Is there a skating diet?

[Kevin Callahan]

You hear all the time that skaters, like any athletes, often have diets, but are these diets all different and based solely on the individual skater? Or are their diet "truths" that go for all skaters? With other sports there are often a few broad generalizations. Is this also true of skating?

[jazzpants]

You hear all the time that skaters, like any athletes, often have diets, but are these diets all different and based solely on the individual skater? Or are their diet "truths" that go for all skaters? With other sports there are often a few broad generalizations. Is this also true of skating?There is no one "skater's" diet. As long as you stay healthy, you should be fine...

Hmmmm? Aren't you that guy that posted a few months back that's really skinny and can't gain weight no matter how much he eats???

[Kevin Callahan]

There is no one "skater's" diet. As long as you stay healthy, you should be fine...

Hmmmm? Aren't you that guy that posted a few months back that's really skinny and can't gain weight no matter how much he eats???

Yep, that's me. But because of this, I don't watch what I eat. So I pretty much just eat whatever. Now that I have a coach and am actually training for competitions, I figured this probably was not such a good idea.

[mikey]

Do you mean "diet" as in trying to lose weight, or as in eating what is best for those in the sport?

[jazzpants]

Yep, that's me. But because of this, I don't watch what I eat. So I pretty much just eat whatever. Now that I have a coach and am actually training for competitions, I figured this probably was not such a good idea.I suggest you go to a dietitian to work on eating healthy... and go to a reputable trainer at a good gym to figure out what would work well for training to be an ice skater. Since you also have a good coach, you might want to ask him for suggestions on where to go to train off-ice! That would be IMNSHO... :P

[Kevin Callahan]

Do you mean "diet" as in trying to lose weight, or as in eating what is best for those in the sport?

Definitely the latter.

[TashaKat]

Mmm ... skating diet! Going by the ice rink fare it's got to be hot chocolate and burgers or, for variety, hot dogs :D

Judging by my old coach's diet (former Senior British Ice Dance Champion) then bacon butties on white bread with butter and fried mushrooms are the order of the day :) Gotta agree with him on that one!

I don't know what it's like in the US but certainly a lot of the coaches that I've come across in the UK have very, erm, strange ideas about diet and healthy eating, I definitely wouldn't listen to one of them if I wanted a healthy eating programme 8O

As JP said, eat healthily and maybe see a dietician if you want a more involved analysis of your dietary needs.

[Kevin Callahan]

I guess my question has been answered then. I just know I eat horribly, so I thought there might be generalizations. When I was a runner (yay for lower body strength!), we had a couple of general diet type stuff to go by. Seems like from your responses though it's very individualized when it comes to skaters. Of course, I have like no body fat...

[sceptique]

As a commonsence, it's got to be complex carbs (granary bread, shredded wheat etc), fruit & veggies, lean protein (fish & poultry); 4-6 small meals a day. I add some plain chocolate to that - about 25 g on a skating day and 10-15g on a non-skating one. But this is for a girl who needs to watch what she eats or else.

A good book I found: Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition by Anita Bean.

[stardust skies]

As a commonsence, it's got to be complex carbs (granary bread, shredded wheat etc), fruit & veggies, lean protein (fish & poultry); 4-6 small meals a day. I add some plain chocolate to that - about 25 g on a skating day and 10-15g on a non-skating one. But this is for a girl who needs to watch what she eats or else.

A good book I found: Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition by Anita Bean.

What is the chocolate for?

[sceptique]

What is the chocolate for?

For me it's a quick energy booster when I start feeling a bit hungry or tired - a small piece is enoghth to get back on track without feeling full. But I'm talking really small piece - like 5-10 g with a cup of tea. Another option could be a piece fo fruit, but the last thing you'd want at a cold rink is a cold apple that makes your teeth ache.

[batikat]

A tip for a quick energy boost - courtesy of the British army - while skating or anytime is those little packets of dried raisins. They boost blood sugar levels without overloading it and because it's from a fruit it takes slightly longer to get into the bloodstream so doesn't give you sugar shock.

Better than chocolate - though personally I love chocolate so would probably go with that anyway!!!

[Kevin Callahan]

A tip for a quick energy boost - courtesy of the British army - while skating or anytime is those little packets of dried raisins. They boost blood sugar levels without overloading it and because it's from a fruit it takes slightly longer to get into the bloodstream so doesn't give you sugar shock.

Better than chocolate - though personally I love chocolate so would probably go with that anyway!!!

Fructose vs. Glucose.

Fructose is also better if you're hypoglycemic or diabetic.

[sceptique]

A tip for a quick energy boost - courtesy of the British army - while skating or anytime is those little packets of dried raisins. They boost blood sugar levels without overloading it and because it's from a fruit it takes slightly longer to get into the bloodstream so doesn't give you sugar shock.

Better than chocolate - though personally I love chocolate so would probably go with that anyway!!!

I'm not a huge chocolate fan so it's easier to me to control chocolate intake than raisins intake - I can probably finish a pound of raisins in one go without noticing! :D

[batikat]

That's why you have to buy the little sunmaid raisin packs - and just take one pack with you!!!! :lol: If the rest are at home you can't eat them!!!!!

[skaternum]

So I guess chocolate-covered raisins would be the perfect snack! :P

[sunskater]

A skater's diet? Well not every skater has the same diet plan. But for many skaters, their skating "diet" goes something like this:
breakfast usually consists of coffee and a small banana. about 100 calories. sometimes 2 hard-boiled eggs, for protein, but just the egg white part, of course. the yolk is too fattening. this adds another 40 -50 calories.
lunch - carrot sticks. but not too many. chicken salad. vinagrette, not fattening dressing like ranch, etc. a couple wheat thins, maybe. if the skater feels they have been 'good' and stuck to their diet all day.
dinner - a couple of bits of dinner. tells mom and dad they aren't hungry. again. lots of water to feel full.
sometimes a cookie or something throughout the day. but then the guilt sinks in, so many skaters avoid 'slipping' from their diet.

and how do they keep motivated? by their coaches who tell them at practice that they are fat and need to lose weight.

Ok, so I realize that probably sounded mean, but thats not how I meant it. Im not being sarcastic. Im being completely serious. Ive been a competitive skater. Ive trained with elite skaters, diet-crazy coaches, etc. The scenario above is true for a lot of skaters. not all! im making that clear. but you'd be amazed how many competitive skaters constantly count calories, worry about their image, etc. And many times they have tremendous pressure from their coaches and parents to stay thin. Ive seen coaches tell their young skaters to their face that they are fat. Its really sad. But its true.

So a skaters diet? Well, there's an honest example. Welcome to competitive skating.

[Blosmbubbs]

Where are the carbs in this diet? How can they skate without energy? I know I can't. I usually feel better to skate when I eat more breads.

[Kelli]

A tip for a quick energy boost - courtesy of the British army - while skating or anytime is those little packets of dried raisins. They boost blood sugar levels without overloading it and because it's from a fruit it takes slightly longer to get into the bloodstream so doesn't give you sugar shock.

Better than chocolate - though personally I love chocolate so would probably go with that anyway!!!

Actually, the sugar from chocolate takes longer than the sugar from raisins because of the fat in chocolate. Glycemic index of dove milk chocolate is 45, and it's 64 for raisins. Which isn't to say that raisins still aren't the healthier choice... But if you're worried about the rise in blood sugar, eat chocolate!

Also, there's basically no difference between fructose and glucose for diabetics. Sugar is sugar.

[sceptique]

Glycemic index of dove milk chocolate is 45, and it's 64 for raisins.

Yep, I found that GI thing works for me just fine. I don't count the index of every bit of food, but generally stick to stuff that's considered low to med GI. About a year ago I lost ca 20 pounds and so far managed to keep them off without feeling like I'm starving myself and stiil having energy to skate and work out. M&S in UK has an awesom variety of healthy ready meals - a must for a working girl - and then there's always sushi and miso for a little bit of a treat. So it doesn't have to be carrots sticks and lettuce all the time.

[batikat]

OOps - I wasn't referring to diabetic type sugar-shock. Just that rather hyper lightheaded feeling that too much sugar gives you - particularly if like me you suffer from a general low blood sugar level anyway.

The raisin tip came when I was in the jungle with the army (in Borneo - I'm not in the army but it was a jungle adventure thing they were running) and collapsed from not having had regular meals (well they'd barbequed the night before but the chicken still looked raw so we didn't eat any - then we spent the night in the jungle and next day were doing obstacle courses, rock climbing, abseiling, target shooting, rafting, flying fox over a waterfall etc.)

Think I keeled over just before the abseiling and the medic came to my rescue with raisins which do give a quick boost to the blood sugar but doesn't seem to go on to cause the hyperactive, light headed feeling that ordinary sugar seems to. Don't know why but it works for me.

[Kelli]

OOps - I wasn't referring to diabetic type sugar-shock. Just that rather hyper lightheaded feeling that too much sugar gives you - particularly if like me you suffer from a general low blood sugar level anyway.

The raisin tip came when I was in the jungle with the army (in Borneo - I'm not in the army but it was a jungle adventure thing they were running) and collapsed from not having had regular meals (well they'd barbequed the night before but the chicken still looked raw so we didn't eat any - then we spent the night in the jungle and next day were doing obstacle courses, rock climbing, abseiling, target shooting, rafting, flying fox over a waterfall etc.)

Think I keeled over just before the abseiling and the medic came to my rescue with raisins which do give a quick boost to the blood sugar but doesn't seem to go on to cause the hyperactive, light headed feeling that ordinary sugar seems to. Don't know why but it works for me.

Well, for one thing, it's a whole lot easier to limit the amount of sugar you're consuming when it comes from raisins instead of chocolate. :lol:

[jazzpants]

sunskater: So just how many of these kids are in the hospital for anorexia or bullimia? 8O

Blomsbubbs: I'm a pasta gal, myself!!! :yum:

[skaternum]

A skater's diet? Well not every skater has the same diet plan. But for many skaters, their skating "diet" goes something like this:
breakfast usually consists of coffee and a small banana. about 100 calories. sometimes 2 hard-boiled eggs, for protein, but just the egg white part, of course. the yolk is too fattening. this adds another 40 -50 calories.
lunch - carrot sticks. but not too many. chicken salad. vinagrette, not fattening dressing like ranch, etc. a couple wheat thins, maybe. if the skater feels they have been 'good' and stuck to their diet all day.
dinner - a couple of bits of dinner. tells mom and dad they aren't hungry. again. lots of water to feel full.
sometimes a cookie or something throughout the day. but then the guilt sinks in, so many skaters avoid 'slipping' from their diet.
Jesus, this sounds like my diet back when I was suffering from an eating disorder in high school! Actually, it was two eating disorders. I was anorexic for a brief period, during which my weight got in the 80s as far as percentage to norm. We got that under control just in time for me to discover ... bulimia. Now that was a disorder more suited to my personality type! The eat-all-you-want diet. Behavioral extremes. Ah, the good old days. :roll:

I have no doubt that sunskater's statement is true. I know this mentality existed in the ballet world when I was in it. I've seen snatches of it in the skating world, but I'm not as involved with elite skating.

Bad eating disorder joke of the day: What's a female pair skater's favorite dessert? Pine float. Put a toothpick in a glass of club soda. Voila! 8O

[jestemkkool]

Jesus, this sounds like my diet back when I was suffering from an eating disorder in high school! Actually, it was two eating disorders. I was anorexic for a brief period, during which my weight got in the 80s as far as percentage to norm. We got that under control just in time for me to discover ... bulimia. Now that was a disorder more suited to my personality type! The eat-all-you-want diet. Behavioral extremes. Ah, the good old days. :roll:

I have no doubt that sunskater's statement is true. I know this mentality existed in the ballet world when I was in it. I've seen snatches of it in the skating world, but I'm not as involved with elite skating.

Bad eating disorder joke of the day: What's a female pair skater's favorite dessert? Pine float. Put a toothpick in a glass of club soda. Voila! 8O

Wow, so much like my old diet to which occasionally reoccurs. The hardest part of some sports is that there is so much pressure that athletes put on themselves. One comment referring to someone else can send one over the edge(happens with me).

[Bella]

While I don't dispute that some skaters follow that type of extreme diet described, I wouldn't consider it to be the norm. Skaters that train 3-4 hours a day need energy and they know this. In my club, extreme eating like that was NEVER encouraged. Even if one wasn't excercising would they eat like that! No skater would be able to properly train on that kind of diet. So while yes, some skaters will feel the pressure and go to extremes, I don't think that most do. Most of the skaters on tv look healthy and fit, and if they eat like the way it was described, they'd be complete toothpicks - they'd weigh next to nothing. Even when I lost a great deal of weight, and skated, and was hungry all the time - I still ate more than that.

[skaternum]

Even if one wasn't excercising would they eat like that! No skater would be able to properly train on that kind of diet. So while yes, some skaters will feel the pressure and go to extremes, I don't think that most do.I agree that MOST skaters don't eat like this, but there are certainly more than a handful. And certainly more than most people would like to admit.

As for the ability to train while eating an "extreme diet," a term which I happen to like BTW, you'd be surprised at how long your body can hold out while eating next to no calories. At the time I was going through it, I was dancing several hours a day. Yes it was hard, but your body eventually enters a phase where your metabolism slows down to next to nothing, no matter what you do. It knows it's being starved, so it shuts down. An athlete can go a surprisingly long time eating like this. Eventually, of course, you start having all the problems that accompany anorexia like loss of muscle mass, cessation of menstruation, organs stopping normal functioning, fine hair growth for warmth, etc. It ain't pretty, but you'd be surprised at how long you can survive like that. Anorectics don't die after a month, you know. It takes a long time before the body gives in. The human body is an amazingly resilient thing.