I am a 24 year old masters swimmer and getting cramps a lot recently.

I am a 24-year old masters swimmer. I have been getting cramps - calf and toe- a lot recently. On the advice of the coach and teammates, I am taking a potassium supplement and eating a lot of bananas. However, this hasn't really solved my problem. I think now that it may be a...

I am an ex-offensive football lineman and wish to gain 5 to 10 pounds of lean mass to remove the spare tire.

My question concerns the age-old battle between muscle mass and fat. Background: I am 6 foot 6 inch, 255-pound ex-offensive football lineman. I've lost 40 pounds since my playing days, but still have some fat to burn (5 pounds). I continue to lift strenuously and admittedly need more aerobic exercise. Your Healthy Body Calculator® told...

To suggest that a male weightlifter needs only 63 grams of protein per day reminds me of my high school football days.

Your attempts to give sound advice on sports nutrition are appreciated. However, it seems inappropriate that you give advice on matters, which are obviously outside the realm of your experience and expertise. To suggest that a male weightlifter needs only "63 grams of protein" per day reminds me of my high school football days...

What are the benefits and problems associated with amino acid supplements?

What are the benefits and problems associated with amino acid supplements, particularly a supplement with a wide variety of amino acids, for an individual on a heavy workout schedule and a high carbohydrate diet? I have heard that L-tryptophan supplements are associated with a blood disease, is this true? Tryptophan is an essential amino acid...

People at my gym talk about protein shakes and amino acid pills.

I always hear people at my gym talk about protein shakes and amino acid pills. People say I should take them, but I would much rather rely on my diet to supply me with what I need. The only problem is that I don't really know what my diet is doing for me. There...

My swimming coach told me to lose 15 pounds. I am 15 years old. I don’t feel fat.

My swimming coach told me to lose fifteen pounds. I'm 15 years old, 5'6" and weigh 123 pounds. I don't feel fat. We practice two hours a day, plus weekly swim meets. What should I do? The healthy body weight of a female 5'6" is 130 pounds. An appropriate weight range is 10 percent above...

I am a dietitian and am interested in entering the field of sports nutrition.

I am a registered dietitian and am interested in entering the field of sports nutrition. Most of my clinical experience so far has been in long-term care. Please advise me on how to go about entering sports nutrition. Also please inform me about any websites in this area of nutrition. Thank you. First, explore what...

I don’t know how to tell what amino acids I get from what I eat.

I exercise frequently, so I try to eat a diet rich in amino acids. Unfortunately, I don't really know how to tell what amino acids (or how much of them) I get from what I eat. Since food labels don't give us this information, is there another way to find out? First, you need to...

Am I doing things OK for my goal of increasing lean body mass?

Hello. Just found your fantastic website via a post from one of the misc.fitness newsgroups. What an outstanding job you've done - it must have taken many hours to put it all together! (Does that count as "sedentary" time?) Background... I am male, 48, 6 feet 3 inches, 215 pounds. I workout on a somewhat...

Some references say that diets rich in animal proteins promote excessive elimination of calcium in the urine.

Some references are saying that diets rich in animal proteins stimulate the release of parathyroid hormone and promote excessive elimination of calcium in the urine, which encourages bone resorption." One reference indicated that the federal government, intending to be on the safe side, established its minimum Recommended Dietary Allowances for protein at twice the value...