There are some behaviors that athletes have that prevent them from progressing in performance, recovery, achieving goals, and even losing weight. We know that changing behavior is complicated, challenging, and takes time. But little by little and with discipline, you can get there. And let’s face it, some mentioned are easier to change than others.
For those that are more difficult, ask for help! Here they are:
Underestimating energy intake and overestimating energy expenditure
Underestimating just how many calories you are consuming and overestimating the energy you have used in training. Most people underestimate both portion sizes and forget bits and pieces of food that they eat mindlessly.
The opposite is often true. Athletes eat less than they need to have energy for training.
Eating snacks or foods more or less than you need will hinder your progress.
Over-relying on the Garmin says
GPS devices are nice for tracking training and estimating energy expenditure – but it’s important to realize that this is an estimate and isn’t 100% accurate.
The amount of calories burned that Garmin shows you after your runs is not reliable. Don’t rely on this information to decide what to eat for the rest of the day. The chances of you overeating or too under-eating are high.
Eating the same amount of food every day – regardless of training.
It is also quite common for athletes to under-eat on training days and then overeat on rest days, resulting in no overall change in energy intake. Most athletes habitually eat the same amount of food day in and out – regardless of what their training schedule looks like.
This can lead to poor muscle recovery and injury.
Not periodizing nutrition to your training load
I don’t think anyone does exactly the same training routine every week.
Some weeks we train more, others we train less.
Athletes have specific training plans to achieve goals and results in half marathons, marathons, triathlons, and other races.
It covers the training phases throughout the year. Athletes need to adapt their needs according to the phases of the year!
High-intensity efforts and training sessions require high carbohydrate availability to get the most benefit, while endurance steady-state sessions can be done with reduced carbohydrates to enhance fat burning.
Inconsistency
The best way to improve performance and achieve your goals is not to be inconsistent.
Build changes slowly, sticking to them regularly consistently, even when you don’t feel like it.
Small, regular modifications in food portion sizes, varieties, and timings will have a considerably greater impact on your overall outcome than large, unsustainable changes. Starting small and working your way up always provides greater and more sustainable outcomes, just like training does.
Wrong portion sizes
Underestimating portion sizes is a common hindrance for any athlete wanting to get more energy intake or change their body composition.
Depending on how generous your freehand serving is, you could be adding an extra 300-400kcal without even noticing. These small differences add up and could be the main reason why you aren’t seeing the results you expect to see.
Many athletes make mistakes with portion size and this ends up affecting their performance.
As this is an important subject, I’ll cover it in more depth in another post.
Consider speaking with a sports dietitian to get specific advice tailored to your goals and training plan, or find out more about how can I help you here.
