Some of us do sports for the fun of it, some of us became addicted to it (in a good sense),  to keep us fit and to be healthy, to get rid of stress in order to cope with life, some of us train to manage our weight well.  For what reason you are training, it is important to be at a normal weight or aim to reach a normal weight over time. Your will just enjoy the sport a lot more if you don’t carry that extra kilo’s with you and your performance will definitely improve! For every 1 kg weight loss, there’s a 4 kg reduction in knee joint stress and therefore less impact on the knees. Researchers say that even modest weight loss may significantly lighten the load on your joints.

The biggest advantage of training whilst eating healthy and making an effort to lose weight, is that the body fat % comes down a lot quicker than a person who is eating healthy and is not training.

To lose weight while training sometimes can be a challenge in order to find a balance about eating slightly less energy than what the body needs daily, and with the increasing training we can become hungrier!  We know that we need to eat less food or energy than what the body uses for the day, but sometimes if we eat too little, then we are hungry all the time.  That causes cravings and that’s when we eat unhealthy snacks or food - all gone with all the good intentions of eating healthy and losing weight!

There is a very fine line between weight loss and starvation.  If one cut back on too much food and is eating too little, the body goes into a negative energy balance which is starvation and the body keeps back fat and will break down muscle for energy. It seems like for a week that you are losing weight, but then the second or third week, nothing on the scale is happening… if you monitor fat, the fat percentage increases, and that we don’t want.

As dieticians, one of our expertise are that we can work out your average energy intake according to your age, gender, height,  ideal body weight and activity level. We work out an individualized healthy eating plan according to the calculations, which is restricted in energy intake (you eat less than what the body burn in energy daily) in order to lose weight, but not so restricted that it puts you in starvation.   No quick fad diets, they don’t work on the long term anyway!

A lot of people start eating snacks or use sport drinks high in energy when they start training even for like 30 minutes daily. Or they drink a smoothie every day after their gym session, which won’t help at all, if they are serious about weight loss. A very important fact is that we don’t need extra energy drinks, high protein bars, energy bars etc. when we train for one hour only per day.  

Additional snacks, supplements become important when training for more than 90 minutes, that is when the glycogen (energy stores)  in the muscles and liver becomes depleted and we need additional food.

Sometimes people want to lose weight and therefor use no additional nutrition during strenuous exercise more than 90 minutes, one will get tired and will hit that wall, or maybe you feel pretty okay during the session, but it has a negative effect on the rest of your day for example struggling with headaches, cravings and hunger.  

We usually help our clients to estimate how much energy they burn through their training sessions, in order to replace half of that energy through nutrition during training and recovery, they usually feel great and they still lose weight! A good guideline for weight loss during sports training, is for sessions longer than 90 minutes, have 30g of carbohydrates per hour in order to keep the balance of feeling great, having enough energy and achieving weight loss. This guideline is different than the guideline for races and optimal performance.

One of the most important facts to lose weight during sports training, is to focus on specific meal times according to your training time of day.  This will help to stick to healthy meals without getting cravings and become hungry which causes eating more food, because of training harder.  So as easy as it can be to choose wisely WHEN you eat, this can impact the whole day HOW YOU FEEL. For example when you get up at 5:00, train at 5:30, back at home at 6:30.  Have your breakfast immediately before taking a shower, otherwise the period from waking up until breakfast becomes too far apart.  

If training at 16:30, have your snack like a fruit and yogurt or a hardboiled egg or 30g of lean biltong or 30 g of nuts at 15:30 (allows 1 hour of digestion prior to training). If training at 15:30, have your snack at 16:30, this will help you to not eat everything that comes around prior to supper time.

Summary of important guidelines for losing weight during sports training:
•    Mealtimes and training times are important as discussed above

•    Do not eat additional snacks and food if not training longer than 90 minutes per session. Ask your dietician to help you with ideas of what, and how much to eat during long training sessions or race day.

•    Drink enough water, also take into account additional water during your training session daily.  The better your water intake, the better your centimetre loss. Additional water also needed if having coffee.  Decrease coffee intake if not reaching a good water intake daily.

•    Avoid alcohol.  Alcohol will be directly converted into fat in the body and will interfere with weight loss.  If one eat healthily and drink water, and still continue drinking alcohol, you won’t lose weight or you will lose slower.

•    Recovery meals are very important after training sessions/ races longer than 2 hours.  Have a glass of milk in 30 minutes time afterwards, instead of a Steri Stumpie (save almost 500 kJ without depriving yourself and not having nothing which is not good either).

•    Eat a variety of food, the more variety you eat, the better your weight loss results for the body doesn’t get use to the same food every day.  Have a variety of different breakfasts for the same reason. Stick to ¼ plate of protein, ¼ plate of starch and ½ plate of salad and vegetables for both lunch and supper.

•    Have a variety of green vegetables and don’t get hooked on salad only.  People that eat more green vegetables, have quicker and better weight loss results.
Therefore: Focus on all three aspects during sports training for optimal weight loss:
•    Get a healthy balanced weight loss plan worked out by your dietician, every persons needs vary
•    Nutrition during training/races longer than 90 minutes need nutritional intervention, but which is different from nutrition during maximum and optimal performance.
Recovery meal/drink is important after 2 hours and longer training sessions, also during weight loss.
Weight loss during sports training is a science…..ask your dietician for assistance!

Did you know? There are 3 types of sports drinks:

1.    A hypotonic drink contains less than 4g of carbohydrates per 100ml and has low osmotic pressure. This is intended as a thirst quencher. Hypotonic drinks give the athlete little energy in the form of sugars. A hypotonic sports drink is taken up by the body more quickly than just water. Ideal for shorter or less strenuous exertion.

2. An isotonic drink contains between 4g and 8g of carbohydrates per 100ml and has about the same osmotic pressure as bodily fluids. An isotonic drink is taken up by the body about as quickly as water. They are intended to quench thirst and provide energy to the body. Ideal for endurance sports such as marathons and ultra-marathons.

3. A hypertonic drink generally has more than 8g of carbohydrates per 100ml and greater osmotic pressure than bodily fluids. It is primarily intended to supply energy. The thirst quenching effect is secondary. Hypertonic drinks are taken up more slowly than water. Ideal for use 30 to 60 minutes before sports/training/exertion and immediately after sports/training/exertion. Hypertonic drinks are also useful for athletes who find that they need a bit more energy during their training.

How to choose the correct sports drink:
•    Aim to choose an Isotonic OR Hypertonic sports drink especially when running long distances
•    Carbohydrates:  Choose drinks that include a mixture of different carbohydrate sources such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltodextrin as far as possible, especially at the start of a long distance run or a marathon.

Some sugars will be released quickly during exercise to give you the immediate energy that you need and other carbohydrates will be released slower that will improve sustained energy levels. Do take note after 2 hours of training the glycogen stores are depleted and a sports drink which includes only quick releasing carbohydrates can be used.

The guideline for carbohydrate consumption during a marathon or long distance running is 30-60 grams of carbohydrates per hour. Thus the sports drink will contribute to your carbohydrate consumption, but it is advisable to visit a dietician to customise your plan during a marathon/race to ensure an optimal consumption.

•    Electrolytes which play an important role in water balance in the body:
     Sodium: Sodium is lost through sweat and needs to be replaced. Having sodium in the drink also increases thirst, which helps you to drink more water and stay hydrated.
     Potassium: Potassium is also lost through sweat.

•    Minerals:
    Calcium and Magnesium are sometimes included in sport drinks that might contribute to reduce the risk of muscle cramping

•    A good sports drink does not need to include added amino acids, oxygen, caffeine or herbal ingredients.

It is advisable to not take Fizzy drinks and sodas to replenish your electrolyte imbalances that occurs during running, due to a lack thereof. If chosen to have fizzy drinks as part of your carbohydrate intake during a run, then it should be diluted with water and additional electrolyte intake will be necessary. Also, the carbonated gas in fizzy drinks and sodas could lead to bloating and discomfort and can make it hard to drink enough fluid during the race and to keep well hydrated.

The nutritional needs for every runner (though sticking to specific given guidelines) prior, during and after running remains to be unique…what works for one, won’t necessarily work for another.

Choose sports drinks wisely!
Happy running!

Dianda Snyman RD(SA)  & Hesté-Marie Viviers  RD(SA)
Registered Dieticians with a special interest in sports nutrition
Pr No 084 000 0109991
dianda@webadsl.co.za

When you run, you lose water and salts, known as electrolytes, through your sweat. The longer you run (half marathons, marathons and pure LSD’s), the greater the loss is. If you don’t drink enough to recover your sweat losses, you can become dehydrated. Dehydration is a very dangerous condition if left untreated. Always remember the importance of taking in WATER to ensure decreased risk of dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. During running, your body also uses carbohydrates for energy. Being low in energy can also affect your performance.

 By taking a sports drink, it will be a good way to correct losses in electrolytes, provides water at the same time to prevent dehydration and to include carbohydrates that will enhance performance and to prevent one from hitting the wall.

Sport drinks are an easy way to have all above mentioned benefits included all at the same time and by taking a sport drink, a runner can eat less without a lot of effort. The guideline for taking a sport drink will be any vigorous training/runing for more than an hour.

Other special conditions for taking a sports drink include:

• Exercise intensely like interval training
  
• Experiencing high sweat losses
• Have salty sweat. One way to tell is that you’ll notice white powder on your face and clothes when you sweat
• Train or exercise in the heat and under high humidity conditions
• To balance energy input with energy output
  
• Training more than once a day.

To determine the correct amount of electrolytes and carbohydrate intake for you, it is important to take all of the above mentioned conditions into account and to seek advice from a qualified dietician to individualize/customize a meal plan.

Before you just drink during your next run, think about what’s IN that drink for you!

Choose sports drinks wisely!
Happy running!

Dianda Snyman RD(SA)  & Hesté-Marie Viviers  RD(SA)
Registered Dieticians with a special interest in sports nutrition
Pr No 084 000 0109991
dianda@webadsl.co.za