“The Right Way to ‘Make
Weight’”
Kelly Pritchett, PhD, RD, CSSD
Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics
Assistant Professor in Nutrition & Exercise Science
Central Washington University
kkerr@cwu.edu
The WINForum (Washington Interscholastic
Nutrition Forum) was created to help coaches,
trainers, parents, teachers and student athletes
understand the value of good nutrition for peak
athletic and academic performance.
Follow the WINForum Online
WINForum.org
• Summaries from WINForum clinics
• Downloadable Sports Nutrition Game
Plan
Facebook.com/WINForum
• Updated daily with healthy eating
ideas for athletes
• Q&A with coaches, athletes and
nutritionists
Twitter.com/WINForum_org
• Trending nutrition topics for coaches
and parents
• Send tweets to our dietitians!
Why You??
Athlete Nutrition Overview
Benefits:







Enhanced
recovery
Best weight
Reduced risk of
injury and illness
Energy
Confidence
Consistency
Lifelong benefits
Athlete Nutrition Overview
Common challenges:





Lack of knowledge
Poor choices when
shopping or dining
out
Busy lifestyle
Access
Supplements and
sports foods
7
The Sports Nutrition Game Plan
Make it Work for You!
www.WINForum.org
Does my athlete need to
change his/her weight?
Research does not support the idea that lower
body weight will increase performance
Weight loss and athletes



Is it safe?
 Dehydration techniques, very low
calorie diets should be discouraged
 Slightly decrease CHO
Is it reasonable?
 Minimum body fat standards/
weight ranges
Is it gradual and does it involve
behavior changes?
Lots to consider…



Genetics, body weight history, bone
structure, sport, position, body
composition, health, stage of growth
Growth and development can be
compromised
Consult physician and registered
dietitian to set ranges that are
reasonable for the athlete as an
individual
Energy Balance Equation
Energy in

Macronutrient
Intake
• Carbohydrate
• Protein
• Fat
• Alcohol
Energy Out




Basal Metabolic
Rate (BMR)
Thermogenesis
Energy
expenditure for
Growth
Physical Activity
Energy Intake and Balance


Total energy needs based on:
 BMR
 Growth
 Typical daily activities
 Specific sports activities
Females – 2,200-4,000 kcal


generally not met
Males – 3,000-6,000 kcal–

generally met or exceeded
Key Difference in Energy Needs:
Physical Activity
Adequate energy intake: necessary to maintain
optimal body composition & weight during
training (ADA position paper: Nutrition & Athletic Performance, 2009)
 Wrestlers


Female gymnasts & figure skaters


1700-2500 kcal/day (Dunford, 2005)
1900 – 2500 kcals/day (Fogelholm et al. 1995, McNickols et al. 1996)
Tour De France cyclists

~7000 kcals/day (Saris et al. 1999)
Athletes, body weight and nutrition:
THE TRUTH




Food is Fuel!!!
“Healthy” is a range through which peak
performance can be achieved
Obese is unhealthy, but underweight is
more problematic than overweight
Focusing on the scale is at best a
distraction and at worse a disease
What’s a coach to do ?




Promote Healthy, Sports Based eating
Understand that our “pop” culture
misleads athletes regarding nutrition
Empower your athletes with good
information- THE TRUTH
Emphasize performance, not appearance
 Watch the 3 letter words: fit and fat
Losing the Fat: Your Game Plan for
WINNING at LOSING



Eat the most when you need the most
(during the day)
Choose high carb, mixed with protein
foods
Choose baked or grilled, not fried
Do not skip breakfast and pack all your
calories in at dinner!!!
Game Plan for Fat Loss






Ask the athlete why?
Calculate energy requirements - Use
Nutrition Fundamentals Worksheet
Eat frequently
Reduce portion size?
Burn more calories?
Don’t deprive yourself
Coaching Tip: Remember “skinny” does not mean you
are fit and “big” does not mean you are fat.
Other Weight Management Strategies




Advise athletes against skipping meals (i.e.
breakfast)
Athletes should not deprive themselves of favorite
foods or set unrealistic dietary rules or guidelines.
 Dietary goals: flexible and achievable. (All
foods fit approach)
Help athletes identify dietary weaknesses
 plan strategies to deal with them
Remind athletes that its making lifelong dietary
changes to sustain a healthful weight and optimal
nutritional status.

Emphasize performance
ADA Position Paper: Sports Nutrition
& Athletic Performance, 2009
Nutrition Periodization
(Dunford, 2005)
Tips for managing weight gain in
off season






Listen to body- internal regulation cues
Slow down eating to hear fullness cues
Reduce snacks (naturally will happen
linked to training)
Reduce “extras”
Choose water as main drink
Maintain low-fat dairy intake
What’s a Healthy Way
to Gain Muscle?
Healthy Muscle Gain
Add 300-500
calories per day
 Eat frequently
 Include pre- and
post exercise
snacks with protein

Remember to Individualize!!

Don’t give advice on weight loss or gain to the
team as a whole: needs vary among every player
Example: Heaviest vs. Lightest Seahawk
Heaviest: Alan Branch (DT)
Ht: 6’6” Wt: 32# Age: 27
Lightest: Doug Baldwin (WR)
Ht: 5’10: Wt: 189 Age: 24
Approximate total Needs
= 5,550 calories/day
Approximate total Needs
= 3,650 calories/day
Female Athlete Triad
3 Characteristics:
 Disordered Eating
 Decreased E
availability
 Amenorrhea
 Osteoporosis
The Female Athlete



Up to 70%, unintentionally, do not
consume enough kcals (Hinton, 2006)
Restrict intake in an attempt to enhance
performance
Have similar personality traits to anorexic
individuals: (Thompson et al., 1999)
 Pursuit of excellence
 Mental toughness
 Commitment to training
Disordered Eating
Primary Culprit: Decreased Energy
Availability
 Abnormal eating habits
 Restricting calories
 Binging/purging
 Obsession
 Weight, food
 Eating
 Shame, guilt
Amenorrhea
STRONGEST INDICATOR OF TRIAD



2 Types
 1. Primary
 No period by the age of 16
 2. Secondary
 No period for ≥3 months
Prevalence
 Gen pop: <5%
 Primary: 22% of athletes in a lean sport
 Secondary: 65% of runners on one team
NOT NORMAL PART OF TRAINING!
Osteoporosis
IOC (2005): ammenorhea > 6 mo = negative
effect on BMD
 Defined


Amenorrhea + osteoporosis


Architectural deterioration of bone = bone loss
Complex relationship
2 major issues:


Nutrient deficiencies
Shut down reproductive system = ↓estrogen
Excessive Exercise



Hard to define and quantify
Intent of the exercise is an important
factor
Diagnostic criteria:
 Impaired functioning
 Withdrawal

Presence of an eating disorder
Female Athlete Triad:Tx

ACSM





Other



Gradually ↓ training by 10-20%
Gradually ↑ caloric intake
↑ body weight 2-3%
Ca supplement 1500 mg
Supplement vitamin D & Mg
Counseling
Complete restoration of bone not typically
possible



Immediate tx
Reverse amenorrhea
Estrogen replacement therapy
 Research shown to maintain but not ↑ bone mass
Prevention




PREVENTION IS KEY!
Schools should provide training
 Body image, nutrition, health
 Identifying symptoms
 How to refer and to who
Schools should have established protocol
EAT LIKE AN ATHLETE!!
Teaching athletes to eat more when it matters:
 High volume/intensity phases
 Competition
 Training/competing in environmental extremes
Cheat Sheet
TOP 5 Winning Nutrition Tips
1.
2.

3.
4.

5.
Eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks every day
Eat 3 foods at meals
Need to combine carbohydrate, protein,
and fat
Combine at least 2 macronutrients at snacks
Eat breakfast every day
Make sure it is enough
Eat every 3-4 hours during the day
The Coach’s Role
•Be a role model!
•Present a consistent message
•Provide access to healthy foods
•Provide resources (WINforum)
•Invite a dietitian to talk to your team
•Don’t give up!
General Nutrition Tips






1. Eat every 2-3 hours
2. Get lean protein at every meal
3. Eat healthy fats every day. Limit trans fats and
fried foods
4. Pre-, during, and post-training/game nutrition is
actually one big meal, and it is the most important
meal of the day
6. Eat vegetables at every opportunity
7. Drink fluids
36
Am I eating the right foods?
Use this checklist:






3-5 Fruits (tennis ball)
3-5 Veggies (1/2 cup)
3-4 Dairy (1 cup or 1.5
oz)
3-4 Meat Protein
Servings (3-4 oz)
8-14 Grain Servings (1
slice, ½ cup)
A couple extras (cookie,
salad dressing)
Energy from Glycogen
Glycogen Energy stored in muscle & liver
Excellent for many sport activities!!
Glycogen
Liver and Muscle
Carbohydrates #1 Source of Energy
for Your Muscles and Brain
Carbohydrates
(Bagel, pasta, fruit,
dairy)
Glycogen
(stored)
Glucose
(energy in use)
Pre-exercise Nutrition


Recommendations:
 2-3 h prior: ~200 - 300g
CHO
The Pre-Exercise Meal:
 Individualized!
 Varies depending on type of
sport
 Trial and error is important
 Magic Meal??
 No right/wrong choice
Pre-exercise Nutrition
Guidelines






Eat familiar foods
Experiment before practice NOT
games
 Nervous or queasy stomach?
 Try liquid meals
 Eat well the day before
Limit high fat proteins
Limit sugary foods
Allow time for digestion
Hydrate!!
41
Game On!
Nutrition During Exercise
 Replace fluid losses
 Use online sweat
calculator
 Drink fluids
 Maintain blood glucose
 30-60 g CHO/hour = 16
oz+ Gatorade/hr
 Eat snacks
Post-Exercise Nutrition for Recovery

“To maximize recovery, consume carbohydrate
& protein within 30-60 minutes after workout”

First 2h after exercise – Very important!!
 Repair muscle damage
 Replace muscle & liver glycogen (energy
stores)
 Replace fluids and electrolytes
Consume high carbohydrate foods (50-100g)
 Add some protein! (~10g-20g)
 CHO:PRO ratio (~ 3:1, 4:1)
 Whole foods preferred!

Chocolate milk: An effective
recovery aid?
Why?






Readily available
Relatively inexpensive
Similar kcal content as carbohydrate
replacement beverages
CHO: PRO ratio
Provides fluids, sodium
High in calcium
Fluid Guidelines
Cool fluids before, during and after activity
Before:
 20 oz fluid: 2-3h prior to event
 1 oz = 1 swallow/gulp
During:
 Drink on a schedule:
 Individual plan is IDEAL!
 ~8 oz every 15 minutes (NATA)
After:
 Weigh before and after exercise :
 Drink 16-24 fl oz of fluid for every pound lost

Where to go for more info:




WINForum : www.winforum.org
American Dietetics Association: www.eatright.org
MyPlate: www.choosemyplate.gov
PowerBar: www.powerbar.com
Use your WINForum Sports
Nutrition Game Plan…to WIN!