Weight Management for Athletes

Key Strategies

avoiding severse energy restriction, monitoring protein intake timing and quality, adopting low energy dense diet, timing food intake around exercise, monitoring intake of ED beverages

Protein Intake Recommendations for athletes trying to lose weight

maintain or increase to help maintain lean body mass, (as high as 2.4g/kg/BW)

Why exercise can help with body mass loss

-Increases energy expenditure

-Does not increase appetite as much as dietary energy restriction

-Creates a negative energy balance

-Maintains muscle mass

-Compensates for the reduction in resting metabolic rate (RMR) seen after weight loss

What is the optimal intensity for aerobic exercise to maximize fat burning?

55% to 65% of VO2max

What is the most important factor for fat loss?

Total energy expenditure over any given time period

What is the goal for increasing fat loss through exercise?

Increase total exercise volume

Why might fewer but longer exercise sessions be more advantageous for fat loss?

Fat oxidation becomes an increasingly important fuel as the duration of exercise increases