eating disorder ruined my tennis , what can i do

[gossrossi]

hi ,i posted this in rants but i need advice to so im posting it here 2, im really annoyed at what i did to myself when i was younger.
from the age 10 -14 i played at top junior level.

anyway at age 10 i started playing tennis 3 hours a day and also started not to eat, i only eat like one meal a day and before school i would only have an orange juice and for lunch a drink and half a sandwich which most the time i only had about 3 bites of and i went out to play football at lunch.

the only real time i enjoyed a meal was when i had a macdonalds anything else i didnt really want to eat.

so gradually year by year i got thinner and i did have a growth spurt that started just as i turned 13 , i grew from about 5ft2 to 5ft7, and at 13 and a half i was measured at 173 cm about 5ft8.
just after this growth spurt finished i had a flu which lasted 2 weeks and by the time it ended i was malnurished and basically virtually anorexic.
A docter examined me one day at 13 and he saw me with my shirt of and he told me i was very week and my parents told me i needed to gain weight.

when i turned 14 and half i saw myself as very thin and starteded to eat like a pig,
as i needed to gain weight , i became a little halthier and wasnt malnurished but still there wasnt much fat on me left.

i measured myself at 15 and i was still the same height and also at 16 i remained the same height and weight as 15.

i went fro being the tallest to nearly the smallest boy and also i looked very young for my age now as, my frame had not grown at all same head size and fingers etc as i had at 13.

im 21 now and i remain 5ft8 and nearly 11 stone , i have very heavy bones ,even when i was virtually anorexic i still weighed just under 8 stone.

my friends who were my height at 13 are now 5-6 inches taller than me now and also much more physically developed.
my body didnt develop properly because of nearly 4 years of over exerting myself and undereating.

it is very depressing not only from a social point of view but also vey depressing for my tennis. i feel like im still a boy playing against other men.

people have a very big advantage over my in term or reach and weight, i only managed to climb 2 levels after 14 while some of my ex player partners are playing at low pro level.

is there anything i can do about my physique to help mt tennis, is there anyway i can get taller or stronger.

thanks.

 

[Freedom]

Height and weight don't make a whole lot of difference if you find a way to take advantage of your assets.
Look at Guillermo Coria - he's one of the smallest guys on tour, but he still rocks, because he's fast and will run down any shot.
Look at Ivo Karlovic - he's the tallest guy on tour, and his assets are a big serve and long legs. However, he doesn't win a whole lot. Just because he's big and tall doesn't mean he runs through opponents.
Look at Justine Henin-Hardenne - she's tough, athletic, and she wins a lot. Guess what? She's 5'8".

Just get stronger, and work on your footwork. Height and weight don't matter, as long as you're healthy enough to play.

 

[gossrossi]

yeah but they all grew to theire adult height and weight, i wouldnt mind if i was 5ft8 but but built like an adult.

my dads 6ft and my bro who is not athletic is over 6ft1

 

[Freedom]

Built like an adult? I have no idea what that means.

By getting stronger, you'll look bigger...

 

[PM_]

gossrossi, sorry to hear your story.

I don't know in the "cheating some extra inches" department, but don't let down on yourself so much.
Are you sure your adolscent years were the main contributer to your present height/shape?
If you're 21 you still have opportunities to develop your physique. Again, not sure if you can grow taller, but definitely stronger.

Join a gym. Consult a trainer. Find a work-out partner. And continue to receive plenty of emotional support.

Good luck!

 

[Rickson]

hi ,i posted this in rants but i need advice to so im posting it here 2, im really annoyed at what i did to myself when i was younger.
from the age 10 -14 i played at top junior level.

anyway at age 10 i started playing tennis 3 hours a day and also started not to eat, i only eat like one meal a day and before school i would only have an orange juice and for lunch a drink and half a sandwich which most the time i only had about 3 bites of and i went out to play football at lunch.

the only real time i enjoyed a meal was when i had a macdonalds anything else i didnt really want to eat.

so gradually year by year i got thinner and i did have a growth spurt that started just as i turned 13 , i grew from about 5ft2 to 5ft7, and at 13 and a half i was measured at 173 cm about 5ft8.
just after this growth spurt finished i had a flu which lasted 2 weeks and by the time it ended i was malnurished and basically virtually anorexic.
A docter examined me one day at 13 and he saw me with my shirt of and he told me i was very week and my parents told me i needed to gain weight.

when i turned 14 and half i saw myself as very thin and starteded to eat like a pig,
as i needed to gain weight , i became a little halthier and wasnt malnurished but still there wasnt much fat on me left.

i measured myself at 15 and i was still the same height and also at 16 i remained the same height and weight as 15.

i went fro being the tallest to nearly the smallest boy and also i looked very young for my age now as, my frame had not grown at all same head size and fingers etc as i had at 13.

im 21 now and i remain 5ft8 and nearly 11 stone , i have very heavy bones ,even when i was virtually anorexic i still weighed just under 8 stone.

my friends who were my height at 13 are now 5-6 inches taller than me now and also much more physically developed.
my body didnt develop properly because of nearly 4 years of over exerting myself and undereating.

it is very depressing not only from a social point of view but also vey depressing for my tennis. i feel like im still a boy playing against other men.

people have a very big advantage over my in term or reach and weight, i only managed to climb 2 levels after 14 while some of my ex player partners are playing at low pro level.

is there anything i can do about my physique to help mt tennis, is there anyway i can get taller or stronger.

thanks.

Poor nutrition takes some toll on growing boys, but if you believe you would have been 5-6 inches taller, you're probably way off track. You might have been an inch or 2 taller at best so don't get down on yourself. Build yourself back up and stop thinking of what might have been because you were never going to be 6'2. So you lost an inch, does it matter that much to you? Go out there and make the most of what you've got right now.

 

[35ft6]

Yeah, I doubt your eating habits stunted your growth. By your logic, all fat people should be very tall, but that simply isn't the case. It's mostly genetic.

 

[tonysk83]

I am 17 now and haven't grown since I was 13. I have time left to grow, but I probably won't get much taller. Don't worry about height so much, my hitting partner is 5, 5 and is a killer at tennis and is going to play 1 singles this year. His form is very good and he can run down balls like crazy. Getting stronger is something you can still do. I am not the greatest at tennis but I hit hard which is an advantage for me. You just need to look at your advantages and build on those. Get stronger, work on your agility and work on your tennis and you'll be fine.

 

[gossrossi]

yeah i know its gentics , but i was under a lot of stress then too.

and as for gentics, my dad and bro are both easily over 6ft, my bro has turned in to a man and i still look like a little boy, my face looks very thin to , where as before i had a wide face.

i think i was going to be 6ft2, all my friends who were an inch shorter than me are around that height, but they guys who were 5 inches shorter than me before are all around my height now.
everyones developed in to an adult apart from me, i get pushed around now.

 

[Freedom]

You are an adult. The reason people push you around is because you get down on yourself. You gotta think positive, or else everything sucks. And that's no fun.

 

[35ft6]

yeah i know its gentics , but i was under a lot of stress then too.

I think you're making a whole lot of assumptions. I'm not completely ruling out that stress may have contributed, but to my knowledge this hasn't been scientifically established. It seems you're like retroactively creating an ad hoc explanation when the fact is maybe if you didn't have an eating disorder, you'd be the same height but just fatter.

and as for gentics, my dad and bro are both easily over 6ft, my bro has turned in to a man and i still look like a little boy, my face looks very thin to , where as before i had a wide face.

Brothers can look different from each other.

i think i was going to be 6ft2

This is complete BS. I'm using harsh language because I think if you continue to make yourself believe this, you're going to have a very miserable life. You were NOT going to be 6ft2, no matter how much you just "know it." Dude, snap out of it!!!:-|

 

[Jack the Hack]

and as for gentics, my dad and bro are both easily over 6ft, my bro has turned in to a man and i still look like a little boy, my face looks very thin to , where as before i had a wide face.

This may sound bad, but are you sure your father is really your father?

As 35ft6 mentioned, it is not uncommon for fathers and sons or two brothers to look differently... but sometimes there is a reason for it.

This is a little personal for me, but when I was growing up, I always noticed that my sister was drastically different than me. She grew to be an inch taller than me and had tons of explosive athletic talent, while I was pretty average. We had similar skin and hair coloring, but our talents and personality were very, very different for two people growing up under the same home. School was very easy for me and I am extroverted, while my sister struggled academically, is artistic, and is introverted. I always thought it was weird... until one day...

When I was 30 years old, my Mom dropped the bomb on me that the man I thought was my Dad was not my real father. Turns out that she had an affair with her boss after college, got pregnant with me, fled the state... and ended up marrying an ex-boxer before I was born. That man was tall and athletic, while I ended up short and average. His personality was a lot more like my sister's, and she inherited his physical attributes. I found out my real father was a big time attorney, and the son of two college professors. I also have 8 (eight!!!) half-brothers, and almost all of them are corporate executives, professors, or attorneys. This explained why school was easy for me and why my extroverted personality is so different than my sister and not-real-Dad.

Anyway, it's possible you are the product of a deep, dark family secret. It could be that you just got the genes of a relative way down in the family tree... who knows? However, you are what you are, so make the best of it! Tennis is one of those great sports where players with a great athletic build can be overcome by shorter, slower players that are mentally tougher and have bigger hearts. I know...

 

[Phil]

Poor nutrition takes some toll on growing boys, but if you believe you would have been 5-6 inches taller, you're probably way off track. You might have been an inch or 2 taller at best so don't get down on yourself. Build yourself back up and stop thinking of what might have been because you were never going to be 6'2. So you lost an inch, does it matter that much to you? Go out there and make the most of what you've got right now.

Damn, sometimes, Rickson, you actually make sense. Where does THAT come from?

 

[Freedom]

Anyway, it's possible you are the product of a deep, dark family secret. It could be that you just got the genes of a relative way down in the family tree... who knows? ...

Only if your family tree looks like this:

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[armand]

Yeah, I doubt your eating habits stunted your growth. By your logic, all fat people should be very tall, but that simply isn't the case. It's all :mrgreen: genetic.

Strictly speaking, by that logic a kid will continue to grow even after they're dead!
Nutrition has a lot to do with growth. Look at the difference between North+South Koreans!
Fat people don't get tall because there's only so much good nutrition can do. I think that's the law of diminishing returns. Genetics dictate how tall you can get. But you must support that growth with nutrition.
When I see a small and frail person, right away I know they're an immigrant from a poor country. Sometimes it's a mistake and they turn out to be someone who's dealt with an eating disorder...

 

[Jack the Hack]

Only if your family tree looks like this:

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|
|

If that were the case, I think there would be very little diversity in the gene pool. On the other hand, the more branches on the tree, the more likely you can have different looking kids within a family.

My girlfriend in high school was a brunette with tan skin. Her she had two sisters, one with red hair and one with blond, and their skin was rather pale. Her brother had dark hair like her, but paler skin also. They all shared distinct facial features from both parents and had similar builds, so it was unlikely that they were a product of different fathers. However, they did have a diverse family tree... English, German, Greek, and Italian if I remember correctly.

My Mom comes from Swedish heritage (her parents immigrated from there) and the man she married is German. My real father is almost directly Norwegian in heritage. Therefore, there is not a drastically different look between myself and my sister, but things made a lot more sense regarding the traits I mentioned earlier after I found out about my true biological father.

(By the way, if you were trying to infer that my family is hillbilly trash, you couldn't be more wrong. My Mom made a mistake having an affair with an older man when she was young, but married and raised me and my sister respectably. Both my sister and I have graduate degrees, are quite successful, and have solid families of our own now. My only regret is that I wish I had known the truth sooner and had some sort of relationship with my biological father's family. My grandfather has a building named after him at a local college, and my half-brothers seem like great guys. Also, my uncle was a professor at Stanford, which was a school I wanted to go to... and I wish I had that inside connection back when I was in high school. However, so much time has transpired now, the situation is irreversible.)

 

[gossrossi]

hes definantly my dad , i look 2 much like him.

it sucks being short and frail, when i started shrinking and not growing the guys at school really let me know about it, everyone commented on who small i was getting and how i look like a skeleton.

before i looked cool , now i look like a dweeb.

my success in tennis and with the ladies has fallen dramatically.
girls are so shallow.

why didnt i just eat .

 

[goober]

I stopped growing at age 13 and it wasn't because of malnutrition. It certainly sucked when everybody was getting taller than me but guess what you are an inch taller than I am! As for your underdeveloped body- that is something that is correctable. Start lifting weights and eating properly.

 

[35ft6]

Strictly speaking, by that logic a kid will continue to grow even after they're dead!
Nutrition has a lot to do with growth. Look at the difference between North+South Koreans!
Fat people don't get tall because there's only so much good nutrition can do. I think that's the law of diminishing returns. Genetics dictate how tall you can get. But you must support that growth with nutrition.
When I see a small and frail person, right away I know they're an immigrant from a poor country. Sometimes it's a mistake and they turn out to be someone who's dealt with an eating disorder...

This makes sense. I didn't read everything he wrote. Just thought he was suggesting that not eating made him short. Your post is much more useful than mine.

EDIT: btw, adely, what do you mean by the dead growing thing?

 

[Bungalo Bill]

is there anything i can do about my physique to help mt tennis, is there anyway i can get taller or stronger.

thanks.

Taller? Well besides normal growth and the height God gave you, you might want to buy one of those stretching beds and....pull. Kidding!

Getting stronger, faster, and improving your antcipation skills are within your reach. It just takes discipline. There are several tennis workout programs you can choose from and you can search this board for information on drills etc.

But if you are going to workout you need fuel to get the maximum from your workouts. I didnt really like what I read about your eating habits. I thought it was very poor. Athletes have to eat and have to eat well if you want to improve in tennis for the long haul.

 

[Keiltimall]

There are certain supplements you can take to manipulate the body's thyroid gland causing it to release certain growth hormones. I think you are posting so that you can attain this type of information. I know things about it. I don't want to reveal the info though. I think it's pretty scary. Anything without long-term scientific research is scary to me. I wouldn't feel comfortable telling you about certain supplements, drugs, and or substances that has not been researched thoroughly for decades.

If I were you, physically, I'd focus working on body build, strength, agililty, stamina, acceleration, and toughness. 5'8" is not short, nvmnd too short. It's not tall but it's not short either. I think Justine Henin-Hardene is 5'5" and she crushes her opponents. (I'm not sure though because some WTA players list themselves as being shorter than what they actually are, like Sharapova for instance. She's 6'4" but currently lists herself as 6'2".)

Oh yeah, focus on the important aspect to become a great tennis player too, that is, work on improving your techniques, mechanics, strategies, tactics and mental toughness (don't think negatively, accept what you have, make the most of your current abilities, keep a fighting spirit, remain calm + in control, and have your body, mind and spirit working in harmony).

 

[PM_]

There are certain supplements you can take to manipulate the body's thyroid gland causing it to release certain growth hormones. I think you are posting so that you can attain this type of information. I know things about it. I don't want to reveal the info though. I think it's pretty scary. Anything without long-term scientific research is scary to me. I wouldn't feel comfortable telling you about certain supplements, drugs, and or substances that has not been researched thoroughly for decades.

If I were you, physically, I'd focus working on body build, strength, agililty, stamina, acceleration, and toughness. 5'8" is not short, nvmnd too short. It's not tall but it's not short either. I think Justine Henin-Hardene is 5'5" and she crushes her opponents. (I'm not sure though because some WTA players list themselves as being shorter than what they actually are, like Sharapova for instance. She's 6'4" but currently lists herself as 6'2".)

Oh yeah, focus on the important aspect to become a great tennis player too, that is, work on improving your techniques, mechanics, strategies, tactics and mental toughness (don't think negatively, accept what you have, make the most of your current abilities, keep a fighting spirit, remain calm + in control, and have your body, mind and spirit working in harmony).

I think this is EXACTLY what the OP is looking for.
At 21 he should discern himself whether or not he should take the risks.
This information is also obtainable in the net but I suggest you email him what you know and let him decide...

 

[shindemac]

I don't know what u r complaining about? I think u have a respectable height and weight. You're 5' 8" and 154lbs. I'm a bit shorter and weigh 138. You still have a chance to grow until maybe age 25 the latest, so don't slack on nutrition. I basically stopped growing when I entered high school. After that, I grew another inch or two, but it was so slow. As for your "frail" body, stop complaining and do something about it. Eat more and work out. Simple as that.

I think everything is relative and you r comparing yourself to your peers too much. Like I said, I'm 5'8" but I am prob above average to my peers. I know people would consider me skinny, even now, but I gained 10+ lbs and I worked out. I think working out made the difference, because if I gained another 10 lbs, my arms would burst out of my sleeves! Also, most of my friends and family are not fat so that helps too.

Anyways, this is about tennis. Back in high school, our #2 singles was ranked top 50 in state. But he was only 5'4" or so. Stop making excuses and work to improve yourself.

 

[Match Po¡nt]

There are certain supplements you can take to manipulate the body's thyroid gland causing it to release certain growth hormones. I think you are posting so that you can attain this type of information. I know things about it. I don't want to reveal the info though. I think it's pretty scary. Anything without long-term scientific research is scary to me. I wouldn't feel comfortable telling you about certain supplements, drugs, and or substances that has not been researched thoroughly for decades.

If I were you, physically, I'd focus working on body build, strength, agililty, stamina, acceleration, and toughness. 5'8" is not short, nvmnd too short. It's not tall but it's not short either. I think Justine Henin-Hardene is 5'5" and she crushes her opponents. (I'm not sure though because some WTA players list themselves as being shorter than what they actually are, like Sharapova for instance. She's 6'4" but currently lists herself as 6'2".)

Oh yeah, focus on the important aspect to become a great tennis player too, that is, work on improving your techniques, mechanics, strategies, tactics and mental toughness (don't think negatively, accept what you have, make the most of your current abilities, keep a fighting spirit, remain calm + in control, and have your body, mind and spirit working in harmony).

Originally Posted by PM
I think this is EXACTLY what the OP is looking for.
At 21 he should discern himself whether or not he should take the risks.
This information is also obtainable in the net but I suggest you email him what you know and let him decide...

Hmmm... I think maybe Keiltimall realizes that the OP has a problem and that the OP may not be able to make sound judgements for himself. He probably fears that if he provided information--to the OP--then the OP wouldn't be able to decipher any risks that may be involved using the certain substances.

He did state that he thought they (the substances) were "scary". Plus, if Keitimall believes the substances are scary--due to not having enough long-term studies on the effectiveness and side effects of said substances--and if the OP were actually looking for the type of informaton that Keiltiamall knows about, then wouldn't you think that the OP does intend to use the substances that are deemed "scary dangerous/ unknown" by Keitimall? I think so.

I think Keiltimall's intentions for posting in this thread is likely to point out what he thought the OP's intention's are and to point out that he knows just the info that the OP is looking for and that it happens to be dangerous and so he thinks the OP should find a different route or accept his body height the way it is.

 

[BreakPoint]

Look at Justine Henin-Hardenne - she's tough, athletic, and she wins a lot. Guess what? She's 5'8".

Actually, Henin-Hardenne is listed at only 5' 6". Some say she's really only 5' 5".

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/bios/profile/ws/wtah350.html

 

[Marius_Hancu]

if you need conditioning, check
my signature here:


Great fitness sites
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=33800

 

[armand]

This makes sense. I didn't read everything he wrote. Just thought he was suggesting that not eating made him short. Your post is much more useful than mine.

EDIT: btw, adely, what do you mean by the dead growing thing?

That was just my ******** of saying that it's not all genetics because if it were then it would mean that nutrition has no bearing(that's why I deliberately misquoted you). And if all that were true, than he could not eat anything, die and still grow because his genes would still be intact.
*sigh* I don't know what the hell I was saying. I think I got a brain-overload from all the crazy threads going on.

 

[35ft6]

^ So what you're saying is that if a child zombie didn't eat enough brain, he might not reach his genetically determined maximum height? If so, links please.

 

[joe sch]

You need to use your tennis disorder to ruin your eating

 

[Rickson]

hes definantly my dad , i look 2 much like him.

it sucks being short and frail, when i started shrinking and not growing the guys at school really let me know about it, everyone commented on who small i was getting and how i look like a skeleton.

before i looked cool , now i look like a dweeb.

my success in tennis and with the ladies has fallen dramatically.
girls are so shallow.

why didnt i just eat .

You're a hopeless case. Keep on believing that poor eating kept your height down and that you would have been 6'2. You're 5'8 now? You would have been 5'9 at most and there's a big if in there. Honestly, you might have not been a millimeter taller with better eating habits so face the truth and deal with it. You were never going to be 6'2, and if you still believe you would have been, you're as crazy as your posts.

 

[armand]

^ So what you're saying is that if a child zombie didn't eat enough brain, he might not reach his genetically determined maximum height? If so, links please.

That's precisely what I'm saying. Links? Ok, here's a good one: http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/

 

[Rickson]

Height and weight don't make a whole lot of difference if you find a way to take advantage of your assets.
Look at Guillermo Coria - he's one of the smallest guys on tour, but he still rocks, because he's fast and will run down any shot.
Look at Ivo Karlovic - he's the tallest guy on tour, and his assets are a big serve and long legs. However, he doesn't win a whole lot. Just because he's big and tall doesn't mean he runs through opponents.
Look at Justine Henin-Hardenne - she's tough, athletic, and she wins a lot. Guess what? She's 5'8".

Just get stronger, and work on your footwork. Height and weight don't matter, as long as you're healthy enough to play.

Justine is nowhere near 5'8. Justine is about 5'5, possibly shorter than that.

 

[gossrossi]

the truth is that if you starve youself you do not grow, i went to a teenage hospital for my problems and there was another girl there who was 12 and for the past 3 years she had anorexia and she was very small for her age, her parents were average height, still think its a coincidence.

of course you wont grow if you starve your body, i know my body and know im at leat 4 inches below my potential height also a lot thinner.

i was well built before and now im thin .

 

[nViATi]

Two things you can do
1. Be a lame___ who complains all day to random people on the internet and feels sorry for himself
or
2. Do something about it

 

[Rickson]

the truth is that if you starve youself you do not grow

The same is true for a lack of sleep, but the question is, how much did it affect your growth? You didn't lose as much as you think if at all, but there's a possibility you lost half an inch or so. There is no way you lost 6 inches as you claim. Don't delude yourself.

 

[Keifers]

gossrossi,

I say the following with all sincerity.

Not eating well during some of your growing years may have affected your height and weight.

But you have fallen into some bad habitual thinking about this whole thing that may well do more damage to you than the not eating. Thoughts such as "I should have eaten more during those years." And "I would be 6' 2" now if I had, instead I'm short and weak."

These are negative, distorted thoughts that are going to harm you. Telling yourself over and over again you should have done something is blaming yourself and focusing on the past. And thinking you would be 6' 2" is an exaggeration that only serves to keep you thinking of yourself as short and weak.

These negative thoughts are going to stunt you as a person, which will be far worse than being short.

I highly recommend you check out something called "cognitive therapy," which is designed specifically to help people with the negative, destructive thinking you're engaged in. There are several good books that will give you a sense of what it's about. If you can, consulting a therapist trained in CT would be the best way to go.

Good luck. What happened has happened. That's something you cannot change. You can change what will happen going forward, however. And you have an opportunity to turn what happened into something very positive. (There are many taller people in the world who are actually stunted on the inside. Internal strength can be as important as external strength, sometimes more important. Women focus, in part, on looks, certainly. But more important to many is the character and sense of humor and humanity of a man.)

 

[Keifers]

No response, gossrossi?

No problem. Good luck to you.