Weight Loss for OCR Athletes

by | Mar 29, 2018

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Last updated on January 11th, 2024

In this week’s video, I’m talking about weight loss for OCR athletes. More importantly – FAT LOSS. Yes, there is a difference between weight loss and fat loss.

This was done on Facebook live, which is why a few times I stray from what I am talking about to read comments being left during the live cast.

Some key points:

1:30 – Why you need to carefully plan your race schedule so you can properly periodize your training and nutrition for peak performance.

2:45 – The prep cycle and why it’s the ideal time to focus on weight loss as an OCR athlete

3:20 – Why 5 weeks before your peak race is too late to be thinking about weight loss or losing body fat. 8-12 weeks before your peak race is your Build Cycle, and as I’ve written before, the build cycle is not the time to focus on fat loss.

6:00 – How far before your peak race you need to start focusing on weight loss or losing fat loss if your goal is to be leaner

6:45 – Why you don’t need to count calories or track macros and what easier strategies you can use instead to start improving your body composition, health and performance.

9:25 – How to make smart carb choices that will keep you feeling fuller for longer and will provide more fibre and micronutrients

11:05 – Reasons why you may not be losing weight. Hint, your lifestyle is too sedentary even as an OCR athlete, so you can’t eat whatever you want just because you did a 1 hour workout.

12:45 – The role sleep plays in weight loss

13:25 – The difference between WEIGHT loss and FAT loss.

15:40 – How do you lose FAT as an OCR athlete

16:45 – Common Weight Loss Myths Busted

29:30 – There’s such a thing as being too lean, especially for an OCR athlete

30:40 – You don’t need complicated nutrition strategies for weight loss or fat loss. Go back to basics and do them CONSISTENTLY

32:10 – Most elite OCR athletes aren’t counting calories or going keto and neither should you.


Let’s Keep The Conversation Going

Do you have any questions or comments? I would love to hear them. My favourite place to connect is on Instagram. 

You can also join my free community on Facebook: Sports Nutrition for Teen Athletes, to ask questions and get support from my team and me! I hope to see you there. 

Written by Melissa Boufounos

I’m a certified holistic nutritionist in the Ottawa area. As a longtime athlete, my focus is in performance-based nutrition coaching for young athletes and obstacle course race athletes. My mission is to help the next generation of athletes optimize their nutrition so they can optimize their performance.

Hi, I’m Melissa Boufounos!

I’m a certified holistic nutritionist in the Ottawa area. My mission is to help the next generation of athletes optimize their nutrition so they can optimize their performance.

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