Anon Healthy Or Not?

[Anonymous Post]

What is an appropriate weight for a female thirteen year old gymnast? I weight around 140 pounds and I am really healthy and fit but I have some concerns. Some people have called me fat, sometimes even as a joke, but now I look in the mirror and I don’t know what to think. My thighs are awful. Not jiggly or anything actually quite compact and strong but big… I have thought about quitting comp. because of the leotards and the shaming from my sister and other kids. What to do? Please help
me.

Thx

 

[Anonymous Post]

(1) Ask your doctor what your healthy weight range is. If your doctor thinks you are overweight, your doctor will help you lose weight.
(2) There are no special rules for gymnastics. Either you are overweight or underweight. It doesn't matter what sport you do.
(3) Your sisters aren't doctors. Your classmates aren't doctors. Don't listen to them. They are not doctors.
(4) If you need emotional support, and someone is harrasing you about your weight, just tell them: "I AM BEAUTIFUL JUST THE WAY I AM. PLEASE TALK TO MY SECRETARY IF YOU HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS."

 

[Anonymous Post]

Everyone's body type is different! Don't pay attention to the scale. Pay attention to how you feel, and as you are a strong athlete, I will assume you are the perfect size for YOU. Some of the best gymnasts have strong, powerful, solid legs. Kids (and some adults) are mean and will say all kinds of things.

 

[JPC13]

What is an appropriate weight for a female thirteen year old gymnast? I weight around 140 pounds and I am really healthy and fit but I have some concerns. Some people have called me fat, sometimes even as a joke, but now I look in the mirror and I don’t know what to think. My thighs are awful. Not jiggly or anything actually quite compact and strong but big… I have thought about quitting comp. because of the leotards and the shaming from my sister and other kids. What to do? Please help
me.

Thx

Thirteen is a hard time and kids are mean. Bodies are different, and frankly some women do get thicker when they get fit and strong but the same is true for men as well. It's just the nature of the human body.

This body

and this body

are both insanely fit and capable of things that almost no other human can do.

Regarding the leos -- I get it. I see the older girls on my daughter's team pulling on their leos looking uncomfortable with it. Have you thought about shorts?

Additionally, RE the point about asking your doctor above -- regular doctors aren't really trained to assess weight in athletes. They typically go by your body mass index (BMI). By BMI, this dude

would be considered overweight bordering on obese at 5'8 175lbs.

Additionally, as an athlete, or even just as a person, your body changes a lot day to day. When I'm really on point with my diet, eating a bunch of salty chips makes me retain so much water that I look like I gained 5 pounds of fat overnight. Clearly, that's not possible -- it's just water retention. But water retention on top of muscles makes you look... big and soft.

"Love yourself for who you are" is trite advise, but the older I get the more I agree with it. Your body probably isn't perfect, but if perfection is the only acceptable standard you're going to have a very hard time in life.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Weight is not an accurate indicator of health or fitness for anybody, but especially for athletes.

Whether your current weight and diet and body composition and so on is healthy, this is a question for a doctor who has seen you in person. There is no universal answer to "what should a gymnast weigh" at any particular age. Some gymnasts naturally have a thicker and heavier build, some naturally have a thinner build.

As for navigating the social and emotional landscape as a teenage athlete.... all I can say is best of luck. I have no useful council to offer in that regard.

For these reasons (among others) we do not generally allow discussions of weight here. I'm gonna close this thread, but please understand that this is NOT an indication that OP has done anything wrong; it's simply that this is a complex and often-thorny issue and we don't feel that this forum is equipped to handle it in the best manner.