Should athletes diet?

Question

Just wondering b/c...if a serious athlete already eats the minimum number of calories (1200/day), will they get really fat if they ever "retire" and just exercise moderately (like an hour a day) like a normal person who just wants to be fit? Would they have to decrease their caloric intake to 800-900 calories/day to maintain their athlete weight at 1200 calories/day?

Answer 1

NO! you have to find you personal caloric intake to figure out how much you need to eat to maintain your weight. 1200 is general. It's all math. But don't worry about weight excercise to look fit.

Answer 2

The body of a retired athlete changes when they stop training as intensely. Decreasing your caloric intake to below normal levels isn't healthy for anyone. Most competitive athletes have nutrtionists or guidlines for their nutrition intergerated into their training. Having a nutrition plan that supplements your training to its best ability is very important to help you increase speed and efficiency. Most retired atheletes are retired and don't have to worry nearly as much about their diets as they did during their careers. However, most serious athletes are tuned into healthy eating so they don't have to change their habits much. Also as their metabolism slows down they may not feel the need to eat as much anyway.

So to answer your question, retired athletes can get "fat", yes. But they are far less likely to do so since good nutrition and exercise habits are already part of their lifestyle.

Answer 3

They wouldn't get fat on 1200 calories a day. They would lose muscle though, due to the reduction in activity.

Answer 4

i am an athlete and i just decreased my caloric intake but now i know that it was THE STUPIDEST THING I COULD DO and i am now screwed!