EP 144: Marisa Michael — Why Losing Weight Won’t Make You Climb Harder, How to Navigate Food, and Intuitive Eating

Marisa Michael is a registered dietitian nutritionist with 20 years of experience who specializes in eating disorders in athletes and climbers. We talked about the characteristics of eating disorders, the line between eating for performance and disordered eating, why losing weight won’t make you climb harder, recommendations for climbers and youth athletes, intuitive eating, Marisa’s sweet tooth, and much more.

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Show Notes:  

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/marisa-michael

Nuggets:

0:05:03 – What Marisa had for breakfast

0:07:04 – Overview of the conversation to come

0:08:37 – The difference between a registered dietitian and a nutritionist

0:11:03 – Working with athletes and disordered eating in her practice

0:12:32 – Why Marisa chose to specialize in working with athletes who struggle with disordered eating

0:15:13 – What Marisa hopes to accomplish in this episode

0:17:03 – A bit about my (Steven’s) experience with disordered eating and the biggest question I have for Marisa

0:18:44 – What distinguishes an eating disorder or disordered eating?

0:23:33 – Discipline and eating for performance vs. disordered eating… Where is the line?

0:30:13 – Personifying your eating disorder

0:31:57 – How my mindset shifted from self-care to anxiety after losing weight

0:35:27 – Discipline doesn’t have to mean ignoring your body cues

0:36:25 – What the data says about weight and climbing performance, and why we should all calm down about weight

0:38:02 – One thing that might have prevented my eating disorder if I had known them sooner

0:39:38 – BMI and finger injuries, and disordered eating in elite climbers

0:41:38 – Is weight cycling ever appropriate?

0:45:48 – Another thing I wish I had known sooner, and breaking training PRs this summer

0:49:03 – Food is fuel, and it’s also more than fuel

0:49:58 – “It depends”

0:52:03 – Intuitive Eating as a framework

0:54:11 – The 10 principles of Intuitive Eating

0:56:23 – How to navigate our modern food environment with Intuitive Eating (so you don’t eat Oreos for breakfast)

1:01:41 – Marisa’s sweet tooth and she navigates it

1:04:52 – Is it ok to celebrate with food after a send?

1:06:35 – Marisa’s thoughts on “moderators” and “abstainers”, and the plate of cookies example

1:11:57 – How restricting leads to bingeing

1:17:04 – Marisa’s general eating recommendations, and recommended macros for climbers

1:20:17 – Food timing

1:22:03 – Intermittent fasting: yay or nay?

1:23:45 – Patron question from Karl: How do you navigate intuitive eating if you don’t get hungry?

1:25:15 – How to calculate your daily energy needs

1:27:19 – Patron question from Shawn: How do we get enough protein in a healthy way?

1:29:10 – Marisa’s thoughts on eating meat

1:31:47 – Marisa’s thoughts on eating fat

1:32:47 – Patron question from Vicente: Prefered supplements?

1:36:47 – Patron question from Jaime: Any tips on how to lose body fat for people who are stuck?

1:38:05 – Marisa’s thoughts on the ketogenic diet

1:41:57 – Marisa’s thoughts on veganism and vegetarianism

1:44:38 – Patron question from Cody: What is a good starting point for someone who is trying to heal an unhealthy relationship with food?

1:47:22 – Patron question from Wren: How can all climbers contribute to a healthy environment surrounding food/body image?

1:51:13 – How to respond to jokes about food restriction

1:53:39 – Are there any foods we should avoid?

1:55:43 – Marisa’s master’s thesis, studying eating patterns in youth climbers, and recommendations for parents and coaches

2:00:58 – Favorite pre-climbing snack

2:02:08 – How important is protein before or during climbing/training?

2:03:31 – Studying amenorrhea in female IFSC athletes

2:07:47 – “Eat enough.”

2:08:53 – Wrap up