It's been a few years since the Metabolic Efficiency concept entered my sport nutrition career and life and with each athlete that I work with or hear from, it seems as though there are nothing but positive benefits happening. However, I thought I would share a little of the detriments to following a metabolically efficient eating plan. Of course, these are just my interpretations as I have seen through the eyes of a sport dietitian and an athlete alike.
Detriment #1: I feel full after eating for at least 3-4 hours!
Yes, believe it or not, eating metabolically efficient will stabilize your blood sugar for a good 3-4 hours and thus requires less food to be eaten throughout the day. A large amount of athletes train to eat and thus justify the quantity of food they eat because they train. Sure, it's a little opposite thinking and sure, we know through research that we require fewer calories as we age but that won't stop athletes from overindulging and packing in the calories. Athletes like to eat, it's a known fact. Sorry for keeping your hunger at bay (I'm really not!).
Detriment #2: I am saving too much money by not buying as many sports nutrition products as I used to!
Hey, I'm the first to admit that some of the sport nutrition products on the market are downright tasty. You put enough sugar and salt in anything and of course it will taste good! Just so happens that teaching you body to use more fat as energy during training reduces your hourly calorie intake. Not something most sports nutrition product companies want to hear and you may want to drop more change on gels, bars, drinks, gummies and the like. Power to you but why not put that cashola to something that you may need more like an overpriced triathlon bike or race entry fee? Just sayin...
Detriment #3: I am not taking my afternoon cat nap any longer.
I understand that you do not feel your afternoon crash now that you are metabolically efficient and I sincerely apologize for taking away this opportunity for you to not be able to focus on work or get in a good training session due to altered energy levels but hey, what can I say?
I'm sure you got the point with this lighthearted look at metabolically efficiency but I thought it would be important for me to share some of the feedback I receive from athletes going through the initial process of improving metabolic efficiency. Some of it really makes me laugh! If you read carefully, there are some very good messages throughout.
Enjoy your metabolic efficiency journey!
Coach Bob
coachbob@fuel4mance.com
