A. It’s difficult for the body to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. Building muscle requires calories. If you are restricting calories to lose undesired body fat, your body does not have the fuel it needs to create new muscle tissue. Instead, the body breaks down muscle to use for fuel.

A dieting athlete can minimize muscle loss with—

1) a small calorie deficit that contributes to slow fat loss.
2) an adequate protein intake (i.e., some protein at each meal).
3) frequently eaten meals that offer a constant supply of protein and fuel.
4) strength training to help protect against muscle loss.

A. After a moderate workout, you need not worry about rapidly refueling because your muscles are not depleted. But if you have done exhaustive exercise, you should plan to replace carbs, water and sodium as soon as tolerable—particularly if you will be exercising again within 6 hours. Adding a little protein to the recovery meal or snack helps repair damaged muscle, reduce soreness, and also enhance glycogen replacement in athletes who neglect to eat enough carbs:

• For a 150-pound athlete, the recommended carb dose for rapid recovery is ~300-calories every 2 hours for 4-6 hours.

• A wise protein target is about 15 to 30 grams protein for a 150-lb athlete, taken right after (and/or during) exercise.
(More precisely: 0.5 g carb/lb and 0.1-0.2 g protein/lb)

Simple suggestions include 16-ounces of chocolate milk; a handful of pretzels and a yogurt; a meal such as cereal with milk, Carnation Instant Breakfast, or a shake made with milk, powdered milk and a big banana or other fruit.

Timing may be more important than the actual amount of food consumed. Your best bet is to time your m...

As a sport nutritionist, just coming from the Australian Open as the onsite nutritionist, outside of dehydration, the most common mistake I see is under consumption of carbohydrate, particularly in the pre-and post match time. And, as an athlete myself for over 30 years, I see the same sport nutrition mistakes with recreational play that often mean the difference between winning or losing. The following article will highlight other key areas for players to focus on in their diets to maximize your best performance yet!

An optimal training diet is built over time, training the body’s muscles to learn how to store more fuel over-time, just as a runner carbohydrate loads for a marathon. For repeatedly successful games, following these guidelines can help develop winning eating strategies for physical activity. The sports training diet should be focused on high-energy foods and adequate hydration, timed appropriately before, during, and after play.

A diet rich in complex carbohydrates is the key to performance and endurance. Carbohydrates fuel high-intensity work, which correlates to the energy required for movement and physical strain on the body. Muscles store carbohydrates as glycogen, and consuming small amounts of carbs on a regular basis ensures maintenance of maximum glycogen levels.

Select pre-game meals and snacks that are:

Examples of good pre-game foods include bagels, english muffins, pita bread, pasta, bread, fresh fruit, granola bars, higher carbohydrate energy bars, oatmeal, rice, grits, potatoes, corn, lima beans, black-eyed peas, and beans.

Outside of hydrating properly which is described below sports players can also benefit from consuming small amounts of carbohydrate during play. New information in sports nutrition research shows that in stop and start sports, particularly those that last over several hours of time, athletes can benefit from small bite size servings of easy to digest quick energy carbohydrate sources such as that seen in sport food products like sport beverages such as Gatorade and PowerAde (guidelines for beverage intake are listed below). An important tip is to favor sports drinks, as they contain carbohydrates and electrolytes, like sodium, which is key to minimize heat illness risk. Consuming carbohydrates during training and play has been shown to help tennis players maintain more power and accuracy. Gatorade® contains 14 g carbohydrate per 8 oz, which is quickly absorbed and used by worki...

Start with pre-match meals and hydration, which are important in order to maintain proper energy and blood sugar levels. “I recommend that athletes eat roughly three hours before they go onto the court or field,” says SportsMD expert Page Love, an Atlanta-based sports nutritionist and dietician who consults to players on the women’s professional tennis tour. “I prefer things a little lower in protein and fat, and with some carbs. Oatmeal with roasted nuts and fresh fruit is good for breakfast before a round. And something like a tuna sandwich for lunch before an afternoon game works as well. The idea is to settle hunger while keeping energy high and making sure blood sugar is at the right level. If that starts to fall, you can lose concentration and see performance drop.”

For those mid-round snacks, which can help stave off unwelcome drops in energy and blood sugar, Love recommends what she calls “energy bar shots and gels,” which are starchy, sweet solutions squirted in to the mouth for much-needed carbs and proteins.

Proper hydration is also critical, and Love believes athletes should make sure they drink plenty of fluids the night before a match as well as the day of. “Water is best for that, and you should hydrate right up to the time you go out to play as well as while you are on the court,” she says, adding that sports beverages such as Gatorade and PowerAde work as well.

Taking care of nutrition needs does not end with play, however. Post match nutrition is very important. “The first thing an athlete should do after playing, especially when it is hot, is replenish fluids by drinking water or sports beverages,” Love concludes. “Follow that with some carbs for muscle energy replenishment, and then perhaps something with a salty comp...