in on this issue due to your question about struggling with this as she gets older. It is actually the reverse for me. I am 44 and the mom of a gymnast. I actually was in another very competitive sport, horses. I have always been short, 5'3" now and very small as a child. I was sent to train with another coach during my youth as I progressed in the sport. At that time I was probably 5'2" as a teen and weighed under 90 lbs. and was very muscular. I was told then that I was fine for street image but to be competitive, I needed to strive for a more lean look. As an adult now, this seems ridiculous. My mother also jumped on the you need to trim down for this and it was drilled into my head daily. I realize this probably would not happen today but back then, 30 years ago, it was the norm. I can tell you with absolute certainty, this does affect children as they grow into adulthood. I have struggled with my body image my entire life. I am 5'4" tall and weigh around 110 pounds. I know in my head that that is not big but when I look in the mirror, I see a much bigger person than I actually am. I ask my husband constantly if I am the same size as other people I see and he will say that I am 1/3 their size and to me, their size is comparable to mine. I spoke to my daughters coach about many of the comments that I hear the teen girls say. I own a photography studio and had to go take pictures of the level 10's who made Nationals. The entire time, they complained that they didn't want their photo taken in the Nationals leo because they looked too fat. These girls have absolutely beautiful, healthy looking bodies. I do not want my kids to struggle with the same dysfunction that I have and I am very careful not to talk about my weight and issues around them. So, to all you moms who have daughters in this very competitive sport, be very aware of their self talk and the things that they are hearing from other kids and even adults in the gym. It can be very dangerous and lead to a lifelong struggle with poor body image. Sorry this was so long and boring but I feel it is such an important topic for us and our children to be aware of.