RM: WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT WORKING WITH PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES? WC: They don’t eat enough. Some of them
know a lot, and they are on top of it, and some of them don’t. Unfortunately, even at a professional level, women are still really worried about their bodies and what they look like. They are still scared to overeat. So they aren’t eating enough, and it could affect the way they perform.
RM: HOW SO? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY DON’T EAT ENOUGH? WC: They could get an injury, or oftentimes
they hit a wall and they can’t perform as well in the second half as they can in the first half.
RM: NOT ALL YOUR CLIENTS ARE PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES. WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCES IN THE NUTRITIONAL NEEDS OF PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES AND THOSE WHO ARE JUST MODERATELY ACTIVE? WC: If I’m working with non-athletes, it’s
usually more about cholesterol or food allergies or reducing inflammation, or something along those lines, so it’s pretty different. It’s not sport-specific but more about all-around balanced nutrition, in which case they can be a bit more lenient. It’s not as crucial for them to fuel a certain way.
RM: MEANING? WC: The timing doesn’t have to be exact,
meaning pre-workout, post-workout. With those who aren’t professional athletes, I’m more about the intuitive eating approach. You can be more intuitive and just listen to your body, trust your body. It’s not as crucial to make sure you have the gas-to-go type of thing.
RM: GOT IT. BUT EVERYONE SHOULD BE EATING THE SAME QUALITY OF FOOD, RIGHT? WC: Yes, the quality should still be the same,
meaning healthy, non-processed foods. But an athlete might get more carbohydrates, more starchy stuff, because they’re going to need it and use it, where as a non-athlete won’t. So the types of food can be different. RM: WHAT IS THE NUTRITION MISCONCEPTION THAT DRIVES YOU THE MOST CRAZY? WC: The craziest one is about carbohy-
drates. People are seriously scared of carbohydrates, but it’s your fuel. Seriously, it is. Even some coaches and trainers don’t realize the connection between carbs and performance. Everyone says eat more protein, or you need to lose weight, so cut carbs. But if you want them to perform well, you need carbohydrates. You need protein to restore 52 | september 2014 reflections
your muscles also, but the carbohydrates are going to fuel you and give you energy. You need both. RM: AND WHAT ABOUT FOR NON-PROFESSIONALS? WC: Dieting. Diets do not work. If you
can’t do it for the rest of your life, then you shouldn’t do it.
RM: SO YOU DON’T TAKE STOCK IN ALL THOSE FAD DIETS OUT THERE? WC: No. Don’t go to extremes. Find some-
thing you can sustain, and then think about the big picture. It doesn’t matter if you ate cake one day. It’s more about did you eat well the majority of the week? What about for the month? Do you eat well 90 percent of the time? If you indulge every now and then, it’s fine. Eat it, enjoy it, forget about it and move on, because the guilt cycle is tough to get out of. You eat bad because you feel bad and so on. I see the cycle all the time. Give yourself permission to eat.
RM: SO DO YOU BELIEVE MODERATION OF EVERYTHING IS KEY, OR ARE THERE SOME FOODS THAT SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE OFF-LIMITS? WC: It depends on what you’re trying to do. RM: JUST FOR AN AVERAGE PERSON? WC: Do I think aspartame is a good thing?
No. But if you drink a diet coke every once in a while, does it kill you? No. If it gives you headaches, then don’t drink it. Does it affect you, yes or no? I would say everything in moderation, but more importantly listen to your body and your hunger cues. If you’re hungry, eat. If you’re not, stop. It’s not that easy, I know, but try to listen, to think like a kid. When they’re done, they’re done. They get up, and they’re done. We try to shove food in their mouths, but they are honoring their hunger. Honor your hunger. Learn to listen to those cues again.
RM: DO YOU HAVE ANY TOOLS FOR HELPING PEOPLE IDENTIFY THOSE CUES? WC: Yes. So if zero is starving and 10 is
Thanksgiving full, five is neutral. Try to stay in between four and seven. When you start to feel hungry, eat. Then stop when you’re satisfied but not uncomfortable.
RM: CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE DANGERS OF BEING ON BOTH SIDES OF THAT SCALE? WC: Well, when you let yourself get to a
one or two often, that’s when people gain weight because then they overeat when they do eat. They didn’t listen to their body; they didn’t eat slow enough. They just inhale food. It does take 20 minutes to notice when you’re full.