For athletes who just can’t seem to eat normally….

Posted on 04-10-2014 , by: Nancy Clark , in , 0 Comments

Many of my clients come to me, wishing they could just eat normally. They see their chaotic or restrictive  eating as being a problem that creates issues with their weight, energy, and performance. Weight issues tend to be “I’m not good enough” issues. Feeling imperfect or out of control is an unhappy place to live. An athlete might distract himself from feeling that discomfort by keeping himself busy tracking calories, exercising to burn fat, and obsessing about what, when and how much to eat. Food-thoughts can occupy 99% of the day, leaving little time or energy to deal with the real issue: poor self-esteem and why he doesn’t feel good about himself.

To every athlete’s detriment, dieting/restricting food can hurt the body’s ability to function normally (as commonly noted by feeling cold and tired all the time, and in women, ceasing to have regular menstrual periods). Bones become weakened, stress fractures occur, and osteoporosis appears too young. Future infertility can be a sad consequence.

If any of this sounds familiar, please stop procrastinating and get some help! Seeing a registered dietitian (RD) who specializes in sports nutritionist is a good place to start on your journey to find peace with food and your body. To find a local sports RD, use the referral network at www.SCANdpg.org.

Another resource is the section on weight management in my Sports Nutrition Guidebook. Whatever you do – meet with an RD or read a self-help book, do something so you can stop struggling and have more fun. Don’t let shame or embarrassment block you from getting the help you need so you can reach your performance goals.

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