Long practice and hunger

[gymmommy123]

My DD has been doing 4 hr practices for a couple weeks now. She seems to be fine for the practice, IF I can get her to eat a fair amount prior to gym (i.e., lunch of turkey sandwich, fruit, milk, and then an hour later, a protein bar and some carrots on the way to the gym) However, when she has Sat. a.m. practices, she tends to want to eat very little before we go, and then energy level starts to die after a couple hours, and today, she actually got nauseous and asked to leave a little early (unheard of for her to want to leave!) She was really pasty and sickly looking. After she ate a snack in the car, she perked up again. She's not a big morning eater anyway, usually a little cereal is all she eats.

So a couple questions... what are good gymmie breakfasts? She used to LOVE eggs, but the last 2 weeks I've made her scrambled eggs and she'll only eat 1 bite. Something fairly healthy that will fuel for 4 hrs. Also, what are thoughts from parents/coaches about drinking Gatorade during practice. I used to let her drink it over the summer, but the coach at her old gym said NO Gatorade during practice, as she didn't like the girls to have sugar spikes. At her current gym, they say absolutely no food during practice, but is there some sort of quick drink that might be ok halfway through, i.e., the little yogurt smoothie drinks? Just a little something to keep her going? Is this common to have no food during practice? I'm guessing they don't want full bellies and all that exercise, but I also don't want her keeling over, lol. She's so tiny, it's a long time to go with no fuel.

Thanks!

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[catou]

I don't think she'll have sugar spikes with gatorade if she drinks it regularly during training. Maybe she could bring some in a non clear bottle, so nobody will know she brought some? I don't like the idea of doing that in the back of the coach, but it is proven that for a prolonged activity, the body needs to be refueled, or the muscles get tired and the person's perception of the effort is higher. My girls also have a 4 hours training session on sunday morning and they have a 10 minutes break. They usually have some fruits, crackers, cheese or a tender bar. Maybe she could bring something to eat, but take a couple of bites, everytime she goes to drink? Chocolate milk is also a very good thing to drink after exercise..

[gymmommy123]

Thanks Catou. It wasn't her current coach, but her old HC that had that rule about the Gatorade, but I thought maybe it was common?? Once, I tried sending her in with a little lunchbox with a couple carrots and a half a protein bar. She tried to take a quick bite on a drink break, and was told NO FOOD during practice. Seems a long time for 6 yr old with no food, but I'm sure there are valid reasons they don't want them eating. Maybe I'll have to try Gatorade again, at least for her Saturday practices. Today, she ate 1/2 a banana and 1 piece of toast an hr before gym, and refused anything else, so I wasn't surprised when she didn't feel well by the end of practice. I could hardly sit around and watch TV on such a small amount of food for that long, let alone with hard exercise for that long!

[catou]

I've you tried a bit of food in the car on the way to training? Apart, for that, I guess she'll have to eat more in the morning.... Give her some protein (peanut butter, eggs, yogourt, milk) and fibers (fruits, cereals, bread (ideally whole wheat bread). Ideally she should eat an aliment from each of the theses categories: meat and substitutes, diary products, vegetables and fruits, and cereal products. So for example, a glass of milk with a toast with bananas and peanut butter and a fruit (or a glass of 100% juice) would do the job. The fruit could be eaten or drank on her way to training.

[Kiwi]

My DD has Up'n'Go and bananas before long practices and competitions. Sometimes she will have a couple of cheese slices.

[Moxiegrl83]

Have you asked her HC? Most are pretty reasonable, and a Gatorade and a quick snack during practice isn't a big deal in most gyms. Our girls don't take scheduled breaks, but they can go get a drink, and eat a few grapes, crackers, etc. while they do it.

[Vaibicy]

I'm not a coach or a parent but how about smoothies? It would be good before and during practice. You can toss in fruits, berries, bananas, sneak in some tofu for protein, and even a little bit of spinach. See if your daughter will drink it in the morning (probably stands a better chance than scrambled eggs and toast). I don't have much of an appetite in the mornings either, but I find I do have a better one when I get a good nights sleep. Is she sleeping long and well enough? But no matter what you give, if only one or two bites are taken, it's no use.

As for gatorade, I don't see how it's so bad but don't let her have a lot. My previous gym and current gym don't have anything against gatorade, but they do prefer that gymnasts, especially younger ones, drink water instead. Maybe you could, like catou said, sneak in the smoothie in a opaque water bottle? Honestly, I don't like the policy the gym has about no food. Gyms usually don't allow food during training but allow it during break. Have a talk with the coach since this is about your daughter's well-being, which is more important than anything.

Good luck!

[coachmolly]

You could try fruit and yogurt smoothies in the morning. It might seem to her a little less like eating and more like a treat. Greek yogurt and/or peanut butter would get some protein into her and adding her favorite fruits. You could even sneak in some "healthy" stuff like veggies or wheat germ. I've mixed spinach and kale into smoothies with some success (just blend well so you don't get strands/to remove all evidence) and I've read that tomatoes and carrots mix well into fruit smoothies.

[cbifoja]

Does she not get any kind of snack break during these 4 hours????? I hope I'm misunderstanding because I can't imagine my child working out THAT hard for 4 hours without a break. She makes it through 3.5 hours with a break where she re-fuels with a light snack. She's keel over without that.

[gymmommy123]

You're right, will probably have to just find out if she can eat a quick snack. Smoothies are a great idea. Will have to pick up some supplies for those as she loves them, and maybe could buy a protein powder to add extra calories. She does eat in the car on the way, and I try to do really balanced meals before gym, but some days she just doesn't seem very hungry. I made her 2 scrambled eggs, toast with butter and jam, and a glass of milk this morning. She ate the toast, 1 bite of eggs, and 1/4 of her milk. So I forced the banana on her in the car. But it obviously wasn't enough. They don't take any breaks, but they do have drink breaks every rotation.