The Sport Diet Site
Advice for weight loss, body building and sport

What to eat for fast results.. 

There are 2 ways in which you can boost your sport results.

Firstly one option is to buy sports nutrition products.  It is a very easy option in that you just need to select the right one at the right time. (For more details follow the links on the right)

On the other hand just selecting the right foods – eating exactly the right food at the right time – can often help you achieve the same results. (which can be a lot cheaper, and often a much healthier option)

Three Sport Diet Stages

When deciding on your sports diet focus on three key stages :

1. Your general diet (what you eat normally)
2. Before and During Training or Sport
3. Afterwards (recovering)

What you eat (& when) has to consider the type of sport you do, how often & how intensive, your level of fitness and items like your age, if you are over or underweight, etc.

This sounds a lot more difficult than it is !

For example if you use a  ’sports nutrition software package’ (like the one lower down the page) it will work out your meal plans taking into consideration all the factors above.

1. Your General Diet

The first point is that the best sports diet is one that contains the ‘building blocks of sports nutrition’ ….

• A balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein and fat – which will deliver the nutrition you need for energy, effective muscle building and general good health.
• Vitamins & minerals (micronutrients).
• Water – essential to every process and function of the body.

These are combined in the food pyramid – which is the basis for a good balanced diet for everyone as well as being the foundation for an effective sports nutrition plan.

Very ‘simplyfied’ a healthy balanced diet should contain Grains (bread, cereals, pasta, rice), Vegetables,  Fruit, Dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese), Meat and Beans (meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, nuts), and Oils.

And yes, the general advice for a healthy balanced diet (3 to 5 portions of fruit, etc.) applies to anyone

- but do realise you will need to adjust your general diet to take into consideration your age, sex, and the level of sport (as well as what else you do during the day).

For example there is a huge difference in what you need to eat

• if you work in an office (and you want a sports nutrition plan to get best football results on a Sunday or during Tuesday evening training)
• or if you have a physically demanding job (and want a plan to provide maximum results for weight training three times or more per week)

However if you eat a ‘healthy balanced diet’ containing protein, vegetables, etc. this is usually a good enough ‘base’ for most sport participants.

But the key element you will need to focus on is what you eat before you play sport (your last meal).

2. Before and During Training or Sport

 A generally healthy balanced diet is a great ‘starting point’ to sports nutrition.

But to get best results you need to ‘fine-tune’ this by focussing on a few key elements.  Especially the last meal before you train, play or exercise can make a major difference to your results.

For best results this should help you with three important elements

1. Energy – you need to have enough ‘instant’ fuel in your system
2. Stamina – linked to this you need to have a store of fuel (fat) that will provide long term stamina, but also a way of ‘tapping’ into this fuel when you want to.  (without your muscle tissue being used)
3. Focus – A key items often forgotten is your concentration, helping you with motivation and endurance.  Again the right foods will help your focus.

These are discussed a bit lower down.

3. Afterwards (recovering)

When you stop sport or training you have an 1 to 2 hour ‘window of opportunity’ to help your recovery and help your body grow and improve.

This is a crucial time in sports nutrition as you can use this time to help your muscles recover the right way, your body start ‘replenishing’ used reserves and work on your long term health.

Yes, the right type of protein at this time is important but there is so much more you can do at this stage to help improve your sport results.

Sports Nutrition Action Plan

The key to realise is that the ideal sports meal will vary from person to person – that is why a product like the sports nutrition software package lower down is so important.

To give you an idea how it works why not try the 14 day free trial – it will give you some real pointers and it a great way to start getting your own sports diet plan.

However there are key action points in your sports action plan are

1. Enough Right Carbohydrates

There is a huge difference in the types of carbohydrates and selecting the right ones can turbo-charge your training.

Carbohydrates fall into two distinct categories: simple and complex.

Simple carbohydrates contain simple sugars such as fructose and glucose which are commonly found in fruit, some vegetables, honey and refined sugars as well as dairy products (particularly low-fat options).   These simple carbohydrate foods provide a quick release of energy to the body, which is particularly important post-exercise.

Complex carbohydrates, commonly known as starches, occur primarily in cereal and grain products.  Complex carbohydrates act as slow release fuels for the body and are filling and satisfying to eat. They also contain soluble and insoluble fiber which are essential for healthy digestion and elimination.    To maximize the benefit of grains, at least half of all grain foods you choose should be wholegrain instead of refined. These provide more roughage and are richer in vitamins and minerals than their more processed counterparts.

Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy and that’s why they are essential for athletes and strength trainers alike.   However you need to take in exactly the right amount for you – take in to much and they get stored at fat (helping you put on weight), not enough and you won’t get the best sport results.

2.  Enough of the right level of fat

Fat is stored throughout the body and it can be used to provide energy.  It is also a very necessary part of the daily diet and plays an important role in maintaining tissue health and facilitating the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins; A, D, E and K.

However, during exercise, glycogen (sourced from carbohydrates above) is the initial source of energy and is more readily available.    So when you begin an exercise session, your body calls upon its stores of glycogen for fuel. It is only when glycogen supplies are exhausted that fat may be mobilized as a fuel source, but only when oxygen is present.

Because you need oxygen to release fat as fuel it is important to do regular exercise (and aerobic exercise in particular)to improve the circulatory system, enhancing the transportation of oxygen around the body which facilitates the breakdown of fat for use as energy.

So for short bursts of aerobic exercise and most strength training sessions, the body’s fuel of choice will be glycogen and not fat.

What are the types of fat in food?

There are three main types of fat in food: saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated and it is important to understand a little about each of these.

1. Saturated fats are usually hard or solid fats (when at room temperature) and are found mainly in meat and dairy products.
2. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are usually in the form of oils at room temperature and are derived mainly from plant sources and oily fish.
3. Some margarine products are high in poly or monounsaturated fats and are solid at room temperature because they have undergone a process called hydrogenation. This changes their chemical structure and produces trans fats, which are linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease.

How much fat should I eat?

Fat is high in calories, with each gram of fat equating to 9 calories which is more than twice the calorie value of a gram of protein or carbohydrate (at 4 calories per gram).

The amount of fat in the average adult diet should be within the range 20% to 35% of the total calorie intake.  However, for strength training and bodybuilding, the lower limit of 20% is recommended to maintain leanness and definition.

This means that if your daily calorie requirement is 2,500, then the amount of fat in your daily diet should be 55.6 grams (equivalent to 500 calories). All fats are not equal and most of your intake should be poly or monounsaturated fats, as opposed to saturated and trans fats.

3.  Protein - the right amount at the right time..

Protein is essential for muscle building and repair. It is also vital for healthy bones, cartilage, skin and blood as well as the development of enzymes, hormones and vitamins in the body.

When you exercise, muscle fibers are placed under stress and this causes micro tears. That’s why your muscles can ache a day or two after an exercise session.

The body immediately sets out to repair the damage using nutrients including amino acids, which are made available by the metabolism (or breakdown) of protein. The muscle proteins created are myosin and actin and during the repair process these build up in the fibers to create stronger muscles. 

The importance of protein in this process is evident and yes the right amount will help – but taking in to much protein can significantly slow down your sports results.  (which is why you need to be very careful when adding protein drinks)

These is due to :

1. Protein is usually very low in roughage which slows down digestive transit and causes constipation which contributes to a feeling of general sluggishness.
2. A high protein diet often comprises a high proportion of meat and dairy products which are loaded with saturated fats and cholesterol, both of which have serious implications for overall health and cardiac health in particular.
3. When excess protein is present in the system, it is broken down by the body with some being converted into urea which is then excreted in the urine. A large amount of nitrogen is created by this metabolic process which is passed through the kidneys, causing stress to these organs and can lead to long term health problems.
4. Furthermore, any remaining protein will be converted into glucose and if the body does not need the glucose immediately it will be stored as body fat.
5. Finally, the presence of high protein levels causes calcium depletion and this can be problematic in later life, with women in particular being vulnerable to brittle bones (osteoporosis).

So given these adverse effects, there is clearly no benefit in eating more protein than the body needs. Following the daily guidelines for your bodyweight, sex, age and level of activity will ensure that you get the optimal amount for your personal requirements to build and maintain muscle strength.

But getting the right amount of protein and making your diet interesting is not always easy. 

4.  Vitamins, Minerals, Anti-oxidants, water…. 

 The right sports nutrition diet will help provide you with exactly the right level if vitamins, minerals, etc. However as you have probably realised by now your own sportsdiet has to be designed for your own individual needs.

The level of protein, carbohydrates, fats depend on your current age, body weight, sex and sport involvement.  Similarly your diet will change depending on how much sport your play, when you play and what you eat on ‘match days’ or when you go running.

For example if you go to the gym a few times per week then your diet will need to be different on those days compared to the rest of the week.

How to Start ?

1. 30 Sports Diet Plan

It’s a commonly-held truth that diet can be worth up to 80% of your results as an athlete,

That is why we like the training & diet system called the ‘Truth About Quickness’..

Yes it contains step by step training advice on how to get quicker and react faster – but it also includes 30 full days of meal plans which clearly lays out what to eat for an entire month in order to maximize every ounce of your training results.

With “Eating Explosively” guiding your diet every step of the way, you’ll find yourself moving quicker, feeling stronger and looking leaner within DAYS of starting the meal-plan program.

It contains guidelines on how to manipulate the meal plans for fat-loss or muscle gaining so that all you have to do is follow the ‘step by step’ instructions and you will know what to eat (and when) if you play sports like football, go running, or go to the gym.

More details
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2. Using Products

The alternative is to use a combination of meal replacement and specialised sports nutrition products.

We like the herbalife range because the range contains all the products you need for the ‘fuel-refuel’ system and is ideal for all sports (running, body-building, athletics, etc.). All you do is select the right products to fit in with your own objectives.

 More Details

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 Sports Diets

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