Diet for Dancers: A Complete Guide to Nutrition and Weight Control [Paperback]

Robin D. Chmelar (Author), Sally S. Fitt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1990

The first diet book based on research with dancers, this guide provides information about proper dietary procedures that will enable people to reach and/or maintain their optimal body weight for dancing. Areas discussed include weight control, individual differences in metabolism, and body composition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robin D. Chmelar has contributed to the journal Medical Problems of Performing Artists. Sally Sevey Fitt is the author of Dance Kinesiology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Book Company / Dance Horizons; Rep Sub edition (January 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916622894
• ISBN-13: 978-0916622893
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance > Reference

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

137 of 141 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chmelar is Stellar!, October 14, 2003

By 

Taylor Rockwell "tayrock" (Freeport, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diet for Dancers: A Complete Guide to Nutrition and Weight Control (Paperback)

I found it shocking and irresponsible that in his review of Chmelar and Fitt's Diet for Dancers, Matthew McCarthy chose to take a few phrases out of context to paint a completely inaccurate portrait of what is the best book I've read on diet and nutrition for dancers.

Chmelar and Fitt are not telling dancers they have to be thin; rather they are reporting the realities that face most dancers who pursue careers in theatrical performing dance and encourage dancers who do not fit the body composition standards for being a professional ballet dancer to seek a style of dance that suits their bodies. Chmelar and Fitt are the only authors I know of who have assembled actual research on the body compositions of15 female professional and university, ballet and modern dancers and compared them to those of five kinds of female athletes. These results show that such dancers need to fit into a pretty narrow range of percent body fat and weight relative to height. For example, university female ballet dancers have a percent body fat range of 9.6% to 20.5% , an average weight of 117.7 +/- 10.4 pounds, and an average height of 65.3 +/-2.0 inches. Similar values are given for female university modern dancers as well as professional ballet and modern dancers. These values are substantially below what is considered an average healthy weight for nondance women. Yet the values for these same categories of male dancers are very similar to those of healthy nondance men. So it is the research that shows that female dancers have to maintain a lower than healthy average body weight; Chmelar and Fitt are simply reporting the facts. Mr. McCarthy seems to be shooting the messenger.

Yet C&F do more than simply report the facts; they also give their opinions on how to promote healthy weight expectations for female dancers. In the section "Professional Realities and Ethical Considerations" p43 C&F write, "In no way can this or any other book dictate what a school or company's weight standards should be...We can offer guidelines based on our current knowledge, but any dancer who reaches professional status is bound to be met by strict standards.... Directors, faculty, and students in university programs should ask themselves a number of questions (some of which mighght also be considered by professional companies) such as: Should we have weight standards? If so, how strict should they be for performing-emphasis students? Should we have weight standards for students going into nonperformance dance fields? What kind of policy should we have for students who don't meet weight standards? Are we familiar with appropriate referral sources for students with eating disorders? How do we strike a health balance between ensuring our dancers are healthy yet meet the aesthetic standards of dance? And what are those aesthetic standards?
There are obviously a variety of answers to these questions; however, the important thing is that they be discussed openly among faculty and student representatives." To me this shows an exceedingly responsible attitude on the part of the authors for both recognizing the pressures of the real world in certain areas of dance and in encouraging dancers, instructors, and directors to recognize their responsiblities in shaping healthy aesthetic expectations for body weight among dancers.

Also, in the section "Genetic Influences on Body Composition" C&F advise dancers who don't fit the ballerina mold. On p44 they write: "Research conducted by former New York City Ballet dancer Linda Hamilton....underscores the pivotal role genetics plays in determining a person's body composition. For those dancers seeking a career with a professional ballet company, this issue should be carefully considered. Dancers who do not naturally tend towards such thinness can certainly use appropriate diet and exercise measures to help get them to their desired body weight; however, sooner or later they may have to choose between battling their inherited body traits and modifying their dance goals. For those dancers not born with sylph-producing DNA, energy can be refocused toward dance careers that do not require an ultra-thin body, and also toward maintaining a healthy, fit body composition rather than trying to force an unhealthy skinny one. [Emphasis added.]."
This is as far from "shocking and irresponsible" as I can imagine. It's easy to make a book seem like something it's not by taking a few phrases out of context. Mr. McCarthy's review makes me wonder if he read the same book I did.

Mr. McCarthy recommends that dancers "buy a book about healthy nutrition instead." I know no other book that explains the way diet and exercise interacts as it applies to dancers, lists the functions of all vitamins and minerals, and notes those nutrients in which research has shown dancers to be deficient. If dancers want a book that is both about healthy nutrition and also applies to their specific dietary needs, this is it. I'm only sorry that the dancers at the London Contemporary School of Dance will not have access to this book in their school library.

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sound Advice.... Really!!, April 12, 2004

By 

Amy P (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diet for Dancers: A Complete Guide to Nutrition and Weight Control (Paperback)

I bought this book wondering what I would find. Too many of the reviews here would like to make this book out to be a guide to starving oneself thin. The book is very complex, offering the physiology of how food breaks down in the body, how starvation and very low calorie consumption adversely effects the body, and how to calculate proper caloric intake based on weight and activity level. The recommened diet is the Exchange Program, that would be the American Diabetic Assoc. diet. The very same one physicians instruct persons with type 2 diabetes to use. This diet ensures that you eat a variety of foods (starches, meat, veggies, fruits, milk/dairy, and fat) and do not have to directly count calories. This is not a quick weight-loss plan, in fact the book testifies to the fact that this is a slow proccess. I couldn't find anything in this book that recommended unhealthy practices to lose weight.
Bottom Line:This diet WILL work and is not encouraging dangerous behavior in dancers or everyday folks!

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for all dancers, March 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Diet for Dancers: A Complete Guide to Nutrition and Weight Control (Paperback)

this book is a necessity for all serious and recreational dancers! It helped me reach a new level in my dancing by giving me guidelines in how to maintain a healthy weight and how to acheive an optimum state of health required in both the professional and pre-profession dance worlds. Even those who are not dancers but want to achieve a healthy body and sustain a healthy lifestyle will benifit greatly from this book. It not only outlines dietary necessities but also stresses the importance of excerise and keeping a well balanced lifestyle.