S2:E6: The Complexities of Body Composition Analysis w/ Sports & Eating Disorder Dietitian, Victoria Lambert

Victoria Lambert, is a seasoned sports and eating disorder dietitian, who shares her extensive experience and insights on body composition in athletes in our latest episode! We discuss her career journey, her focus on eating disorders in athletes, and her work in division one collegiate athletics. From hospital based clinical exercise and wellness programming to DI collegiate athletics to private practice, Victoria has specialties in eating disorders and weight class sports. As three Sports & Eating Disorder Dietitians, we delve into the challenges and misconceptions surrounding body composition, the importance of individualized care, and the potential harm of using body composition as a data metric for performance. Lambert emphasizes the importance of clinical skills, early intervention, and a holistic approach to athlete health, beyond just numbers. She also critiques the widespread reliance on body composition data, advocating for a more nuanced understanding of athlete health that prioritizes well-being over appearance.  There is so much to cover on this conversation, but we hope you can take away some nuggets of knowledge related to the complexities of body composition testing in athletic and fitness settings.   00:00 Welcome and Guest Introduction 00:14 Victoria Lambert's Journey: From Sports Nutrition to Eating Disorders Specialist 00:26 The Importance of Body Composition in Sports Nutrition 04:52 Challenges and Misconceptions Around Body Composition Testing 07:43 The Role of Body Composition in Athlete Health and Performance 12:49 Navigating Body Composition with Athletes: Strategies and Insights 31:16 Redefining Fitness and Wellness in Sports   Resources: Athlete perspectives on the enablers and barriers to nutritional adherence in high-performance sport (Oct 2020).  Come Back Skinfolds, All Is Forgiven: A Narrative Review of the Efficacy of Common Body Composition Methods in Applied Sports Practice Kasper et al. (2021) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8065383/   Swimming Australia Guide Environment & Language Guide for Discussing and Evaluating Physique   www.theembodiedathlete.com   https://www.isak.global/