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THE (FEMALE) ATHLETE'S STRUGGLE
Weight Struggles
Many female athletes, at some point will want to lose weight or feel pressured to lose weight in order to perform better. Sometimes as an athlete you do need to lose weight to be in the healthiest condition for your body type, height, and other factors. Other times losing weight is not beneficial to your body. If you are feeling pressured to lose weight just know that one weight is not the best for all athletes. Just because other athletes in the same sport are around a certain weight does not mean you need to be that weight. All athletes are different, different weight, body type, tolerance levels, and many other differences that dictate a unique balance of weight, muscle, fat, and training for each to perform at their highest level. Just because an athlete of one weight performs well does not mean an athlete of another will be the same.
When planning to lose weight athletes should keep in mind the effects of their plan and goal. The main thing to think about is
“Does your goal weight promote
good health, eating, and
performance?”
When trying to reach an optimal weight it should be like all goals, realistic and healthy. It should minimize health risks while optimizing training and performance. These include eating disorders and injuries. It should take into account the individual’s history, genetic and familial, body weight, and body shape. They should also take into account for age, physical development, and maintain a normal menstrual cycle in a female. For some athletes, the goal weight that they or their coach select for them is not a healthy weight for their age, height, muscle mass, or body type. If it is not a weight that is healthy for your body in order to reach it you will have to create a calorie deficit and may over train in order to fast track results. This can lead to eating disorders because you are so focused on the need to get down to a certain weight you lose sight of healthy habits. It also can cause injury as your body does not have enough resources to keep healthy or lead to amenorrhea. The most important thing is that the athlete accepts it and it can be maintained long term. This means that energy intake is not constantly restricted.
If an athlete is young and growing they should not severely restrict energy intake to lose weight.
Athletes, if diagnosed obese by a professional, should lose weight to improve health. Maintaining a healthy weight lowers the risk of chronic diseases and improves performance.
Many athletes who are told to lose weight are not given guidance on how to do it properly. Many just experiment with diets that they hear about or find on the internet. This leads to undereating, poor nutrition and destructive eating behavior. Dieting is the number one trigger of eating disorders in adolescents according to Sean McCann Ph. D., the head of Sport Psychology for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) in 2004. Because many athletes do not know how to properly diet to lose weight and many females are perfectionists then they are so focused on their goal weight that they lose weight through unhealthy habits.
When trying to manage weight athletes, and people in general, should not be focused on severe calorie restriction. Instead, they should be focused on healthy eating choices (whole foods), moderation, and staying physically active.
Read more about how to talk to athletes about nutrition and weight.