Beauty Cream!: September 2019

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Try some of these other weight loss tips

Although weight loss is a widely researched topic, the number of studies performed on athletes is limited.

Nevertheless, many of the strategies scientifically proven to help non-athletes lose body fat may also benefit athletes. Thus, you can try some of the following:

Record your portions. Measuring your portions and keeping track of what you eat is scientifically proven to help you get better results (27Trusted Source).
Drink enough fluids. Drinking liquids before a meal, whether it's soup or water, can help you consume up to 22% fewer calories at the meal (28Trusted Source, 29Trusted Source).
Eat slowly. Slow eaters tend to eat less and feel fuller than fast eaters. Eating slowly can help you decrease your calorie intake without feeling hungry. Aim to take at least 20 minutes for each meal (30Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source).
Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a source of empty calories. What's more, it can prevent athletes from properly refueling after exercise, which can negatively affect future performance (32Trusted Source, 33Trusted Source, 34Trusted Source).
Get enough sleep. Research suggests that too little sleep can increase hunger and appetite by up to 24%. As sleep is also important for athletic performance, make sure you get enough (35Trusted Source, 36Trusted Source).
Reduce your stress. Having high levels of stress increases cortisol levels, which promotes food cravings. Mental and physical stress can also prevent proper recovery (37Trusted Source, 38Trusted Source).

Increase calories gradually after you reach your goal

Once you've reached your body fat percentage goal, it's tempting to quickly start eating more.

However, this may not be the most effective way to maintain your results.

That's because your body can adapt to a restricted calorie intake by adjusting your metabolism and hormone levels.

Researchers believe these adaptations can persist for some time after you bump up your calorie intake and cause you to quickly regain the lost fat (5Trusted Source).

A good alternative may be to increase your calories gradually.

This may help restore your hormone levels and metabolism better, minimizing the weight regain (5Trusted Source).

Do strength training

Individuals attempting to lose weight are often at risk of losing some muscle in addition to fat. Athletes are no exception.

Some muscle loss can be prevented by eating a sufficient amount of protein, avoiding crash diets, and lifting weights (3Trusted Source).

Research shows that both protein intake and strength-training exercises stimulate muscle protein synthesis. What's more, combining the two seems to produce the greatest effect (26Trusted Source).

Nevertheless, make sure to speak to your coach before adding any extra workouts to your schedule. This will reduce your risk of overtraining or injuries.

information https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-weight-loss-tips-for-athletes#section7

Refuel well after training

Eating the right foods after training or competing is vital, especially when trying to lose body fat.

Proper refueling is especially important for days with two training sessions or when you have fewer than eight hours of recovery time between workouts and events (2).

Athletes following carb-restricted diets should aim to consume between 0.5–0.7 grams of carbs per pound of body weight (1–1.5 grams per kg) as soon as possible after a training session (2, 3Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

Adding 20–25 grams of protein can further speed up recovery and promote protein production in your muscles (2).

more at https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-weight-loss-tips-for-athletes#section6

Spread protein intake throughout the day

In addition to eating more protein, athletes can benefit from spreading their intake throughout the day (20Trusted Source).

In fact, 20–30 grams of protein per meal seems sufficient to stimulate muscles to produce protein for the following 2–3 hours.

This is why many scientists believe that it’s ideal to consume a protein-rich meal or snack every 3 hours (3Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).

Interestingly, studies in athletes show that spreading 80 grams of protein over 4 meals stimulates muscle protein production more than splitting it over 2 larger meals or 8 smaller ones (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).

A 2-week weight loss study in boxers also found that those who spread their daily calorie allowance over 6 meals instead of 2 lost 46% less muscle mass (24Trusted Source).

Eating a snack with 40 grams of protein immediately before bedtime can also improve recovery from training and increase muscle protein synthesis during the night (25Trusted Source).

However, more research in athletes is needed to draw strong conclusions.

Eat less added sugar and more fiber

Low-carb diets providing less than 35–40% of calories from carbs seem very effective at promoting fat loss (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).

However, restricting carbs too dramatically is not always best for athletes. That's because it can negatively affect training and sports performance (2, 3Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).

Aim for a carb intake that's 40% of your daily calories to maximize fat loss. Still, consume no less than 1.4–1.8 grams of carbs per pound (3–4 grams per kg) each day (2, 11Trusted Source).

Cutting out added sugars is the healthiest way to reduce your total carb intake.

To do so, check labels and minimize foods that contain added sugars like glucose, sucrose, and fructose. Also, avoid cane juice, dextrin, maltodextrin, barley malt, caramel, fruit juice concentrate, fruit juice crystals, or other syrups.

Instead, increase your intake of vegetables high in fiber. These will help keep you fuller for longer, making you feel more satisfied (12, 13Trusted Source, 14).

Avoid crash diets

If you cut calories too drastically, your nutrient intake may not support proper training and recovery.

This can increase your risk of injury, illness, and overtraining syndrome (2).

The latest sports nutrition guidelines also warn against eating too few calories and reaching a dangerously low body fat percentage, both of which can disrupt reproductive function and diminish bone health (2).

The lowest safe recommended body fat percentage is 5% in men and 12% in women. However, these levels are not necessarily best for all athletes, so discuss what's best for you with your coach and sports dietitian (4Trusted Source).

Cutting calories too quickly can also negatively affect hormones and metabolism (5Trusted Source).

To decrease body fat, athletes should eat about 300–500 fewer calories per day but avoid eating fewer than 13.5 calories per pound (30 kilocalories per kg) of fat-free mass per day (2, 3Trusted Source).

If you don't know how much fat-free mass you have, get your body composition estimated with either a skinfold test or bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).

You can also get your body composition measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) or underwater weighing. These are more accurate but also tend to be expensive and harder to come by.

more at https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-weight-loss-tips-for-athletes#section2

Lose fat during the off-season

It's very difficult to decrease body fat and reach peak fitness at the same time.

To lose fat, you need to eat fewer calories. This can make training feel more difficult and prevent you from performing at your best.

For this reason, it's best to lose fat in the off-season, when you’re not competing. If that's not possible, aim for less intense training periods.

Attempting fat loss in the off-season will also give you more time to reach your goal. Losing weight at a slower rate decreases the likelihood of muscle loss and seems to support better sports performance (1Trusted Source).

Most research agrees that weight loss of 1 pound (0.5 kg) or less per week is ideal (1Trusted Source, 2, 3Trusted Source).

more at https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-weight-loss-tips-for-athletes#section1

9 Science-Based Ways for Athletes to Lose Weight

Written by Alina Petre, MS, RD (CA) on April 16, 2019

Humans need a certain amount of body fat to maintain basic functions.

However, a higher body fat percentage can negatively affect performance in athletes.

That said, athletes need to approach weight loss with care. Failing to do so can negatively affect training and lead to muscle loss.

Here are 9 science-based weight loss tips for athletes.

information at https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-weight-loss-tips-for-athletes

The Bottom Line

Stepping on the scale will only tell you how much you weigh.

You can get a more accurate picture by taking into account your body composition, or your fat mass and muscle mass.

Two simple ways to track your body composition over time include measuring the circumference of different body parts and taking progress pictures at regular intervals.

There are also devices you can buy to track your body composition, but many are inaccurate.

Your body composition is affected by your nutritional habits, exercise, sleep and other factors. For this reason, improving it can sometimes feel complicated.

However, focusing on some of the basic concepts covered in this article can get you started in the right direction.

information at https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/improve-body-composition#section4

Physical Activity and Exercise

Physical activity and exercise are other crucial components for improving body composition.

They not only increase the calories you use, but they are also necessary for optimal muscle growth.

Since body composition can be improved by decreasing fat mass or increasing muscle mass, this is an important point.

Your muscles need to be challenged by exercise, particularly weight training, to grow and get stronger (18Trusted Source).

However, many types of exercise can potentially help with fat loss (19Trusted Source).

The American College of Sports Medicine states that 150–250 minutes of exercise per week may lead to a small amount of weight loss (20Trusted Source).

If you exercise 5 days per week, this comes out to 30–50 minutes per day, though they recommend 250 minutes per week or more to promote significant weight loss (20Trusted Source).

While these recommendations focus on body weight, it is important to remember that some forms of exercise will build muscle while you are losing fat.

This is another example of why thinking about your body composition, rather than just body weight, is a good idea.

Nutrition

First, consider the number of calories you are eating.

Although they aren’t the only thing that matters, calories are one of the most important factors to consider (9Trusted Source).

In simple terms, if you consistently eat more calories than your body uses, you will gain weight — typically as fat. Likewise, if you consistently eat fewer calories than your body uses, you will lose weight.

It can also be helpful to think about the types of food you tend to overeat.

Often, they are processed foods, such as ice cream, pizza and chips, that are highly rewarding to the brain (10Trusted Source).

These foods contain many calories and don’t usually keep you satisfied. This is partly due to their low protein and fiber content.

After considering how many calories you eat, think about whether you are eating enough protein and fiber.

Protein is important for everyone, but you may need more if you are active or trying to gain muscle or lose fat (11Trusted Source).

It is more satisfying than carbs or fat, and your body also burns more calories processing protein than these other nutrients (11Trusted Source, 12).

Fiber also has several health benefits and can increase the feelings of fullness and satisfaction after eating (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).

It can be obtained from a variety of plant-based foods, including beans, whole grains, nuts and vegetables (15).

For adults up to age 50, it is recommended that men consume 38 grams of fiber per day, while women are advised to eat 25 grams per day (16).

Incredibly, less than 5% of most age groups in the United States consume enough fiber (17Trusted Source).

Keeping your calories, protein and fiber in check is a good place to start if you want to improve your body composition and health.

more at https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/improve-body-composition#section3

Improve Your Body Composition

How to Improve Your Body Composition

Your body composition is made up of fat mass and fat-free mass.

You can improve it by decreasing body fat, increasing muscle or both.

Any of these changes will lead to a decrease in your body fat percentage, which is viewed as a single number that describes your body composition.

Most people know that diet and exercise can affect body weight and body composition.

However, their impact on body composition isn’t always simple.

Nonetheless, a good place to start is with some basic principles of nutrition and physical activity.

more at https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/improve-body-composition#section3

Devices That Measure Body Composition

In addition to these simple methods, there are devices you can buy that measure body composition.

Many of these devices use a technology called bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).

BIA sends small electrical currents through your body to see how much your body resists the current. This information is used to predict your body fat percentage (5Trusted Source).

While it is nice to see an actual number for your body fat percentage, many of these devices aren’t very accurate.

In fact, research has shown that the common handheld BIA unit underestimates body fat percentage by 8–10%, compared to more accurate research tools (6Trusted Source).

What’s more, factors like food and water intake before using these devices can make the results inaccurate (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).

If you do choose to use a BIA device, be sure to use it in the morning before you eat or drink anything (7Trusted Source).