While many people are looking for a quick fix to lose weight, there is no such thing as a magic pill that cures obesity. There are promising new drugs, such as Ozempic, but this is just an aid and not meant to be a permanent solution/fix for obesity. If I knew of a drug that could instantaneously cure obesity, I would be a multi-billionaire and retired on an island in the Caribbean. Tried and true since the beginning of time, the only known cure for obesity is diet and exercise. Easier said than done, but diet and exercise is guaranteed to aid with weight loss amongst other chronic health conditions. I do need to mention that genetics also play a critical role in obesity and some people have to work harder than others to lose the weight.
A healthy weight can look different for different populations, especially in athletes. A sumo wrestler’s weight goals are certainly not the same as a long distance runner’s. Even though nutrition goals vary, there are some general rules that we can follow to help us achieve those goals. We will discuss further in this blog.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are an essential source of fuel for the brain and the body. A low carbohydrate diet may be recommended for someone with Diabetes, but in an athlete and the rest of the general population, carbohydrates are essential. Now, the recommendation for carbohydrate intake, again, varies widely depending on the type of training you are doing. Recommendations typically range from 3 grams to 10 grams of carbohydrates per kg of body weight. For example, in a 150 lb. person (68 kg), that person would require anywhere between 204 to 680 grams of carbohydrates in their daily diet depending on what kind of training they are doing. For someone who is more on the sedentary side, 3 grams of carbohydrate per kg of body weight may be a reasonable goal. However, for someone who is a long distance runner or someone who expends a lot of energy, a 10 gram carbohydrate per kg of body weight may be more ideal for that person. Sometimes, people may even require more carbohydrates if they are elite endurance athletes. All that being said, we should try to avoid simple sugars that are found in fast food, candy, soda, etc. Carbohydrates should come from non-processed foods such as rice, grains, fruits and vegetables. Also, as a general rule of thumb, carbohydrates should be consumed 1-4 hours prior to exercise. Carbohydrates should also be consumed in the recovery phase, up to 4 to 6 hours after exercise.
Protein
Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle mass. However, most people do not get nearly enough protein in their diets. It is recommended to intake anywhere between 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kg of body weight. For a 150 lb. (68 kg) person, this would be between 82 to 136 grams of protein per day. This is a lot of protein! The other tricky part about it is that we can only consume about 40-50 grams of protein per sitting and the rest is excreted. The key is to have consistent protein intake multiple times per day.
As for protein consumption after exercise, the general recommendation is to intake protein within 30 minutes of completing a workout. While this is ideal, it is not always possible. As long as the protein is consumed at some point during the same day, it will do your body good for muscle building, muscle maintenance and muscle recovery.
Fats
Some diet fads portray fats as the enemy, which is not necessarily true. Fats play an essential role in nutrition and we need them as human beings. We do, however, need to focus on healthy fat consumption and avoid junk food when possible. Daily fat intake is a little bit more tricky to calculate. It is typically recommended that 20-35% of your daily macronutrients should come from fats. This can range anywhere between 0.5 to 1.5 grams of fat per kg of body weight. For a 150 lb. (68 kg) person, this would be between 34 to 102 grams of fats per day. For people focusing on weight loss, they should aim for 0.5 to 1 grams of fat per kg of body weight. For people focusing on maintenance, they should be closer to 1 gram of fat per kg of body weight. For endurance athletes and body builders, they will likely need around 1.5 grams of fat per kg of body weight. Again, the goals and nutritional requirements vary widely depending on type of training, body type, sex and genetics. Fat intake that is less than 20% of your daily macronutrient intake will result in fatigue and reduce performance.
Supplements
In today’s day and age there are millions of different nutritional supplements for athletes. The most basic of which consists of sports drinks, protein shakes, protein bars and vitamins. Although, there are many other supplements, including pharmaceuticals on the market as well. Regardless of which supplement you are interested in, you should consult your doctor to find out more information. As far as the more advanced supplements, there are a few that provide a lot of benefits and I will cover them below.
- Caffeine — Reduces fatigue and increases endurance for exercise. Generally, it is not recommended to exceed 500 mg per day, but again this can vary. Doses exceeding 500 mg can cause increased heart rate, anxiety and possibly tremors when consumed in high doses.
- Creatine — Previously this was thought to be a controversial supplement, but today it is a widely accepted performance booster. Again, you should consult your doctor before starting creatine, but it improves capacity for training. The most common dose is 5 grams per day. It is imperative that you drink plenty of water while taking this supplement. The most common side effect is GI discomfort.
- Sodium Bicarbonate — Typically used in athletes who are participating in high intensity events such as sprinting. Usually, people take 0.2 to 0.4 grams per kg of body weight about 1-2 hours before participating in a sprint. It increases your performance for about 1 to 7 minutes during a high intensity exercise. The most common side effect with this supplement is GI discomfort as well.
- Beta-alanine — Another widely used supplement that can aid with anaerobic glycolysis. It is said to help with HIIT exercises lasting 60-240 seconds. It also likely increases training capacity. The most common side effect with this supplement is skin tingling or paresthesias.
- Nitrate — Improves endurance exercise capacity. The efficacy of this supplement is still unclear, but seems to be less effective in elite athletes.
Summary
There is no perfect formula for sports nutrition. It is a field that has been studied for a very long time. At the end of the day it comes down to a person’s goals and level of activity. Even though there is no perfect breakdown of macronutrients, we do have general guidelines that seem to work well for most people. If you are training hard and following the guidelines, but not seeing results, you may need to diet and/or train harder. Sometimes genetics limit our results. Diet and exercise is essential to our health. There are many supplements that can aid with this as well. Be sure to consult with your doctor to see if they can help you devise a diet and exercise plan tailored to your goals.