Last week we covered protein needs for athletes. This week we will look at fat needs for athletes. Fat is often misunderstood by athletes and those trying to lose weight. They think that they need to minimize fat in order to “lean out” or lose weight. However, our bodies need some fat to help absorb fat soluble vitamins, provide protection for our internal organs, and provide insulation.

The recommendations for fat for athletes is 0.8 to 1 g/kg of body wieght. We will continue to use Sandy, our desk-bound marathoner from the last two posts, as our example. She is 5’5″ tall and weighs 140 pounds (140/2.2 = 63.6 kg). Based on these recommendations, Sandy would need:

• Low end of range: 0.8 g/kg x 63.6 = 51 grams
• High end o range: 1.0 g/kg x 63.6 = 64 grams

To translate this into calories, multiply by 9 because there are 9 calories per gram for fat (4 for carbohydrates and protein, and 7 for alcohol). This gives Sandy between 459 and 576 calories per day from fat. If Sandy is using a food tracking software or app, she can enter one of these (or the average) as her fat goal for the day. If her package asks for the recommendation in percent of calories, she would divide the fat in calories by her total daily calories and multiply by 100. For example, if she needs an average of 2000 calories per day, her range of calories from protein would be 23 – 29% ((459/2000)*100 and (576/2000)*100). The lowest amount you want from fat is 15% and the highest is 35%. Normal intake is between 20 and 30%. However, if you are consuming a lot of nuts and nut-butters (like peanut butter or almond butter) you may go up to 35%. You should try to limit your saturated fat intake (which is primarly in animal meats) to 10% or less of your calories. For Sandy, this would be 200 calories (2,000 x .10) or about 22 grams of saturated fat ((2,000 x 10)/9).

Fat-containing foods include oils, butter, nuts, and a lot of other foods. This is where label reading comes in handy. Having fat, along with carbohydrates and protein, at each meal will help you stay satisfied longer.

Next time, we will cover carbohydrates. If you have questions about fat, let me know.

In the last post, I talked about determining how many calories you need on a daily basis. The second step in determining the composition of your diet is to determine protein needs. The recommendations for protein for athletes needs vary widely. The recommendation for sedentary people is 0.8 grams per kg of body weight. The recommendations for protein for athletes range from 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kg of body weight depending on the recommendation you use. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommends 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kg of body weight.

What does this mean in reality? Let’s go back to Sandy, our desk-bound marathoner from the last post. She is 5’5″ tall and weighs 140 pounds (140/2.2 = 63.6 kg). Based on the IOC recommendations, Sandy would need:

• Low end of range: 1.2 g/kg x 63.6 = 76 grams
• High end o range: 1.6 g/kg x 63.6 = 102 grams

To translate the grams into calories, multiply by 4 (there are 4 calories per gram of protein). This gives us between 304 and 408 calories from protein.  If Sandy is using a food tracking software or app, she can enter one of these (or the average) as her protein goal for the day. If her package asks for the recommendation in percent of calories, she would divide the protein in calories by her total daily calories and multiply by 100. For example, if she needs an average of 2000 calories per day, her range of calories from protein would be 15 – 20% ((304/2000)*100 and (408/2000)*100). The highest percentage of calories from protein is 35%.

Protein-containing foods include meats, fish, poultry, soy, dairy, beans, and nuts. Often, it is easiest to think of a “serving” of protein. If you think about a serving of chicken (3 – 4 ounces – about the size of a deck of cards) that would have between 21 and 28 grams of protein. Each ounce of meat (beef, fish, poultry) had 7 grams of protein per ounce. Two tablespoons of peanut butter has about 10 grams of protein. You should also spit your protein up through out all of your meals. Than can help maximize absorption and usage of the protein. For most people, if you are eating enough calories you should be meeting your protein needs.

Ideally,  you should have protein along with carbohydrates and fat each time you eat. Meals that contain protein, carbohydrates, and fat help you feel fuller for a longer period of time.

If you have protein questions, let me know.

Next time: Fat Needs.

This post is the beginning of a series on determining how many calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat you need per day. Enjoy!

Determining how many calories you need can be tricky. If you google “how many calories do I need” you get hundreds of results with all sorts of different calculators. How do you know which is right for you? The thing to remember is that the calculations are a best guess. If you really want to nail down your calorie needs, then you can have your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) measured. However, if you can not have it measured, the formulas are a good place to start.

When I’m calculating calorie needs, I prefer the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation. This equation has been found to be most accurate in a variety of people.  The formula is below. The weight is in kg and height in cm. To convert your weight to kg, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. To convert your height to cm, multiply your height in inches by 2.54. Here is the Mifflin-St. Jeor formula:

Men: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) + 5
Women: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) – 161

This gives you an estimate of your RMR – which is, basically, how many calories you would need if you hung out on the couch all day. Since that is not the case for most of us, I multiply the RMR by an activity factor. The way I do it for my clients is to choose an activity factor for their day that does not include their workouts. Here are the activity factors:

• Sedentary (little or no exercise) = 1.2
• Llightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) = 1.375
• Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) = 1.550
• Very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) = 1.725
• Extra active (very hard exercise/sports and physical job) = 1.900

Finally, I add in the calories for workouts. Most athletes have a Garmin or heart rate monitor that gives them calories expended in a workout.

Here’s an example. Sandy is a marathoner who has a desk job. When she is home and not working out, she is playing with her two small children and doing house work, washing clothes, etc. She doesn’t sit much when she is at home. She is 32 years old, 5’5″ tall and weighs 140 pounds. She does not want to change her weight or body composition.

• 65 inches  2.54 = 163.15 inches
• 140/2.2 = 63.6 kg

The Mifflin-St. Jeor equeation for women is: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) – 161

Sandy’s RMR would be (10 x 63.6) + (6.25 x 163.15) – (5 x 32) – 161 = 1337 calories per day. Given her work and at home (non-workout activities) I would multiply her RMR by 1.35 (1337 x 1.35 = 1805 calories per day). Her workouts range from short runs when she burns 400 calories to long runs when she burns 1200 calories. This means that:

• On Sandy’s off day, she should eat about 1800 calories.
• On her short workout days, she should eat about 2200 calories.
• On her long workout days, she should eat about 3000 calories.

For most people, this gets a little overwhelming. To make it easier, we look at a seven day average. It is OK to move some calories (200 – 500) from your long workout day to the day before or after to pre-fuel and get you over being extra hungry on your day off.

I hope this helps you determine how many calories you need. If you have questions, let me know.

I just received an email from a gentleman I spoke with at the Houston Marathon Expo, let’s call him “Sam.” He was running the Houston Marathon as an “early” race in his season. Sam’s PR was 3:25 a few years ago, and he had been running 3:40+ lately. He was expecting to run a 3:40+ in the Houston marathon but was concerned because he always seemed to run out of gas at the end. Turns out, Sam was only using a couple of gels during the race. No wonder he was losing energy at the end of the race! His BIG GOAL is to break 3:30 at Boston.

The “rule of thumb” is about 45 grams of carbohydrates per hour for a run. Sam was taking in maybe 50 grams of carbohydrates over his 3:40+ race. As we talked, Sam was nervous about adding more fuel during his run. Honestly, I don’t like changing anything going into a race. However, since he knew the gels worked for him, I suggested he add a couple of more gels into the race. First, he should take one earlier somewhere around mile 5 – 6 and take the last one around miles 16 – 18.

In the email he sent over the weekend, he said that he followed what we had talked about. And, he said this is the FIRST TIME he’s ever run a negative split race (where the second half is faster than the first). He was impresssed and baffled, honestly, that adding a couple of gels could make such a big difference. He also said that usually around miles 16 – 18 his stomach didn’t feel good or like it could take anything in. But, this time he was fine and took that last gel when suggested. His time for the Houston maration. . . .3:30! Even better, he felt good through out the race and after the race.

I suggested he keep increasing his calories and carbs until he reached the 45 grams per hour mark and see what kind of difference it makes. I see numerous athletes who are underfuleing with leads to underperforming. Add in some additional fuel and they start performing better! It’s like magic!

This is something you can work on, too. Determine how many grams of carbohydrates are you taking in per hour on your runs. Ask yourself how you and your stomach feel? If you are taking in less than 45 grams per hour, try increasing it a little at a time and see how you feel. If you have stomach problems, reduce it by 5 t0 10 grams per hour and try it again. If you reach 45 and think you can take in more, increase it by 5 to 10 grams and see what happens. We each have our own nutritional “sweet spot.” It takes tinkering to find, but once you have it your performance will improve.

It is that time of year again – Girl Scout Cookie Time! Who doesn’t love Girl Scout Cookies? I think everyone has his or her own favorite. And, the Girl Scouts are just so cute in their uniforms selling the cookies. However, those cookies can be hard to keep around without eating them all at one time – at least for me.

I want to encourage my local Girl Scouts and support their troops. But, I don’t want their luscious cookies in my house. Girl Scout Cookies are one of my “danger foods” that I have a hard, if not impossible time, having in moderation. John, my husband, came up with a great solution. Rather than buying the cookies, make a donation in the amount that you’d buy to the troop. This actually works out as a HUGE win-win for everyone. The Girl Scout Troops only get between 10 and 20% of the purchase price of each box. This means they get between $0.40 and $0.80 per box. I’d rather hand them $10 or $20 as a donation to their troop and have them keep the entire amount rather than them getting a couple of dollars off a few boxes of cookies.

Next time you get approached by someone saying “Would you like to buy some cookies?” you can say, “Sure! But, I’d rather give you a donation instead.” Or, buy a box or two and give the rest in a donation. This helps you keep the cookies under control and help the Girl Scout troops in their mission to help girls.

Last week, I had the pleasure and thrill of attending an event where Joan Benoit Samuelson was speaking. Joan is a prolific runner who won the first women’s Olympic marathon in Los Angeles in 1985. She also won the Boston marathon twice – once in 1979 (before she graduated college) and again in 1986. She has set many records in her career. Getting to hear her speak and meet here was a highlight for me.

During Joan’s talk, she told a story about how, after having her first child, Nike wanted to shoot photos for a future ad campaign. The tagline of the ad was “There is no finish line.” This tagline struck a cord with me. It is so true! There is no real finish line in life. OK, I guess there is one true finish line – when we leave this earth and pass on to whatever is after.

The idea that there is no finish line changed how I look at a lot of things, and made some things make sense for me. We tend to focus on getting to a certain point – crossing the finish line of a race, our wedding day, the birth of a child, finishing school, reaching a goal weight. All of those things are finish lines, but life continues on after. There are more finish lines to come.

With the start of the new year, I’d like to encourage you to focus on your finish lines, or goals, for the year. But, while you are planning on successfully crossing each one, also think about what is next. Where will your next finish line be? And the one after that? And the one after that?

Around the holidays, we all need easy food to have in the house. With people visiting, an abundance of activities, the last thing we need is to worry about cooking. One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is have a breakfast ready to go that all I have to do is put it in the oven to cook when I get up in the morning. Ellie Krieger has a great recipe that fits this bill – Blueberry Almond French Toast Bake. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to put together before you go to bed. When you get up, pre-heat the oven and put the pan in the oven for about 50 minutes and you have breakfast. It is a great way to have breakfast in the works while opening presents, or just relaxing.

I hope you and yours have a great holiday season. Enjoy this time, relax, take a few deep breaths, and focus on living in each moment.

On November 28, this Dilbert comic came out:

This comic addresses one of my pet peeves with the media when they report results from research studies. A lot of the studies reported in the media are studies where a large group of people are followed and they answer questionnaires and provide health information at various intervals. Then, researchers crunch the numbers and see what relationships appear. Often, these studies show correlations – or relationships – between things. For example, let’s say that a researchers have been following the population of Small Town, Texas for 20 years. Every 5 years, the residents fill out surveys and provide their health information. At each 5 year interval, researchers also collect information about the businesses in Small Town, Texas. The researchers put all of the data into their statistical software and out pops a correlation showing that as the number of doughnut stores in Small Town, Texas goes up, weight of the residents of the town has dropped so they are all normal weight – they are NOT overweight or obese. The local news station picks up the story and reports “Towns with more doughnut shops have thinner residents!”

Really? Do more doughnut shops cause residents to be normal weight? This is the danger with studies like this and drawing conclusions about causality (A causes B). From the initial analysis, it looks like we need to start building doughnut shops on every corner to get people to be normal weight. However, in studies that monitor people over time, statements about causality cannot and should not be made. This is because statistically, statements about causality should only be made when something is changed (for example, if the researchers built 10 doughnut shops every year, then they changed the number of doughnut shops then they might be able to make statements about the number of doughnut shops and the residents’ weight). The only thing researchers can say is that it looks like the number of doughnut shops and the weights of people in Small Town, Texas are related and in what way (positive – as one goes up so does the other; or negative – as one goes up the other goes down).

What does this have to do with the Dilbert comic? The comic shows that Dilbert’s boss (the one with pointy hair) thinks Dilbert (they guy with the curly red striped tie) is sending him emails about world’s worst bosses because he gets one each time the boss leaves Dilbert’s cubicle. However, the boss doesn’t know that Wally (the guy with the green tie)  is watching Dilbert’s cube and sending the emails to the boss when he leaves. Using the sample study talked about previously, the media reports that as the number of doughnut shops rise, weights fall in Small Town, Texas. However, what the study did not show is that Small Town, Texas is on I-10 at the border with another state where doughnuts are illegal. People are coming across the border to buy doughnuts and when people go visit friends and family in Doughnuts are Illegal State, they stop in Small Town, Texas and buy dozens of doughnuts to take to their doughnut deprived friends and family. This has spurred the growth of the doughnut industry in Small Town, Texas. The study didn’t take Small Town’s location into account which is the cause for the high number of doughnut shops and is not related in any way to the weights of the residents.

The moral of the story – be wary and question, question, question when the media reports the findings from the latest and greatest study.

This story is aimed at the ladies. Guys, you can feel free to tune in to the next post/newsletter.

I know I missed National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), but this is an issue that needs to be addressed. Ladies, you’ve got to protect the girls. By “girls” I mean your breasts. As athletes, our breasts can really take a pounding. Research has shown that when we run or workout, they move in all sorts of directions, move independently of each other, and move at all sorts of speeds. If we do not have an excellent sports bra, our exercising may result in early sag because the tissue and ligaments that support and give the breasts shape have been damaged.

Bra shopping is one of my least favorite activities. but, when it comes time for a new sports bra, I take shopping for one very seriously. When shopping for a sports bra, grab a few that meet the impact level you need (yoga=low, running=high)  and head to the dressing room. When you put the bra on, be sure all of the breast tissue is in the cups. This may involve bending over as you put the bra on then standing up, using your hands to move the tissue into the cups, and making other adjustments. If all of the tissue will not fit into the cup (no bulging on the outside or inside) you need to go to a larger cup size.

After all the breast tissue is settled into the cups, start jumping around. Jog in place. Yes, I’m serious (I see you laughing out there). You want to see how much your girls move. If it fits, but doesn’t stabilize the girls, the bra isn’t doing the job it needs to. In my book, I want a bra where the girls only move a tiny bit or not at all. If they move more than that, that is not the bra for me. I keep trying bras on until I find one I like. This process can take a while. Once I find a bra I like, I stick with it. My current favorite is the Maia from Moving Comfort. However, you need to find a bra that works for you and your level of activity.

With a good fitting bra, you and your girls will be happy and perky for many years!

One of the great things about interns is that they give me tips on new products I have not seen yet. Honestly, there are so many new products available at grocery stores, it is impossible to keep up with them. One of my interns told me about Emerald’s Cocoa Roast Almonds. They are roasted almonds that are dusted with cocoa powder. It is just enough cocoa powder to give a chocolate flavor that is a perfect blend with the almonds.

One ounce of the cocoa roasted almonds give you 150 calories, 13 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrates, and 6 grams of protein. This is a lot of calories in a small space, so you do need to be careful with them. Just because they are nuts does not mean you can eat as much as you want.

I have found they make a nice, filling snack (because of the mix of protein, carbohydrates, and fat) particularly after dinner when I’m looking for a taste of chocolate.

Give them a try and let me know what you think!