Female Skaters: Average Height and Weight?

[emmaolivia]

Hi everyone
What should be the average height and weight for female skaters?

 

[Query]

https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/winter-olympic-sports-size-fits/story?id=22447486 says

This sport favors shorter, lighter athletes with slightly shorter limbs. Hewett said this body type is best for overall body control and faster spins. Skating athletes also need stronger lower bodies to jump high. But too much bulk and they can't propel themselves into the air. The average American female figure skater, for example, is a petite 5'3" and 108 pounds.

But go to a typical skating rink and look. Especially among the adults, and to some extent kids, there is a pretty big range. Lots of skaters, especially recreational skaters, don't fit that range. You certainly don't have to be petite to enjoy skating.

Hockey skaters tend to be bigger and beefier (but all muscle). Because hockey is warfare, not art.

 

[emmaolivia]

https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/winter-olympic-sports-size-fits/story?id=22447486 says


But go to a typical skating rink and look. Especially among the adults, and to some extent kids, there is a pretty big range. Lots of skaters, especially recreational skaters, don't fit that range. You certainly don't have to be petite to enjoy skating.

Hockey skaters tend to be bigger and beefier (but all muscle). Because hockey is warfare, not art.

Thank you so much

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thank you so much

And if you happen to walk into a rink where there are elite skaters training, you have a wide range in the ladies depending on their discipline (pairs, dance, singles), but they will have very muscular legs ( long muscles)

 

[Query]

And if you happen to walk into a rink where there are elite skaters training, you have a wide range in the ladies depending on their discipline (pairs, dance, singles), but they will have very muscular legs ( long muscles)

BTW: I don't know if this applies to active sports: According to various sources, in a lot of gym-type training, a lot of the weight gain isn't muscle per se, but is connective tissue. It is mostly desirable, and it often occurs with muscle enhancement, because it makes it less likely that the increased muscle strength will result in injury. It is possible - I'm not sure - that when you see very muscular looking legs on figure skaters (or hockey players, speed skaters, bicyclists, etc.), that some of what you see is connective tissue.

I had a coach who for a while looked like she might reach the highest levels of competition in ice dance. Her partner told me that at one point in time, she started gaining weight - specifically that her legs got heavier. His coaches told him he should consider dropping her to switch to a lighter weight partner who was easier to lift.

He went on a trip away from her for a couple weeks. When he came back, she was 15 pounds lighter (if I remember what he said correctly). Presumably she had surgery to cut out weight. I assume she was already an extremely fit athlete - probably not a lot of body fat. One wonders what they cut away, and what effect it might have had on her long term health.

But it meant he stayed partnered with her.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

BTW: I don't know if this applies to active sports: According to various sources, in a lot of gym-type training, a lot of the weight gain isn't muscle per se, but is connective tissue. It is mostly desirable, and it often occurs with muscle enhancement, because it makes it less likely that the increased muscle strength will result in injury. It is possible - I'm not sure - that when you see very muscular looking legs on figure skaters (or hockey players, speed skaters, bicyclists, etc.), that some of what you see is connective tissue.

I had a coach who for a while looked like she might reach the highest levels of competition in ice dance. Her partner told me that at one point in time, she started gaining weight - specifically that her legs got heavier. His coaches told him he should consider dropping her to switch to a lighter weight partner who was easier to lift.

He went on a trip away from her for a couple weeks. When he came back, she was 15 pounds lighter (if I remember what he said correctly). Presumably she had surgery to cut out weight. I assume she was already an extremely fit athlete - probably not a lot of body fat. One wonders what they cut away, and what effect it might have had on her long term health.

But it meant he stayed partnered with her.

That's pretty hard to believe.

 

[Query]

Which parts do you have trouble believing?

That ambitious athletes would do crazy and unhealthy things to their bodies to win? If so, I think you haven't known as many elite level athletes as you claim. E.g., the female athletic triad is discussed in almost any textbook on sports medicine. So are the methods of retarding the development of female maturity to enhance female athletic performance. (I don't know there is an equivalent of the female athletic triad for males. But many of the most athletic people I know say that most high level athletes take anabolic steroids at some point in their training - and that they use a variety of methods to mask them, such as waiting for a while after taking the steroids to do things that require testing. They don't always admit to using steroids themselves (which might get them disqualified), but claim that almost everyone they compete with does. And that definitely includes a lot of males, and at least a few females. That said, I'm not certain how much of a factor anabolic steroids could be for female figure skaters.)

Also, even some birth control pills, which are generally allowed up to some levels, if I understand correctly, contain steroids, and are believed to impact athletic performance, at least as far as hormone cycle control, though to some extent they are also believed to reduce athletic performance during some parts of the cycle.

The lady in question is the only person I know of who probably had weight loss surgery for athletic purposes. But I saw another young lady audition to become a skating Pairs partner. She said she was considered a good candidate for a pairs partner in part because her mother and grandmother had stayed short and light as they matured. So I don't think it implausible that other skaters might use extreme methods, possibly including surgery, to drop their weight - at least in Pairs and Dance, where they need to be lifted and/or thrown by a partner. And maybe land dance too? I've known a number of ballerinas and modern dancers who spent a lot more time auditioning than working as dancers. A ridiculously unreliable way to make a living. Then again, even many of the musicians I've known have struggled to do that - and some of them have been taught that they are failures because they only find a position in an orchestra (I know a first chair string player in such an orchestra, though not one of the most famous), rather than tour as soloists from concert to concert. Another unreliable way to make a living. In all these cases, most of the performers - skaters, dancers, musicians - had dreams that went beyond their achievements. I haven't known any professional actors, as far as I recall, but am told a lot of them face similar issues.

Or do you find it implausible a low level skater like me would have met high level skaters? If you spend enough time at ice rinks, especially the expensive ones in big city areas, that is bound to happen. And I used to skate a lot at a rink whose figure skating director made a deal with an Olympic coach (who had not won Olympic metals, but had come close, and had coached an ice dance team which also didn't quite win an Olympic metal), with three Olympic hopeful teams. In return for the figure skating director scheduling many dedicated Ice Dance sessions, he agreed to teach group lessons in Ice Dance. I was one of the least talented of those students. And he also agreed to convince his most competitive ice dance teams to teach lessons to students in those classes. I tried taking a lesson from all 3 of the elite female dancers. I eventually switched to one of them as my primary coach. Most of the other students were females, who maybe loved the idea of being taught by an Olympic class skater, as well as by the Olympic hopefuls. A lot of them came to that rink specifically to take those lessons (both the group lessons, and the privates), and perhaps to take advantage of those dedicated ice dance sessions, though they weren't cheap. (Actually, I was already taking private lessons from him - which was only possible because he had just moved into the geographic area. I believe he eventually dropped his lower level students.) The one I switched to said he had told them that they would eventually make a living by coaching, and that coaching while they were training would be good experience for them. He didn't explain about the deal. I don't know if it was a good deal for them - perhaps they should have spent every minute on the ice that they could training, and not wasted time coaching. None of them were selected for the Olympics. It's hard to say whether any of them would have had they not spent time coaching. When they didn't make it, they had an established student clientele, but that wasn't what they presumably had all dreamed of.)

 

[Mathematician]

BTW: I don't know if this applies to active sports: According to various sources, in a lot of gym-type training, a lot of the weight gain isn't muscle per se, but is connective tissue... It is possible - I'm not sure - that when you see very muscular looking legs on figure skaters (or hockey players, speed skaters, bicyclists, etc.), that some of what you see is connective tissue.

No. It is not visible. You will not notice someone getting bigger from getting stronger ligaments. When you see big legs, it is muscle. Quads and hamstrings. Calves. "Gym-type" training specifically targets muscles. It is dynamic training. Muscles are made for dynamic movement. You cannot move anything with your connective tissue. It is that: connective. You will not increase it from pumping in the gym. Unless you are going for one-rep maxes. Cyclists have enormous quads because cycling is dynamic training. Some cyclists have absurd squat numbers. That is not a result of connective tissue but a really strong core and legs.

It is mostly desirable, and it often occurs with muscle enhancement, because it makes it less likely that the increased muscle strength will result in injury.

This is correct. Impact training and static training will absolutely strengthen your tendons. It definitely helps fight injury. It has to be a specific type of training. Very athletic. Normal bodybuilding training will not significantly impact your connective tissue strength. So figure skaters will get stronger connective tissue from their static gym training and jumping all day. However that is not at all the cause of their musculature. Their musculature is from highly developed quads. You should look up some anatomy diagrams and see where the connective tissue actually is.

He went on a trip away from her for a couple weeks. When he came back, she was 15 pounds lighter (if I remember what he said correctly). Presumably she had surgery to cut out weight. I assume she was already an extremely fit athlete - probably not a lot of body fat. One wonders what they cut away, and what effect it might have had on her long term health.

It is entirely possible to lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks especially with some water fasting. We would need to have a lot more information about this situation though to make a verdict. It is unlikely she would recover from a surgery like that so quickly. It is also unlikely any doctors would agree to cut out tendons or muscles for weight loss for an athlete. Especially 15 pounds. That is a lot.

many of the most athletic people I know say that most high level athletes take anabolic steroids at some point in their training - and that they use a variety of methods to mask them, such as waiting for a while after taking the steroids to do things that require testing. They don't always admit to using steroids themselves (which might get them disqualified), but claim that almost everyone they compete with does. And that definitely includes a lot of males, and at least a few females. That said, I'm not certain how much of a factor anabolic steroids could be for female figure skaters.)

Most athletes are on a yearly testing cycle. With random testing. They cannot just wait to be tested. Getting away with steroids is frankly luck, corruption, complex scheming and gimmicks, etc... It is a total gamble. Even the richest athletes with the most elite pharma teams get caught. Steroids are prevalent in a lot of sport but it depends which sort. Masculine sports like fighting, weightlifting, etc... highly prevalent for sure. Yes, almost all are using something. There are often designer drugs, peptides, "SARMS" used instead of specifically steroids. Figure skating is a sport which is likely less notorious. I am sure there have been many elite female skaters who are completely natural, and are currently. Some skaters though report training cycles which are a little unreasonably intense. It is hard to imagine some young 100lbs females are able to handle training 10 hours a day for years without extra help.

Anabolic steroids specifically though would be a disaster to use for any female figure skater. It is one of the dumbest things you could put them on. Males? Maybe...

 

[tstop4me]

He went on a trip away from her for a couple weeks. When he came back, she was 15 pounds lighter (if I remember what he said correctly). Presumably she had surgery to cut out weight. I assume she was already an extremely fit athlete - probably not a lot of body fat. One wonders what they cut away, and what effect it might have had on her long term health.

When figure skaters complain that their sport costs an arm and a leg, they are speaking metaphorically, not literally.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Which parts do you have trouble believing?

That ambitious athletes would do crazy and unhealthy things to their bodies to win? If so, I think you haven't known as many elite level athletes as you claim. E.g., the female athletic triad is discussed in almost any textbook on sports medicine. So are the methods of retarding the development of female maturity to enhance female athletic performance. (I don't know there is an equivalent of the female athletic triad for males. But many of the most athletic people I know say that most high level athletes take anabolic steroids at some point in their training - and that they use a variety of methods to mask them, such as waiting for a while after taking the steroids to do things that require testing. They don't always admit to using steroids themselves (which might get them disqualified), but claim that almost everyone they compete with does. And that definitely includes a lot of males, and at least a few females. That said, I'm not certain how much of a factor anabolic steroids could be for female figure skaters.)

Also, even some birth control pills, which are generally allowed up to some levels, if I understand correctly, contain steroids, and are believed to impact athletic performance, at least as far as hormone cycle control, though to some extent they are also believed to reduce athletic performance during some parts of the cycle.

The lady in question is the only person I know of who probably had weight loss surgery for athletic purposes. But I saw another young lady audition to become a skating Pairs partner. She said she was considered a good candidate for a pairs partner in part because her mother and grandmother had stayed short and light as they matured. So I don't think it implausible that other skaters might use extreme methods, possibly including surgery, to drop their weight - at least in Pairs and Dance, where they need to be lifted and/or thrown by a partner. And maybe land dance too? I've known a number of ballerinas and modern dancers who spent a lot more time auditioning than working as dancers. A ridiculously unreliable way to make a living. Then again, even many of the musicians I've known have struggled to do that - and some of them have been taught that they are failures because they only find a position in an orchestra (I know a first chair string player in such an orchestra, though not one of the most famous), rather than tour as soloists from concert to concert. Another unreliable way to make a living. In all these cases, most of the performers - skaters, dancers, musicians - had dreams that went beyond their achievements. I haven't known any professional actors, as far as I recall, but am told a lot of them face similar issues.

Or do you find it implausible a low level skater like me would have met high level skaters? If you spend enough time at ice rinks, especially the expensive ones in big city areas, that is bound to happen. And I used to skate a lot at a rink whose figure skating director made a deal with an Olympic coach (who had not won Olympic metals, but had come close, and had coached an ice dance team which also didn't quite win an Olympic metal), with three Olympic hopeful teams. In return for the figure skating director scheduling many dedicated Ice Dance sessions, he agreed to teach group lessons in Ice Dance. I was one of the least talented of those students. And he also agreed to convince his most competitive ice dance teams to teach lessons to students in those classes. I tried taking a lesson from all 3 of the elite female dancers. I eventually switched to one of them as my primary coach. Most of the other students were females, who maybe loved the idea of being taught by an Olympic class skater, as well as by the Olympic hopefuls. A lot of them came to that rink specifically to take those lessons (both the group lessons, and the privates), and perhaps to take advantage of those dedicated ice dance sessions, though they weren't cheap. (Actually, I was already taking private lessons from him - which was only possible because he had just moved into the geographic area. I believe he eventually dropped his lower level students.) The one I switched to said he had told them that they would eventually make a living by coaching, and that coaching while they were training would be good experience for them. He didn't explain about the deal. I don't know if it was a good deal for them - perhaps they should have spent every minute on the ice that they could training, and not wasted time coaching. None of them were selected for the Olympics. It's hard to say whether any of them would have had they not spent time coaching. When they didn't make it, they had an established student clientele, but that wasn't what they presumably had all dreamed of.)

Sorry, but when someone says that a high level skater went and had muscle/connecting tissue surgery to remove muscle and then was magically back on the ice to train in no time, that's incredibly hard to believe.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Which parts do you have trouble believing?

That ambitious athletes would do crazy and unhealthy things to their bodies to win? If so, I think you haven't known as many elite level athletes as you claim. E.g., the female athletic triad is discussed in almost any textbook on sports medicine. So are the methods of retarding the development of female maturity to enhance female athletic performance. (I don't know there is an equivalent of the female athletic triad for males. But many of the most athletic people I know say that most high level athletes take anabolic steroids at some point in their training - and that they use a variety of methods to mask them, such as waiting for a while after taking the steroids to do things that require testing. They don't always admit to using steroids themselves (which might get them disqualified), but claim that almost everyone they compete with does. And that definitely includes a lot of males, and at least a few females. That said, I'm not certain how much of a factor anabolic steroids could be for female figure skaters.)

Also, even some birth control pills, which are generally allowed up to some levels, if I understand correctly, contain steroids, and are believed to impact athletic performance, at least as far as hormone cycle control, though to some extent they are also believed to reduce athletic performance during some parts of the cycle.

The lady in question is the only person I know of who probably had weight loss surgery for athletic purposes. But I saw another young lady audition to become a skating Pairs partner. She said she was considered a good candidate for a pairs partner in part because her mother and grandmother had stayed short and light as they matured. So I don't think it implausible that other skaters might use extreme methods, possibly including surgery, to drop their weight - at least in Pairs and Dance, where they need to be lifted and/or thrown by a partner. And maybe land dance too? I've known a number of ballerinas and modern dancers who spent a lot more time auditioning than working as dancers. A ridiculously unreliable way to make a living. Then again, even many of the musicians I've known have struggled to do that - and some of them have been taught that they are failures because they only find a position in an orchestra (I know a first chair string player in such an orchestra, though not one of the most famous), rather than tour as soloists from concert to concert. Another unreliable way to make a living. In all these cases, most of the performers - skaters, dancers, musicians - had dreams that went beyond their achievements. I haven't known any professional actors, as far as I recall, but am told a lot of them face similar issues.

Or do you find it implausible a low level skater like me would have met high level skaters? If you spend enough time at ice rinks, especially the expensive ones in big city areas, that is bound to happen. And I used to skate a lot at a rink whose figure skating director made a deal with an Olympic coach (who had not won Olympic metals, but had come close, and had coached an ice dance team which also didn't quite win an Olympic metal), with three Olympic hopeful teams. In return for the figure skating director scheduling many dedicated Ice Dance sessions, he agreed to teach group lessons in Ice Dance. I was one of the least talented of those students. And he also agreed to convince his most competitive ice dance teams to teach lessons to students in those classes. I tried taking a lesson from all 3 of the elite female dancers. I eventually switched to one of them as my primary coach. Most of the other students were females, who maybe loved the idea of being taught by an Olympic class skater, as well as by the Olympic hopefuls. A lot of them came to that rink specifically to take those lessons (both the group lessons, and the privates), and perhaps to take advantage of those dedicated ice dance sessions, though they weren't cheap. (Actually, I was already taking private lessons from him - which was only possible because he had just moved into the geographic area. I believe he eventually dropped his lower level students.) The one I switched to said he had told them that they would eventually make a living by coaching, and that coaching while they were training would be good experience for them. He didn't explain about the deal. I don't know if it was a good deal for them - perhaps they should have spent every minute on the ice that they could training, and not wasted time coaching. None of them were selected for the Olympics. It's hard to say whether any of them would have had they not spent time coaching. When they didn't make it, they had an established student clientele, but that wasn't what they presumably had all dreamed of.)

Quite a word salad of unrelated topics all muddled together there. But as for athletes having weight loss surgery as a quick fix, nope, not going to happen. Years ago I had a string of appointments with a GI specialist regarding an inherited ulcer problem. Patients chat in the waiting room, so I got to know several who had had major fat removal surgery. Those would be the patients still using walkers to get around a year later. The ones who couldn't cough or laugh without pain. The ones who'd pull up their shirts and compare their abdominal scars, which looked like roadmaps of a major highway interchange. Long post-surgery, they celebrated being able to step up onto a curb without assistance. Dance? Sports? No way on earth -- unless you're in the camp of people who say chess is a sport.

 

[tstop4me]

Which parts do you have trouble believing?

The body parts that were surgically removed from the skater to drop 15 pounds with such a short recovery time. Duh.

 

[moonvine]

Which parts do you have trouble believing?

That any doctor would do such surgery on a person who was fit and in shape. The only body part cut away in weight loss surgery is part of the stomach. Depending on the type of surgery done the stomach is artificially made smaller, so it can't hold as much food. The people who have this surgery done have a recovery time that would prohibit them being back on the ice in such short order, especially being back in shape to train on an elite level.

 

[moonvine]

No. It is not visible. You will not notice someone getting bigger from getting stronger ligaments. When you see big legs, it is muscle. Quads and hamstrings. Calves. "Gym-type" training specifically targets muscles. It is dynamic training. Muscles are made for dynamic movement. You cannot move anything with your connective tissue. It is that: connective. You will not increase it from pumping in the gym. Unless you are going for one-rep maxes. Cyclists have enormous quads because cycling is dynamic training. Some cyclists have absurd squat numbers. That is not a result of connective tissue but a really strong core and legs.


This is correct. Impact training and static training will absolutely strengthen your tendons. It definitely helps fight injury. It has to be a specific type of training. Very athletic. Normal bodybuilding training will not significantly impact your connective tissue strength. So figure skaters will get stronger connective tissue from their static gym training and jumping all day. However that is not at all the cause of their musculature. Their musculature is from highly developed quads. You should look up some anatomy diagrams and see where the connective tissue actually is.


It is entirely possible to lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks especially with some water fasting. We would need to have a lot more information about this situation though to make a verdict. It is unlikely she would recover from a surgery like that so quickly. It is also unlikely any doctors would agree to cut out tendons or muscles for weight loss for an athlete. Especially 15 pounds. That is a lot.


Most athletes are on a yearly testing cycle. With random testing. They cannot just wait to be tested. Getting away with steroids is frankly luck, corruption, complex scheming and gimmicks, etc... It is a total gamble. Even the richest athletes with the most elite pharma teams get caught. Steroids are prevalent in a lot of sport but it depends which sort. Masculine sports like fighting, weightlifting, etc... highly prevalent for sure. Yes, almost all are using something. There are often designer drugs, peptides, "SARMS" used instead of specifically steroids. Figure skating is a sport which is likely less notorious. I am sure there have been many elite female skaters who are completely natural, and are currently. Some skaters though report training cycles which are a little unreasonably intense. It is hard to imagine some young 100lbs females are able to handle training 10 hours a day for years without extra help.

Anabolic steroids specifically though would be a disaster to use for any female figure skater. It is one of the dumbest things you could put them on. Males? Maybe.

It is possible for a larger person to lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks. But I don't know about someone who's already around 103 lbs. (which apparently is the average weight for an American female figure skater.)
Gracie abused laxatives and everyone knew it and didn't care to do anything.

 

[Query]

Sorry, but when someone says that a high level skater went and had muscle/connecting tissue surgery to remove muscle and then was magically back on the ice to train in no time, that's incredibly hard to believe.

I didn't say they removed muscle. The partner had no idea exactly what she had done. Only that she had suddenly lost weight during the 2 weeks he was gone.

Perhaps non-surgical weight loss on that order and in that time frame is possible. But could it possibly be healthy, for a fit athlete?

 

[tstop4me]

No way on earth -- unless you're in the camp of people who say chess is a sport.

Check and mate.

 

[Mathematician]

It is possible for a larger person to lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks. But I don't know about someone who's already around 103 lbs. (which apparently is the average weight for an American female figure skater.)
Gracie abused laxatives and everyone knew it and didn't care to do anything.

Thats why I said we would need more information. We do not know her exact start or end weight or her height. It would be extremely difficult to lose 15lbs in general as a 103lbs female. Nevermind in only 2 weeks. It would take a lot of fasting and likely some pharma.

But could it possibly be healthy, for a fit athlete?

No. That is not healthy or natural for anybody at all, unless they are totally morbidly obese.

 

[Query]

Well... In preparation for biopsy surgery, I was prescribed a medication to clear out my gut. I had an adverse reaction to the medication, and had trouble keeping food in my body for a week. I lost about 10 pounds in that week. Effectively a starvation diet. I don't think the surgery itself played a role in that, but am not certain. Had I been a competitive athlete, I'm not sure such a drug would have been allowed. (A biopsy at my age was considered medically necessary - those who monitor such things might have allowed it? And it wasn't supposed to have had such a severe effect.)

I saw a dietician, who told me that losing that much weight that fast meant I lost of lot of muscle, and that it was very unhealthy. I felt quite weak afterwards, and there were other complications - e.g., after that kind of surgery, one is normally advised to avoid exercise for a long while. Plus the side effects of that medication nearly killed me, and forced me to have another surgery to clear up complications, after which I again was supposed to avoid exercise. I'm still haven't regained my original strength or weight, almost 2 years later. (TBO, 5 or maybe 10 pounds loss might have been a good thing - if it had been gradual, and accompanied by appropriate exercise to keep the muscle.) Of course being a senior citizen doesn't help recovery time.

Now that I think of it, I've heard of people losing weight on starvation diets that fast, on purpose, though I'm pretty sure doctors don't advise it. So I admit a starvation diet could do that. And you don't need surgery to make that happen. Perhaps less severe than weight loss surgery. Maybe something similar to that, combined with water loss, is what she did... So maybe you are right - a surgical solution might have been an unlikely solution.

I don't know what she weighed. When I met her I guess it was under 100 pounds - but that was some time after the event in question. I was never advanced enough to lift a partner, and she was easily thin enough for me to reach around her for Waltz pose. (I'm short. I've had ballroom dance partners I couldn't reach around.) So her weight wasn't relevant, and I didn't ask. I sought a female coach I could dance with (and who could adapt to the unusual style I had been taught; maybe the fact that he was also her coach played into that), and who was good at teaching, including explanations, which she was. He was male, and great at demos, but not great at English. She was a lot better than I needed, but at about age 18 (?) she only charged the usual rate for ice dance coaches in my area, and less than he charged.

I looked up what kinds of surgery are allowed under sports regulated by the IOC. There was something about not giving one an unfair advantage; I don't remember the wording. I wonder if weight loss surgery is "unfair".

 

[moonvine]

Thats why I said we would need more information. We do not know her exact start or end weight or her height. It would be extremely difficult to lose 15lbs in general as a 103lbs female. Nevermind in only 2 weeks. It would take a lot of fasting and likely some pharma.


No. That is not healthy or natural for anybody at all, unless they are totally morbidly obese.

I'm totally morbidly obese and lost 27 lbs in 2 weeks and my doctor was not happy. Now I've lost 68.

 

[moonvine]

Well... In preparation for biopsy surgery, I was prescribed a medication to clear out my gut. I had an adverse reaction to the medication, and had trouble keeping food in my body for a week. I lost about 10 pounds in that week. Effectively a starvation diet. I don't think the surgery itself played a role in that, but am not certain. Had I been a competitive athlete, I'm not sure such a drug would have been allowed. (A biopsy at my age was considered medically necessary - those who monitor such things might have allowed it? And it wasn't supposed to have had such a severe effect.)

I saw a dietician, who told me that losing that much weight that fast meant I lost of lot of muscle, and that it was very unhealthy. I felt quite weak afterwards, and there were other complications - e.g., after that kind of surgery, one is normally advised to avoid exercise for a long while. Plus the side effects of that medication nearly killed me, and forced me to have another surgery to clear up complications, after which I again was supposed to avoid exercise. I'm still haven't regained my original strength or weight, almost 2 years later. (TBO, 5 or maybe 10 pounds loss might have been a good thing - if it had been gradual, and accompanied by appropriate exercise to keep the muscle.) Of course being a senior citizen doesn't help recovery time.

Now that I think of it, I've heard of people losing weight on starvation diets that fast, on purpose, though I'm pretty sure doctors don't advise it. So I admit a starvation diet could do that. And you don't need surgery to make that happen. Perhaps less severe than weight loss surgery. Maybe something similar to that, combined with water loss, is what she did... So maybe you are right - a surgical solution might have been an unlikely solution.

A healthy, sustainable rate of weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. So doctors absolutely don't advise it. I just.....couldn't imagine an elite athlete having WLS. They literally go in and take out a large portion of your stomach and leave a small amount in so you can't eat much food.
There's a weight one has to be in order to get WLS, and one has to go to therapy and all kinds of stuff first, to make sure you're ready to make the changes necessary. BMI has to be 40, or 35 with obesity related complications. WLS can be "defeated" by drinking high caloric drinks such as milkshakes. If even say one was 5'0 and 120, which would be considered quite large for figure skaters, one would still not meet the BMI requirements for WLS. Our hypothetical 5'0" female would have to weigh 205 lbs to qualify for WLS.

I looked up what kinds of surgery are allowed under sports regulated by the IOC. There was something about not giving one an unfair advantage; I don't remember the wording. I wonder if weight loss surgery is "unfair".

What would make it unfair? There aren't any morbidly obese elite athletes - maybe something like a sumo wrestler. And my fat self is going to get on the ice soonish, but I'm not an elite athlete so....the only one I can think of is MAYBE Andrew Austin, who lost 100 lbs between junior and senior men. He made it to Nationals once, but now skates for Disney on Ice.