Skiers are not the only athletes in need of high caloric intake. Many Olympic quality swimmers do also.
This article contains a factual error about carbohydrate consumption. The the author states “Skier Daniel Rickardson…needs to consume 100 grams of carbohydrate every 15 to 20 minutes”
I suspect the author meant 100 calories every 15 to 20 minutes. The maximum hourly rate of carbohydrate intake that has been shown to be beneficial during strenuous aerobic exercise is around 90 grams PER HOUR. That works out to about 100 calories every 15 minutes.
In addition the 50 km cross country race is likely to last around 90 minutes. (the world record pace is about that) Rather than “a few hours”
For those who are interested, Dr Asker Jeukendrup, a well regarded exercise physiologist and sports nutritionist, is an excellent resource regarding the this topic. He and his colleagues have investigated the topic of maximal rates of carbohydrate absorption and utilization in the endurance athlete.
Regards
James B. M.D.
Davis, CA
8
Mr. Moeller should register as a contestant in the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest this year. It certainly appears that he would be a worthy opponent for perennial champion, Joey Chestnut. Then there are the other food group gluttony games, with pizza, doughnuts, pancakes, etc., to enter.
1
This is very similar to what the cyclists in the Tour d'France do.
So here's the uptake....
If you're an Olympic cross-country skier, or a professional cyclist, and you're burning through the calories on a daily basis, you have to refuel accordingly.
And if you're NOT one of these elite athletes, stop eating like you are.
12
Good heavens! I can't even imagine how clogged their blood vessels are becoming from all that saturated animal fat... orders of magnitude more than the deadly "standard American diet." Being physically fit won't stop atherosclerosis, which I learned the hard way myself. A multi-sport athlete from childhood, I started showing signs of significant heart disease at age 40. Switching to a plant-based diet saved my life.
15
I wonder about the long term effect of eating so much saturated fats and the cholesterol effects. Does the intense exercise cause the body to absorb it? Heart disease has to start somewhere.
4
There's no connection between fats and heart disease.
8
Calories can come from healthy sources too. James Cameron has a new documentary about notable vegan athletes called "Game Changers", featuring major competitors in strength and endurance categories.
3
Seems odd to say it's more of a struggle for the women, who have to eat only 2x the normal amount of calories, than for the men who have to eat 3x the normal calories.
2
All that exercise does not protect these athletes from developing insulin resistance. Ask professional triathlon athlete Sami Inkinen who became pre-diabetic from carb loading. You can also ask Tim Noakes, the scientist who invented carb loading and now admits it was bad advice.
3
I wonder how close onecould come re calorie butning with roller skis.
3
I would have liked to see photos of the skiers eating some of their 8,000 calories in different ways
11
I'm curious about the metabolic profile of these skiers: insulin sensitivity; lipids; resting metabolism; and so on. I also wonder what their long-term health profile is like (long after they retire from competitive training).
5
I am enjoying my 55th consecutive year of xc skiing. There is no more enjoyable way to exercise in a low impact, high aerobic fashion. Being outdoors in the winter is a bonus to attitude and overall health and avoiding the excruciating boredom and marginal benefit of the gym experience. It is the time of year I eat everything in sight and lose the baggage accumulated the rest of the year.
That being said, the extremes depicted in this article are mildly disturbing. There are elite athletes and then there is the rest of us. Attempting to burn the calories these elite athletes do to sustain their equilibrium would be injurious to most people who are ignorant of the mechanical and psychological precepts of extreme exercise. The allure of "guilt free" eating in quantity is a sucker's dream and should be a byproduct, not a goal, of exercise.
So, admire the extent to which human achievement is pushed in these olympic events but remain aware of the proportionality and applicability to our own lives.
14
Two eggs, butter, cheese, toast and jam? Where's the bacon and hashbrowns? It's not breakfast without the bacon and hashbrowns.
9
A wonderful and a drole article.
Made me laugh many times.
I liked that quote from children of Mr Moeller , "Dad, do you have to eat again?"
When does a child ever say that to a parent.
Thank you also for educating me on why we need specialists like these nutritionists on our team.
It's just unbelievable all the science that goes into eating, eating and more eating.
1
A scientific discovery! There appears to be a correlation between exercise and weight. On my next fast food visit I plan to walk into the restaurant rather than take the usual drive-through.
7
Back in the Navy, we had an old Nordic Trak X C ski machine on the aircraft carrier and I never saw anyone using it. Every other day I would hop on it for about 30 min (did the treadmill on the opposite days). Not only did I lose more weight on it than running, my stomach actually became concave.
When I retired I sought out an old Nordic Trak on craigslist to see if it worked as well as before..bought one and this article has now convinced me to start using my Nordic Trak (clothes rack) again!
16
I've found in my years of cross country skiing in Canada and Norway that it's the heat loss that causes much of the calorie burn. When the temperature stays below -10 C, I'll loose 2-3 pounds a week. At below -15 C, it's even more.
7
An article I read recently would seem to support your contention about heat loss being a part of the calorie burn. This article was discussing what it referred to as "tan adipose (fat) tissue" where white adipose tissue acts like brown adipose tissue and rather than generating energy from the beta oxidation of triglycerides, simply generates heat. One of the factors which causes this to occur is extremely cold temperature. So basically the body is burning off fat just to generate heat on top of any fat it is burning to generate the needed energy to perform the task.
4
A "plate" of lasagna has far more than 400 calories. Don't know what fancy Italian restaurant you're eating at. 400 calories is what you get from buying frozen lasagna at Trader Joe's, or from Amy's organics. Serve a portion that small at a typical old school red sauce Italian restaurant and there'd be a riot underway.
Swimmers train 4-5 hours a day just in the pool, also using every muscle in their body. They also spend an hour a day doing dry land training. Suggesting that cross country skiing is more rigorous is slightly absurd. I don't recall any of the swimmers on my college team ever complaining about having to eat so much. It's a pleasure, remember? It's the dieters that are suffering and complaining.
5'9 and only 132 pounds? No wonder she didn't come close to winning. She's at least 13 pounds under ideal body weight. Those 13 pounds should be lean muscle mass which would power her along the snow faster. Two eggs with cheese and two slices of toast? Ever seen the breakfast of a 3 egg omelet with pancakes and 4 slices of toast, buttered, and washed down with a milkshake? Head to a diner, that's typical for a hungry 18 year old.
Moeller's weight is closer to ideal, but his dietary notions are antiquated. No wonder he didn't win either. Dr. Robert Haas wrote about top athletes eliminating sugar and simple carbs 40 years ago, his books were called "Eat to Win."
This article falls well short of the podium.
5
We're all just talking about calories here. All right, I'm no sports doctor or nutritionist, but to me these diets seem to include way too much sugar. I think too much sugar is a big enemy no matter what your body does for a living.
4
Where do I sign up? I love eating!
These people must be rich or have rich sponsors to pay for all of that food.
2
Not sure why... But this is one of the funniest things I've ever read.
1
I read that Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery consumed 8000 calories/day as they rowed up the Missouri. It included 8-12 pounds -yes pounds - of meat per man. They'd have to go ashore whenever they saw a herd of buffalo in order to stock up. I suppose it was lean meat, and they had no access to donuts. Explains the colossal portions.
5
I cannot for the life of me figure out why anyone would want to punish their body in such a manner. Are we supposed to admire them? I don't. I think they are nuts.
10
In Los Angeles one hardly needs to ski cross-country, as one gets plenty of exercise dodging all the crazy and homeless people.
1
Why the use of the word "guilt" more than once when talking about female skiers eating? You don't use it in connection to the men. It's your word, not the skiers'. It's belittling, anachronistic, and completely out of place.
26
It's not something that I'd ever considered, but it does sound like a drag. I can't imagine that when you're not skiing or doing indoor exercise the time at home with family that remains is compromised by needing to...eat and eat and eat.
Maybe skiers could strap on a bag of gruel and run a tube down to their stomachs while they ski? Prob shouldn't type such things--I can imagine someone at CamelBak reading this and immediately begin developing 'CaloriBak GruelGut for x-Country Skiers'!!
2
Fascinating that the female skier caloric needs are much lower per pound of body weight than the male skiers.
2
Let's see: Figure skaters get by on 800 calories a day, and cross-ountry skiers need 8,000. Maybe it's time for a Regular Diet Olympics.
7
Nothing beats XC skiing the rim of Bryce Canyon NP.
They no longer seem to advertise it on television, but NordicTrack still makes a great skiing machine.
I'm sitting here wondering about their bathroom needs; both #1 and #2. Also, I assume that they are getting enough fiber to keep things "moving along". They obviously are giving their stomach, intestines and bladder a really good workout; just as they are giving all their other major muscle groups a good workout.
8
Do their Olympic teams subsidize their grocery bills, seriously?
2
Nice to read about a sport that (logically) requires food for fuel, not being anorexic like the poor figure skaters.
6
When I'm putting down several helpings of lasagna, I'm fed by the thought that eating burns up lots of calories.
2
While I think the tendency of us regular folk is to think “I’d love to eat whatever I want!”, I think the reality of that must be miserable. Essentially force feeding yourself when you’re not even hungry, multiple times a day, must take quite the toll. It’s staggering what top athletes do to push their bodies to these limits — can you imagine having the “what do you want to eat?” “I dunno, what do YOU want to eat?” conversations with your partner 6 times a day?
3
No doubt about it, cross-country skiing is generally good for weight loss, though maintaining a huge calorie intake during training and competition has got to make it hard for these athletes to control their weight when the competitive pressures lessen.
The article also makes me curious about the caloric intake of the curlers. I know, they clearly have skills and abilities that I do not, and congrats to the Americans for their gold medal. But just how many calories must they consume to maintain that blistering pace and brutal physical exertion? And how about those life-threatening moves and gyrations of the curlers that make the snowboarders and downhill skiers look like wussies? My heart stopped when that lady curler tripped over her own stone (or feet) early in the competition.
I also find myself wondering how a curler could be accused of doping. Sports doping is usually undertaken to improve strength, speed, stamina and reflexes, none of which seems essential for curling. Or perhaps the doping for curling involves substances that prevent falling asleep on the job.
My humble suggestions for improving the TV ratings for curling are to make timing an element (some sort of count-down shot clock); introduce body contact among opposing teams; and have the players wear revealing costumes like the ice skaters/dancers with lots of glitter and costume fails.
3
I used to train on a Nordic track which most closely mimics XC skiing. Mine wasn't very durable and broke down after several months of use. You don't see them at all in commercial gyms anymore as they have been largely replaced by elliptical machines. More durable, better marketed,safer and easier to use. For my exercise buck the Nordic track gives the best aerobic workout of all machines. For those who can handle it,go for it, eat what you want, and keep those pounds off.
8
Yes, but you can often spot the Nordic Track users on snow by their technique. If you know how to ski well technically, it can be transfered to the Nordic Track.
I would love to see articles like this written without the patronizing discussion of guilt around calorie consumption (multiple times!), as if those of us who are not Olympic athletes should feel guilty about eating.
65
Agreed. Too, it’s interesting that ‘no guilt’ around eating is mentioned only when writing about female athletes. It’s tiresome.
13
I'm a distance runner and I used to always run at least 80 miles per week. People would marvel at how I could eat so much and stay so skinny. (I would explain that you burn up a lot of calories chewing.) But I would never eat 8,000 calories per day!
8
Bottom line: diet and exercise are determinative of one's weight.
Can we finally accept this?
18
Not true. Your metabolism, genes, age, and numerous other factors play significant determinative roles. I know people who eat a lot more than other people, are more sedentary, and do not pack the pounds in a relative context, for example.
1
I got a smile while reading this article. I'm 70 now. I'm retired and guess what else...I'm getting heavier and out of shape. While reading this I recalled my active life as a teenager and then young adult in my 20s. Back then my top weight was about 165 lbs. I'm 6 feet tall so that was pretty good for a very active young man. I rode my bike, skied, swam, ice-skated, hiked, played soccer, basketball and walked everywhere. No such regimen anymore. But I'm not a couch potato either. I also looked back on my eating habits. I ate everything in sight all day long. And didn't gain an ounce. If it didn't crawl off the plate and eat me first, it was gone!
Ok, so what does all this mean? It means I must exercise more! A great deal more! And it also means I can probably resume eating with some of the zest and appetite I once had. I'll probably sleep better too. I ride my bike in the mornings and I can do about 9-11 miles in about an hour depending upon the heat and humidity. I think I can probably do more swimming and get in a couple more rounds of golf too.
I know I'm not training like a cross country skier. I don't think I can do that. But I do believe I can increase the quality of my life while increasing my stamina and perhaps even extending my life too.
Hmm. I wonder if I can still cross country ski? I might even enjoy the crisp cold air and some good hot chocolate at the end of a run. Ok, time for a bike ride!
33
Jay, you only need about 8 minute of exercise a week. Yes, a week. If you're out of shape, it's because of what you eat. Try real food.
It sounds so difficult, not to say abnormal, to have to eat so much to get all the calories in for the long race (50 kilometers = 31 miles). How about just cutting down the length of the race?
6
That's why they compete in the Olympics. If it was easy, anyone could do it.
1
If the length was cut down, you could not call it "cross country". You might call it "cross the street"...
3
Why? 50K is a traditional distance. Feeding is part of what makes it a race.
1
I was lucky enough to have taken up Cross Country Skiing when I was around 40 and already overweight with some bad metabolic numbers.
In a month's vacation at Lake Tahoe that winter--with CC in the morning and again in the late afternoon every day, my body "reset," and all the numbers went right.
In the 30 years since then, I've just had to keep doing some kind of equivalent (AND ENJOYABLE!) workouts e.g. trail running (now hiking), paddling, biking, swimming etc. Yes, I go at it like a loony sometimes, but I didn't want to go back to being THAT 40 year old.
If anyone's in trouble, get your Doc's OK and then go spend a few weeks at a CC resort. It's cheaper than a European vacation and it can be miraculous.
29
The women's diet reminds me of when I was breastfeeding twins. I needed about 1000 extra per day.
17
Very much like a Panda Bear that has to eat constantly to prevent starvation. Sounds great but bamboo does not have the nutrients to eat less. So it's eat, eat eat all day so I do sympathize with the cross country skaters.
4
The olympic skiers are skiing a km in less than 3 minutes or they are skiing 30+ miles per day in training. Remember that going XC skiing at 15 minutes/km won't burn calories at nearly the same rate. XC skiing is not a carte blanche for pounding down the calories. You need a lot of time and will to urn that many calories
3
"For cross-country skiers, who often have slim builds and limited stomach capacity, it means eating several times a day"
Research has proven that Body Weight has no correlation w stomach capacity. Studies of Eating contest competitors has shown that the less body fat one has, the greater distensiblity of the abdominal wall, and ultimately larger capacity for food. Small thin people do quite well in eating contests.
10
I have seen reports that cyclists during a grand tour like the Tour de France require 8,000-10,000 cal. per day?
9
The NYT or a similar level paper did an article during the last Tour de France that talked about the cyclists going through about 6,000 kcals/day during the race. It had a similar feel about how much food and eating it actually took in order to take in that many calories. Although the cycling distances are much longer than these cross-country skiing races, the cyclists are not doing anywhere near as much work with their upper bodies as these skiers are.
1
The great runner Bill Rodgers used to say he had to put mayonnaise on everything he ate to keep from getting too thin when running 100+ miles a week.
10
You mean I have to take up cross country skiing to get rid of this pot? I live in Florida.
49
get a pair of roller skis!
2
Some years ago I stopped for lunch at a freeway rest stop above London. The waitress apologized but had only "a few leaves of lettuce." The All Blacks (Rugby) team bus had just been there and they had eaten the restaurant's entire food stock.
86
A bit like a story about Bill Gates not knowing what to do with all his excess money.... Must be hard :)
6
The sexism in this is infuriating. Apparently only the women need to combat feelings of guilt associated with eating, according to this author, as she uses “guilt free” only when referring to female skiirs.
81
You're comment is sexist. There is a 50% chance that the author might mention a woman or a man. Guilt associated with eating is justified as often as not. I am eating dinner now and relishing the guilty pleasure of eating a full loaf of airy homemade bread. I am a man. I watch my weight. I am indulging in a guilty pleasure. I have a daughter and 3 sons. I hope none of them are ever shamed into unhealthy eating habits. That said I hope the broader culture continues to encourage healthy, non-obesity promoting habits. Obesity is a major factor in the healthcare crisis we face as a nation--Flaming Liberal
4
I missed those references to guilt -- but those other sexist facts about women being smaller, skiing shorter distances, menstruating and breastfeeding are equally infuriating. These references should be edited out as obvious signs of patriarchal something or other.
2
Wow--three slices of cold pizza and a hagen daz bar with my morning coffee that contains much cream and sugar--or cream and ice cream. Or just coffee ice cream.
I could do this so easily.
11
Very enlightening.
1
Perhaps they should seek advice from nursing mothers, who experience a similar sudden need for more nutritious calories (and get fat-shamed for it).
33
I thought fat-shaming only was done to folks who are overweight; do people really "fat-shame" normal weight people who need to eat a lot (for whatever reason)?
2
Why is it necessary to call out “and no guilt” after the description of the female skier’s breakfast? Let’s not perpetuate unhealthy attitudes toward women eating food.
120
I took this as a projection on the part of the author...she would feel guilt. We aren't all walking around feeling guilty for everything we eat. Or shamed for not being an "ideal" size, in fact we may enjoy our curves.
2
Dang.
I wish I liked cross country skiing.
I am envisioning all I would eat if I could....
5
Then, there are planning the trips to the restroom.
53
I knew someone would broach this. :-)
2
Tour de France, 23 days, 3,000 miles, heart rates always close to anaerobic threshold--they eat a lot, too
10
forget adam rippon's workout. For best abs, start x-country and get some telemark in. Only time in my life that I ever had a decent six pack was when I did 20-30 km of x-country each week. They don't even mention the heart rate. At rest, my heart rate was under 40. Now back up to 60s and 70s.
All because of x-country.
39
Forty years ago, when I ran 50 miles a week, my heart rate was 38 to 40, and at 180 pounds and five-ten I achieved a 3:08 marathon. Today my heart is in the mid-60s (with an hour of not-too-strenuous exercise a day).
I drink at least a bot of cab a day, but still get in an hour of steady exercise swimming and riding my bike. In between I have survived cancer. My advice is to live clean, drink wine, and get in an hour of exercise every day.
3
When I was rowing, after a three-hour row you could hardly get the calories fast enough, and my partner recommended drinking beer in the shower. An activity that I thought was the definition of alcoholic!
21
I remember a fascinating talk I heard some time ago by a woman who had skied to the South Pole. She talked about eating sticks of frozen butter like candy bars and how tedious it became, even though it was necessary to meet the calorie needs caused by the skiing and the cold.
34
I guess I am a cross-country skier, at heart.
41
This was an incredibly, fascinating article. Thank you.
10
This sport sounds a lot like bicycle racing, in the spectrum of skill vs. physical ability it is out there at the physical ability end, specifically endurance. There are great dividends to be had from enhancing the bodies ability to convert food energy to physical work.
1
Cross country skiing is a fun activity, it takes time to feel confident, but after a bit of practice it becomes a lot of fun. Also as one ages it seems manageable, because 15k feels as good as 25k when working out on the trail. It is hard to leave it in the spring, but one season changes to another, with a different sport for leisure time.
6
Wow, cross country skiing is the sport for me! No problem eating all that food. I already do. Thanks for the interesting article. Perhaps my Olympic dream is still alive.
35
Speaking as a golden-ager who used to run distance, but with age substituted frequency for duration, it would be interesting to know:
a. the body fat compositions of these remarkable endurance athletes
b. is it a metric with which they concern themselves.
2
So is cross country skiing for everyone the solution to our nation's obesity problem?
Perhaps in the Winter, we should all vacation up north in a state like Minnesota to lose at least 10 pounds cross country skiing on an exercise holiday.
12
The problem in our country isn't lack of movement as much as it is
the poor food (and drink) choices. I often see people rewarding themselves, after a walk/hike/run, with a sugary Starbucks treat.
1
Or come farther north. We just got new snow, the cross country trails are freshly groomed, and the skiing is great. Dozens of skate skiers and classical skiers on the trails on this glorious sunny day. Time for a big lunch after a long ski.
10
I'm a female 50+ yr. lightweight rower, who x-country skies. 8000 calories does not sound like a lot for a male cross country skier. Male college rowers eat about 10,000 calories per day.
On days I don't row, I'm less hungry and I eat less. I think this is typical for all athletes. It is more difficult for athletes who do sports, like cross country skiing, where they are away from food for so many hours at a time.
Eating sufficiently can be particularly hard for athletes who spend significant time with non-athletes. People who do not train hard don't understand why we eat so much. Athletes who try to follow the eating habits of their less athletic friends can become anorexic.
20
A couple of years ago when I was teaching an exercise physiology class (non-traditional 50+ year old graduate student), I had some female softball players in my class who would "graze" during the early afternoon class. I found this strange at first until they pointed out to me that by the end of the class period, they were already 15 minutes late for a 3-hour practice session and they had to eat pretty much whenever they could to have the needed energy stores. This was confirmed to me by a fellow female grad student who had just finished up her time as a scholarship soccer player. The soccer player (who had played on boys teams until she was 12 and who topped out the cardiovascular fitness scale for both males and females her age) told me one of the big changes in her life after she stopped competing on the college soccer team was the fact that she had regular meal times. This was something she did not have before due to strength/conditioning training, practice sessions, travel, competitions and school work taking up significant portions of her day. She still competed, but since it was an "adult" league made up of lots of former college players who had real jobs now, the practices were in the evenings and the games were generally on the weekends.
1
Having a son who skis nordic in college I can personally attest to the sheer volume (& cost!) of food these amazing athletes consume. I highly recommend the unlimited meal plan at college for nordic skiiers!
51
I remember reading that one of the resons so many pro athelets gain weight after they retire is the high eating habits remain while the activity level goes to almost nothing.
14
Some of the athletes in this article made it sound like the need to eat these quantities is a burden, so perhaps it's not so much of an issue.
1
Wouldn't this crazy amount of eating lead to eating disorders? It's not like they cross-country ski forever. What happens when they get old, they don't exercise this strenuously and their bodies are used to massive meals and gorging?
I'm reminded of male wrestlers in high school and college--a huge percentage of those boys develop eating disorders (or at least disordered eating) because they have to remain within a tiny weight range for years on end to remain competitive. They become obsessed with food and calorie intake and--voila!--eating disorder.
I hope this doesn't happen to these cross-country skiers too...
4
The Article is fantastic and good news for people suffering from stubborn fat.
What it is missing from the article is how COLD, VERY COLD TEMPERATURES cause the winter sports athletes and tourists mentioned below to eat FAT, literally chunks of butter, candy - fatty with sugar, and other really unwholesome food while attempting to live, work, or play in very cold temperatures.
Mountain, Glacier and Rock Climbers, tourists to Antarctica in the Summer, even, and NYC on New Year's Eve (tends to be very windy and dry, therefore has a high windchill), even if protected to the T's, with clothing to protect against frostbite or ice burn, spend thousands of calories to be outdoors in s single day.
You won't see any chubby mountain climbers. This is due in part to the extreme cold these individuals expose themselves to. The cross country skier has to maintain a body temperature while burning calories but her body against the low temperatures.
Conversely, if someone who has gained weight and has not exercised routinely, a trip to either Pole is the best time to loose many tens of pounds in a very short time. Even then those seeking to lose weight/lbs. who work outside in extreme cold, not taking shelter, will have to consume a great deal of fat everyday. Ski Resorts have caught to cross country skiing in California but sadly a day pass can cost $158.00.
10
as a high school swimmer, i ate 6,000 calories a day just to maintain my weight. as a completely sedentary office worker now, that just seems laughable.
21
I also was on the swim team in high school. My normal weight as a teen was 125 lbs (at 5'9") -- I had a fast metabolism that allowed me to eat large quantities of junk without gaining weight. During swim team season, though, I was so hungry all the time. We practiced Monday through Friday after school for two hours of non-stop swimming. I remember feeling like my legs lacked the strength to walk after I got out of the pool. I bet I ate 5,000 calories a day during swim season, and I'd always lose inches. I'd eat a package of twinkies before practice to have enough energy!
Then I turned 18 and my metabolism made a dramatic shift. Three decades and a few years later, it's far from what it used to be. Youth is wasted on the young!
6
I want the recipe for that maple mustard dressing! :)
15
during my 40's I worked out like this ... the result was clogged arteries... while I was trim 6'1" 172 lbs I ate any and all things, burning up 1000's of calories a day ...but wound up having coronary bypass surgery as a direct result of all the butter, cheese and other culinary delights
13
You may want to check out "Game Changers" doc about champion athletes on plant-based diets.
The truth is - even for someone looking to cut down on intake -- 8000 calories seems like an impossible amount of food to consume . . 3500, not so hard, perhaps the only Olympic achievement I could replicate . . .
I'm curious about whether these incredibly fit athletes are plagued by particular injuries or if they are fairly resistant? And since it was mentioned, whether anyone has followed up with women on whether bone loss is an issue which dogs them later in life.
11
No Sympathy. :)
35
Bottom line: If you want to lose weight, go cross country skiing.
125
And how.
For four hours a day.
6
Maybe they should take up curling.
37
16 oz curling?
2
Must be hard, or at least odd, whey they stop racing and need to revert to a more normal intake. One wonders how their metabolisms would adjust, or not.
67
That's a good question. Bicycle racing is one sport I know something about, and you rarely see a skinny former bicycle racer. Bicycle racers, in the most extreme events, like the Tour de France can consume 10,000 or more calories a day. During the racing season the calorie demands are probably equivalent to cross country skiing. Once the racers retire from the most competitive level of the sport, they have to reprogram their bodies to stop thinking they are starving to death all the time. I understand it is very difficult to achieve a normal diet after a racing career of ten years or so.
16
They just get old and fat, like the majority of us.
4
I used to run marathons, trained 100 - 140 miles per week. I was also a big eater. When I retired from that training load 16 years ago, I gradually went from 160 lbs to about 180 lbs over the following 5 years, which is where my weight is today. I still eat more than most people, but it's not the constant game of caloric catch-up it once was, and this is probably a healthier weight for me (at 6'4").
7