Fat loss for the performance athlete

Although an often-overlooked topic, at some point in a performance nutritionist’s career, you will encounter an athlete who wants to lose body fat. Although it is vitally important to remind athletes of the necessity of appropriately fueling their training and competition efforts, the practitioner has to support the athletes’ efforts and goals. Failure to do so may lead to the athlete searching for their own answers and thus adopting less than optimal practices.

Restricting calorie intake for the reduction of body fat may be advantageous in a variety of sports including aesthetic and weight-class sports to improve power-to-weight ratios as well as to improve overall athletic performance (Sundgot-Borgen & Garthe, 2011). Take a look at some of the tips below on how to support fat loss in a performance athlete.

1. Test, don’t guess…

Testing body composition is an excellent tool for a practitioner to assess an athlete’s fat loss efforts objectively. As we know, the scale and measuring body weight does not tell us the whole story, especially when working with athletes. By taking measurements periodically throughout a fat loss phase, the practitioner can not only guide interventions but also provide motivating feedback to the athlete as they see improvements in the measurements. However, if you choose to assess this, be sure to be consistent with your choice of measurement. Body composition results from different assessment tools should never be used for comparison sake. Get a baseline of where the athlete is at, then at subsequent time points thereafter. Typically, I would suggest retesting every 6-8 weeks as needed.

2. Limit calorie-containing beverages

An easy step in which a considerable dent in caloric intake can be made with minimal effort. Athletes love to gravitate toward fruit juices, sports drinks, flavored milk, and soda, especially those at the collegiate level. Not to demonize or make an example of these beverages but the calorie count can quickly amount with excessive intake. Save these drinks for the appropriate scenarios where they may be beneficial to support performance or recovery instead of sipping on throughout the day or at mealtimes. It is still important to encourage adequate hydration, nevertheless. The palatability of water can be improved by adding fresh fruit or even no/low-calorie flavorings like MiO drops for those who complain about the lack of taste…

3. Increase protein intake

With a reduction of calories, the athlete is at increased risk of losing lean body mass. It is important to educate the athlete on the importance of protein during a fat-loss phase. The current recommendations for protein intake in elite athletes undergoing caloric restriction are around 1.6-2.4?g?protein/kg/day, and the protein requirements can shift within this range (Hector & Phillips, 2018). The athlete should aim to spread their protein intake throughout the day (0.4-0.6 g/kg per meal) and the practitioner can aid this by prescribing the appropriate foods at mealtimes based on athlete preferences. It should be noted that higher-quality proteins, including animal-based proteins, contain a higher proportion of essential amino acids, which are known to be potent stimulators of muscle protein synthesis (Tang et al., 2009). An often-overlooked benefit of lean animal proteins is that they also contain less ‘caloric baggage’ than many non-animal alternatives.

Additionally, beyond supporting the retention of muscle mass, an increase in protein intake will also aid satiety which can help keep the athlete on track with their fat loss efforts. Research has suggested that where individuals experience negative symptoms (i.e., cravings), the implementation of periodic high-protein meals may be sufficient to maintain satisfaction and diet sustainability (Roberts et al., 2019). For example, high protein feeds at the evening meal and before bed may not only support recovery and positive changes to body composition but also support dietary adherence.

4. Periodization of carbohydrate intake?

Ultimately, achieving a calorie deficit will be the primary driver of fat loss but carbohydrate periodization may be a useful tool for an athlete who still has to tactically support their training, recovery, and competition efforts. Depending on the demands of the day, training session(s), or competition, the practitioner can manipulate the athlete’s carbohydrate intake to reflect the tasks ahead of that day. I like to use this approach as I find it is less complicated and easier for an athlete to adhere to instead of prescribing calorie and macronutrient goals.

Ideally, body composition changes should take place in the off-season away from the rigors of the competitive season, but you may encounter a scenario in which an individual may need to drop some body fat during the season to be more effective in competition. As they say, "fuel for the work required". Take a look at the example highlighted below to show how this may be achieved in either a rugby or American football athlete.

Monday:?AM - Low intensity on field & skills (60 mins), PM - Upper Body Gym

Tuesday:?AM - High intensity on field & skills (45 mins), PM - Lower Body Gym

Wednesday:?AM - High intensity on the field with contact (90 mins), PM - Upper Body Gym

Thursday:?Rest and recovery

Friday:?AM - Team run/walk-through

Saturday:?PM - Game

Sunday:?Rest and recovery

Low: restrict the carbohydrate content of meals to fruits and vegetables.

Medium: include one to two sources of high-quality carbohydrates in feed.

High: include two plus sources of high-quality carbohydrates in feed.

5. Fruits and vegetables are your friend

Nutritionists and dietitians are always quick to tout the benefits of increased fruit and vegetable consumption but beyond the well-documented health benefits, they may also play a key role in improving dietary adherence. Many fruits and vegetables are rich in dietary fiber which can make the athlete feel fuller for longer following the cessation of a feed. In addition, fruits, and vegetables are low in energy density which causes the individuals to feel full on fewer calories and may stay full longer as compared to other foods consumed in the same amount (Hakim et al., 2018). However, getting athletes to eat enough fruit and vegetables, let alone increase their intake, can be a challenge. Look to present exciting ways to better promote their consumption and you may be surprised by the positive feedback you’ll receive.

6. Fasting?

Another hotly debated topic in the field of nutrition is fasting, which has become increasingly popular over the past few years. Although controversial, I do think there may be some merit for an athlete looking to decrease their level of body fatness. Pushing back the first meal of the day or overlooking a calorie-rich breakfast may help some achieve a calorie deficit and still allow them to incorporate some of the foods they enjoy consuming. This is where context is important, however… If performance is the priority, skipping meals and feeds is unlikely to benefit those outcomes. However, if training for short durations, decreased intensities, and the need to decrease body fatness exceeds that of muscle hypertrophy, shortening the athlete’s feeding window may be another tool in the toolbox for the practitioner. This may be a nice tool to incorporate during an off-season.

7. SLEEP

Rightfully so, sleep has gained a ton of traction in performance staff and athletes over the past few years. The detriments of insufficient sleep are extensive and can derail an athlete’s fat loss efforts regardless of their level of “willpower”. Unsatisfactory sleep can ramp up levels of ghrelin (hunger hormone) which can lead to an individual overeating come feeding time. In addition, levels of leptin (satiety hormone) are lowered which can also lead to dysfunctional appetite regulation (Spiegel et al., 2004). Although not conducted in athlete populations, research has highlighted that individuals who slept less than six hours per night lost significantly less fat than the group who achieved more than eight hours of sleep despite achieving similar amounts of weight loss (Nedeltcheva et al., 2010). Therefore, achieving a sufficient amount of sleep every night is a powerful tool to support both the retention of lean muscle mass and the regulation of appetite during a fat-loss phase.

8. Increase NEAT

What are your athletes doing outside of the practice facility, out of sight? It is not too uncommon I catch an offensive lineman in the elevator, skipping out on the stairs… Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating, or sports-like exercise (Levine, 2002). This can range from the energy expended walking to work, typing, performing yard work, undertaking agricultural tasks, and fidgeting.?Not all, but many athletes will leave the practice facility and spend the remainder of the day on a games console or in front of the TV. Encouraging athletes to engage in light physical activity, such as walking a little more, may help accelerate fat loss without hindering their recovery efforts. Furthermore, working closely with your strength & and conditioning staff, additional conditioning work programmed effectively will also increase an athlete’s energy expenditure. This work may have advantageous carry-over for on-field performance but it will also prevent further restrictions on food intake which is not ideal for supporting athlete health, performance, and recovery.

References

1. Sundgot-Borgen, J., & Garthe, I. (2011). Elite athletes in aesthetic and Olympic weight-class sports and the challenge of body weight and body compositions.?Journal of Sports Sciences,?29(sup1), S101-S114.

2. Hector, A. J., & Phillips, S. M. (2018). Protein recommendations for weight loss in elite athletes: A focus on body composition and performance.?International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism,?28(2), 170-177.

3. Tang, J. E., Moore, D. R., Kujbida, G. W., Tarnopolsky, M. A., & Phillips, S. M. (2009). Ingestion of whey hydrolysate, casein, or soy protein isolate: effects on mixed muscle protein synthesis at rest and following resistance exercise in young men.?Journal of Applied Physiology,?107(3), 987-992.

4. Roberts, J., Zinchenko, A., Mahbubani, K., Johnstone, J., Smith, L., Merzbach, V., ... & Henselmans, M. (2019). Satiating effect of high protein diets on resistance-trained subjects in energy deficit.?Nutrients,?11(1), 56.

5. Hakim, B. N. A., Yahya, H. M., Shahar, S., & Manaf, Z. A. (2018). Influence of fruit and vegetable intake on satiety and energy intake: a review.?Sains Malaysiana,?47(10), 2381-2390.

6. Spiegel, K., Tasali, E., Penev, P., & Van Cauter, E. (2004). Brief communication: sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite.?Annals of Internal Medicine,?141(11), 846-850.

7. Nedeltcheva, A. V., Kilkus, J. M., Imperial, J., Schoeller, D. A., & Penev, P. D. (2010). Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity.?Annals of Internal Medicine,?153(7), 435-441.

8. Levine, J. A. (2002). Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).?Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism,?16(4), 679-702.