My Own Teen Weight Gain Story - Hormone Imbalance

Teen Weight Gain is agony

I rarely talk about personal stuff but since you all have stuck with me for a few years now, I feel comfortable to share.

Teen weight gain is agony - and if you're a ballet dancer, cheerleader - or "any" girl - it is horrible. And this is way before social media or every day bullying at school.

I wrote a slightly clinical post about hormone imbalance on my other toe shoes blog today. But this is my own story.

When I was young I was so skinny my mother called me "the skull". But for ballet that's good right? I ate anything that I wanted to and was thin.

When I went to the summer ballet course in Hockley Valley, Ontario Canada, the ballet teachers were all from the National Ballet of Canada and the National Ballet School teacher course. I was in good hands.

We had 3-4 ballet classes a day and we gobbled up our boxed lunches - 2 sandwiches, some raw vegetable snack and a cupcake.

Our ballet teachers were horrified. They picked the sandwich contents out of the bread with a fork and threw away everything else.

And that summer I auditioned for the National Ballet School of Canada and was accepted. All was well for about a year and a half.

Then the teen weight gain began. Nightmare! I was eating what I had always eaten. There were a few other girls who gained weight too. We were lepers, let me assure you.

What I didn't know was hormone imbalance was involved. Nowadays a parent and a family doctor would suspect. But not then.


Here is a video that discusses stress and progesterone deficiency:

If a girl has heavy and had painful periods, that's a sign. Weight gain (while exercising and eating the same) is a sign.

Worry, anxiety, fatigue and social withdrawal are all signs of hormonal imbalance.

No one realized we needed a hormone balance test.

I was impressed by an interview I read with Suzanne Somers today and her new book "Tox-Sick Suzanne Somers".

It covers many causes of ill health. The interview covers the hormone imbalance issues.

All I can say to another dancer, or another woman (including you teen dancers!) be forewarned!

Find out all you can about hormone imbalance and lead a very healthy and happy life.