Nutrition: How to Eat for Performance vs. Weight Loss Edition 1

How to Eat for Performance vs. Weight Loss Edition 1

For my Endurance Folks

Non Negotiable - Eat within 30 minutes following prolonged exercise: a mix of carbohydrates and protein. You should aim to consume 100-300 calories.

Whole Foods:

1 Banana + 2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
1/2 cup plain yogurt + 1 cup Mixed Fruit
1 medium Sweet potato (great source of potassium) + 1 inch Beef Jerky
1 medium apple + 2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
1 fried egg+ 1 cup sauteed spinach + 1 serving fruit

Sport Supplements:

Vega Sport Recovery Accelerator
Hammer Recoverite
Endurox
Nutrition Bars but read labels!

Explanation:

Listen to your body and eat intuitively; however, there are two instances when you SHOULD NOT always listen to your body in order to recover, reduce risk of injury, and perform optimally. If you have a hard time with this concept- perhaps you should get honest about your goal- Are you trying to restrict your diet in an attempt to “save” up for later or to lose weight (this messes with your metabolism anyways) or do you want to feel good, recover well, and perform your best? Getting honest with this answer may help you in those sticky situations when you just want to “skip it” because you're busy or whatever.

There are two optimal windows of recovery following a workout of 45-60 plus minutes that play crucial roles in helping your body recover as quickly as possible. Increasing your rate of recovery by focusing on the timing of your post workout nutrient intake decreases muscle soreness and increases your ability to push harder and run faster during your KEY workouts.

The second window for optimal recovery is 1-3 hours post workout with a meal or snack that is higher in protein but also includes a healthy fat and carbohydrate.

Protein Shake + Salad w/olive oil dressing
Protein Bar -labels!
Protein Based Meals/snacks:
Grilled Chicken salad topped with Avocado and Salsa
Steak or chicken salad
Vegetable omelet + Fruit
Chili

In continuation, if you're not fueling before and after these harder runs sets you up for the opposite of what you are trying to accomplish by sending your blood sugar levels and hormones in a tizzy! Your body is very smart - it will figure out how to respond when it thinks it is in starvation mode by increasing appetite when you finally do allow for a proper meal and in the end you may be overeating at this time thus setting you up for storing more fat since your body is scared when you will feed it again. Yes, we do see some runners whose bodies are noodle thin, but they are either genetically built this way or they are putting their bodies through extreme stress wreaking havoc on your health, hormones, mood, energy level, performance AND using your own hard earned muscle as food! I don’t know about you, but I don't want to disappear as I age, I want to take up my space lol. Let’s keep our muscle, our sanity, and our health and rid the “diet” culture thoughts and behaviors us gals in the 80s and 90s were force fed- or not ha!

Ok , so what if I do want to lose weight, isn't that ok?

YES, of course! If you are in need of shedding a few pounds, yes! Do it, you can! My suggestion for you is to only cut calories 250-500 deficit a day which will result in ½-1 pound a week of steady weight loss. This way, you don't put your metabolism, mood, energy, and health in a compromised state.

Of course, most people don't like this response- hence why we have a multi billion dollar diet industry. That pill, surgery, or the latest trend is just a label or distraction to motivate a group to for the moment get excited about something. But what happens? Any weight that is lost comes right back on and even more! That’s because of all the yo-yo with the metabolism.

I suggest first finding out whether your body likes carbohydrates or fats for their main energy source. Then go from there. I myself have such sensitive blood sugar that if I eat a diet too heavy in carbs I end up with the shakes and in a blood sugar, moody mess tizzy within an hour. So I always have to have fat, protein, and carbs for each of my meals.

Next, depending upon your energy levels and needs, eat a meal every 3-4 hours consisting of Protein, Carbs, Healthy fats, and colors (veggies and fruits). I don't like to count calories but I am very in touch with my hunger and also when fueling is non-negotiable such as before and after a hard workout session. I have friends who love fasting only drinking coffee until noon - they are doing bodies, minds, nerves, and lean muscle tissue (which revs metabolism) a HUGE disservice! Skinny fat is a thing. I'm not body shaming- I know what this is like and I want to help educate these people that they are really making life so much harder on themselves - trust me- I need to be there! It's a survival mode way to live and it sucks.It’s time to fuel your foggy brain and beautiful body.

Finally, do this for 12 weeks, then take a week off to fuel with some “cheat” I hate that word but well, i'm in a hurry and can't find another - basically have the things you normally would not consume (in moderation) through this week to sorta reset your metabolism - stock it so it doesn't PLATEAU then go back to exactly what you were doing before this week for another 12 week cycle.

Start changing your behaviors around food - in other words, understand that sometimes eating your grandma's famous mac n cheese dish is exactly what your body, mond, and soul needs. But, then recognize when you are in the fridge and pantry non stop because you are trying to fix or numb an emotion. Yah, a bag of potato chips sounds like a great solution to your loneliness and bad day at work while you are in the moment, but does it ever fix the problem. No. Identify when your emotions are driving these unhealthy behaviors and replace it with a distractor like taking your dog for a walk or reading or lifting weights whatever. USually it takes about 5 minutes to forget about that hole you were about to plummet down with that pint of ice cream or box of wine. Problem still here!

Ok so on the other side of the cone - if you are an endurance athlete - you are most likely underfueling - geez this stuff is confusing-ha! But seriously, if you are- and you are seriously craving ice cream and cookies then that's your body telling you that you need sugar- yes! Endurance athletes' main source of fuel is simple sugar. So, this is why when I have a client who says he is signed up for a marathon to help him lose weight I respond with - you may want to change your goal. Why?

Trying to lose weight while training for a marathon requires you to underfuel to be in a deficit and anyone who has done this knows how terrible it feels and how hard it is to actually run the darn thing without proper nutrition, much less perform anywhere near you potential. I don't know about you but if I'm spending 4-6 months training hard for a race, i'd like to perform well. Can you lose weight training for a marathon sure- it could happen. I tended to gain weight and then after several years of training got down to very low body fat - not by underlying but by training correctly for several years in a row. This is why elite athletes look the way they do- not because they are starving themselves but because they have years and years of high mileage, workouts, and a competitive lifestyle that is their job! They too will succumb to being human as any athlete who transitions to a more moderate training lifestyle.

So, if you are an endurance athlete - eat simple carbs before your run for optimal performance with a lil protein. Then if you are craving during the day or at night, that is a huge red flag you are underfueling. Even if you are overweight, your body is soooo good at finding homeostasis. Stop reading about the latest trends and feed it what it wants every 3-4 hours. Don't over eat and move on. Feed it, love it, respect it and it will do amazing things for you.

Possible Behaviors to Examine

Stop fasting and starving yourself - especially if you are a woman as it produces large amounts of stress hormones and throws hormones off resulting in a cascade of negative consequences that we are probably going to the doctor for trying to find answers when hey - it's your diet!
Stop “saving up” Your body doesn't work this way. You are shooting yourself in the foot with this tactic! Eating too much in one sitting results in your body holding on to all of that because it's scared and if you make choices that are processed then you will probably be hungry again in an hour. Each balanced, stop when you are full or your meal is complete and walk away. Another meal will be there in 3 hours.
If you are training for an endurance event, stop skipping your pre run and especially your post run meals. This is the most important time to fuel if you want health and performance gains!
Stop replacing food with alcohol and diet coke. Sure, fine to have in moderation, but again, when we are using it to help us through a problem then we may intake too much than our bodies are designed to metabolize and also lowers inhibition to make healthy choices that make us feel amazing the next hour, day, week.
Stop thinking you are “missing out” if you get in the habit of eating good meals throughout your day and week. Honestly, studies show most humans eat the same 23 foods everyday whether they are healthy or krap- you're not missing out - you're gonna feel better- I promise.
Change one thing at a time so as to not overwhelm yourself. So, if your one thing is eating post workout, then that should be the only goal and focus for the next several weeks before adding a new goal. If your goal is to lose weight, your goal should be to replace an unhealthy meal or snack with a healthier option. We are trying to change behaviors for a lifetime, not win the biggest loser or win a race and break one for the rest of the season.