The World Keeps Running

All female athletes should eat sufficient food to achieve an energy intake that:

• Provides sufficient energy for training and competition needs;
• Meets the energy demands of other daily activities;
• Allows the athlete to achieve a body size and composition that meets her health and fitness goals.

Some women do not achieve this, and restrict food intake to achieve their desired weight at the expense of both health and performance.

Losing body fat

There is enormous pressure on many women to achieve an unrealistic body weight and body fat level. This can compromise both short term athletic performance and long term health, with the real possibility of harm to reproductive health and to bone health.

Any athlete with menstrual irregularities should treat these as a possible warning sign, and seek professional advice.

If there is a need to reduce body fat, this should be done sensibly. Reducing body fat requires a negative energy balance - energy expenditure should be greater than energy intake - and a negative body fat balance. It is a mistake to reduce energy intake - especially protein and carbohydrate intake - too far. This increases fatigue in training and daily life, reducing energy levels and thus limiting weight loss.

Strategies for reducing body fat:

• Set realistic targets: this is a medium-term goal rather than something to be achieved by next week;
• Limit portion sizes at meals rather than skipping meals altogether;
• Use well-chosen snacks between meals to maintain fuel levels for training sessions. Save part of a meal for a later snack, rather than eating extra food;
• Maintain carbohydrate intake to ensure fuel levels for exercise;
• Use low-fat strategies in choosing foods and while cooking or preparing meals;
• Limit alcohol intake or cut it out altogether - it is not an essential part of the diet;
• Make meals and snacks more "filling" by including plenty of salads and vegetables, by taking the higher-fibre option, and by including low glycaemic index forms of carbohydrate-rich foods (e.g. oats, legumes, dense-grainy breads etc).