Protein Power

To avoid poop-out, curb the carbs and tuck in to the meaty munchies

By Sarah Bowen Shea

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Issue date: Spring 1999

Kwan is a protein junkie Jed Jacobsohn/Allsport

Looking for proof that woman cannot live on bread alone? Consider Rebecca Lobo. Throughout her career as a star of the Connecticut Huskies and then as a gold medal Olympian, Lobo chowed down on carbohydrates -- and not much else. This diet proved fine for running up and down the court and scoring, but it came up way short in the weight room. "When I lifted weights, I couldn't get any stronger because I wasn't really eating much protein," she says. "But when I began incorporating chicken and fish into my diet, I definitely got a lot stronger in the weight room -- I put on muscle and had more energy." Lobo, the 6'4" forward for the WNBA's New York Liberty, last summer went from bench-pressing 110 pounds to pushing out four reps of 150 pounds.

There's no big medical mystery here. While the carbohydrates in bread, pasta, grains and potatoes are converted into glycogen, the primary fuel for muscle, protein builds and maintains muscle mass and is key in creating the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in your blood. If you don't eat enough protein you'll suffer fatigue, weakness and possibly nutrient deficiencies. "For an athlete, including a good protein source with every meal is important," says
Dr. Chris Rosenbloom, an associate professor of nutrition at Georgia State.

You don't have to eat steak at every meal. Try instead smearing two tablespoons of peanut butter on toast in the morning, making a turkey sandwich for lunch, then eating four to six ounces of fish (along with rice or potatoes, vegetables and a salad) for dinner.

Any woman who does an hour or more of aerobic exercise daily (and that includes most high school and college athletes) should consume .6 to .9 grams of protein per pound of body weight. A 120-pound woman, for example, needs between 72 and 108 grams of protein daily. (Eat at the high end if you're doing endurance sports.) A six-ounce serving of fish has 42 grams, and two tablespoons of peanut butter has nine.

University of Florida runner Hazel Clark, the 1998 NCAA indoor and outdoor 800-meter champion, says she got much more disciplined about what she eats after being sidelined with mononucleosis as a freshman. "I had a crash course in how to take care of my body," she explains. Getting enough protein has been essential, but Clark continues to tweak her diet. She used to eat Reese's peanut butter cups before practice because they gave her energy. Now she relies on more healthy sources of protein -- especially baked chicken, her personal fave. Olympic silver medalist Michelle Kwan is also a protein junkie. When she's training, she often eats sushi twice a day for its low-calorie protein punch.

With your own diet, don't go to extremes. "People hear 'high protein' and go all protein, or hear 'high carb' and think all carb," says Dr. Nancy Dell, a research dietician in Feeding Hills, Mass., who works with Lobo. In fact, Lobo did overload on protein at the expense of carbohydrates for a time last summer, which made her feel sluggish. Only when she achieved a balance did her energy and strength soar.

Why wouldn't protein -- a good thing -- be even better in larger quantities? According to Rosenbloom, the body cannot store excess protein, and the process of getting rid of it can be dehydrating and hard on the kidneys and liver. Also, a hardworking body needs the calories that come from both fat and carbohydrates.

If you're 120 pounds, experts recommend a daily dose of 360 to 600 grams of carbs. A bagel, for example, has 30 grams, a small piece of fruit has 15 grams, and a cup of pasta has 30 grams. To build muscle you need to eat the recommended amount of protein plus sufficient calories; if you cut the calories, your body will use protein for energy, not muscle building. Aim to get 15% to 20% of daily calories from protein, 55% to 60% from carbs and the rest from fat.

Like Lobo, Eric Lindros, star center for the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, says he eats protein because "it allows my muscles to keep building." He includes lots of barbecuing of meat -- because "it cuts down on your dishes." He also treats himself to chicken wings once in a while. Check out the training-day meal plans that Lobo, Clark, Kwan and Lindros submitted. They all put plenty of protein on their plates.

For more Sports Illustrated Women, check out our latest issue -- on newsstands now. For your FREE preview issue of SI Women click here or call 800-950-5150.