Fit Running: Reach Your Racing Weight the Right Way

While there are thousands of books dedicated to helping people get to a healthy weight, few are specifically geared towards the athlete. And if you've ever tried to do a typical diet while keeping your mileage high, you know a reduction in calories and carbs can also result in less-than-ideal runs. That's where Matt Fitzgerald's new book, "Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance," comes in. Fitzgerald, a sports nutritionist, competitive runner and triathlete wrote the book to help runners, cyclists and other endurance athletes manage their weight. But his book isn't just about getting thin, or lowering the number on the scale; it's about establishing the right body composition that allows you to perform your absolute best.

Your optimal racing weight isn't some ideal number. "It's determined functionally," Fitzgerald said. "If you're training appropriately and eating appropriately, then the day you have the race of your life, you're probably at your optimal weight." However, he does provide a method in the book to help people estimate what that weight should be, based on age and gender, but he emphasizes that his weight table is a guideline and a goal, but that the ultimate test comes in tracking your own performance and workouts along with weigh-ins.

He cautions against just trying to cut back on calories to lower weight. "Let's say you weighed 150 pounds when you had the race of your life and then you gained 10 pounds during your off season; if you just go on a crash diet to lose 10 pounds and race again, it probably won't be your optimal weight even though you weighed the same," Fitzgerald said. "A measurement of body composition will reveal the difference. I always say, 'You have to get to the right weight in the right way.'"

The "right way" is outlined in five steps that include specific details on how to improve the quality of your diet, manage your appetite, balance your carbs, fat and protein, and when to eat, along with some tips on training properly.

The book is not another fad diet, but grounded in nutrition science and exercise physiology. Plus, Fitzgerald cites recent research on weight loss and sports performance, and even challenges a few common beliefs about metabolism and fat and weight gain. It's an interesting approach for the runners out there who feel they could be a little faster or stronger, if only they dropped some weight.

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