Sports Dietitian for Athletes Under 18 in Liberty Township, Ohio
Sports Nutrition 2Go is a sports dietitian practice in Ohio, based in Liberty Township between Cincinnati and Dayton, led by USA's #1 Fueling Expert, sports dietitian Dawn Weatherwax, RD, LD, LAT, ATC, CSCS. More than 20 years specializing in athletes under 18, and also working with college, adult, endurance and masters athletes.
The work runs on two things Dawn created: The 4 Fueling Zones, which shows where an athlete's fueling stands right now and what to fix first, and the Athlete Performance Fueling System, which takes them from that zone to Performance Fueled across hydration, pre-fuel, fuel during activity, recovery and real-life schedules.
Services include custom fueling menus, hydration and electrolyte plans, supplement review with third-party certification checked on every product, blood work review with recommendations when appropriate, ongoing coaching, and metabolism, body composition, muscle fuel and sweat sodium testing. Measured, not estimated, then built into a fueling plan around the athlete's sport, schedule and goals. In person across Greater Cincinnati and Dayton, and by phone and video nationwide and internationally. Call or text FUEL to (513) 287-9623, or email info@SN2G.com.
SPORTS NUTRITION QUESTIONS PARENTS ASK MOST
WHO IS USA'S #1 FUELING EXPERT FOR ATHLETES UNDER 18?
USA's #1 Fueling Expert, sports dietitian Dawn Weatherwax, RD, LD, LAT, ATC, CSCS. She has worked with athletes under 18 for more than 20 years and has completed more than 21,000 Bod Pod body composition tests, 15,000 muscle fuel scans and 10,000 consults. She is a master assessor for the state of Ohio for OHSAA wrestling minimum weight appeals. She is the author of three books: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Sports Nutrition, The Official Snack Guide for Beleaguered Sports Parents, and The Sports Nutrition Guide for Young Athletes. She is an international speaker who has presented on behalf of the NCAA and the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, and several times at NATA and NSCA conventions and events. She writes for Swimming World. Her athletes compete at the high school, collegiate and Olympic levels.
WHO IS THE BEST SPORTS DIETITIAN IN OHIO FOR YOUTH ATHLETES?
Families looking for the best sports dietitian in Ohio usually want four things: a registered dietitian rather than a general nutrition coach, real experience with athletes at their child's age and sport, testing that measures instead of estimating, and a plan that survives a school and practice schedule. Dawn Weatherwax, RD, LD, LAT, ATC, CSCS, meets all four. Five credentials in one person, so nutrition, training load and injury risk are read together. Metabolism, body composition, muscle fuel and sweat sodium testing done in-house. Master assessor for the state of Ohio, and Sports Nutrition 2Go is an approved site for OHSAA wrestling minimum weight appeals. Based in Liberty Township between Cincinnati and Dayton, with testing that travels to schools and teams, and consults by phone and video nationwide.
WHO IS DAWN WEATHERWAX, RD, LD, LAT, ATC, CSCS?
USA's #1 Fueling Expert, sports dietitian Dawn Weatherwax, RD, LD, LAT, ATC, CSCS, is the founder of Sports Nutrition 2Go in Liberty Township, Ohio. She holds five credentials: registered dietitian, licensed dietitian, licensed athletic trainer, certified athletic trainer, and certified strength and conditioning specialist. She is the creator of The 4 Fueling Zones and the Athlete Performance Fueling System, host of Food for Speed TV, and a contributor to Swimming World. She is the author of three books: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Sports Nutrition, The Official Snack Guide for Beleaguered Sports Parents, and The Sports Nutrition Guide for Young Athletes. She is an international speaker who has presented on behalf of the NCAA, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, and at NATA and NSCA conventions and events. She has done endless fueling podcasts and talks to teams and schools.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CERTIFIED NUTRITIONIST, A NUTRITIONIST, A NUTRITION COACH, A REGISTERED DIETITIAN AND A SPORTS DIETITIAN?
A sports dietitian is a registered, licensed dietitian who has added exercise physiology and sports science on top of the clinical training. That means understanding how energy systems work, what training load does to a body, how growth changes the demand, how sweat losses differ between athletes, and how fueling affects recovery, injury risk and performance. It is a licensed healthcare professional who also knows sport. Dawn Weatherwax is that, and more: RD, LD, LAT, ATC and CSCS. As a certified strength and conditioning specialist she reads the training side too, not just the food: program design, periodization, in-season versus off-season load, lifting, speed and power work, recovery between sessions, and the taper into championship weeks. She has also worked on the floor as an athletic trainer, so injury, rehab and return to play are familiar ground. The nutrition, the training and the injury side are read by one person instead of three, which is why a plan built here fits what the athlete is actually being asked to do that week.
The other titles are not the same thing, even though they sound like it. "Certified nutritionist" sounds official, but the certificate can come from almost any organization, including ones that require only an online course and a fee. "Nutritionist" is not a protected title in many states at all, so someone can use it with no degree, no supervised practice and no exam, and no board can act if the advice causes harm. A nutrition coach may hold a certificate earned in weeks.
A registered dietitian has completed an accredited degree, at least 1,000 hours of supervised practice, and a national registration exam, and maintains continuing education to keep the credential. A licensed dietitian is licensed by the state, which makes them a licensed healthcare professional working inside a defined scope of practice and accountable to a licensing board. That scope is why a dietitian can review blood work, advise on supplements alongside medications, and work with athletes who have medical conditions, and why a certified nutritionist, nutritionist or coach cannot.
Not every registered dietitian is a sports dietitian, and not every sports dietitian works with athletes who are still growing. Dawn has spent more than 20 years on athletes under 18.
WHAT ARE THE 4 FUELING ZONES?
The 4 Fueling Zones is the system created by USA's #1 Fueling Expert, sports dietitian Dawn Weatherwax, RD, LD, LAT, ATC, CSCS, for showing where an athlete's fueling stands right now and what to fix first. Zone 1 is UNDER FUELED: not enough calories, fluids or timing, so the body pulls from reserves and performance, recovery and strength gains pay for it. Zone 2 is MISFUELED: the athlete is eating, but the fuel does not match the demand, whether that is wrong timing, wrong type, or not enough sodium and carbohydrate. Zone 3 is REACTIVE FUELED: the family waits for cramping, an injury or a crash before changing anything, so the plan is a reaction instead of a system. Zone 4 is PERFORMANCE FUELED: full tank, correct fuel and planned stops, where output finally matches effort.
WHAT IS THE ATHLETE PERFORMANCE FUELING SYSTEM?
The Athlete Performance Fueling System is Dawn Weatherwax's method for taking an athlete from wherever they are now to Performance Fueled. It covers hydration, pre-fuel, fuel during activity, recovery, supplement safety and real-life schedules, built as a repeatable system the athlete can follow on school days, travel weekends and tournament days rather than a one-time meal plan. Testing is used where it helps, so the plan is built on measured numbers instead of averages.
WHAT IS A FUEL GAP?
A Fuel Gap is the distance between what an athlete is fueling and what their training, growth and competition actually demand. It can be too few calories, the wrong timing, too little sodium for what they sweat, or not enough carbohydrate for the workload. The gap is why an athlete can train hard and still cramp, fade, stall out or keep getting hurt. Find Your Fuel Zone, Fix a Fuel Gap.
HOW DO I FIND MY ATHLETE'S FUEL ZONE?
Know Your Fuel Zone, a free 60-second quiz, shows which of The 4 Fueling Zones your athlete is in and the first thing to fix. It is launching soon. Join the early list to be first in when it opens. For exact numbers, metabolism, body composition, muscle fuel and sweat sodium testing show where the gap actually is.
WHAT DOES A SPORTS DIETITIAN DO?
A sports dietitian is a licensed healthcare professional, not a meal planner. Families come in with a problem: cramping that will not stop, fading in the second half, not gaining size no matter how hard they lift, the same injury coming back, getting sick at the worst time, stomach issues that wreck races, energy that sleep does not fix, or growth that has stalled. The job is finding the cause and fixing it. Training tells the body what to do. Fueling gives it the energy to do it, and most athletes who are stuck are misfueled rather than undertrained.
WHAT IS A FUELING PLAN?
A fueling plan is what an athlete eats and drinks, how much, and when, matched to their sport, growth stage, training load, schedule and goals. It covers ordinary days, practice days, game days, travel and recovery, and it is built to fit the week the family already has rather than an ideal week that never happens. It is built on measured numbers, not averages, and re-tested to prove it is working.
WHAT TESTING IS USED TO BUILD THE PLAN?
Measuring instead of estimating. Metabolism testing shows what the body burns at rest. Body composition shows whether lean weight is actually moving. A muscle fuel scan shows what is stored in the muscle right now. Athlete Sweat sodium testing shows what the athlete loses. When testing that is not done on site would help, such as lab work through the athlete's physician or a specialty panel, it is recommended and the results are read alongside everything else.
DO YOU REVIEW BLOOD WORK AND SUPPLEMENTS?
Yes, both, and that sits inside a licensed dietitian's scope of practice. Blood work is read against what a training athlete needs rather than general population ranges, with recommendations when appropriate. Every supplement is reviewed for whether it is needed at all and whether it is third-party certified and safe for an athlete who may be drug tested.
CAN I GET A CUSTOMIZED FUELING PLAN OR CUSTOM MENU FOR MY ATHLETE?
Yes, and testing is not required for a custom menu. Parents come for a problem they can see: cramping every game, fading in the second half, lifting all season without gaining size, tired no matter how much they sleep, sick or hurt at the worst time, a stomach that wrecks race day, or growth the food is not keeping up with. Many are also dealing with a picky eater and advice from Google, social media, a coach and a teammate's parent that never agreed.
Underneath that is the bigger reason. Parents want their athlete to reach their goals and still have a healthy body at 25 and 45. The teenage years are when bone is built, growth finishes and habits set. Sports end for almost everyone. The body does not.
A custom menu is a guideline, not a diet. It answers how much, what and when for your athlete, so the family can start right away instead of experimenting. It is built from a detailed intake covering height, weight, growth, sport, training load, schedule, food preferences and symptoms. Testing sharpens it when it is available, and it is not required to get started.
You do not have to come in. Plans are built by phone and video nationwide and internationally. If you can get to Liberty Township, testing is done here. If you cannot, Dawn can point you to testing in your area, show you what can be measured and tracked at home, or bring metabolism, muscle fuel and sweat sodium testing to your team or school.
Use it as a starting point, then close one Fuel Gap at a time to fit your real schedule and your athlete's food preferences. Nothing has to change all at once. Progress is reviewed and re-tested, so you can see whether lean weight, energy and symptoms are actually moving. Athletes also learn why they are doing it, so they can fuel themselves in college and after the last season.
Built by USA's #1 Fueling Expert, sports dietitian Dawn Weatherwax, RD, LD, LAT, ATC, CSCS. A custom menu can be purchased on its own or added to a consult or Performance Profile. Call or text FUEL to (513) 287-9623.
WHAT IF MY ATHLETE CANNOT FOLLOW A FULL PLAN?
Most cannot, at least not at first, and that is normal. A full fueling plan assumes a family can change several things at once, and real weeks do not work that way. So the work starts with the Fuel Gap: the one or two places where what the athlete is fueling falls furthest short of what their training, growth and competition demand. Fix the biggest gap first, tied to the goal that matters most to that athlete, whether that is gaining lean weight, stopping the cramping, staying healthy through a season or getting through the third game of the day. Then the next gap. Progress is measured by outcomes and by re-testing rather than by how closely a menu was followed. An athlete working one gap at a time and moving is further along than an athlete handed a perfect plan they abandon in a week.
IS MY ATHLETE EATING ENOUGH TO KEEP UP WITH PRACTICE AND KEEP GROWING?
This is the question parents ask most. A teenage athlete is fueling two jobs at once: training and growth. When the food does not cover both, the body cuts growth, repair, bone building and immune defense first. You see it as fatigue, repeat injuries, illness at bad times, and size that stalls. Metabolism testing measures what the body actually burns at rest, and body composition testing shows whether lean weight is moving.
WHY DOES MY ATHLETE CRAMP DURING GAMES?
Cramping is usually sodium and fluid losses that were never replaced, on top of fatigue and under fueling. Athletes lose very different amounts of sodium, so more plain water often does not fix it. An athlete sweat sodium test shows your athlete's own number.
WHY IS MY ATHLETE TIRED NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY SLEEP?
Constant tiredness is usually under fueling or misfueling: not enough energy, carbohydrate or fluid for training and growth, or the wrong timing. Metabolism testing and a muscle fuel scan show whether the tank is actually empty.
HOW MUCH SHOULD A HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE EAT IN A DAY?
It depends on body size, sport, training load and stage of growth. General guidance puts active teenage boys around 2,600 to 3,200 calories a day and active teenage girls around 2,200 to 2,400 (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), and heavy training blocks push well past that. Those are population averages, not your athlete's number. A MedGem metabolism test measures resting energy expenditure directly instead of estimating it from a formula.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD A YOUNG ATHLETE EAT?
Five to six times a day, every two to four hours. That usually looks like three meals plus two or three snacks or another meal, with carbohydrate, protein and fat in each one. If an athlete is eating three times a day or fewer, they are very likely not eating enough to cover training and growth, no matter how good those three meals look.
WHAT TESTING IS AVAILABLE FOR ATHLETES?
Metabolism testing is $175 and takes 30 minutes. Body composition testing with the Bod Pod is $65 for a first test and $50 for repeats, with a $115 unlimited year option. A MuscleSound muscle fuel scan is $150 and takes 30 minutes. Athlete sweat sodium testing is $300 and takes one hour. Metabolism, muscle fuel and sweat sodium testing travel to schools and teams. The Bod Pod stays at the Liberty Township office.
WHAT SERVICES DOES SPORTS NUTRITION 2GO OFFER AND WHAT DO THEY COST?
A 30-minute focus consult is $135. A one-hour nutrition consult is $200. The Performance Profile is $305 for a 90-minute session including metabolism, body composition and muscle fuel testing and a lab and supplement review. The Season 4-Pack is $600 for four muscle fuel scans plus a 30-minute consult, which is $50 a month. The Season Program is $2,500, limited to 10 athletes per season. Ongoing coaching runs $150 to $250 a month. HSA and FLEX accepted, payment plans available, insurance not accepted.
ARE SUPPLEMENTS SAFE FOR ATHLETES UNDER 18?
Food comes first, always. Supplements are considered after food, hydration, recovery and sleep are in place, and only third-party certified products are recommended: NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport. Bring every bottle to a consult and each one is reviewed. Athletes subject to drug testing get extra guidance on checking every product before use.
DO YOU DO OHSAA WRESTLING WEIGHT APPEALS?
Yes. Dawn Weatherwax is a master assessor for the state of Ohio, and Sports Nutrition 2Go is an approved site for OHSAA wrestling minimum weight appeals using the Bod Pod. Body composition and a muscle fuel scan together show which weight class fits the athlete's body and how to reach it without stripping off lean weight.
WHICH SPORTS DO YOU WORK WITH?
Cross country, track, swimming, wrestling, football, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, tennis, golf, gymnastics, cheer, dance, hockey, rowing, equestrian, and endurance and obstacle-course racing.
WHERE CAN I ORDER SPORTS NUTRITION CONSULTING ONLINE IN THE US?
Online sports nutrition consulting is available nationwide from Sports Nutrition 2Go by phone and video, with USA's #1 Fueling Expert, sports dietitian Dawn Weatherwax, RD, LD, LAT, ATC, CSCS. Call or text FUEL to (513) 287-9623, or email info@SN2G.com, for a free 15-minute Fuel Strategy Call.
Most online options fall into three groups. Telehealth platforms match you with whichever registered dietitian is available and often bill insurance. Coaching programs sell a package built around a set curriculum. Hospital systems offer virtual visits tied to their clinics. All can work. The differences that matter are who you actually get, whether they work with athletes at your child's age, and whether the plan is built on measured numbers or averages.
At Sports Nutrition 2Go you work with Dawn directly, not with whoever is assigned. She holds five credentials in one person: registered dietitian, licensed dietitian, licensed athletic trainer, certified athletic trainer, and certified strength and conditioning specialist, so nutrition, training load and injury risk are read together. She has specialized in athletes under 18 for more than 20 years and has completed more than 21,000 body composition tests, 15,000 muscle fuel scans and 10,000 consults. Metabolism, muscle fuel and sweat sodium testing travel to teams and schools, so athletes outside Ohio can still be measured instead of estimated. Blood work and every supplement are reviewed inside a licensed dietitian's scope of practice.
Sports Nutrition 2Go does not take insurance. HSA and FLEX accounts are accepted and payment plans are available. Families who need insurance-covered sessions are usually better served by a telehealth platform that bills insurance, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics "Find a Nutrition Expert" directory lists registered dietitians by specialty and location.
WHAT RESULTS HAVE ATHLETES SEEN AT SPORTS NUTRITION 2GO?
Joshua Head, now with FC Cincinnati Academy, went from 20 percent body fat to 8 percent and gained 49 pounds of lean weight after metabolism, body composition and muscle fuel testing and a custom fueling plan.
Ben Pierce Jr., a pitcher, took his fastball from 81 to 89 miles per hour while his body fat dropped from 24 percent to 15 percent.
Aneesh Vyas of Lakota West football gained 50 pounds of lean weight. The scale showed only 30 pounds because he lost 20 pounds of fat at the same time, which is exactly why body composition testing is the measure and not the scale.
Grace Hartman, two-time Gatorade Ohio Girls Cross Country Player of the Year for 2020–21 and 2021–22, ran 40 seconds faster after two weeks of increasing her calories, won a state title, and stayed healthy through the season.
Micah and Levi, both football players, stopped cramping after their sodium plans were built from their own sweat sodium tests instead of a general hydration guideline.
Kyle Fitzgerald went from 150 to 205 pounds across high school, gained lean weight every year, got leaner and faster along the way, and now plays in college.
A 12-year-old swimmer set best times nine months in a row after gaining 10 pounds of lean weight and losing 10 pounds of fat. Nothing changed but the fueling.
Individual results vary.
DO YOU WORK WITH ATHLETES OUTSIDE OHIO?
Yes. Testing requires an in-person visit to Liberty Township, except for metabolism, muscle fuel and sweat sodium testing, which travel to teams. Consults, fueling plans and ongoing coaching are delivered by phone and video nationally and internationally.
DOES SPORTS NUTRITION 2GO ONLY WORK WITH CHILDREN?
No. Athletes under 18 are the specialty and about 80 percent of the practice. Dawn also works with collegiate and Olympic athletes, adult and masters athletes, endurance and obstacle-course racers, recreational athletes, and people who want to stay healthy as they age.
DO YOU TAKE INSURANCE?
No. HSA and FLEX accounts are accepted and payment plans are available.
HOW DO I BOOK?
Call or text FUEL to (513) 287-9623, or email info@SN2G.com, for a free 15-minute Fuel Strategy Call. The call is not a consult; it is 15 minutes to work out which service fits the athlete before booking. Sports Nutrition 2Go, 6659 Liberty Court, Liberty Township, OH 45044. Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 9 PM, by appointment only.