Tanya started on the national slalom canoe team as a young paddler, following in the footsteps of her older brothers and her boyfriend. In order to optimise her training opportunities on white water, she would spend extended periods of time living away from home in a share house with her brother and boyfriend. When travelling overseas with the team, she would also usually eat the same meals as them as the team self-catered. Her coach expressed concern over her body fat levels, as extra body mass can influence the buoyancy of the boat, and hence the boats movement and run.  Tanya decided to seek the assistance of a Sports Dietitian to achieve her goals of reducing body fat.

During the initial consultation, it became apparent that Tanya’s diet was nutritionally sound and well balanced.  Her food quantities, however, were often excessive as she ate the same amount as the boys she lived with, rather than what she specifically required. Also, when she spent time at home, trying to balance studying at Uni, travel and training it turned out she was dropping her cross-training sessions and snacking more frequently on inappropriate snacks such as chocolate and crisps. A plan was put into place in conjunction with her coach which involved more consistent cross training, gradually increasing the duration and intensity to help increase total energy expenditure. Nutritionally, the goal was to reduce the serving sizes of her main meals and improve the quality of snacks she took to training and Uni.

Tips for managing your own energy budget when eating with other athletes:
1. Serve up a smaller plate of food
2. Only serve ONE meal (not a bit of everything that’s on offer).
3. Focus on eating slowly, rather than at everyone else’s pace. This allows you to better sense when you are satisfied.
4. Take 2-3 glass of water with the meal rather than quenching your thirst with juice or soft drinks.
5. Avoid going back for seconds. If you get hungry later, have a snack of fruit available in your room.
6. Watch how many “treats” as opposed to sensible snacks you buy at the shops. It’s easy to get caught up in holiday mode when you’re travelling / away from home, or to lose focus and follow what other athletes do. Try and stay focussed on your own nutrition goals. Avoid putting temptation in the way by having appropriate snacks available in your room rather than inappropriate ones.

Snack options for between training / uni:
• Rice crackers and small tin of tuna
• Fruit salad and a tub of low fat yoghurt
• Creamed rice
• Sandwich, roll or wrap with lean meat and salad on it
• A smoothie (low fat)
• A muesli / cereal bar
• Soup with veggies in it and a roll
• Fruit bun / hot cross bun

Over the next 6 months, these actions resulted in Tanya achieving her body fat target and increasing her aerobic fitness. In races, this resulted in improved consistency of racing and less fatigue towards the end of the run.

Written by AIS Sports Nutrition, last updated May 2009. © Australian Sports Commission.