Dieting

At 5'4 122lbs I thought I was small enough to be a jockey. I was dead wrong. The North American Racing academy prefers there students to be under 112 lbs. Before, I could eat what ever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I had a high enough metabolism that no matter what or how much I ate I would stay right around 122lbs. Needless to say I needed to start cutting back on my calories to weigh less than 112 lbs. Over the past few weeks I have limited myself to 1200 calories a day. At first I was hungry all the time.  But after the  weeks of dieting, I found myself not starving but not totally full ether. I am currently at 110lbs and plan on raising the calories to maintain my weight.

Dieting is very important in the jockeys' life style. Before every race the jockey has to weigh in. If he or she is too heavy they are scratched from the race. Because jockeys eat so few calories,  it is impotent to get enough calcium, veggies, proteins, and other nutrients. Every food item a jockey eats has to be carefully chosen so that they are getting the most amount of nutrition for the calories. Chocolates, cookies and other tasty snakes don't have to be eliminated but should be taken in very small amounts. 

 At first the dieting is a chore and it takes time figuring out how many calories are in each food item but over time it becomes easier and easier to know how many calories one has consumed.  I have learned to appreciate food more and have slowed down eating so I can savor every bite. I never dreamed of going on a diet.  But since I have chosen my career as a jockey,  counting calories has become a life style and I have been keeping on track.