diet for athlete

[romoranger]

basically i am helping out my friend (keep in my she is a female) that is training for tennis (wants to play pro). she spends about 1 hour working out, 1 hour doing endurance training, and 2 on the court each day as a minimum

here is the diet i helepd her plan tentatively

calories carbs fat protein
meal 1
anpb 100 3 8 4.5
protein 134 3 2 26
bagel 380 53 10 18

meal 2
tuna 60 0 1 13
sweet potato 180 41 0 4

meal 3
chicken 8 oz 374 0 8 69
sweet potato 180 41 0 4

after workout
banana 200 51 1 2
protein 134 3 2 26

meal 4
8oz lean ground beef 370 0 13 58
white rice 1/2 cup 380 86 1 6
asparagus 32 3 1 5

pre bed
anpb 100 3 2 4.5

snacks
turkey 2 slices 41 5.9 1 3
swiss cheese 160 0 12 12
pickle 17 4 0 1
total 2842 296.9 62 256
i would ultimately want her to be around 3500-4000 calories, but she is coming from a starvation diet because her coaches told her to get in shape and thats how she had done it in past years, but it never worked and i decided its time to feed her because overtraining and undereating are not good.

let me know your opinion, especailly those of you that understand diets a little more

as for the snacks those she can eat whenever she is hungry or craving something. she just rolls them up and eats them.

 

[zaxxon1982]

I played college tennis and am not female, and I never ate that much protein. I would bring the meats down to 4 oz servings instead of 8 oz and cut the protein supplementation by at least 25%.

Also, you should take into consideration the cals she's likely getting from sports drinks and gels on the court and during the endurance work. I'll guess that accounts for about 75g of carbs.

Last, the only time she'll need any high-glycemic carbs will be after weight training, on the court, and during the aerobic exercise. So I'd swap the white rice for brown and swap the bagel for oats or cheerios.

If you add sports drinks, the micronutrient balance looks pretty good for tennis, although I am not familiar with the concerns (if any) women might have on that front that men wouldn't.

Overall it's a pretty good diet for tennis. The only other consideration is that for a female to go from a starvation diet to 3000+ well-timed cals is a tough adjustment, especially with the temporary anorexic effects of extended exercise. It will take a lot of discipline for her to get this done.

 

[romoranger]

she went to a dietician and she said she needs 3000+ calories, at most 109 grams of protein, and 500 grams of carbohydrates. any one have thoughts on this?

 

[zaxxon1982]

she went to a dietician and she said she needs 3000+ calories, at most 109 grams of protein, and 500 grams of carbohydrates. any one have thoughts on this?

I'm guessing she's got 109 pounds of lean body mass and that's where the protein max came from. I wouldn't say "at most" though. I think 100-120 will work fine unless she needs meaningful muscular development, then at least 160. 500+ grams of carbs is probably fine for doing what she does, although this number may be tough to reach given her background and I reiterate the low-GI recommendation for meals. Then add 50-75g of good fats and you are just over 3000 cals and pretty well suited to her activity level.

I'm assuming she's already fit enough to carry out all this exercise.

 

[KIAN]

I am assuming that her dietician went into detail for her overall requirements and the respective macro breakdowns, but if they didn't then the following would be a good place to start:

Adult Female:

• BMR = 665 + (4.3 x body weight in lbs.) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Use your BMR to determine your daily caloric needs:

• sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
• lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
• moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
• very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
• extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

The above value will represent how many calories she will be required to consume to maintain her bodyweight at the specified level of activity. With her level of training, she would be classed as 'very' or 'extra' active. Increasing this value by 500 calories per day (3500 total caloric increase per week) will add a minimum of one pound per week in bodyweight. Depending how her metabolism responds to the increase in calories and her level of physical activity, this increase may be more significant. Aim for a 1-2 lb. per week increase to do it in healthy manner and to keep her BFP (body fat percentage) under control.

If her progress slows or stops, then consider the following options:

• increase your caloric intake but maintain your level of physical activity
• maintain your caloric intake but decrease your level of physical activity
• increase your caloric intake and decrease your level of physical activity

Ideally, her protein intake should be set at a minimum of one gram per pound of lean body mass. With an extensive training schedule, this can be raised to 1.5 g/lb. LBM. Carbohydrates and fats will also play an important role in her training as her cardiovascular activities are significant and will require a sustained source of energy. As mentioned, low to moderate, glycemic index rated carbs are what she should be incorporating into her nutritional intake. Whether they are consumed as 'snacks' or by inserting an extra meal into her existing schedule, they will help to maintain her blood sugar levels and metabolism throughout the day. These can come from sources such as: whole wheat breads, large flaked oats, high bran cereals, pastas, high fibre fruits and vegetables, etc. Her fat intake should keep saturated fats to a minimum and eliminate trans and hydrogenated fats completely. Try to balance her Omega 3 : Omega 6 intake ratio to 1:1 for optimum effects.

• Omega 3: flaxseed oil, walnut oil, and fish
• Omega 6: corn, soy, canola, safflower and sunflower oil

Most western diets are high in Omega 6 which can act as an inflammatory when not supported by Omega 3. As she is a tennis player, her shoulder, elbow and wrist on her serving arm will appreciate the extra effort to establish a balanced ratio of these EFA's (essentail fatty acids).

As zaxxon mentioned, the replacement of the processed bagel with oats (large flaked) would be of more benefit to her as would the replacement of the white rice with brown. I would also suggest, if necessary to meet her daily caloric requirements, that she try to incorporate a pasta meal into her current eating schedule if that is possible. The addition of more vegetables to her nutritional intake should also be considered as the fibre and vitamin/mineral content will be of great benefit to her overall health and training.

Maintain proper hydration at all times and watch her electrolyte levels with her degree of physical activity. Ideally she should be using an Isotonic or Hypotonic type drink during her training and a Hypertonic type drink after workouts. You can purchase these at most shops or make your own with the following ingredients:

Sports Drinks:

• Isotonic:
  200 ml of orange juice
  1 litre of water
  1 gram of sea salt
• Hypotonic:
  100 ml of orange juice
  1 litre of water
  1 gram of sea salt
• Hypertonic:
  400ml of orange huice
  1 litre of water
  1 gram of sea salt.

Whatever changes you do make to her nutritional intake and/or training schedule, make sure that she gradually eases herself into this so that any changes which will occur are achieved in a healthy manner.

And bounce a tennis ball off her head for doing a starvation diet.


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KIAN PHILLIPS -- BSc / SpSc - CPT

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[pintoca]

Well, look what the cat dragged in.

sup Kian? How are things? (specially the very small things)

 

[KIAN]

Re: the moderator actaully spoke to me ... holy crap !

Well, look what the cat dragged in.

sup Kian? How are things? (specially the very small things)

Hey Carlos
He is doing great and will be looking forward to the arrival of his new brother/sister in the new year. (29 January 2007)

Congrats on your modship.
Can't think of anyone more deserving of it ... except me ofcourse


_____________________________

KIAN PHILLIPS -- BSc / SpSc - CPT

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[pintoca]

Re: the moderator actaully spoke to me ... holy crap !

Hey Carlos
He is doing great and will be looking forward to the arrival of his new brother/sister in the new year. (29 January 2007)

Congrats on your modship.
Can't think of anyone more deserving of it ... except me ofcourse


_____________________________

KIAN PHILLIPS -- BSc / SpSc - CPT

.

WOW; that was fast! beyond fast. A sibling already? They have these nifty things called TVs, you know. You can even hook up a device called DVD and have hours of entertainment!

 

[KIAN]

Anthony is just past 6 months old now which equates to several £1000 of cold water showers so it isn't too fast for me. And yes, we don't have a tv. How'd you guess.

Best not hijack her thread anymore.
There are some moderators around who don't allow that type of thing.


_____________________________

KIAN PHILLIPS -- BSc / SpSc - CPT

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