All-Star Making A Comeback After Significant Weight Gain?

[Num1Stunta]

Hellloooo to my Fiercers

I'm wondering if anyone knows of any 18+ athletes who have spent a lot of time away from cheer, maybe put on some weight, and then decided to get back into shape and cheer again. To try and make a long story short (which, I'm sure you've all figured out I SUCK at lol):

I last competed in 2003 at NCA College Nationals. I ended my cheer career with more injuries than I can count, due to the fact that I was not taking care of myself properly (eating issues). I had a bad run for my last time out on the floor, we had a stunt bobble and I busted my tumbling pass. My body was kind of done, at that point. I was devastated at that point, always thinking in the back of my head that I would some day get myself into cheer again to take another crack at that floor. I've always felt a sense of emptiness at the fact that me and the nationals mat have unfinished business.

In the last 7 years, I've been strictly coaching and have put on a significant amount of weight. I had tried to get into dieting, working out, conditioning with my teams, and nothing worked. I have just come to learn that I have a rare metabolic condition, which has a ridiculous amount of problems- hormone imbalances, infertility, weight gain, etc. I am finally at a point where I have started to lose weight, because the issues are being managed by medication and diet change. I have already lost 15 pounds in the 2 weeks since I started this. I'm feeling very optimistic about the possibility of me finally returning to cheering. It's like years and years of fighting to overcome the weight gain can now finally come to an end. I haven't felt this good about something in a very long time.

There are a number of gyms near me with Open or Intl teams, and I am DYING to get myself back into shape to go tryout again. Unfortunately, I'm not ever going to be able to offer more than Level 4 tumbling skills, and even that is a big maybe at this point. I probably have a good year of working out before I'll be of any use in tumbling. I was thinking of trying out and maybe speaking with the gym owner directly about the possibility of just training with the team, maybe as an alternate. I don't know. I'm pretty self conscious at this point, because I know the only thing I can still do is stunt.

So, I'm wondering if anyone out there may have a similar story. Did anyone ever take a long break, get way out of shape, and then work your buns off to get back onto an Open or Intl team? Any suggestions? Give me some hope here lol

My bff said I should apply to be the subject of a reality show lmfao

 

[soFIERCE08]

i don't have any advice on getting back into it. but whatever diet your on, send it my way! 15 pounds in 2 weeks is amazing!

 

[F!ERCE]

i don't have any advice on getting back into it. but whatever diet your on, send it my way! 15 pounds in 2 weeks is amazing!

I'm guessing that the medicine is helping that...not to diminish your progress, but my mom had something similar (well...in the same realm) and I know the medicine helped her.

I have no advice or experience here but POWER TO YA! Most people wouldn't even try to get back out there.

 

[NowImFamous]

Please give me your diet lol

 

[Num1Stunta]

i don't have any advice on getting back into it. but whatever diet your on, send it my way! 15 pounds in 2 weeks is amazing!

Please give me your diet lol

It's basically a diabetic's diet.... VERY restricted on carbs and sugars (plus the medication is reducing the levels of hormones in my system that caused the weight gain in the first place lol).... I wouldn't recommend it, it's horrible haha

 

[ufomom]

Good luck.

 

[Brooks44]

It's basically a diabetic's diet.... VERY restricted on carbs and sugars (plus the medication is reducing the levels of hormones in my system that caused the weight gain in the first place lol).... I wouldn't recommend it, it's horrible haha

I am a diabetic & I couldn't even loose 5 pounds in 2 weeks! your my hero.

 

[Num1Stunta]

I am a diabetic & I couldn't even loose 5 pounds in 2 weeks! your my hero.

Dont give me too much credit lol... it's not diabetes, it's ïnsulin resistance"... like I said, the medication has made a big difference

 

[foundmyway2SC]

I'd say practicing with a team as an alternate may be your best bet until you get your tumbling back. But some gyms don't care if you can tumble or not if you're a really good stunter so it really depends on what team...

 

[powerXbaby]

I had a sort of opposite problem. Any time your body changes, it makes it hard for your body to remember how to tumble. So strange, but true. I went back to cheer after not cheering for only a year and a 12 pound weight loss, and I found myself tumbling crooked, which had never happened before, and my backhandsprings were too high and what not. It does take some getting used to, but once you get the hang of things, it doesn't take too long to figure out again. You should go for it. There are plenty of international teams that aren't exactly awesome tumblers, so I wouldn't worry too much about that if you can stunt your butt off

 

[powerXbaby]

by the way, I think I was back to working fulls in like 2 weeks, and landing standing tucks without shoes on the first day (after doing nothing except maybe a few backhandsprings here and there for over a year), and my tumbling wasn't very strong to begin with.

 

[kyyyyyyxo]

After 3 acls, back fractures, 3 broken arms and countless injuries in my 12 year cheer career i am done, today is my 20th birthday. Although I have practiced since then, (and then got hurt again, repeat), my last time on the mat was my sophomore year. I would give anything in the world to have the moment most seniors get to have, the one that they know its their last time. They take the floor and can take it all in, but i never will. I have gained a decent amount of weight, sometimes I get optimistic and say "ill run and ill tumble, im going to cheer" It takes running only a few miles and my knee looks like a watermelon. I also found out that I have hypothyroidism which makes dieting pretty much useless. (I wont take the medicine, it says you could loose your hair, id rather be fat with hair then skinny and bald). I pretty much have given up. I have came out of retirement 3 times, and every time i try to tumble, i retear an acl. I am still an excellent base, Ive always had great motions, and if I stretched a little more my jumps are just as good as they used to be - but noone cares about any of that any more, its all about tumbling so i have basically decided its time to stop trying.

 

[Num1Stunta]

After 3 acls, back fractures, 3 broken arms and countless injuries in my 12 year cheer career i am done, today is my 20th birthday. Although I have practiced since then, (and then got hurt again, repeat), my last time on the mat was my sophomore year. I would give anything in the world to have the moment most seniors get to have, the one that they know its their last time. They take the floor and can take it all in, but i never will. I have gained a decent amount of weight, sometimes I get optimistic and say "ill run and ill tumble, im going to cheer" It takes running only a few miles and my knee looks like a watermelon. I also found out that I have hypothyroidism which makes dieting pretty much useless. (I wont take the medicine, it says you could loose your hair, id rather be fat with hair then skinny and bald). I pretty much have given up. I have came out of retirement 3 times, and every time i try to tumble, i retear an acl. I am still an excellent base, Ive always had great motions, and if I stretched a little more my jumps are just as good as they used to be - but noone cares about any of that any more, its all about tumbling so i have basically decided its time to stop trying.

ooooo dislike Give yourself some time off (maybe not 7 years like me lol)... I know it took alot of time for all of my injuries to heal up, to the point where I wasn't in pain all of the time. I felt exactly the same as you for a few years, just never thought coming back would be a possibility.

Hypothyroidism has some similar symptoms to my problem. They aren't exactly the same, but in my case the medication is working well. You said it COULD make you lose your hair, but these medications all have crazy side effects. You need to determine whether or not it's work the risk of thinning hair or becoming so overweight that you have other medical problems as well. I can't tell you how much this weight gain has effected every part of my life. Personally, I'd rather have thinning hair and be feeling great (hell I'd shave my head if it meant I could cheer again lol), then being miserable for the rest of my life. Hope I'm not sounding too judgemental, but I know exactly that feeling of hopelessness.... I don't want to feel like that anymore, and you shouldn't either!

 

[soFIERCE08]

Dont give me too much credit lol... it's not diabetes, it's ïnsulin resistance"... like I said, the medication has made a big difference

well, like i said. i'd gladly share some of that medicine with you. hah!

and if there are any gyms that have open gyms or open tumbles than you could go to those to work on some skills. or maybe grab some girls to get a stunt group together so you guys could practice.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

Just remember, there are more things to cheer than tumbling. Positive attitudes, loyalty, and determination go a long way! Good luck with your new cheer career!