From the Gatorade Sport Science Institute:
“Endurance athletes may benefit from improving the macronutrient content of their diets. Specifically, a diet rich in carbohydrates
(7-10 grams per kilogram of bodyweight
), moderate in protein
(1.2-1.7 grams per kilogram of bodyweight
), and low in fat is recommended.”
(Kilograms are pounds divided by 2.2
)
http://www.gssiweb.com/reflib/refs/334/michellerockwell.cfm?pid=99&...
This is the best sports nutrition information on the web. Spend some time going through the information for endurance athletes on here:
http://www.gssiweb.com/sportssciencecenter/topic.cfm?id=99
So a 160 pound endurance athlete should eat at least 509 grams
(2036 calories
) of carbohydrates a day and 87 grams
(350 calories
) of protein. Fat should be kept to about 20% of daily calories.
A 200 pound endurance athlete should eat at least 636 grams
(2544 calories
) of carbohydrates a day and 109 grams
(436 calories
) of protein.
“When several days separate periods of training or competition in sport, a normal mixed diet containing carbohydrate in amounts equivalent to about 4 - 5 g/kg body weight is sufficient to replace glycogen stores in liver and muscle. However, daily training or competition make considerable demands on the body’s carbohydrate stores. For example, when the daily carbohydrate intake is 5 g/kg, cycling or running for an hour each day may gradually delay the daily restoration of muscle glycogen stores
(Pascoe et al., 1990
). Even increasing the carbohydrate intake to 8 g/kg per day may not be enough to prevent a significant reduction in muscle glycogen concentrations after five successive days of hard training
(Kirwan et al., 1988
).”
http://www.gssiweb.com/reflib/refs/43/d000000020000022d.cfm?pid=38
One thing that bothers me is when people identify themselves as a "beginner" athlete. You either are an athlete or not. The NCAA defines an athlete as someone who works out for at least an hour, three times a week.
You are an athlete. Your dietary needs are no different than any seasoned amateur athlete or professional.
Edited by Gatsby 2005-01-12 5:15 PM