[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on December 18, 2019 at 8:01 am · in reply to: Question on the custom nutrition plan #34573

Hi Sandrock,

Thanks for your question. Here is what I provide for the custom nutrition plan:

I ask for a pre consultation form to be completed that includes training goals/event objectives, food intake, medical history etc. to give us a head start and to help me put together a custom nutrition plan specific to you.

I then carry out a 30min phone consult to ask a few more questions to drill down on the details e.g. hydration, alcohol intake, sleep, perceived effort during training, recovery, day to day energy levels and your intake around training/event.

I then within 7 days provide:

– Nutrition guidance on day to day eating (customised to your nutritional requirements, broken down in macronutrients, meal composition, portion sizes and how to adjust to suit your own needs, importance of macro and micronutrients for your training, recovery and health).

– Nutrition for training (around your specific training), type, timing and quantity of foods/drinks customised to your specific training and also allow you to be able to amend your nutrition intake as your training changes.

– Supplement guidance as required.

– An example 7 day menu plan (I plot in your already good nutrition food choices, plot in your training sessions, then on top of that I then add in your nutrition guidance based on what is in the nutrition for day to day and training guidance) Providing a working example menu plan that would then look like a typical week for you. I ask you to complete a 2 day food diary just so I can determine your food preferences and add in foods that are similar so as to not just hand you a diet sheet to follow, but instead something you can easily apply to your current intake and make changes as required. Whilst empowering you to understand why and how and be able to adjust as needed along the way.

And I provide meal and snack suggestions again based on your dietary requirements and preferences.

– 2 email follow up reviews to determine your progress and help you implement the changes and answer your questions. During these reviews I ask for a 2 day food diary within intake around your training so I can then provide specific feedback.

The custom nutrition pan is designed to be a long term resource.

It would be great to work with you to support your training/exercise/event goals.

Thanks – Rebecca Uphill Athlete Dietitian

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on December 4, 2019 at 2:19 am · in reply to: Consequences of delayed eating after workout #33636

Hi Vik,

Thanks for your question. If you are doing high intensity/strength sessions in the morning that last over 1hr but you find it tough to eat in the morning, your evening meal the night before then becomes an important pre training fuel opportunity. It is important in this evening meal to include sufficient carbohydrate, I would perhaps recommend 1-2 fist size servings (depending on the training carried out that day usually it is 2 x fist size servings). When we sleep at night we are not moving and therefore not using up the stored glycogen in our exercising muscles. The morning snack (such as your banana) then simply becomes a top up for your blood glucose and liver glycogen stores. The alternative is a shake such as oats + banana + 1 x scoop of protein and you can drink half before your training session and sip on the remainder through out the session and then as per your usual have a good breakfast recovery meal.

I hope that is helpful.

Rebecca – Uphill Athlete Dietitian

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on December 4, 2019 at 2:10 am · in reply to: Sauces/Seasonings for Stir Fry #33633

Hi Sandrock06,

Great question with some nice ideas already from the responses!

I’m always racking my brains when cooking/providing menu examples for the custom nutrition plans for sauces/dressings.

When it comes to sauces/dressings, this is a great time to add more nutrients to your meal. Your food choices already sound great.

Some ideas;

Fresh herbs E.g. Coriander, parsley, basil, dill, fennel, garlic, mint

(The green herbs are packed full of nutrients such as calcium, iron and antioxidants so I would encourage adding plenty into your sauce/dressing or even just sprinkling on the top of your quinoa dish with a dollop of greek yoghurt/quark/dairy free yoghurt and squeeze of lemon/lime juice).

Spices: E.g. Turmeric, curcumin, cumin, chilli, fresh ginger, paprika, pepper

(you can make up a delicious marinade using mint, yoghurt, turmeric and paprika to coat meats/tofu/veggies to roast in the oven)

Nuts and seeds: E.g. Linseeds (aka flaxseeds), chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios etc

(I always suggest adding a dessertspoon of seeds or nuts to the top of oatmeal/yoghurt/salads/stews to add flavour and bite. You can mix seeds in with any sauces and dressings or you can blitz in a blender or pestle and mortar to make a paste (just add a little olive oil and herbs for extra flavour). These all provide a great source of healthy fats, antioxidants, protein, fibre and vitamins/minerals.

Other additions;

Lemon/lime juice (full of vitamin C and antioxidants), pomegranate (amazing in salads/dressings), parmesan cheese (this is a high protein cheese and can be added to nuts/seeds and herbs to make a pesto).

Tahini paste can be used to make your own hummus/dips such as mixed bean dip, beetroot and pepper dips.

Landers2189 has already made a great suggestion of satay/peanut sauce

Pesto

Salsa

Yoghurt based sauces/marinades

Can also use honey/maple syrup/nut butters/olive oil/vinegar/mustard.

All of these sauces/dressings/dips can be made adding your own great nutritious ingredients and there are lots of recipes online on how to make your own.

Let us know what you make.

Rebecca – Uphill Athlete Dietitian

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on November 19, 2019 at 9:29 am · in reply to: losing weight, while training, without being stupid #32252

You’re welcome!

That’s great you had a DEXA scan, yes it may have changed hopefully if you have resumed good eating practices.

Please do get in touch if wish for further help, it would be a pleasure to work with you.

Rebecca – Uphill Athlete Dietitian

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on November 19, 2019 at 9:27 am · in reply to: Consequences of delayed eating after workout #32251

Hi Mariner_9,

Good question! The answer to your question is it depends…

The recovery window (of approx. 2hrs post training) is what was originally recommended as the optimal point to eat protein/carbs to recover from the training session/event (at this point our muscles have an increase in uptake of glycogen and also optimising protein levels in the blood to increase muscle make up and slow muscle breakdown shortly after training).

However what the research is now showing is that you don’t necessarily have to eat immediately after if you are going to be eating your next meal within 60mins of that session (so this is still a recovery meal) and also it depends on the intensity/duration/goals of that session.

Examples I would recommend eating in the hour after the session are;

1) You are training twice per day.
2) The session has lasted longer than 1hr and it has been a hard workout/effort required e.g strength, hill reps, weighted uphill hike, high intensity run, hard climbing effort and it is going to be longer than 60mins until you next eat.
3) After fasted training sessions.
4) A big hill day.

If you don’t fuel within the hour following these types of sessions then this could impact recovery and prolong fatigue/cause feelings of fatigue in your next session/session the following day. However it is all very individual so I would take a closer look at training load per day/in the week/training goals etc to then provide guidance.

What the research is now suggesting is that recovery is a 24hr process and it is important to make good food / meal composition choices at each meal (recovery and pre bed as required). But yes it still may be imperative to optimise that window of recovery following training.

Rebecca – Uphill Athlete Dietitian

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on November 15, 2019 at 6:29 am · in reply to: losing weight, while training, without being stupid #32024

Hey Ikk2162,

Thanks for your question, this actually requires quite an in-depth reply, it may sound like a plug but if you wish for specific guidance then please sign up to a custom nutrition plan where I can support you fully whilst ‘keeping you safe’, which means giving you the right support to manage weight loss (if appropriate) and keeping you healthy whilst optimising your training and performance. My concern is that you have already experienced RED-S / LEA and injuries and are still a young age, so there may be some specific factors we need to look at and determine how this came about (in addition to perhaps overly cutting calories, it may be there are some deficiencies in your nutrition intake, not through your own fault but perhaps you are not eating sufficient to match the demands of your training, we do not need to be underweight to experience RED-S).

I get asked quite a lot by custom uphill athletes for weight loss guidance in amongst nutrition to support training. In the first instance I would help improve or refine day to day eating, ensure enough of the right stuff is going in and enough at the right times (by adding more foods and changing the mind set of eating less) to support training, adaptations and recovery. Usually with these changes UA’s report a positive change in weight/body composition without necessarily restricting eating or ‘going on a diet’ thus supporting health, training and performance.

I would also be cautious unless you had a gold standard measure taken of interpreting your body fat percentage and using that as a weight loss guide.

Hope that is helpful in some way, please do get in touch if you wish for further guidance and follow the link to sign up.

Custom Performance Nutrition Plan

Rebecca – Uphill Athlete Dietitian

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on November 12, 2019 at 1:53 pm · in reply to: New paper: nutritional considerations ultra-marathon training and racing #31794

Hi Aaron,

Thanks for the link to this new paper, it’s a really informative paper and gives some great nutrition guidance. However I wonder what you made of the hydration guidance?

I would be cautious to advize 250ml (the upper limit of the recommendation during a race) every 15-20mins and add that amount of sodium (unless it was exercise in the heat). One of the studies they make reference to regarding this recommendation was carried out in extreme heat. This hydration guidance I feel conflicts the guidance in the paper recently published by Dr Martin Hoffman (who is a leader in the field of ultra running research). I have spoken to Dr Martin Hoffman about hydration strategies during an ultra race and the main concern is the possible physiological changes that occur when running ultra distances and that the body starts to retain fluid, therefore drinking to thirst and obtaining sodium from foods is perhaps more applicable to avoid hyponatremia, especially for the slower runners.

I am at a conference tomorrow where one of the authors of the above paper will be present so I shall speak to him and gain his further thoughts. I will also contact Dr Martin Hoffman and ask for his insights on this also.

I will report back. Thanks Aaron for sharing a this resource.

Rebecca Uphill Athlete Dietitian

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on November 6, 2019 at 1:39 pm · in reply to: Muscle Cramps #31376

Hi everyone,

I have just seen this new paper published and thought of this forum post.

This paper ‘Muscle Cramping During Exercise: Causes, Solutions, and Questions Remaining’ is hot off the press and published online today.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-019-01162-1 (link to full paper).

It is written by two of the worlds leading researchers/practitioners in the field of sports nutrition. It is a really great in-depth paper, but relative easy read and will hopefully answer your questions regarding muscle cramps during exercise. You won’t get a more accurate insight to muscle cramps during exercise than this. Enjoy : ).

Rebecca Uphill Athlete Dietitian

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on November 4, 2019 at 2:22 am · in reply to: Do you drink to thirst or drink to a plan? #31113

Thanks emo_assenov for the link to this article.

Professor Tim Noakes’s research has certainly been key in shaping hydration recommendations for endurance athletes. Here is a link to a more current over view of the recommendations on hydration requirements in ultra endurance sports (which does also sight Noakes’s work). This has been put together by some of the leading researchers in this field.

Considerations for ultra-endurance activities: part 2 – hydration (Martin D Hoffman, Trent Stellingwerf, Ricardo J.S Costa 2018)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30056755

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on November 1, 2019 at 2:05 am · in reply to: Do you drink to thirst or drink to a plan? #31028

You make a good point Briguy regarding people having a tendency to over hydrate, I also agree the issue is also related to adding electrolytes to everything. There is now salts added to bars, gels, powders and sports drinks and then people use salt sticks/electrolyte tablets. When it comes to ultra endurance distances there is some new research suggesting that water and real food is sufficient in longer distances due to the physiological shifts that occur after exercising for long periods of a time. People are encouraged to drink at every aid station in races, carry plenty of water etc. as you have highlighted in the first instance this leads to extra weight being carried that is not required but of even more serious consequence body weight increases due to the additional volume of water consumed (this is not desirable especially in ultra distance events). Everyone’s hydration requirements are different and when it comes to mountain sports / ultra distance events then there are more variables to consider as you nicely highlight which requires even more ability to determine our own fluid needs in these instances. It will always be a
an answer of ‘it depends’.

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on November 1, 2019 at 1:57 am · in reply to: Do you drink to thirst or drink to a plan? #31027

Hi Derek,

Thanks for your reply! Again sounds like you have a really good handle of your hydration. I always recommend to all UA’s to start any training/activity session hydrated as dehydration is likely to occur due to the very nature of the environment and conditions these activities are undertaken (weight allowance to carry fluid, access to fluid, temperature, sweat loss). If we set off already dehydration then no doubt training/activity is going to be impaired as it is likely we will become even more dehydrated during the activity. Significant dehydration can increase perceived effort of the activity (it just feels harder to do) and effect cardiovascular function (e.g. increase heart rate), therefore it is really key to make sure to always start hydrated as you do. You have a similar approach to summer/winter and hydration system as Mariner_9 and make sure to rehydrate at the end of the day. Great tip on trying to minimise excess clothing to prevent excessive sweat loss. You are on to a good thing drinking semi skimmed milk (SSM) off the hill especially if you have another long day ahead of you the following day. SSM has been shown to be more effective than water in aiding re-hydration after activity due to again the energy and electrolyte content of milk. As you will know it is also great for providing a source or protein and carbs to kick start recovery as soon as you are off the hill. Milk can therefore be great if you need to be a bit more aggressive with your hydration after a big day to ensure you start hydrated the next and also for recovery.

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on November 1, 2019 at 1:47 am · in reply to: Do you drink to thirst or drink to a plan? #31026

Thanks Mariner_9 for your reply, sounds like you have a good handle on your hydration during your activities. 2L is about average for what most carry out on the hill and as you do, will fill up when there is opportunity to do so. Electrolyte tablets are ok to use to help aid the absorption of fluid, you can also get the same effect when eating and drinking together (so what ever food you have taken with you if you take a mouthful of food and wash it down with water then you will aid the absorption of fluid due to the energy and electrolyte content of the food stuffs).

Great idea re the collapsable water bottle, takes up less room when empty and easy to stuff in your back pack. A flask is also popular I find with UA’s to take with them in the Winter. You may want to add some honey/sugar to your herbal tea and make the most of getting some extra energy on board and also the sugar will also aid the absorption of the tea better.

With any big day out on the hill due to limited ability to carry water, access to fluids to re-fill, it is likely you will finish the day dehydrated and it is actually ok to do so. The aim of any hydration intake during big days is to try to off set significant dehydration where possible. It is then important especially if you are out again the next day you start to rehydrate as soon as you can, so your stash of fluids back at the car is really great!

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on October 20, 2019 at 11:34 am · in reply to: What are your energy bar choices for the hill? #30571

Great recipe Bri guy, this is a favourite for many of my uphill athlete custom plan clients. It is good to know that everyone seems to rely on a mix of bars and real food.

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on October 20, 2019 at 11:07 am · in reply to: What are your energy bar choices for the hill? #30569

Mariner-9 regarding Mark Twights comment on caffeine being a diuretic, we now know that caffeine does not act as a diuretic if we are habitual caffeine drinkers (tea, coffee, caffeine containing drinks). It is suggested that caffeine only starts to have a diuretic effect if we drink more than 5-6 cups per day. If we are not used to drinking caffeine then yes it can act as a diuretic.

[Rebecca Dent]

Rebecca Dent on October 20, 2019 at 11:02 am · in reply to: What are your energy bar choices for the hill? #30568

Hi Psathyrella,

I think we all have a tendency to be ‘lazy’ when reality hits. It would be nice to always have the time to make our own bars but sometimes the shop bought ones are good for convenience and there is nothing wrong with that.

When it comes to your big days, your main event you have been training for I would actually in fact encourage intake of bars (food) as carbohydrates to give you an additional source of energy (and a mix of foods including fats and perhaps proteins). The point of fat adaptation is not to then avoid eating but to make you more metabolically efficient, maximising the use of both fuel sources and helping you optimise your performance (go further for longer). It does however reduce the demand for carbohydrate as a fuel source resulting in you can actually get away with taking less food which is an advantage especially when you are limited by weight and access to food.

I really like your approach to strength training and use of sugars/carbohydrate, it is the same as I recommend to custom nutrition plan uphill athletes.

In terms of your protein for recovery, research has in fact shown that full fat milk shows greater muscle protein synthesis than the lower fat versions. It is suggested that perhaps the fat has a role to play in aiding protein uptake to the muscles. Also fat is good for the recovery of muscle triglycerides (the fat used within the muscle during endurance exercise). The extra calories are also useful from fat especially if you have carried out a fasted session. It is great to read your protein bar option as I am always looking for ideas for quick easy non faff recovery options for those that don’t want to take powder or it is not practical to take powder.

It is great to know the difference in your use for builders bars and balance bars. I like your feedback on the clif mocha shot gels, it is really important to find foods you like to eat out on the hill. The sugar will be doing you some good too as well as the caffeine.