Pam Nisevich-Bede is a marathoner, triathlete, dietitian, and Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. Having finished 20 marathons, an Ironman triathlon, and countless other race distances, Pam works passionately with athletes, trainers, coaches and health professionals to share expert nutrition and training insight.
Pam works with Abbott Nutrition and EAS Sports Nutrition to bring science-based, effective sports nutrition products to life. She started Swim, Bike, Run, Eat! (www.swimbikeruneat.com) where she works with various brands to get their endurance message out and counsels athletes to improve nutrition and performance.
Pam has authored multiple books and her most recent release Run to Lose, is a book covering all things nutrition, weight loss, wellness, and running. She influences endurance athletes monthly in her online column, entitled Fuel School, published by Runner’s World magazine. Pam earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics from Miami University and a Master’s of Science in Medical Dietetics from The Ohio State University.
In podcast episode 13, Pam and I cover a lot of information about how to lose weight with running, while training, and racing, and discuss tips you can use to dial in your nutrition. Topics include:
- Pam Bede, Dave Scott and why she’s hangin’ in Kona [00 – 4:19]
- How to lose weight while training for a race [4:20 – 11:15]
- The easiest way to lose weight with running how running “low” can help you burn more fat [11:16 – 19:15]
- How to lose and maintain weight during perimenopause, menopause and for men with low testosterone. [ 19:16 – 25:28]
- Why we need to stop grazing (eating all day long) [25:29 – 28:04]
- How to dial in how much to eat daily, the benefits of eating calories and drinking calories [28:05 – 34:15]
- The effects of vitamin D on energy levels, how to boost it through nutrition and what type of vitamin D to take as a supplement. [34:16 – 39:00]
- Good sources of iron for runners besides red meat, why runners lose more iron than others, and how to increase iron levels. [39:01 – to 41:45].
I hope you enjoy this episode with Pam Nisevich-Pede! Part II of this interview will come next. Thanks for the listen!
Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream to listen now by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Show Notes
Find Pam on Instagram and Twitter at @pambederd
Read her Runner’s World column here.
Find her book Run to Lose here.
So, I’m assuming she doesn’t have much use for those of us who are vegan? And endurance runners?
Hi Candace,
Pam here. I wouldn’t say that I’ve got no love for vegans!
I’m a flexitarian myself and was formerly vegetarian. I’ve worked with countless vegan athletes who’ve done really well in our sport. I think the vegan diet is a fantastic way of eating when it’s designed with adequate protein and carbs to fuel endurance. I actually don’t think keto – or any diet for that matter- is for everyone. While there can be health benefits, it’s a difficult way of eating that I personally struggled with and will admit it’s not for everyone. I’m going to work on developing a vegetarian and vegan keto plan because I think it can be done.
But if you’re fueling with vegan options and you’re healthy, happy, and running strong- certainly there’s no reason to change! And if you do want to tweak health or performance, I’m not suggesting we all move to keto. Maybe move to less simple sugars for sure and maybe tackle a more higher fat, low carb way of fueling but- again- some of us simply run better off plants, whole grains, fruit, etc.
We talk quite a bit about endurance fueling in part two of this podcast as well as the benefits of plant-based fueling. A vegan podcast theme is a great idea – thanks!
I would caution any athlete who has hypothyroidism and has challenges with managing cortisol (HPA dysfunction) to go a ketogenic diet. The conversion of thyroid hormones T4 to T3 can be down-regulated if carbs are too low. I advise all of my athlete clients to regulate blood sugar and body composition by balancing carbohydrate intake with protein and fiber versus going on a ketogenic diet that is not sustainable for the majority of people. We also do not know enough about how the ketogenic diet affects our microbiome. Ketogenic diets can still serve a clinical purpose in certain diseases.
Agree Sheila. I have hypothyroidism. I think Pam was trying to explain that what works for some, may not work for others and you have to find the balance and the menu that works for you with the principles she shared. Thanks for the listen and for the feedback.
Sheila,
Really good points. And Coach Jenny is right- I would lose my RD cred if I said this diet was for everyone! It’s not and not everyone responds well to it- whether in performance or in lab values. With this pattern of eating, or any, we’ve got to personalize diets. That’s where the CSSD comes in of course.
I like your plan of balancing carb with protein and agree- that does work well for the vast majority and you’re right- more research to come on keto. I’m hopeful the research tells us we’re on the right track. I’m confident it will at least show us that we’ve been way too heavy in sugar and carbs for fair too long!
GREAT SHOW!!! I am one of those runners that likes to start the day with a fasted run, and it seems to work for me. I am also going to up my proteins to see if this will stave off the later day hunger pangs, as I did the math and I am deficient! Thank you for addressing my Vitamin D question, I will look for D3 and recheck my levels the next MD visit.
Excellent Cheryl! Would love to know how things work for you after your changes. Thanks for the listen!
Hello Coach Jenny, what type of supplement Pam is recommending for women have menopausal issues? I wasn’t sure did she say HNB? (00:22:07).
Not much new here. Have been hearing of this for at least a decade.
I really enjoyed this podcast! I don’t really eat a lot of meat (just can’t think about it ha) so I am sure I am probably not getting near enough protein. I plan to track it and then go from there. Thank you for this info. Also, just ordered the book 🙂