the angle I think people are missing here, is the people advising Hobbs Kessler were smart, they would want him to avoid any health problems that could cause an interruption in training. You don’t want him to have to take two months off of training, because that could be the difference between making a team, and not making a team.
People in their 20s can easily get an inguinal hernia, and have to have surgery for that. If you’re eating too much processed food and not enough fiber, you might wind up having a procedure done when you really cannot afford the time away from intense training.
People in their 20s can easily get kidney stones, and interrupt their training to take care of that. If you’re eating way, way too much dietary protein, way too much animal protein, you put yourself at greater risk for kidney stones. Just, why risk it.
Those are just two examples from off the top of my head, but my point is, some people in this thread are saying, “He’ll be just fine. He can eat as many poptarts as he wants.” And he’s really just as vulnerable to the complications and inconveniences of poor nutrition as any schmo off the street.
I think if he cares about having uninterrupted, high level training, then he doesn’t want to eat a diet that puts him at risk for inguinal hernia, or kidney stones, or anything that could mess up his training.
Allie Ostrander had to take a few weeks off of training recently to have a mass removed from her neck. No idea whether a person is at greater risk for a benign mass, when they eat a poor diet, but what I’m getting at, is people with top 1% talent, and top 1% fitness, can’t necessarily compete well when they have to halt training to take care of medical issues.
And Fiona O’Keeffe is another athlete that had to take time off training with an injury. (I know her situation is wildly different.) But again, it is just an example of, you don’t want medical stuff to interrupt your training. You want to eat in a way to avoid getting sidelined.
I know I’m a little bit far afield from the simple matter of what hobbs kessler eats after a workout, but that general approach (eating junk, thinking it’s the right thing to do) is probably misguided.
I know I’m a little bit far afield from the simple matter of what hobbs kessler eats after a workout, but that general approach (eating junk, thinking it’s the right thing to do) is probably misguided.
Yeah, this is just speculation. He never said he's eating rice crispy treats all day long. We don't have a clue what the complete diet looks like.
Since you mention fiber, that's something that's very easy to get enough of as an endurance athlete because your fiber needs don't increase in proportion to your overall calorie needs. (The more you eat total, the less you need to eat foods high in fiber.) In fact, many endurance athletes actually have the opposite problem: In order to get enough calories without GI distress, they have to specifically seek out low fiber foods.
Yeah, this is just speculation. He never said he's eating rice crispy treats all day long. We don't have a clue what the complete diet looks like.
Since you mention fiber, that's something that's very easy to get enough of as an endurance athlete because your fiber needs don't increase in proportion to your overall calorie needs. (The more you eat total, the less you need to eat foods high in fiber.) In fact, many endurance athletes actually have the opposite problem: In order to get enough calories without GI distress, they have to specifically seek out low fiber foods.
Sure, I am speculating — if Hobbs Kessler is using ultra-processed foods for post-workout, then I DO wonder what he’s eating for dinner and for lunch.
A general pattern in Americans (and yes! hobbs could be an exception to the rule) is that when you’re eating rice krispie treats, then a glass of water tastes like garbage. A beet tastes like the absolute barf of the planet earth. The stuff that tastes good, when you’re eating junk, is more junk. You want the stuffed crust pizza.
With an athlete who necessarily prioritizes performance over long-term health, i still think that the person needs to eat well enough to have no unforced errors (injuries and illnesses that could’ve been avoided) during the length of their athletic career.
If a person plans to exit the sport after the 2032 olympics, then they should eat to avoid all the avoidable medical problems for five more years. Then, the second they announce their retirement, bring on the stuffed crust pizzas.
Again, i’m sure there are some athletes who roll the dice with a poor diet, and never have appendicitis at an awkward time, but still, I would say the dietitian should be advising him to optimize for eight years of health (or whatever his time till planned retirement is), rather than just living in the moment and pretending that replenishing glycogen after a work is his only job.
Wow, this whole thread is ridiculous. You guys think that Hobbs isn't eating a well rounded diet the rest of the day? We are only talking about his post-run fuel. And he's doing what's right for his body in that moment: prioritizing fast fueling carbs. I imagine the rest of his diet is nutritious and limits processed foods. While everyone else is spending half their paycheck on gels and bi-carb, Hobbs is saving his money and finding something satisfying to eat. I'd be more concerned about Hobbs if he were hypervigilant about his fueling practices.
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