The Dangers of Dieting

(Photo: Heather Nakamura, MPE, MS, RD) The dangers of losing weight too fast and in an unstructured way are illustrated in the personal profile and nutritional makeover for runner BETHANY OJALEHTO

Personal Profile: Bethany Ojalehto

Female. Age: 16. Height: 5’3”. Weight: 107. Goal Weight: 98. Occupation: Student/Athlete. Weekly Training Program: Running 6 days per week, 4-9 miles per day; Snowboarding – 5 hours.   

The Challenge:

Beth had been working on losing weight for the upcoming track season when she read my column in Northwest Runner and decided to contact me for assistance. She said that she had lost weight prior to cross-country season last fall, and felt it had helped her performance. She was currently restricting her calorie intake to about 1000-1200 calories per day and noticed that her energy level had decreased and she was experiencing periods of dizziness. She said that her coach was concerned that she may not consuming enough calories to support her training program, so we decided it would be helpful for her to come in for a consultation and assessment.

TWO-DAY FOOD DIARY:

Body Composition Test

Current weight: 107 pounds   Percent Body fat: 11.5%
Lean Weight: 90.5 pounds      Fat weight: 11.5 pounds

Goal % body fat: 14-16%%

Comments:

Beth’s body composition test showed that her body fat was lower than optimal for health and performance. We discussed the fact that she didn’t need to lose weight, but instead should work on increasing lean mass to improve her speed and performance. The analysis of Beth’s two-day food record showed that she had been pretty accurate in her estimated calorie intake. She averaged only about 1100 calories per day, which was only 40% of what would be required to support her needs for training and lean mass gain. Her carbohydrate intake was only 40% and her protein intake about 80% or her recommended needs, which would explain both her decreased energy level and lower than optimal lean body mass. In addition, her diet fell short in many nutrients, including iron, zinc, calcium, and vitamins C and E.

Recommendations:

1.      Boost your carbohydrates. You need to double your carbohydrate intake to maximize energy for your training sessions. Try the following recommendations:

• Switch to a bagel or two Nutrigrain bars for breakfast in the morning.
• Add some fruit or fruit juice mid-morning as a snack. Choosing citrus fruits or juices will also help to increase your intake of vitamin C, and calcium-fortified orange juice has the added benefit of increasing your calcium intake.
• Try eating leftover pasta or rice at lunch for a higher-carbohydrate meal option.
• Increase your starch portions at dinner to 1cup rice, 1.5 cups of pasta, or 1 cup of potatoes.
• Add a bowl of cereal and milk as a PM snack to top off your carbohydrate stores for the day. This is also a great way to boost your daily calcium intake.  

  2.      Pump up your protein. Your intake of protein also fell short of your recommended needs. Runners who perform distance workouts and don’t consume enough carbohydrate tend to burn more lean mass for fuel. By making sure to meet your protein needs, you can help to spare your muscle mass. Here are some ideas for increasing your protein intake:

• Increase your serving of lunchmeat to about 3 ounces at lunch or dinner
• Add chicken, fish or beans to your rice or pasta leftovers. This will also help to increase your intake of iron and zinc, important minerals for active women.
• Add an afternoon snack that combines both carbohydrate and protein, such as yogurt and a granola bar, or a bagel and cheese. This will help to provide extended energy to fuel your late afternoon track practices.

3.      Eat when you’re hungry! Restricting your calorie intake on an ongoing basis is a difficult thing to do, and your body will likely send you signals for more calories. These can result in cravings for sweets, desserts, or foods containing concentrated calories. This doesn’t mean you don’t have enough “will-power”. It’s a sign that your body needs more fuel to function optimally. The best thing an active person can do is listen to your body! Learn to eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re truly full! As you begin to fuel your body more regularly – especially by adding more carbohydrate – many of your cravings will probably disappear.

4.      Take a Multivitamin to balance out your nutrient needs. Based on your current dietary shortfalls, I would suggest a multivitamin with mineral supplement daily. Choose one that provides 100-150% of the daily value for all vitamins and minerals listed. I would also recommend two 500 mg calcium supplements each day to help meet your calcium needs.  

5.      Add some weight training: Adding weight training to your running program will help to promote lean mass growth and increase your strength and power for running. Choose 8-10 machines that provide a total body workout. Then start with one set of 10-15 repetitions, trying to perform each set to muscular fatigue. Your speed of movement should be slow and continuous, completing the 10-15 repetitions within about 60-90 seconds. Performing this routine three times per week will help to optimize your strength and lean mass gains.  

Focus on recovery: Your training schedule is quite intense, and your recovery could benefit from at least one complete rest day per week. You’ll achieve the most benefit from that rest day if it occurs during the middle of week, rather than waiting until the weekend. You should also use one of your weekend days to perform a light workout or a cross-training activity that will give your muscles a break from the impact of continuous daily running.