There’s a lot of noise out there in the world of sports nutrition, pertaining to the concept of quantity. But as usual, there’s SO much information out there it can be really confusing to know what to focus on and understand whether
- You have a problem.
- What the problem is.
- How to fix it!
In this two part blog series, I focus on the under eaters and the over eaters. Essentially, how do we get it right when it comes to making sure we’re eating enough to fuel our lifestyles and our performance, but without piling on pounds of fat that aren’t going to benefit us from a health OR a performance perspective.
Understanding Energy Balance
I’m not going to patronise you by explaining the concept of calories in vs calories out, save to say that if you’re putting too few kcals into the engine, you’re going to be running on fumes. But I will mention this to get your brain working; as an amateur athlete, you’re not just fuelling basic human function OR fuelling performance. You need to be feeding both.
And the body, contrary to what the majority of noisy people on social media will have you believe, is not a machine. You cannot simplify it down to calories in = calories out and expect everything to function correctly. And you also won’t notice immediately when you’re not getting the energy balance right, because the body is clever enough to be able to manage a calorie deficit or surplus for some time before the evidence of what’s going on becomes clear. Now when it comes to calorie deficits, the body is built for survival. It’s also smart. It prioritises bodily functions. So it has to share out the fuel you’re putting in. If you’re fixing a share of that on sport, your body will choose where to send the rest. And usually it’s smart enough to realise “we don’t have enough fuel, the last thing we should do right now is procreate”. And that’s where sex hormones begin to waiver, libido decreases as the body says “we’re prioritising ourself and our own survival right now”. And this process continues as the body gradually turns off things that don’t seem “essential” when in a calorie deficit, until eventually, you start noticing some normal functions and feelings aren’t what they used to be…
In a calorie surplus, it’ll be a while before you notice the pounds creeping on, but eventually it’ll be visible and the hormonal impact of the additional body fat will start to play a role in your energy levels and your day-to-day mood profiles etc.
So the body isn’t a machine and calories in vs calories out is not simply a maths equation, it’s about making sure your body is equipped to look after you as a human AND an athlete.
Signs You Might Not Be Eating Enough
Now that we understand the importance of energy balance, let’s explore some signs that you might not be eating enough:
- Persistent Fatigue: Feeling constantly tired or lacking energy during your day-to-day inside or outside of workouts can be a sign that you’re not fuelling your body adequately.
- Poor Recovery: Slow recovery between workouts, increased muscle soreness, and prolonged fatigue after exercise sessions can indicate that you’re not providing your body with the nutrients it needs to repair and rebuild muscle tissue.
- Decline in Performance: If you notice a decline in your performance despite consistent training, it could be due to inadequate fuelling. Your body needs a sufficient supply of calories, carbohydrates, protein, and other essential nutrients to perform at its best.
- Changes in Body Composition: Rapid weight loss, loss of muscle mass, or changes in body composition (such as increased body fat percentage) without intentional changes to your diet or training regimen may suggest that you’re not eating enough to support your activity level.
- Hormonal Imbalances: Disruptions in menstrual cycles for female athletes, decreased libido, or changes in mood and cognition can be indicators of hormonal imbalances caused by inadequate nutrition.
- Persistent Hunger: It seems obvious, but so many of us dismiss hunger because we don’t trust our bodies. If you’re hungry, you probably need to eat!!
The above isn’t an exhaustive list and things are going to look different for everyone. The thing to really pay attention to is whether you feel well. Do you feel full of beans? Are you tired with obvious reason (e.g. a big ride the day before or a heavy strength session this morning), or are you CONSTANTLY dragging your feet around and struggling to get off the sofa outside of workouts? Because remember, this is just a hobby so it shouldn’t be infringing on your actual real life and you need to pay attention not just to rest and recovery but making sure you’re fuelling it the right way to do that.
Tips for Ensuring You’re Eating Enough
If the stuff above feels like it’s resonating, then here’s a few things you can start with to make sure you’re getting enough nutrients in:
- Track Your Food Intake: Keep a food diary or use a nutrition tracking app to monitor your daily food intake and ensure you’re meeting your calorie and macronutrient needs. If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to tracking, then head over to the podcast and listen to this episode where I walk you through how calorie tracking apps can be helpful in developing intentional eating strategies in athletes.
- Listen to Your Body: Tune in to your body’s hunger and satiety cues to determine when and how much to eat. Learn to listen to the signals it sends you instead of simply eating because the clock says you should! It can be hard, but there is a subtle balance between eating to fit your needs and eating to fit your schedule. You can learn more about eating to hunger in this episode of the podcast “Honouring your hunger”.
- Don’t Label Your Foods: Focus on consuming a variety of nutrient-dense foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. These foods provide essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support overall health and performance. BUT. Don’t shy away from more processed, calorie dense foods when you need them, purely because you think they don’t support health and you’ve labelled them as “bad” or “junk”. Foods don’t have a moral value and in fact, some ultra processed foods can be a really good option for athletes with high energy demands who are struggling to meet their needs through a well rounded whole food diet alone – sometimes you just can’t eat all that goodness in one sitting and a pre-training cake snack is required!
- Adjust Based on Training Load: Tailor your nutrition intake to match your training volume and intensity. Increase your carbohydrate intake on heavy training days to replenish glycogen stores and support energy production during workouts and don’t panic when your hunger levels fluctuate – pay attention to them.
- Seek Professional Guidance: Find someone who has athlete-specific experience when it comes to nutrition and see how they might be able to help you improve your nutritional picture and get things working better again.
Under-eating is a massively hot topic in the endurance world at the moment. That doesn’t mean it applies to EVERYBODY. But if you think it applies to you, see how the tips above could help. And if you want more support, get in touch and book a FREE no obligation intro call to talk a little more about how I could help you.