«The athlete in general is always in constant uncertainty. She lives with the fear of not reaching her desired weight and physical shape.. And even if he achieves them, he is not satisfied and still tries to make a sacrifice or an extra effort."
Erica Lombardi, dietician to many top Italian cyclists, both men and women and former middle-distance athlete, makes no distinction between the attitude of cyclists and athletes in general, and defines himself particularly sensitive to the problem of eating disorders.
«Obviously in cycling – continues Erica – as an endurance sport, it is easier to find oneself in situations that can be traced back to eating disorders, but I believe that it is a problem which is even more felt in sports divided into weight categories or in dance for exampleOver the years I have learned to pick up even the first warning signs quite easily, listening to the athlete and observing small details such as his behavior at the table, his posture and other anthropometric traits».
Beyond the limit
Last week, Slongo explained to us that athletes often play on the limit, risking crossing it at any moment, but what does this mean in terms of nutrition and what actually happens?
«The athlete is always under examination – continues Lombardi – and He wants to be in control of everything, but sometimes he goes too far with hyper-control.Food may no longer be a necessity but something to be repressed. The problem is that we're programmed to react to stress with survival mechanisms that initially might not lead to a decline in performance, so they seem to confirm our belief. Stimulated by the apparent positive aspects, we would continue with these erroneous restrictive behaviors, until we could end up giving more importance to physiognomy and weight rather than performance. The important and only real focus for the athlete with these disorders is often to look thin, not to win..
«At this point we need to intervene by collaborating in a team, with a psychologist, doctor and nutritionist, to restore normal hormone levels in the athlete, recover a good constitution and physical resistance and improve the relationship with food and one's image. From a nutritional point of view, these are very delicate phases because reintroducing foods, if done at the wrong time and in the wrong way, could cause the so-called refeeding syndrome, really dangerous also from a clinical point of view".
Bad habits
However, there is not only the problem of anorexia, You can also suffer from bulimia with or without compensation, or binge eating disorder, which involves large binges, mostly alone and in a short time.
«I haven't had such a large number of cases of eating disorders – explains Erica – especially among professionals, but tend to develop in smaller realities and not only in the form of anorexiaIt's annoying and inadvisable to train for hours on an empty stomach, just like starting out too full. Athletes can't take it anymore. Excessive control is difficult to tolerate, so it happens that during training they stop at the bar and gorge themselves on 6-8 croissants., or it often happens that they wake up at night, when the unconscious part predominates over reason and they become "attached" to the jar of chocolate or jam rather than the packet of biscuits.
«However, there are different shades of these disorders for which often we cannot speak of chronic disorders, but at most of acute forms, perhaps aimed at achieving a goalThey are always to be avoided and prevented, but certainly less worrying.»
The circumstances and the environment
We have seen that it is often the athlete who goes beyond the limit, but The influence of the environment around him should not be underestimated either.
«The figures who worry about everything – notes Erica – including nutrition, may not be able to give specific and personalized indications, furthermore in communication they could use inappropriate terms influencing the athlete's approach to diet and weightSometimes, in fact, changing the order of words, or just one word, is enough to get a different reaction. Today, more and more teams are trying to create a complete and highly specialized staff, including women, where everyone is committed to respecting their role and that of the other collaborators, avoiding any comments that aren't relevant to their subject matter. This is how great results can be achieved.
Education among young people
In recent years, Erica has also collaborated on educational projects in youth teams and emphasizes the importance of family.
«Education in youth teams is certainly useful, but It should also involve the family, because it is often the mother who cooks and thus allows her child to follow a correct dietSome athletes are subjected to excessive pressure from parents or athletic directors regarding weight during development. Other times, the nutritionist may also be at fault. To accommodate the patient's requests or to promise quick results, they may recommend diets that aren't perfectly balanced and effective, but are dangerous if used over time. Thus, they neglect the importance of teaching a proper lifestyle to protect the young person's health. We must always remember that The athlete is still a patient, and as such, his health must be protected first and foremost.».
Let's take it one step further
Erica's optimism hopefully launches a further call for improvement in the management of youth categories and national team retreats.
«More and more teams are seeking the support of nutritionists – he concludes – also in women, where there actually tends to be a greater need for intervention as there is a greater risk of interfering with the delicate and complex hormonal balanceI believe the ideal would be to set up a nutrition education program for young people that also involves the family. And having a nutritionist following the national team from the training camps onwards, because that's the time when athletes are most receptive and when you can try to vary something to optimize the diet."
IN PREVIOUS ARTICLES
«Playing on the edge, in the exasperation of the Watt/Kg ratio»
Paladin: "Now I savor food and don't feel guilty."
"Italian Theory": Experience and Advice from Marta Bastianelli
Cecchini: Abroad without pressure and with a chef in tow
Scandolara, I ended up in Australia to learn how to eat.
Excessive thinness: is being thin always a good thing?
Dalia Muccioli intervenes: the head always wins
Pedaling with weight on your head, between empirical diets and false myths
