Healthy Habits of Figure Skaters

[davincisoprano1]

Hey everyone :)

I've been over the last 6 years working to lose weight, and in that time I've gone down, back WAY up (thank you college :frus:), and back down. I'm currently working on losing to get to my goal weight and I'm doing it to feel good as well as help my skating.

So I am curious, how many of you are doing figure skating to lose weight/get healthy? What is your typical daily diet? :)

The only place I find myself not worrying about my weight is on the ice, but that's because I don't think about anything out there but me and the ice. However, I also wear long sleeves and pants, I know that might change the day I decide to wear a skirt and tights out there (heck, I'm just now getting brave enough to wear shorts when I go walking, moreso because it's hot as heck outside.... yay florida).

[Isk8NYC]

There's no such thing as a "figure skater diet." There are many skaters who struggle with eating disorders, so this is a touchy subject. There are a lot of people who feel that they're not thin enough, when in fact they're at an ideal weight / BMI. I'm not criticizing you for your post, but bringing up the elephant in the room.

A nutrition expert can really help set skaters on the right path to healthy eating for fitness. Figure skaters are athletes, so they should be following a well-balanced eating plan and a nutrionist can help put one in place.

[davincisoprano1]

Well I use the term figure skater diet loosely. There are eating disorders in any sport, they're hard to avoid. I'm more curious what people eat in terms of being healthy. For example for breakfast I have egg whites on an english muffin.

It wasn't meant to be a touchy subject, but I certainly feel in the two posts I've created that I'm getting people who are bumping heads with me. I'm new here, so maybe that might have something to do with it, that I'm not a regular.

No offense was meant by this post, but I know there are some people out there who are probably wondering the same thing I am, if they're doing this sport for exercise and wanting to get healthy as well. I was just looking for some possible camaraderie.

[Isk8NYC]

I was NOT "bumping heads" with you. I just wanted to point out that this really is a touchy subject in any sport because of eating disorders and misinformation, especially among young girls. As a result, threads about a "diet" usually don't receive many responses. This board is mostly adults and there have been some wonderful discussions in the past on healthy eating, so you might want to try a search as well.

I remember my daughters going to a summer camp a few years back that really opened my eyes to what kids hear vs. what was said. On the second day, I sent them with *gasp* potato bread instead of whole grain. Normally, we have whole wheat or whole grain, but I had bought the small loaf for a planned visitor who had a change of plans. The bread had to be used up before it went bad and it really does go well with (homemade) roast beef and cucumbers. My kids are healthy and well within the weight range for their height and age.

At the camp, a well-meaning coach decided to discuss nutrition over lunch that day, using my DDs' sandwiches as an example of "what not to eat." The message she meant to send was that whole grain is better. What they girls heard was: "sandwiches are bad - don't eat them." The result was that my kids wouldn't eat sandwiches for weeks, they just brought them home untouched, even at other camps. We had to discuss the incident seriously because it was an bigger issue than just not liking sandwiches.

They haven't wanted to attend that camp since, for fear of being singled out again.

If you want to change the title or start a new thread with a different title, just let me know.

[davincisoprano1]

How would I go about changing the title? Maybe something more along the lines of "What are some healthy habits of figures skaters?" Or something that won't be as touchy?

I guess I'm not as sensitive to the subject because I have struggled with my weight and with eating for so long and I know I'm not alone and it helps to know I'm not alone. I've never been diagnosed medically with an eating disorder, but I've had one. The most prominent was compulsive/emotional overeating when I was younger, and there were bouts of borderline anorexia my senior year of high school and bulimia last summer. I won't say I was fully at the stage to say I was bulimic or anorexic, but I was close.

I'm at a point in my life where I'm looking to get healthy, and I know that's the goal of a lot of people here, too. :) Skating is so healthy for you mentally and physically (well unless you're a klutz like me and trip turning around...) and it's such a fun sport to have people there to support you in any goal you set in it. :)

[davincisoprano1]

And I'm sorry your kids went through that. :( It's sad that things like that can get misinterpreted and yield sad results. I think the biggest mistake was them getting singled out. It's never fun when that happens.

I was singled out in a spin class once, the instructor looked at me and said "You're not going fast enough! You're not pushing hard enough!". I wanted to shout at her "LADY! I'm an OVERWEIGHT COLLEGE KID and this is my FIRST CLASS, DON'T SINGLE ME OUT LIKE THAT". I never went back because it's embarrassing.

[Sessy]

One of the things to realize is that increasing muscle mass will mean you will burn more calories even when you're laying on the couch. So I've always minded to get enough proteins for my muscles (mind you, too much proteins can be harmful for kidneys and joints too). Anyhow, not that it was much minding - I'd come home after a practice and feel like I could eat a horse, raw. At some point I stopped building more muscles and my zombie-like flesh cravings became less prominent, instead, I got sugar cravings after practice. I'd come home and still eat a pan of spaghetti. So, to counter that, I started taking a banana with me that I'd eat right after practice so by the time I got home I wasn't hungry anymore.

A lot of skaters will eat dried or fresh fruits before, during or right after a practice to give the muscles the required sugar to actually burn fat.

However...

I doubt figure skating - apart from making muscles - is really the desired workout for burning fat. The reason I doubt this is that there are so-called "cardio", "peak performance", "fat burning" and "normal" ranges for your heart rate. I believe fat burning is something like 50-70% of the maximum heart rate, cardio 70-90% and peak 90-100% (the maximum heart rate is calculated as 220-your age, so for me that's 196). Now for me, skating takes me into cardio range easily, and even into peak performance range (gone up to 190 once even, should prolly note that theory has it that above something like 92% fine muscle motorics become unreliable). This is very far from ideal for fat burning. For fat burning, you want a much easier workout, something like cycling, where you're breaking a sweat but not going out of breath. A heart rate monitor (my university gym had them, my mom's watch has one too) will tell you what your heart rate is during certain exercise. I've not measured various skating exercises for heart rate, I suspect practicing edges is probably fat-burning zone for me.

Just my 2c

[davincisoprano1]

One of the things to realize is that increasing muscle mass will mean you will burn more calories even when you're laying on the couch. So I've always minded to get enough proteins for my muscles (mind you, too much proteins can be harmful for kidneys and joints too). Anyhow, not that it was much minding - I'd come home after a practice and feel like I could eat a horse, raw. At some point I stopped building more muscles and my zombie-like flesh cravings became less prominent, instead, I got sugar cravings after practice. I'd come home and still eat a pan of spaghetti. So, to counter that, I started taking a banana with me that I'd eat right after practice so by the time I got home I wasn't hungry anymore.

A lot of skaters will eat dried or fresh fruits before, during or right after a practice to give the muscles the required sugar to actually burn fat.

However...

I doubt figure skating - apart from making muscles - is really the desired workout for burning fat. The reason I doubt this is that there are so-called "cardio", "peak performance", "fat burning" and "normal" ranges for your heart rate. I believe fat burning is something like 50-70% of the maximum heart rate, cardio 70-90% and peak 90-100% (the maximum heart rate is calculated as 220-your age, so for me that's 196). Now for me, skating takes me into cardio range easily, and even into peak performance range (gone up to 190 once even, should prolly note that theory has it that above something like 92% fine muscle motorics become unreliable). This is very far from ideal for fat burning. For fat burning, you want a much easier workout, something like cycling, where you're breaking a sweat but not going out of breath. A heart rate monitor (my university gym had them, my mom's watch has one too) will tell you what your heart rate is during certain exercise. I've not measured various skating exercises for heart rate, I suspect practicing edges is probably fat-burning zone for me.

Just my 2c

Thank you for your input :) I definitely don't use skating as my sole exercise routine, but it helps. I try to get up and walk about 5 miles every morning, and I just found out about this core exercising routine that's in Prevention magazine this month. I tried it just once so far (thursday night) and I was sore when I woke up yesterday and I'm still sore today. Mom showed it to me and got me the weight that they recommend using for it because it "will help with my core and with skating" (it's so rare that she will say things about skating lol, I know she supports me, but I think she figures if I have time to skate I have time to hold a job... which I don't since I begin my final semester of college in two weeks and I will have a portfolio project due every week along with three other classes. I'll be lucky to get to the rink, though I think I am going to try to see if I can help with LTS classes just so I have something I can commit to outside of classes to help me unwind :) ) Sorry bout the long winded explanation lol. But the Prevention mag thing seems to have good results for other people so far so I thought I'd throw it out there for anyone wanting to strengthen their core.

I came back from a study abroad in Italy about 5 weeks ago, and for the first three weeks back all I wanted to eat was pasta, and a hamburger. I think my hardest thing so far was breaking the carb craving and getting back to whole grains. :)

[jjane45]

My Saturday mornings start with a 2hr package of flow and moves, power, more power, and freestyle. I eat a large bowl of mixed grains with milk an hour before skating to make sure I don't pass out on the ice. Fruits like banana also work for me as snack.
I hope skating keeps me in shape but not counting much on weight loss. Sigh.

[aussieskater]

If the session is really busy or I'm feeling more unfit than usual, I'll sometimes do boring forward laps with a wrist heart-rate monitor, and keep it at 70% for 15-30 min, trying not to stop ("trying" is the operative word here ;)). The tireder I get, the more I use 2 feet - eg: slalom rather than proper stroking etc - for safety. The last thing I want is to push it when I'm done, and have a major stack. I figure as long as the heart rate is in the range, it's OK. It's the closest I'll get to a sustained fat-burning workout - I'm not too good with gym circuits.

[Skate@Delaware]

Since you are in college, you can check out your college gym to see if they have some classes. My college has zumba and flow yoga which is great! Also, if you get cable, there are programs on tv (if you can tivo or dvr even better) that are great to balance your walking & skating.

As for nutrition, eating a well-balanced diet is important and getting enough fluids (especially water). A balanced snack 1-2 hours before skating can help prevent a blood sugar crash (and the subsequent craving for a candybar). Usually something with a 50% protein/50% carb balance. Crackers & cheese or peanut butter, nuts & apples, etc.

Don't forget to add stretching (after your workouts) to your routine...your muscles will thank you!

[fsk8r]

I'll second zumba, the music makes you keep working when you'd rather just give up. I'm dripping with sweat after the one hour class (although that might have more to do with the lack of air con).
One word of advice, don't go skating the day after the class until your legs are used to it. I couldn't skate after I'd done my first class, my knees refused to bend and my legs were on strike. Since then it's gotten easier to skate the day after as my legs have adjusted to the added demands, but it's a really good cardio workout.

I've also discovered that I can manage a class in the evening after dinner and not want to snack afterwards as I need to get to sleep. It's a great way of avoiding that post exercise sugar craving.

[AgnesNitt]

I hope skating keeps me in shape but not counting much on weight loss. Sigh.

I used to wear one of those heart rate/calorie monitors. I burned more calories just noodling around on the ice, than I did doing a full hour of aerobics.
Unfortunately, I have reached the age where even trivial weight loss involves some pretty stiff calorie restriction and a couple of hours of exercise a day. Underneath the thighs like easter hams I have some magnificent muscles.

[Sessy]

I used to wear one of those heart rate/calorie monitors. I burned more calories just noodling around on the ice, than I did doing a full hour of aerobics.
Unfortunately, I have reached the age where even trivial weight loss involves some pretty stiff calorie restriction and a couple of hours of exercise a day. Underneath the thighs like easter hams I have some magnificent muscles.

Which is not necessarily a problem. According to the massage guy I saw when I had problems with my back after being on crutches for a very long time, he can tell who the (elderly and middle aged) people are who exercise just by how their fat does not hang even if they have them if they do sports.

[ibreakhearts66]

Well I use the term figure skater diet loosely. There are eating disorders in any sport, they're hard to avoid. I'm more curious what people eat in terms of being healthy. For example for breakfast I have egg whites on an english muffin.

It wasn't meant to be a touchy subject, but I certainly feel in the two posts I've created that I'm getting people who are bumping heads with me. I'm new here, so maybe that might have something to do with it, that I'm not a regular.

No offense was meant by this post, but I know there are some people out there who are probably wondering the same thing I am, if they're doing this sport for exercise and wanting to get healthy as well. I was just looking for some possible camaraderie.

There may be eating disorders in every sport, but skating, gymnastics and riding certainly do seem to have more. I used figure skating to lose weight. I was hospitalized for 6 weeks and have been in treatment for anorexia since May 3rd. I just mention this to back up what Isk8NYC said.

Sessy--from what I understand, when you are in the "fat burning" zone of a workout, a higher percentage of the number of calories you are burning come from fat. However, IIRC, you still burn more fat at higher intensities because even though the percentage is lower, the number of calories you are burning is higher. http://exercise.about.com/cs/cardioworkouts/l/aa022601a.htm

davincisoprano1: An english muffin with egg whites isn't really an ideal breakfast. Every meal needs to have a starch, a protein AND a fat. 250 calories in english muffin and egg white does not make a good breakfast. Dietary fat provide satiety. It's also essential for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins, like Vitamin D. I pretended fat wasn't an important part of a diet. I ended up with really low vitamin D levels and didn't understand why. I convinced myself that it was just something weird about me, and that it didn't make sense considering I was drinking (fat free) milk and getting enough sun. I wasn't giving my body any way to ABSORB the vitamins, which also screws with calcium absorption, and can damage bones. Eating fat doesn't make you fat. A calorie is a calorie. But NOT eating it can lead to over eating.

You're young. So am I, I'm only 20, so I'm not being condescending. It doesn't sound like you know quite enough about exercise and nutrition to try to lose weight on your own in a healthy way. I'd seriously consider forking up the money to see a dietitian. at least a few times.

Sorry. I'll get off my soapbox now. It's just that I AM a skater with an eating disorder, and it came damn close to KILLING me just over 3 months ago.

[Sessy]

I'd even like to add that really every meal needs fibers too. TBH, TS could just read up on nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fibres, proteins, fats, carbohydrates) in regards to having an idea about what to eat and what not to eat. In my experience, a lot of people with significant weight issues (I'm talking about friends and acquaintances) have their problems stemming from an incorrect perception of what healthy food is. Potatoes, for instance, do not constitute vegetables, canned fruit has nowhere near the vitamins of fresh fruit (unlike canned vegetables), and going fat-free on a diet isn't good at all either.

BTW, as a teenager, I also struggled with excessive dieting, completely skating unrelated though. To the point where I wasn't getting my periods anymore. Anyhow, I think there's a difference between a genuine desire to lose weight and excessive dieting, and also, I don't think everyone is at risk of excessive dieting - it seems to be the people who enjoy control and perfection too much. Perhaps because skating is one of the sports where perfection and control are so high up (and not speed, or strength) in the desirables ranking that skaters are more prone to it.

[fsk8r]

I'd even like to add that really every meal needs fibers too. TBH, TS could just read up on nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fibres, proteins, fats, carbohydrates) in regards to having an idea about what to eat and what not to eat. In my experience, a lot of people with significant weight issues (I'm talking about friends and acquaintances) have their problems stemming from an incorrect perception of what healthy food is. Potatoes, for instance, do not constitute vegetables, canned fruit has nowhere near the vitamins of fresh fruit (unlike canned vegetables), and going fat-free on a diet isn't good at all either.

And I'd suggest learning to cook also helps those with weight issues as becoming acquainted with food helps with learning about portion control and what goes into a meal. It's so easy to buy ready meals and take out, that people are becoming disconnected with where the food comes from. And in following recipes it helps understanding with portion size, which is vitally important.

[Sessy]

One of the things about ready meals is that they often use corn syrup instead of sugar to sweeten the meals, because corn syrup is cheaper (due to subsidized corn- and wheat production in the agricultural sector). Scientists proved that, at least in rats, corn syrup leads to MORE weight gain than the same calories in sugar do (!!!)

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/

[Sessy]

Sessy--from what I understand, when you are in the "fat burning" zone of a workout, a higher percentage of the number of calories you are burning come from fat. However, IIRC, you still burn more fat at higher intensities because even though the percentage is lower, the number of calories you are burning is higher. http://exercise.about.com/cs/cardioworkouts/l/aa022601a.htm



Interesting.

[davincisoprano1]

davincisoprano1: An english muffin with egg whites isn't really an ideal breakfast. Every meal needs to have a starch, a protein AND a fat. 250 calories in english muffin and egg white does not make a good breakfast. Dietary fat provide satiety. It's also essential for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins, like Vitamin D. I pretended fat wasn't an important part of a diet. I ended up with really low vitamin D levels and didn't understand why. I convinced myself that it was just something weird about me, and that it didn't make sense considering I was drinking (fat free) milk and getting enough sun. I wasn't giving my body any way to ABSORB the vitamins, which also screws with calcium absorption, and can damage bones. Eating fat doesn't make you fat. A calorie is a calorie. But NOT eating it can lead to over eating.

You're young. So am I, I'm only 20, so I'm not being condescending. It doesn't sound like you know quite enough about exercise and nutrition to try to lose weight on your own in a healthy way. I'd seriously consider forking up the money to see a dietitian. at least a few times.

Sorry. I'll get off my soapbox now. It's just that I AM a skater with an eating disorder, and it came damn close to KILLING me just over 3 months ago.


What I eat varies from day to day, but I do my best to eat healthy options. I've lost over 40 pounds doing it the healthy way and not beating myself up if I eat something that is not super healthy. I eat balanced meals, and I stay active. :)

[xgskate]

Because of skating, I skate regularly, which, I guess, counts as exercise. I consider that a healthy habit.

[davincisoprano1]

Because of skating, I skate regularly, which, I guess, counts as exercise. I consider that a healthy habit.

And it's good for your mind and your soul. :) I've heard from more than one person that when they are skating, they're not thinking about the report they need to finish, the job they need to apply for, the bill they have to pay. They just think about skating. :)

[ChristyRN]

I doubt figure skating - apart from making muscles - is really the desired workout for burning fat.

I'm going to jump in with my experience here since Davincisoprano1 said she'd lost 40 pounds.

I lost nearly 50 pounds skating (I was up to 3x a week for a total of 3 hours) before I *ever* modified my diet. I was working full time, so skating was all I did for exercise. I ate crappy. After I modified my diet, I lost another 15 for a total of 65. Since I've been mostly off ice for the last couple of years, I've gained about 15 back. This semester, I get the opportunity to skate twice a week and I hope to re-lose that 15, plus more. It's a never ending battle at my age--I'll even admit that I'm 47 because no one believes me.

[davincisoprano1]

I'm going to jump in with my experience here since Davincisoprano1 said she'd lost 40 pounds.

I lost nearly 50 pounds skating (I was up to 3x a week for a total of 3 hours) before I *ever* modified my diet. I was working full time, so skating was all I did for exercise. I ate crappy. After I modified my diet, I lost another 15 for a total of 65. Since I've been mostly off ice for the last couple of years, I've gained about 15 back. This semester, I get the opportunity to skate twice a week and I hope to re-lose that 15, plus more. It's a never ending battle at my age--I'll even admit that I'm 47 because no one believes me.

GOOD FOR YOU!!!!! I love hearing things like that! That 15 will come off easy, too, with how active you seem to be when you skate :)

[pet_lover48]

And it's good for your mind and your soul. :) I've heard from more than one person that when they are skating, they're not thinking about the report they need to finish, the job they need to apply for, the bill they have to pay. They just think about skating. :)

Hi! Your definately right about that! I am 16 and I can tell you that if I didn't skate, that I think I would probably be a lot more stressed out, (especially during the school year.)

Although skating and practising/training is not easy, when you skate, you basically mainly focused on just your skating, not the your homework, or chores you have to do, etc. It can sometimes be rewarding too. :)

[ibreakhearts66]

And it's good for your mind and your soul. :) I've heard from more than one person that when they are skating, they're not thinking about the report they need to finish, the job they need to apply for, the bill they have to pay. They just think about skating. :)

This. For me, it's (generally) the healthiest way for me to "escape" life. It's impossible to think about any of that stuff when trying to navigate a freestyle session. I think, for the most part, skating is the ONLY time that all of the critical thoughts quiet down, except of course the ones criticizing my jumps ;)

[sk8joyful]

Hey everyone :)
I've been over the last 6 years working to lose weight,
and in that time I've gone down, back WAY up (thank you college :frus:), and back down.
I'm currently working on losing to get to my goal weight and I'm doing it to feel good as well as help my skating.

So I am curious, how many of you are doing figure skating to lose weight/get healthy? What is your typical daily diet? :)

Thank you! for starting this thread, as I have soo wanted to hear people's opinions,
but I have felt too shy to start another thread, amongst these presently-Coached skaters, also competing.
Personally, I was able to avoid most weight-problems, at
5'4" weighing no more than 110 :D, until well into my 50's. -

Then, 20 8O extra lbs. attached themselves between my knees & neck, in less than a year. No!!
They must get transformed, intentionally into more skating-muscles... :D

How I kept my weight stable for all these years was via 'Visualization, & Intuitive-eating'.
I simply told my (subconscious) mind what I wanted to look like, & directed it to let me know via nudges... ;)
what it needed me to eat, to REbuild the body in a healthy & functional fashion... And for all but one challenge, this worked pretty good.
There's some similarities between this, & the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type_diet
For example, as an A-type myself, I respond much better on a foundation of more Veggies/Fruits, with some lean meats, & a few other foods.

(The criticism for this diet, was lack of Clinical trials. - Well, I have pretty much eaten this way Intuitively,
as have 100's of other people I know, for whom it all worked equally well; & all before awareness of this ND.
& his approach; so obviously there's Benefit to it.)

I never put iceskates on, until I was around 50; but
as I can practice, correspondingly I'm gaining more iceskills.

I do have questions about Breakfast..., what is best? before going to practice on the ice.
Experientially, I learned that heavy foods like eggs, or pancakes, make me feel sick during practice.
Yet, lately I have enough energy, & feel much better, enjoying a Fruit-smoothie :)
with my exceptional Supplements, I have for years researched & taught about.

Of course, I'm also not spinning all over the place, nor do I have the rigors of a Program I'm running thru 3 times,
nor do I do 30 consecutive Waltz-jumps. <- Erm, I'm still learning to get my 1st. one,
(sans a 1-hand assist on the landing), as I have yet to learn my balance skating backwards, lol.

So if you have any more helpful ideas about pre-ice Breakfasts, I'm all ears! :) Annie
.

[RachelSk8er]

Skating generally doesn't work for weight loss. If you're new to the sport and not athletic, it might at first, but it's generally not aerobic exercise so eventually it won't do much. You need to be doing exercise that keeps your heart rate up for extended periods. That being said, I did always lose weight during synchro season back when I was on a senior team and we'd do stroking drills for a solid 20-25 min at the start of practice early on in the season because it did keep your heart rate up, as did the constant back-to-back run thrus we'd do as practices leading up to competitions got pretty intense. Skating adult and collegiate, or doing dance/singles...not so much.

I started running again recently and have been dropping weight from that (10 pounds so far that I know of, haven't weighed myself in about 3 weeks and some clothes have gotten looser since). Trying not to worry so much about the scale or compare what I weigh now to what I did when I was younger because I have a lot more muscle mass now than I did in college when I was at my lowest adult weight.

I pretty much eat whatever the heck I want in moderation and that seems to be working. I've always been a relatively healthy eater, my issue was always not eating enough and causing my metabolism to crash because I just never have much of an appetite, or not eating frequently enough because I'm busy and then totally pigging out at dinnertime (occasionally grabbing fast food or other crap while running from one thing to the other). Also not good for your metabolism. So now I'm just focusing on eating 3 meals/day, plus some healthy snacks thrown in. That alone is working for now. When I first started running I was trying a pretty strict diet and while it was working at first, I ultimately wasn't eating enough, so I pretty much scrapped that. (I was only eating about 1,500 calories on a day where I would skate for an hour in the morning before work and run 6 miles in the evening...not good, my whole body crashed and I spent a good 2 weeks last month where I was just exhausted.)

It is kind of a struggle to find a balance that will let you both lose weight and increase athletic performance in a competitive sport at the same time. A lot of diet/workout programs are designed for one or the other, and not both at the same time.

[Isk8NYC]

Skating is a good way to give a new fitness urge momentum. Even if you can only skate for 30 minutes out of 120 because of lunch schedules, do it - it will give you incentive to try/stay in the sport.

You'll also find yourself fitting more fitness into your lifestyle, which will help speed good health and habits.

When I used to skate during my lunch, I often got stuck at the elevator talking to someone from the office about work. Then, I'd end up not going to the rink because I worried that I wouldn't make it there and back in my limited time. I literally talked myself out it going to the rink.

So, I started taking the stairs down, which turned out to be a good warmup for skating. Then I started taking the elevator halfway up and walking the rest of the way. I graduated to taking the stairs both ways and then added a fitness center workout, etc. etc.

Skating can make fitness efforts snowball.

[sk8joyful]

What is your typical daily diet?
I was just looking for some possible camraderie.

ok don't laugh, at what I ate today:
1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup apple-cinnamon oatmeal, a Pb-sandwich on rye bread,
1 cup (mixed-greens: kale, mustard & turnip), one lg. ear of corn,
1/2-lb. each of fresh apricots, blueberries, & Bing-cherries; and Supplements.

Does that sound skating-healthy to you? :)

[davincisoprano1]

What are Bing-cherries? :)

[blue111moon]

Bing Cherries are just a name for the kind like Macintosh apples or Bartlett pears. They're fresh-off-thetree as opposed to canned or marachino.

[Stormy]

ok don't laugh, at what I ate today:
1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup apple-cinnamon oatmeal, a Pb-sandwich on rye bread,
1 cup (mixed-greens: kale, mustard & turnip), one lg. ear of corn,
1/2-lb. each of fresh apricots, blueberries, & Bing-cherries; and Supplements.

Does that sound skating-healthy to you? :)

Are you getting enough calories? You're certainly eating healthy foods, but there's not enough protein or healthy fat in there.

[xgskate]

ok don't laugh, at what I ate today:
1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup apple-cinnamon oatmeal, a Pb-sandwich on rye bread,
1 cup (mixed-greens: kale, mustard & turnip), one lg. ear of corn,
1/2-lb. each of fresh apricots, blueberries, & Bing-cherries; and Supplements.

Does that sound skating-healthy to you? :)

That depends on how much you weigh and etc...

[davincisoprano1]

ok don't laugh, at what I ate today:
1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup apple-cinnamon oatmeal, a Pb-sandwich on rye bread,
1 cup (mixed-greens: kale, mustard & turnip), one lg. ear of corn,
1/2-lb. each of fresh apricots, blueberries, & Bing-cherries; and Supplements.

Does that sound skating-healthy to you? :)

Do you like chicken? If you make a chicken breast and put some spices on it, it is delicious and will give you protein. :)

[fsk8r]

ok don't laugh, at what I ate today:
1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup apple-cinnamon oatmeal, a Pb-sandwich on rye bread,
1 cup (mixed-greens: kale, mustard & turnip), one lg. ear of corn,
1/2-lb. each of fresh apricots, blueberries, & Bing-cherries; and Supplements.

Does that sound skating-healthy to you? :)

If you're needing to take supplements you're not eating a healthy diet. A healthy diet supplies all the vitamins and minerals you need from the food you eat, you don't need anything extra. Humans have managed for millenia without supplements.
If you feel you're missing any particular vitamin or mineral you should identify what fruit, vegetables, meat or fish that will supply what you're missing and add that to your diet.
Unfortunately this advice would put a lot of pharmaceutical companies out business so they encourage taking the supplements.

[sk8joyful]

Are you getting enough calories?

You're certainly eating healthy foods, but there's not enough protein or healthy fat in there.

No idea how many Calories I eat in a day; nor do I care.

I only care about eating Healthy :!: to enable & empower the pleasures I love...

re Not enough protein? or healthy fat?: depends on a bazillion variables and Contexts,
including:
1. what is the person's Blood-type?
&
2. Avoid pharmaceuticals?; & have enough Hydrochloric acid to digest proteins, and is gut Probiotically healthy?
&
3. What do the Individual's LAB-tests (hematology mainly) show?
&
4. As an iceskater, what is the person practicing? & what are their goals...
&
5. What is their weight?, & their age (chrono., plus Mental).
Factors like these all come into play...

For yesterday, I forgot to post I had 2 (not one) Pb-sandwiches, & also 1 slice of white cheese:
Tho I never bother to "count", I did it for this response:
Proteins:
14 gms. = 1/2 cup Cottage cheese
07 gms. = 1 slice of cheese
18 gms. = 4 Tbsp. Skippy Pb, 9 gms. per 2 Tbsps.
12 gms. = 4 slices of Canadian-rye bread, 3 gms. each
--------
51 gms. protein; yup just as I thought: too much protein, again:!: - Why?
The above factors suggest: with shy of 30 gms. protein daily I am at my best.

and re fat :?: - Considering that for most (but the last 2 yrs.), I kept waist 23-4 inches;
while now an addtl. 3-4in. Fat-storage :oops: I am going to eliminate!!,
plus the fact that I Intake all necessary EFA's daily, I dare say I am also getting the fats I should have.

My needs, tho are different from what another Skater's Bio-chemical needs are.
No 2 people will ever be the same. Why? -

Because as humans we are NOT machines (no matter what Western-medicine continues to preach).
We each have a Bio-identity unique to us.
To know your own Health-status: routinely be tested, by a Lab

Thank you Stormy for your concern. ;)
.

[sk8joyful]

Do you like chicken?
If you make a chicken breast and put some spices on it, it is delicious and will give you protein. :)

Hi there,

Not to worry, no vegetarians in our family. - We enjoy chowing down Pizza, Lasagna,
Veal-sausages, Dark (more fat, lol) turkey-thighs, to a lesser degree also chicken-quarters,
sometimes Salmon, or tuna, (I also eat Sardines-in-water); and
rarely pork-chops, & when really crazy even a bit of bacon.

a critical factor for me is Speed: how fast :D can I cook the beast LOL
because (unlike most people who exist to eat...) in our family we eat to live...

My previous post I just submitted, go read it ;) - and too, Thank you ;) for caring...
.

[Sessy]

This thread is quickly developing into an advertisement for certain kinds of diets...

[davincisoprano1]

This thread is quickly developing into an advertisement for certain kinds of diets...

I'm not seeing advertisements for diets, but I am seeing people trying to figure out if what they are eating is healthy.

[davincisoprano1]

Also, diet seems to have a negative connotation. People think when you say "diet" that you're trying to lose weight, but diet is defined as:

di·et1    [dahy-it] Show IPA noun, verb, -et·ed, -et·ing, adjective
–noun
1. food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health: Milk is a wholesome article of diet.
2. a particular selection of food, esp. as designed or prescribed to improve a person's physical condition or to prevent or treat a disease: a diet low in sugar.
3. such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight: No pie for me, I'm on a diet.
4. the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group: The native diet consists of fish and fruit.
5. food or feed habitually eaten or provided: The rabbits were fed a diet of carrots and lettuce.
6. anything that is habitually provided or partaken of: Television has given us a steady diet of game shows and soap operas.

Diet is usually what is used to describe someone losing weight, but it's also used to describe what one normally eats in a day.

[Stormy]

No idea how many Calories I eat in a day; nor do I care.

I only care about eating Healthy :!: to enable & empower the pleasures I love...

Thank you Stormy for your concern. ;)
.

I thought you were genuinely asking if what you were eating is healthy, but you don't seem to have really wanted to hear the answers. :??

davincisoprano1, it's a slippery slope talking about food and diets (even in your context). What I think is healthy might not seem to someone else. If someone said they were drinking 4 or 5 cans of diet coke a day, I'd say that wasn't healthy at all. Someone else might say yes since they have no calories.

[Sessy]

I'm not seeing advertisements for diets, but I am seeing people trying to figure out if what they are eating is healthy.

The blood type diet keeps being mentioned and there's no scientific prove that it works or even doesn't do any harm since people with underlying health conditions might very well experience problems from drastically changing their food pattern like that not to mention there's reasons why health services around the world recommend a certain food pyramid balance. It has to do with how some vitamins and minerals are stored in fat and some in water, and the latter can't be retained by the body, not to mention, that certain vitamins and minerals affect how other vitamins and minerals are absorbed or treated by the body.

[Sessy]

I thought you were genuinely asking if what you were eating is healthy, but you don't seem to have really wanted to hear the answers. :??

davincisoprano1, it's a slippery slope talking about food and diets (even in your context). What I think is healthy might not seem to someone else. If someone said they were drinking 4 or 5 cans of diet coke a day, I'd say that wasn't healthy at all. Someone else might say yes since they have no calories.

There's indications that it's actually worse than normal soda, since the sugar-replacements can dissolve a part of the layer of the inside of the bladder, leading to increased bladder inflammations. Now I don't know about other people but mine certainly got less since I stopped drinking diet soda's.

[davincisoprano1]

The blood type diet keeps being mentioned and there's no scientific prove that it works or even doesn't do any harm since people with underlying health conditions might very well experience problems from drastically changing their food pattern like that not to mention there's reasons why health services around the world recommend a certain food pyramid balance. It has to do with how some vitamins and minerals are stored in fat and some in water, and the latter can't be retained by the body, not to mention, that certain vitamins and minerals affect how other vitamins and minerals are absorbed or treated by the body.

Ooo ok, I have never heard about the blood type diet. Honestly, I think that's kinda weird. But then again, anything can be turned into a diet these days, huh?

...now if only there was a chocolate diet... ;) I kid, I kid.

[fsk8r]

Ooo ok, I have never heard about the blood type diet. Honestly, I think that's kinda weird. But then again, anything can be turned into a diet these days, huh?

...now if only there was a chocolate diet... ;) I kid, I kid.

I wouldn't kid, I bet there already is a chocolate diet. How healthy it is, is to be debated.

Personally I find that arming oneself with proper information about what the body needs from scientific sources (so it's been properly peer reviewed and not just any old thing that's been made up), helps people understand what a healthy diet should consist of (such as the food pyramids Sessy refers to).

But don't pay much attention to what the media tells you is the latest health food. One week drinking red wine is good for your health and the next week it isn't. The truth is probably somewhat in between the two extremes but neither makes for a particularly exciting headline.

[Sessy]

I wouldn't kid, I bet there already is a chocolate diet. How healthy it is, is to be debated.

You're absolutely right, there is! :bow:

http://www.diet.com/g/chocolate-diet

Well, chocolate beans are a plant so I'm certainly not surprised at their claims of lowering cholesterol, although don't translate that into a lower risk of heart problems just yet since chocolate can contain quite a bit of caffeine and raise bloodpressure after all. I think there's also a big difference between chocolate and chocolate. I'm myself a big fan of the 98% chocolate contents chocolate (you know, super super black chocolate) and a. it's almost impossible to over-endulge with it and b. I've not noticed any ill effects on my figure, unlike with normal chocolate. It is very much an acquired taste, however.

BTW, if you ever have a chance, try chocolate-coated coffee beans. Yummmm....


Another thing no one's mentioned yet btw, if you're on a vegetarian diet, low levels of creatine are likely to start causing problems after a while if doing intensive sports. Supplements will be required. According to the dude who owned the gym with his wife where I went to work out while I couldn't skate, it's actually a quite serious problem for vegetarians and vegans who are trying to get the most out of their body with sports. He and his wife were both vegetarians and he said there were about six different things of what they needed to take extra in supplement form because of that in order to provide their bodies with the nutrients for lots of sports. Unfortunately I only remembered creatine.

[Zoomana]

I am a skater and have weighed anywhere from 155 (overweight) to 115 (when I was anorexic). I now weigh 140 (with a realistic, healthy goal of 135, which would keep my BMI at "normal" vs. "underweight").

What I eat:

Breakfast: 300 calories, plain fat-free yogurt with fresh fruit and a little granola.

Lunch: 300 calories, salad with "doctored" dressing (I take commercial dressings and lighten them up considerably with vinegar) and tofu, nuts, whatever I have to make it more interesting or, if I'm in a hurry, a Lean Cuisine or low sodium/low fat soup

Dinner: Whatever I want, but I try to portion control it to no more than 1,200 calories max.

I weigh everything on a diet scale and/or count calories. It's amazing how many calories the love of my life, cheese, has.

I also NEVER drink a beverage with any calories in it at all, except vino (my bad). I drink sparkling water, Vitamin Water Zero, etc. The only artificial sweetener I drink is Stevia. I don't snack in between meals, though I do occasionally cheat, but I try not to.

I do cardio, weights, yoga and skating, of course.

I think finding the hidden calories is the key for most people.

Another motivation is I like my skating dresses and want them to keep fitting!

[davincisoprano1]

BTW, if you ever have a chance, try chocolate-coated coffee beans. Yummmm....



Way ahead of you! I brought home dark chocolate covered espresso beans from Cafe San Eustacio in Rome, Italy this past June. There's still some in my fridge. They are TO DIE FOR. :D

They're really strong both in chocolate and in espresso bean, so about 3-4 and I'm set. :lol:

I am a firm believer that chocolate in moderation is good for the soul. :) My mom, back when I was in high school, every night would open a dark chocolate Hershey bar after dinner and give my sis and I 3 squares of the chocolate bar. :) It became a game to see how long we could make it last haha.

[ChristyRN]

I generally follow a near-vegetarian diet, but have found that I crave meat every three or four days. Other than that, I eat lots of veggies and get protein from beans, nuts, and cheese. I also try to avoid all processed whites--flour, rice, sugar, and pasta. I limit to one diet soda a day, and the rest water. Am I thin? No, I'm a little overweight, but that's because I'm fairly sedentary. Once I can skate twice a week again, I should lose some of the extra pounds.

[ibreakhearts66]

No idea how many Calories I eat in a day; nor do I care.

I only care about eating Healthy :!: to enable & empower the pleasures I love...

re Not enough protein? or healthy fat?: depends on a bazillion variables and Contexts,
including:
1. what is the person's Blood-type?
&
2. Avoid pharmaceuticals?; & have enough Hydrochloric acid to digest proteins, and is gut Probiotically healthy?
&
3. What do the Individual's LAB-tests (hematology mainly) show?
&
4. As an iceskater, what is the person practicing? & what are their goals...
&
5. What is their weight?, & their age (chrono., plus Mental).
Factors like these all come into play...

For yesterday, I forgot to post I had 2 (not one) Pb-sandwiches, & also 1 slice of white cheese:
Tho I never bother to "count", I did it for this response:
Proteins:
14 gms. = 1/2 cup Cottage cheese
07 gms. = 1 slice of cheese
18 gms. = 4 Tbsp. Skippy Pb, 9 gms. per 2 Tbsps.
12 gms. = 4 slices of Canadian-rye bread, 3 gms. each
--------
51 gms. protein; yup just as I thought: too much protein, again:!: - Why?
The above factors suggest: with shy of 30 gms. protein daily I am at my best.

and re fat :?: - Considering that for most (but the last 2 yrs.), I kept waist 23-4 inches;
while now an addtl. 3-4in. Fat-storage :oops: I am going to eliminate!!,
plus the fact that I Intake all necessary EFA's daily, I dare say I am also getting the fats I should have.



Thank you Stormy for your concern. ;)
.

You may care about eating "healthy," but part of a healthy meal plan IS dietary fat. Period. It's essential for your organs, for satiety, your hair, your nails, everything. Dietary fat does not equal body fat. A calorie is a calorie. If you consume more calories than your body needs, you will gain weight, even if you ate all of your calories in egg whites and cottage cheese and lettuce.

Under the guidance of a dietitian, I am on a specific meal plan for my health. Guess what? That meal plan includes ice cream and M&Ms and cookies as well as other foods.

A sample day:
Breakfast: 1 c. 2% Milk, 3/4 c. granola, 1/3 c. craisins
I don't actually eat a morning snack, but most people would
Lunch: Grilled cheese, 1 ounce of cheese with 2 slices of bread, possibly cooked in some sort of butter. I didn't prepare it, so I'm not exactly sure. 1/2 c. cottage cheese, 1/4 c. granola
PM Snack: 1/4 c. craisins, 1/2 c. cottage cheese, 1/4 c. granola
Dinner: Spinach salad:1 ounce of goat cheese, 2 tablespoons of regular dressing, 3 ounces of chicken, 2 ounces of spinach. Also, 3/4 c. milk and 1 small baked roll
Night snack: 1 serving reese's pieces (51, to be precise) and 1 c. soymilk

Okay that might have been a bad example because I had so much cottage cheese and granola. This was supposed to be my meal plan for the day, or at least something similar, but I'm having a hard time and didn't actually have breakfast.

Lunch and dinner both have a grain, a protein and a fat, all from different sources. My meal plan contains 2,400 calories, most of it in nutrient rich food, but I also have treats. This is considered 100% appropriate by an entire treatment team to maintain my weight and my health. Yes, there may be some obsession in measuring, but this is so I serve myself ENOUGH food.

The point of writing out a "sample" of what is considered an ideal day is to show that "junk" foods can be entirely acceptable. I know that I am younger than most (all?) of the posters here and that I have a relatively fast metabolism, but I wanted to show that a dietitian approved diet includes some junk food. It is certainly in moderation and the portions are controlled, but I daresay it's presence would be forbidden to those obsessed with eating "healthy."

Your body knows what it needs. It knows when it's hungry, when it's full, when it needs a little more food, when it doesn't want quite as much, and even what kind of foods it wants. You just have to listen and be mindful. Can I eat intuitively right now? Absolutely not. My body still thinks that an apple and a gardenburger pattie are sufficient. But unless you've completely ignored your body for ages, just listen to what IT wants, not what the next fad diet tells you it needs.

[fsk8r]

The point of writing out a "sample" of what is considered an ideal day is to show that "junk" foods can be entirely acceptable. I know that I am younger than most (all?) of the posters here and that I have a relatively fast metabolism, but I wanted to show that a dietitian approved diet includes some junk food. It is certainly in moderation and the portions are controlled, but I daresay it's presence would be forbidden to those obsessed with eating "healthy."

Your body knows what it needs. It knows when it's hungry, when it's full, when it needs a little more food, when it doesn't want quite as much, and even what kind of foods it wants. You just have to listen and be mindful. Can I eat intuitively right now? Absolutely not. My body still thinks that an apple and a gardenburger pattie are sufficient. But unless you've completely ignored your body for ages, just listen to what IT wants, not what the next fad diet tells you it needs.

That's very wise advice. A little of what you fancy seems to be the message which comes from the centenarians when asked what their secret to long life is. Which can equally be translated to everything in moderation.

I think the hard part for most peopl these days is to listen to their body. Also in eating "junk" food it comes highly sweetened and our bodies have been hard programmed to gorge on high calorie foods in case of an upcoming famine. Unfortunately, we don't live in the stone age and famines aren't that common in the western world hence people struggling with excess weight.

I have heard that a lot of people mistake thirst for hunger and so eat when they really just needed a glass of water. For those who have problems with being overweight and who constantly feel hungry, it might be worth having a glass of water when they feel hungry. If they were just thirsty then the feeling will go away, if they're really hungry then eat something in another hour when you've given the body a chance to realise it's had some fluid.

[Skate@Delaware]

Skating is a good way to give a new fitness urge momentum. Even if you can only skate for 30 minutes out of 120 because of lunch schedules, do it - it will give you incentive to try/stay in the sport.

You'll also find yourself fitting more fitness into your lifestyle, which will help speed good health and habits.

When I used to skate during my lunch, I often got stuck at the elevator talking to someone from the office about work. Then, I'd end up not going to the rink because I worried that I wouldn't make it there and back in my limited time. I literally talked myself out it going to the rink.

So, I started taking the stairs down, which turned out to be a good warmup for skating. Then I started taking the elevator halfway up and walking the rest of the way. I graduated to taking the stairs both ways and then added a fitness center workout, etc. etc.

Skating can make fitness efforts snowball.
I also found that skating was a great motivational tool for my weight-loss efforts (over 100lbs lost in a 3 year period). Helped with the achy joints, and overall health as well.

I don't go crazy about working out or what I eat-I just try to do the right thing by eating well-balanced nutrition (including my junk), work out several times per week, and try to find a balance with everything else in my life.

[sk8joyful]

I used figure skating to lose weight.
I was hospitalized for 6 weeks and have been in treatment for anorexia since May 3rd.

I'm glad you are getting help to remedy your dis-ordered eating habits.


davincisoprano1:
Every meal needs to have a starch, a protein AND a fat. 250 calories in english muffin and egg white does not make a good breakfast. Dietary fat provide satiety.

I pretended fat wasn't an important part of a diet. I ended up with really low vitamin D levels and I wasn't giving my body any way to ABSORB the vitamins, which also screws with calcium absorption, and can damage bones. Eating fat doesn't make you fat. A calorie is a calorie. But NOT eating it can lead to over eating.

You're young. So am I, I'm only 20.

It doesn't sound like you know quite enough about exercise and nutrition to try to lose weight on your own in a healthy way. I'd seriously consider forking up the money to see a dietitian.

Sorry. I'll get off my soapbox now. It's just that I AM a skater with an eating disorder, and it came damn close to KILLING me just over 3 months ago.

While you're kind to you show concern for another person, not every person is in dire straights, nor close to death.

Not only that, most Dieticians work from a model/belief-system of "Human-body = another machine";
which many researchers, MD's, ND's, & other aware individuals know fails too often.

There is much, MUCH more :!: to vibrant health than merely "a protein, a fat, & a starch". - Other factors
which affect whether 'calories in' become fat - include, but are not limited to:

what the food is
stomach acid levels
pepcin levels
bile
various enzymes
particular gut flora
the hormone 'insulin'
serum Chromium, Manganese, Boron, Copper, Vanadium, Iodine, Iodide, Selenium, Molybdenum, Cobalt
serum estrogens
testosterone
Triiodothyronine
Somatostatin
somatotropin
Neuropeptide Y
Cholecystokinin
Secretin
Glucagon
various Glucocorticoids
epinephrine
norepinephrine
Leptin
and so on; and any number of these can even pass through totally undigested.

Dieticians, by & large are not aware of many of these factors,
so at best all they can do, is look at "Statistic charts", & plug you into them.
That works, somewhat for people content as a vague statistic.

The rest of us TEST where we, as an Individual are, and
make changes accordingly, to get our desired outcomes... We find it works better ;) this way.

[sk8joyful]

There's indications that it's actually worse than normal soda,
since the sugar-replacements can dissolve a part of the layer of the inside of the bladder, leading to increased bladder inflammations.

Diet-sodas, are bad for you for the same reason Jello sweetened with Aspartame is bad for you.
Aspartame harms you in several ways, including: as a potent Neuro-toxin 8O
Also, it coats your bladder so bacteria enjoy a steady Sugar-feast there, & ever multiplying...
people continuing ABO-use, only achieves abo-resistance :!:
Obviously, you want to stop drinking such junk; & use D-mannose instead. D-mannose is a simple sugar, that the bacteria love more,
so they cling to it instead, & get flushed out of your body. 8-)
.

[Sessy]

Diet-sodas, are bad for you for the same reason Jello sweetened with Aspartame is bad for you.
Aspartame harms you in several ways, including: as a potent Neuro-toxin 8O
Also, it coats your bladder so bacteria enjoy a steady Sugar-feast there, & ever multiplying...
people continuing ABO-use, only achieves abo-resistance :!:
Obviously, you want to stop drinking such junk; & use D-mannose instead. D-mannose is a simple sugar, that the bacteria love more,
so they cling to it instead, & get flushed out of your body. 8-)
.

The research I read focused on several artificial sweeteners, not only aspartame, and found other artificial sweeteners also harmful. Anyhow, the quickest way to find it would probably be by googling something like "interstitial cystitis artificial sweeteners" or something.

[doubletoe]

Diet-sodas, are bad for you for the same reason Jello sweetened with Aspartame is bad for you.
Aspartame harms you in several ways, including: as a potent Neuro-toxin 8O
Also, it coats your bladder so bacteria enjoy a steady Sugar-feast there, & ever multiplying...
people continuing ABO-use, only achieves abo-resistance :!:
Obviously, you want to stop drinking such junk; & use D-mannose instead. D-mannose is a simple sugar, that the bacteria love more,
so they cling to it instead, & get flushed out of your body. 8-)
.

Also, recent studies have shown that artificial sweeteners may actually end up causing us to gain weight:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/96849.php

[JimStanmore]

In the spirit of the OP's question, here is the USFSA information:

http://www.usfsa.org/Athletes.asp?id=346

After a bunch of research other places I started basing my eating habits (at least I TRY to) on this information. I figured that if it is good enough to take people to the Olympics, it's good enough for me, LOL.

[Sessy]

Also, recent studies have shown that artificial sweeteners may actually end up causing us to gain weight:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/96849.php

Again, can't speak for anyone else but since I switched from artificial sweeteners in my tea to sugar, and to fizzy drinks (I drink them rarely though) with sugar, I didn't notice any change in weight what so ever. This does seem to support the idea that artificial sweeteners don't help you lose weight.

[sk8lady]

To maintain a healthy weight, you really need to combine a healthy eating plan with exercise. Exercise alone won't usually help much for a normal human being (as opposed to a bony marathoner or something!).
I've struggled with my weight on and off since I finished college in the '80's. I've followed Weight Watchers successfully for the last 10 years (to the point where people compliment me on my "great metabolism," which drives me nuts!) but it's not for everyone. Someone suggested seeing a nutritionist, which I think would be a great idea--and then you have to apply a healthy dose of willpower, which is the hard part for me! (Although I keep pictures around from when I weighed 140, which at 5'1 made me a roly-poly ball, and that's a great incentive not to have the extra piece of chocolate...)

[mamaskate]

Read the book "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes.

[techskater]

Sugar Blues and South Beach Diet (short, paperback version) are also very good

[davincisoprano1]

I was reading through the Luluemon blog and saw that they had a post about yoga for figure skaters, I thought it could tie in well here. :)

http://www.lululemon.com/community/blog/yoga-for-figure-skating/

[sk8lady]

Yes, we the Dancer asana sometimes in my beginner/intermediate class and I am one of only a few of my teacher's students of ANY age who can hold the pose consistently! ;)

[Sessy]

I was reading through the Luluemon blog and saw that they had a post about yoga for figure skaters, I thought it could tie in well here. :)

http://www.lululemon.com/community/blog/yoga-for-figure-skating/

Thanks for the link!

[sk8joyful]

If you're needing to take supplements you're not eating a healthy diet.
A healthy diet supplies all the vitamins and minerals you need from the food you eat, you don't need anything extra.
Humans have managed for millenia without supplements.
If you feel you're missing any particular vitamin or mineral
you should identify what fruit, vegetables, meat or fish
that will supply what you're missing and add that to your diet.

While I certainly don't want to rain on anybody's parade
around here, I would be very amiss, in light of that response, if I didn't point out some sobering statistics:
True, there are a few indigenous cultures left, whose Food-soils are not yet depleted, and laid barren/sterile. In these cultures, their Fat-soluble vitamins, & Major plus Trace-minerals, exceed the West/us by 500-1000%. - And since you won't take my word for it, here's one such chart:
http://www.nutritionsecurity.org/PDF/Nutrition%20in%20Traditional%20Diets.pdf
and then,
to re-iterate the Nutritionally-empoverished state of most US-citizens, and that of most other countries, here is this acknowledgment, given by the US-government in 1936: “The alarming fact is that food – fruits and vegetables and grains – now being raised on millions of acres of land that no longer contains enough of certain needed nutrients, are starving us no matter how much we eat of them.” U S Senate Document 264, 1936
__________________________________________________ ________________
All rights reserved ® Nutrition Security Institute
2006-2007

Apparently, when we arm ourselves with facts, then
we can begin to take steps to restore in ourselves the Health we were created for, and the Abundance therein which is our Individual birthright. :)
.


There's no such thing as a "figure skater diet."
There are many skaters who struggle with eating disorders.
There are a lot of people who feel that they're not thin enough, when in fact they're at an ideal weight / BMI.

Figure skaters are athletes, so they should be following a well-balanced eating plan and a nutrionist can help put one in place.

I was always on the 'thin' side, yet healthy :) 95% of the time, according too to doctors.

Concern about "overweight" was really alien to me; and I also didn't concern myself with BMI-norms.
Until 3 yrs. ago, at 5'4" I weighed 110 lbs, which put me at 18.88 BMI, the norm is between 18 and 25 kg/m2.
And during that time I also taught nutrition classes...

(A value over 25 puts a person in the overweight category, and
values greater than 30 correspond to varying degrees of obesity.)

Currently, I'm at 20.60 BMI, still well within the norm; but
my goal is to convert the recent 10 lbs. of blubber, into useful Sk8-thighs, lol

I often wonder how other skaters fare...
.