Diet for female athlete

automatondan

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Hi everyone.

So, I recently started training and trading body-work with a stud of a female athlete, who happens to be a PT. She trains 6-7 days a week, running 6 days (she runs competitively, and wins a lot of the time), and she lifts pretty seriously twice a week, doing all compound lifts. Shes a stud. She could probably be a professional athlete genetically speaking. She is currently training for a marathon (which she does multiple a year), but I started noticing her body-weight dropping (and her bf is already very low) so I asked her about her diet. She says she doesnt track her diet or pay much attention to it, but she said she always loses weight during her programming cycle.
I asked her to track her diet for a week, and sure enough, shes taking in anywhere from 1000-1800 cals per day (hence the weight loss).
I want to help her with her diet. I feel like the sky is the limit for this girl if she has her diet dialed in properly... However, ive never helped a female before with her diet...

Id like some feedback from those of you with far more understanding than me and experience working with female athletes.

She is 28. 5'4" 124 lbs. Trains 6-7 days a week (programming for marathon training), and lifts heavy twice a week. Already low bodyfat, and shes got some sick traps and shoulders. She is a muscle machine.

Internet TDEE calculator puts her at 2200 maintenance.

This is what I have suggested to her as a starting point:

2500 cals
250 grams carbs (40%)
219 grams protein (35%)
70 grams of fat (25%)

I figure we can reassess after a month or so and see how she feels...

But like I said, I have never helped a female competitive athlete with her diet (this is not what I do for a living). What do you all think? Any suggestions? Tweaks?

Thanks everyone.
 

PillarofBalance

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Off the top of my head only difference between men and women dietwise is women tend to bloat easier especially depending on where they are in their cycle. So water intake is very important and be flexible on where the cals are from. Often times they are less tolerant of a high carb diet.

219 grams of protein might be a bit high.

Just be flexible and make sure what you are asking her to do can actually be done.
 

automatondan

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Off the top of my head only difference between men and women dietwise is women tend to bloat easier especially depending on where they are in their cycle. So water intake is very important and be flexible on where the cals are from. Often times they are less tolerant of a high carb diet.

219 grams of protein might be a bit high.

Just be flexible and make sure what you are asking her to do can actually be done.

Thanks dude. She is a pretty serious athlete... Thats why I found it so strange that she never learned what to do with her diet. I dont think I am asking too much of her, as I know what she is capable of... She has an exellent work ethic. But I will stay open to how she is feeling and open to making changes. Thanks.
 

jennerrator

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Wish I could comment but even if I was doing that at the moment...I'd still eat completely different...and I'm 5'6 - 125 lbs...shit is just different for individuals:32 (20):
 

automatondan

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Wish I could comment but even if I was doing that at the moment...I'd still eat completely different...and I'm 5'6 - 125 lbs...shit is just different for individuals:32 (20):

So if you were training for a marathon and still lifting a couple days a week, you still wouldnt increase your carbs some....? You would still stick to your extremely low carb, low fat, high protein diet? Im just curious as I respect you as an athlete...
 

jennerrator

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So if you were training for a marathon and still lifting a couple days a week, you still wouldnt increase your carbs some....? You would still stick to your extremely low carb, low fat, high protein diet? Im just curious as I respect you as an athlete...


Well this is the thing...I don't know how I would train for a full marathon but I ran a half one and didn't train for it...just ran it (and yes ran all the miles) I'm very different how I train for stuff and I've never been a big eater so my body is used to it...that has never changed through all of my fitness.

That's what I mean by saying everyones body is different....I do great without much carbs...some people would die without them...lol My energy is awesome...even at almost 51 and whats happened!:)
 

automatondan

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Well this is the thing...I don't know how I would train for a full marathon but I ran a half one and didn't train for it...just ran it (and yes ran all the miles) I'm very different how I train for stuff and I've never been a big eater so my body is used to it...that has never changed through all of my fitness.

That's what I mean by saying everyones body is different....I do great without much carbs...some people would die without them...lol My energy is awesome...even at almost 51 and whats happened!:)

Ok, thanks for your input Jen. I actually find that helpful as maybe she is somewhat the same way, you know? I need to be open to her just doing her own thing and being ok with that.

I just see so much potential with her as an athlete... And I know I can help her with her goals through diet.
 

automatondan

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Im kinda curious as to what Zilla or Spongy would say if ya'll see this....?

Or any of you other guys who have significant others that train seriously...
 

Chillinlow

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What’s her end game? I mean there is a big difference between a body builder and a marathon runner .... sounds like you want her to have more muscle and are
conceremed with her weight, if she is training for a marathon she will loose weight and this is Ok imo.

Marathon game is a whole different ball game . Her being female has nothing to do with anything.
 

automatondan

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What’s her end game? I mean there is a big difference between a body builder and a marathon runner .... sounds like you want her to have more muscle and are
conceremed with her weight, if she is training for a marathon she will loose weight and this is Ok imo.

Marathon game is a whole different ball game . Her being female has nothing to do with anything.

Her end-game is she wants to continue to do races, but she wants to get as fit as possible and just make the best of all the work and time she is putting in...

She is serious about lifting and getting stronger. She wants to eventually transition her PT role into working only with competitive athletes and helping them with whatever programming they need and she wants to do the best job she can knowing as much as possible. She wants to be the best she can.

She is no cardio bunny or runner. Im serious when I say this girl is a stud.
 

MrRippedZilla

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Im kinda curious as to what Zilla or Spongy would say if ya'll see this....?
Or any of you other guys who have significant others that train seriously...
- I'd start her at 2,300 cals.
That's already a 60%+ increase from what she's averaging right now. Going higher might cause some short sides (discomfort, digestive issues, etc) depending on how long she's been in a deficit. Worse case scenario, by being too aggressive from the start it can cause you to lose her trust if it leads to weight gain (water or otherwise). Females in general are sensitive about this but female endurance athletes even more so. Very common to see eating disorders (undereating + malnutrition) in this group.
Start slow, gain trust, track, adjust.

- Drop protein to 120-160g and, ideally, place the remaining cals into carbs.
Women need less protein than men. She's also an endurance athlete training for an endurance event - muscle growth isn't happening here. Basically, get your mind out of the bodybuilding world and go way down on protein.
Carbs are much more important to endurance athletes but women also utilize fats a hell of a lot better for energy than men so...go higher on carbs based on her comfort and don't be afraid to slap some cals into fats too.

- Adherence is key. Dramatic changes to her macros are a bad idea.
In other words, if anything I'm advising here goes against her norm dramatically (if she's a chronic low carber, or a protein addict or whatever) then focus on making this a slow drip - slowly hitting these recommendations over a period of time that allows her to adjust, change some basic taste habits, etc.

Her menstrual cycle plays a huge role in adjusting some of her macros and a lot of her training cycle but the chances of me teaching anyone about all of this off a few board posts is zero so...do what you can, accept & acknowledge to her your limitations, and see what happens.
 

automatondan

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- I'd start her at 2,300 cals.
That's already a 60%+ increase from what she's averaging right now. Going higher might cause some short sides (discomfort, digestive issues, etc) depending on how long she's been in a deficit. Worse case scenario, by being too aggressive from the start it can cause you to lose her trust if it leads to weight gain (water or otherwise). Females in general are sensitive about this but female endurance athletes even more so. Very common to see eating disorders (undereating + malnutrition) in this group.
Start slow, gain trust, track, adjust.

- Drop protein to 120-160g and, ideally, place the remaining cals into carbs.
Women need less protein than men. She's also an endurance athlete training for an endurance event - muscle growth isn't happening here. Basically, get your mind out of the bodybuilding world and go way down on protein.
Carbs are much more important to endurance athletes but women also utilize fats a hell of a lot better for energy than men so...go higher on carbs based on her comfort and don't be afraid to slap some cals into fats too.

- Adherence is key. Dramatic changes to her macros are a bad idea.
In other words, if anything I'm advising here goes against her norm dramatically (if she's a chronic low carber, or a protein addict or whatever) then focus on making this a slow drip - slowly hitting these recommendations over a period of time that allows her to adjust, change some basic taste habits, etc.

Her menstrual cycle plays a huge role in adjusting some of her macros and a lot of her training cycle but the chances of me teaching anyone about all of this off a few board posts is zero so...do what you can, accept & acknowledge to her your limitations, and see what happens.

Thanks a lot for your post brother. It was very helpful.

I started her with moderate carbs because she eats like a bird already and I dont want to scare her off by going to high on the carbs right away... She eats a lot of protein and is okay with that, so I only increased that a little bit... Again, trying not to freak her out too much is a good idea.

Maybe I could increase fats a little higher and lower the protein some...

I will take your advice and drop the cals to 2300 and see how her body/training responds.

I will also see how she feels about upping the carbs some. That was my gut feeling as well, but again, in agreement with what you said, I didnt want to scare her off...

I dont know how much time you have, but id love to learn more about diet/micro nutrient timing relating to menstrual cycle. I have been trying to help my wife feel better for years in that regards. I love to learn. And this would be a great thread to post it up in for others who need help too.
 
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This is a bit high. A more accurate calorie content would be 2000-2200. The macros recommended should work, she could increase carbs slightly of needed.
 

Jin

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I hear she stopped training. A pity.
 

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