Five Top Tips for Eating Fewer Calories for Athletes Under Construction

You are an athlete. Treat your body the way it deserves. Fuel it well and look after it.


Don't eat absent-mindedly. By this, I mean don't eat while watching television or doing something else. Research shows that you eat far more and don't realise you are full when you aren't concentrating.

Eat slowly, put the snack down in-between mouthfuls, step away from the crisps. This will increase your enjoyment of food and will enable you to get the full signal from your belly before it becomes painful.

Have a glass of water with each meal or perhaps before you snack. It's not that your system needs vast amounts of water or that the toxins need flushing, both of which are scientifically a load of rubbish, it is simply that part of the full signal comes from gastric distension (stomach stretching). Having a full belly even if it is from water will give a you a partially full feeling and you might then take in fewer calories at that sitting.

Don't eat because you are unhappy. Although this is quite common, no matter how much you eat you aren't going to be able to compensate for what is missing. It's an understandable and perfectly normal thing to do but it isn't helpful or good for you. Interestingly comfort eating does work a little and can lift your mood for a few minutes, but puts lots of unhelpful calories in. If instead you went for a short run of twenty minutes that may well make you feel better than the snack would, the run puts a lot fewer calories in (they actually decrease) and contributes to your training.

Think of yourself as an ultra-athlete (in the making). You have this body which is an amazing machine and is going to power you around your next big race. You owe it to yourself to fuel it correctly. A jet fighter doesn't run too well on four-star or even super-unleaded gas, it needs high octane aviation fuel. Your body needs carbohydrates, protein, vegetables, porridge and fruit not doughnuts, fries, cake, cookies and chocolate. You don't need a diet book to tell you this. Get into the habit of every time you put a drink to your lips or a piece of food goes into your mouth of asking yourself: 'is this is good fuel for an athlete who is in preparation for their next big race?' You will probably know the answer and some intelligence used here can pay massive dividends.



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Dr Windross works as a GP with a special interest in weight management. 'The Waist Management System' out now on Amazon and on Kindle:

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