I’m going to make my first “serious” effort at minding my nutrition both from a portion control/weight loss level, and also a “fueling for workouts” perspective. Rather than just eat what seems like the right amount of something, I’m going to try to do it by the numbers.
Various sports nutrition books I’ve consulted yield different recommended ratios for endurance athletes:
Monique Ryan recommends 55% carbs (as 35% grains, 20% fruits and veggies) / 25% fat / 20% protein (as 15 protein, 5 dairy).
Lisa Dorfman, author of the Vegetarian Sports Nutrition Guide (yes, I’m a vegetarian), recommends more like 70% carbs, 20% protein, and 10% fat (although she quotes ranges of 60-75% carbs, 12.5 to 20% protein, and 6 to 25% fat).
Both books are geared at endurance athletes including triathletes, marathoners, and cyclists.
My questions: What accounts for the differences in these recommendations? How should the ratio be varied in the off season versus base, build, and competition phases of training?
Any time I have checked my intake (I cannot possibly do a food log long-term; that is, more than 1-2 weeks) it has been 55% carbs, 20% fat, 25% protein. This is me just eating what I believe is right, and not trying to hit a target. Protein requirement for a very active person is about 0.8 - 1 gram per pound of body weight. Ryan recommendations are right on, and Dorfman’s ranges are perfectly sound also. My intake doesn’t vary much, no matter what time of year it is. Carbs might be as high as 60% at some times, but no higher. I really don’t find it necessary to continuously monitor the intake. I just eat lean meats, lots of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, good fat, omega 3 eggs, and dark chocolate and red wine occassionally.
Thanks! Other than the lean meats, what you’re doing sounds a lot like me currently. I’m partly curious to know whether I derive any benefit from monitoring it super-closely. I think you’re right that it’s not sustainable for a long time, at least not for those of us who don’t race professionally.
depending on what you are ttying to accomplish whether one diet is better than the other. and then ad bio-individuality and the ratios change again. so it really is a larger question than you expected. or rather a muc more complicated answer than you can mention in one response.
joanna www.nutrition-in-motion.net
I agree with counting grams instead of %. The problem with the % approach is that the protein requirements of an endurance athlete do not increase at the same rate as CHO requirements with increased training load.
E.g. The top-end recommendation for endurance athletes protein requirements is 1.2-1.6g/kg of bodyweight. However, CHO requirements are closer to 1g/kg per hour of training.
Therefore the % for someone training 1hr a day are going to show a much higher protein % than someone training 6hrs a day because the absolute protein intake may have only increased .4g/kg for the 6hr guy, while his CHO needs will have increased 5g/kg.
The 70-80% range will generally be found in those training 30+ hrs/wk. If a regular Joe tries the same approach, they are either under-doing the protein or well on their way to adding a spare tire.
Of course it depends on what your going for. Some guy named Lance something used to weigh his food to make sure it was exactly what he needed. I think thats taking it too far if your not getting paid. I’m a vegetarian too. I just make sure to eat fruit and vegetables all day. Really it doesn’t take much to fuel and I think most people over do it alot. Spaghetti and bread should be used sparingly maybe once a week. If you work in a office 40 hours a week like me it should be only salads and fruit and no dressing. One of the advantages of eating really well is that its a mental boost when racing. When your feeling low on the bike or run you can draw on that discipline and it gives you a boost. I think getting into all the percentages is for the birds. Just eat fruits and vegetables when your hungry. Even if that means eating 7 or 8 times a day. For protein try whey or hemp protein powder. A good reference is Brendan Brazier he is a vegan triathlete.
Depends on what you read. Most of the sources that I have read on protein requirements for endurance athletes fall in the 1.2-1.6 category.
The exceptions would be:
Tour De France cyclists during the event (or similar extreme loads). I have seen studies that put their requirement at 2g/kg.
Adolescent athletes undergoing a growth spurt - also 2g/kg
Louise Burke does a good discussion of protein requirements for endurance athletes in the book “Peak Performance”.
That said, I’m sure 1.8 isn’t going to put you at a toxic level of ketosis or anything, point being most athletes over-estimate their protein needs - 100g/day is not that hard to come by in the case of a normal diet.
Not a fascinating topic but hoped to get one or two more responses.