Questions and answers about Sports Nutrition

Hi Amber, thanks for your question. In order to reduce your fat mass I would recommend you reduce carbohydrates, as these are the most readily stored macronutrient and if not used for energy will be stored as fat. I'm not sure how much of your daily diet is carbohydrate but I would look to have about 15-20% carbohydrates in order to lose some weight. When you're doing exercise ensure you're having enough protein to keep your muscle mass stable and ensure you're having healthy fats in your diet such as avocado and oily fish, as these can be used for energy also. You may also find it helpful to work out how many calories you should be having so have a look at a BMR calculator online, input your weight and height etc. and this will tell you how many calories you need before exercise. Then there is an equation underneath the calculator that tells you how to work out how many more calories you need for exercise. If you would like to lose weight you can reduce this total slightly, usually by about 500 calories to lose 1-2 lbs a week. I hope you find this helpful.

Hi Georgie, thanks for your question. If you're looking to lose weight 0.5kg to 1kg a week is considered healthy. Losing large amounts of weight quickly can increase your risk of putting the weight back on again, and more, so losing weight steadily is generally recommended. You can do this by cutting out refined carbohydrates such as white flour products and sugar, ensuring you have protein with every meal, healthy fats such as oily fish, avocado and olive oil and filling half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables such as greens and salad vegetables. Although you don't have much time to exercise try to go for a brisk walk for 20-30 minutes a day, which will help weight loss as well as promote good health. I hope this is helpful.

Hi Shannon

Thanks for your question! The exercise routine will very much depend on what your expectations are.

If your aim is to shed the extra pounds from your stomach and/or upper body, the best is to combine HIIT exercises with weight bearing exercises. It is important to built muscle since they burn more energy at rest. You could use treadmill or cross-trainer for doing high intensity training – you can push yourself out of breath for one minute and then slow down to a walking mode for another minute for 20-30 minutes. This challenges your body to burn more fat. You could also include some jumps to get your heart rate up during your session and tone up your legs. Alternating high intensity exercise with weight bearing exercises can kick start your metabolism so try to combine both during your work out.

If your problematic areas are buttocks and legs, HIIT exercises will suit you too but go light on weight bearing routines for your legs unless you would like them to look bulky. If you are after slim, toned legs, use only light weights for the lower part of your body and exercise them for longer – e.g. do 30 repetitions with very light weights rather than 10 repetitions with heavy weights.

I would recommend discussing your exercising needs with your personal trainer for further guidance and consult a nutritional therapist to design a diet to meet your weight and health goals.
Good luck!

Hi Martin,

Before working out, fast release carbohydrates will help you out to obtain the energy your muscles need. You can drink home-made orange juice with fresh (e.g. bananas) or desiccated fruits (e.g. raisins). Another option would be white bread sandwiches with fat-free cream cheese (in case you are not so keen to sweet snacks).
Fat would not help you at this stage (it does not mean you shouldn’t eat healthy fats in the rest of your meals). Therefore, in case you drink milk, choose skimmed and lactose-free milk.

After working out, a combination of fast release carbohydrates (similar to the ones mentioned above) and protein (fat-free yoghurt, skimmed lactose-free milk, cottage cheese…) will be ideal to refill you glycogen deposits and also promote the muscle formation. Again, do not choose fatty foods at this point (is basically a digestion matter). However, Omega-3 fat (e.g. the fat that salmon, nuts and seeds contain) will reduce the inflammation produced in your muscles due the stress caused by the exercise itself).

Do not worry too much about the importance of the snacks you have right before and after working out. It is good to care about it, but the rest of the meals of your diet through the day (even a couple of hours before or after the work out) will provide the nutrients that your muscles will use.

Nutrient Timing - When you consume your carbs and proteins is absolutely key!
It is essential that you have enough energy to fuel your workouts. Having a good muscle-glycogen (stored energy) will allow optimal intensity and achieve a greater training effect. A low muscle-glycogen concentration leads to early fatigue, reduced training intensity and below par performance.

The best way to obtain glycogen is from slow-releasing carbohydrates. Consuming protein as well as carbohydrates before training can significantly increase the amount of protein the muscles absorb during the workout and over the next few hours. This is significant because the more amino acids the body retains, the greater the speed of recovery and growth of muscle.

Therefore eat 1-3 hours before exercising. Consume water only for the 30 mins before exercise. If you have had a meal within three hours of the start of a training session you do not need to eat any more. If it has been longer than three hours, have a simple carb snack within one hour of the start of training - The snack should 100-200 kcals of carbs with water. Note - For training sessions lasting under 2 hours you can rely on fat stores for energy and consume fewer carbohydrates in the form of sports drinks/gels.

After training - muscle-glycogen is depleted and increased cortisol levels are beginning to breakdown muscle tissue (catabolic state) and the only way to reverse this is to consume a quickly digestible post-workout meal within ½ hour to an hour (unless you have eaten a meal containing protein pre-training).

Following training, if it is not a meal time have a recovery drink combining protein and carbohydrate to improve glycogen replenishment, recovery, and protein synthesis. I would suggest blending up some quality protein powder with fruit juice or milk/milk substitute, fruit (e.g. berries or banana) to make a recovery smoothie. For added antioxidant support include powdered greens or fruit powders (available in a health food shop).

If it is a meal time eat lean protein i.e. a meal containing lean chicken, turkey, or beans/pulses with whole grains, root vegetables or squash.

Wait a few hours before consuming fat as it inhibits carbohydrate absorption. If you are training twice a day or more this process is essential to make the most of the second session.

Hello Martin
Pre and post nutrition is really important both for maximising your performance and for ensuring that the body has adequate fuel for recovery. 1-3 hours before working out I would advise you having a good intake of complex carbohydrates, so think oats, sweet potatoes, rice or pasta and vegetables. Complex carbohydrates are digested slowly by the body and help to keep glycogen and blood sugar levels even. Glycogen is basically the fuel our bodies uses when working out so it is essential to maximising performance to ensure good supplies.

Following exercise it is important to refuel the body, this will help with muscle recovery, aim to eat something within 45 minutes as this is optimal for ensuring glycogen levels are stable and to prevent fatigue. During this time it is recommended to combine carbohydrate and protein rich foods this may be a protein shake with berries, lean meats such as turkey or chicken or eggs. Starchy vegetables and fruits. By combining protein and carbohydrate post exercise you aid glycogen recovery and amino acid uptake.

One last thing to bear in mind is also hydration, you should ensure that prior to exercise you are well hydrated, ensure you drink 400-600ml of water 2 hrs before exercise, only consume water if you aim to exercise within 1 hr. and after your work out ensure you are also drinking adequate water levels at comfortable intervals.

Hi Neal
Balanced nutrition and exercise are both essential for gaining muscle and losing fat.
It would be beneficial to include weight training to gain muscle and some cardio, especially HIIT exercise (high-intensity interval training), that has been proven to help with fat loss. Your fitness trainer could help you to design an exercise plan for you.

Concerning your nutritional needs, protein is a vital macronutrient for building muscles so you should incorporate good protein sources into your daily diet (e.g. lean meat, eggs, fish, pulses like beans and lentils, nuts and seeds). Carbohydrates are easily broken down into sugars to fuel your workout and improve exercise endurance, however, excess intake of carbohydrates can lead to fat gain, especially refined carbs (white bread, white pasta and white rice). Therefore, chose complex carbohydrates rich in fibre (like oats, whole grain bread, pulses, brown rice, vegetable, fruit) that break down into sugars slower and provide more sustainable energy not only during the day and recovery period but also during your workouts.

Nevertheless, it is not desirable to eat significant amounts of carbs in the evening since they can lead to fat gain. If you are to choose carbs in the evening, go for vegetables and accompany them with some protein sources mentioned above.

Generally speaking, a diet high in lean protein, low to moderate amounts of high-fibre carbohydrates coupled with well-designed exercise training should lead to muscle gain and fat loss. The body’s demand for protein and carbs varies from individual to individual, though. Your requirements will depend on your age, sex, the type of exercise you do, how often you workout, your overall diet and health status. Beneficial fats should also be a part of your diet and should not be missed out to achieve desirable results.
I recommend you to consult a qualified nutritionist to assess your particular needs and work with you towards your goals.

Hi Neal,

About eating carbohydrates in the evening, your physical activity during the day makes quite a difference. If for instance you have trained intensely, eating a moderate portion of carbohydrate foods (potato, rice, bread…) would not be a big deal. Actually, it would help to fill your glycogen deposits in muscles and liver, which is essential to be ready for your next training. Therefore, there will not be an excess of blood glucose, which would lead to fat gain.

Anyway, like Andrea advices you very wisely, vegetables have to be the stars of all your meals. This is common for any healthy diet, and in particular for weight loss diets.

Hi Ian,

Thanks for your question.

When participating in intense training regimes such as that for an ironman event it is important to ensure you are getting enough energy to fuel your workouts and provide essential nutrients to your diet. Your requirements will be much higher than usual.

Ensuring you include each of the main food groups is important to ensure your body is getting a good balance of nutrients.

Complex carbohydrates could be classed as the preferred source of fuel due to the fact they provide a good energy source that can be utilised efficiently once the body breaks them down into simple sugars.

This option provides a slower release energy source than that of simple carbohydrates which offer an instant energy burst as they contain simple sugars that hit the blood stream directly - this may be useful for during an event in the form of a homemade energy drink once your energy has been depleted and an instant boost is needed to support performance and get you to the finish line.

Carbohydrates that are not used as energy are stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen and then as fat in the body. Glycogen in the muscles also helps the body retain water which may support training further.

Including a good source of lean protein at each meal is also important to to support muscle growth and repair.

As your energy needs are high, including foods that offer high kcal per portion size is recommended. Nuts and seeds are good additions to the diet as they are a rich source of good fats offering 9kcal per gram which is more than carbohydrates and protein.

Including lots of vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C to provide the body with a good level of antioxidants which are important during training.

Staying hydrated is paramount. Ensuring you get time to recover during your training plan as well as eating within 15 minutes of a training session to refuel and support muscle growth and repair.

You may like to consider adding beetroot to your eating plan as some studies have concluded that beetroot may support endurance and in some trials saw a 5% increase in speed during running.

Best Wishes and Good Luck!

Sharon