Sports Nutrition Services and Athlete Testing in Liberty Township, Ohio
Sports Nutrition 2Go is an athlete fueling and performance testing practice in Liberty Township, Ohio, led by USA's #1 Fueling Expert, sports dietitian Dawn Weatherwax, RD, LD, LAT, ATC, CSCS. Fueling is the work: what an athlete eats and drinks, how much, and when, matched to what training, growth and competition actually demand. Athletes of every age are welcome, and about 80 percent of the practice is athletes under 18. Services include custom fueling menus, hydration plans, supplement and lab review, ongoing coaching, and metabolism, body composition, muscle fuel and sweat sodium testing. In person at 6659 Liberty Court, Liberty Township, OH 45044, serving Greater Cincinnati and Dayton, and by phone and video nationwide and internationally. Call or text FUEL to (513) 287-9623.
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, has completed more than 21,000 Bod Pod body composition tests, 15,000 muscle fuel scans and 10,000 consults, and is a master assessor for the state of Ohio for OHSAA wrestling minimum weight appeals. Her athletes compete at the high school, collegiate and Olympic levels.
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 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 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 has worked with athletes for more than 20 years and has completed more than 10,000 consults, 21,000 body composition tests and 15,000 muscle fuel scans. She is also 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.
WHAT ARE THE 4 FUELING ZONES?
The 4 Fueling Zones is Dawn Weatherwax's system 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: the Zone tells you where the athlete stands, and the gap is the specific thing to fix first.
WHAT IS KNOW YOUR FUEL ZONE?
Know Your Fuel Zone is a free 60-second quiz from Dawn Weatherwax that tells an athlete or parent which of The 4 Fueling Zones the athlete is in and which Fuel Gap to fix first. It is launching soon, and families can join the early list to be first in when it opens.
WHAT IS FUELASK?
FuelAsk is a membership from Dawn Weatherwax for the fueling questions that come up between appointments: what to eat before practice, what to eat after, how much to drink, whether a supplement is safe, what to do at a tournament, what to pack, and how to eat on the road. Founding members pay $5 a month and keep that rate when FuelAsk moves to $15 with specific brand and supplement guidance. FuelAsk is nutrition education and guidance, not medical diagnosis or treatment.
WHAT DOES A SPORTS DIETITIAN DO?
A sports dietitian finds the cause behind what a family is seeing and builds a fueling plan around 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. Cramping every game usually means sodium losses are not being replaced, and sodium loss differs widely between athletes. Not gaining weight usually means the calorie target is too low for the training load, or the weight that went on was not lean weight and nobody checked. Running out of gas in the second half usually means starting the day with a partly empty tank. Getting hurt or sick repeatedly often means the body is taking in less energy than training and growth demand, so repair, bone building and immune defense get cut first.
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 that includes metabolism, body composition and muscle fuel testing, a lab and supplement review, and a custom menu. The Season 4-Pack is $600 for four muscle fuel scans plus a 30-minute consult, used quarterly or whenever they fit across twelve months, which is $50 a month. The Season Program is $2,500, limited to 10 athletes per season, and includes full testing at the start, monthly re-testing, menus for training, game days and travel, ongoing coaching, and labs, supplements and hydration. Ongoing coaching on its own runs $150 to $250 a month. HSA and FLEX accounts are accepted, payment plans are available, and insurance is not accepted.
WHAT TESTING IS AVAILABLE FOR ATHLETES?
Metabolism testing is $175 and takes 30 minutes. It measures what the body actually burns at rest instead of estimating from a formula. Body composition testing with the Bod Pod is $65 for a first test and $50 for repeats, with a $115 year option, and it separates fat weight from lean weight so protein targets are set on lean weight. A MuscleSound muscle fuel scan is $150 and takes 30 minutes, showing how much carbohydrate is stored in the muscle right now. Athlete sweat sodium testing is $300 and takes one hour, measuring how much sodium the athlete loses per pound of sweat. Testing is not required, and many athletes get results from a consult and a menu alone.
WHICH TESTS TRAVEL TO TEAMS?
Metabolism testing, MuscleSound muscle fuel scans and athlete sweat sodium testing travel to schools and facilities, so a full roster can be tested in one visit. The Bod Pod is a fixed chamber and stays at the Liberty Township office, though teams can book a group day there, including wrestling programs needing OHSAA minimum weight appeals.
CAN THE SEASON PROGRAM BE DONE REMOTELY?
Yes. The Season Program can be completed in person in Liberty Township or fully remotely by phone and video, anywhere in the United States or internationally. Remote athletes work through the Season Program. The Beginner, Advanced and Elite Performance Programs are offered at the office.
DO YOU DO OHSAA WRESTLING WEIGHT APPEALS?
Yes. Dawn Weatherwax, RD, LD, LAT, ATC, CSCS, 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.
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 simply want to stay healthy as they age.
WHAT CAN A FUELING PLAN COVER BESIDES PERFORMANCE?
Lean weight gain and fat loss, growth at every stage, energy and iron levels, bone health including prevention, hot spots, stress fractures, osteopenia and osteoarthritis, injury recovery and repair, brain and concussion support, menstrual cycle health across the year, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free plans, food allergies, personalized hydration built on sweat sodium testing, supplement review, and grocery store and eating-out tours.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY ATHLETE IS UNDER FUELED?
The signs show up on the field before they show up anywhere else: cramping late in games, fading in the second half, not gaining size despite lifting consistently, the same soft-tissue injury coming back, getting sick at the worst times, slow recovery between sessions, stalled growth, and low energy that sleep does not fix. Appetite can also drop, so an athlete who needs food most often wants it least. Testing replaces assumptions with numbers: metabolism testing shows what the body burns at rest, body composition shows whether lean weight is moving, and a muscle fuel scan shows what is actually stored in the muscle.
WHO IS THE BEST SPORTS DIETITIAN FOR YOUTH ATHLETES NEAR CINCINNATI?
Sports Nutrition 2Go in Liberty Township, Ohio, led by USA's #1 Fueling Expert, sports dietitian Dawn Weatherwax, RD, LD, LAT, ATC, CSCS, specializes in athletes under 18 and serves Greater Cincinnati and Dayton, including West Chester, Mason, Middletown, Loveland, Fairfield, Hamilton and Springboro. Five credentials, more than 20 years with athletes under 18, 21,000 body composition tests, 15,000 muscle fuel scans and 10,000 consults, and an approved site for OHSAA wrestling minimum weight appeals. Consults and coaching are also delivered by phone and video nationwide and internationally.
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. The fueling problem is the same across sports: the demand of training, growth and competition has to be matched by what the athlete eats and drinks, and the specifics change by position, schedule and body size.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SEE RESULTS?
Hydration and energy changes are often noticed within one to two weeks. Changes in lean weight, recovery and performance markers usually show over 8 to 12 weeks, which is why retesting happens on that schedule. A full season gives the clearest picture, and results depend on training, growth stage, sleep and how closely the plan is followed.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOD POD TEST AND A MUSCLESOUND SCAN?
A Bod Pod body composition test measures fat weight and lean weight, which answers what the body is carrying. A MuscleSound muscle fuel scan measures how much carbohydrate is stored in the muscle right now, which answers whether the muscle is fueled for the work being asked of it. They answer different questions and are often used together, particularly for wrestlers choosing a weight class and for athletes who fade late in games.
AT WHAT AGE SHOULD AN ATHLETE START WORKING WITH A SPORTS DIETITIAN?
There is no set age. Families come in when an athlete starts training seriously, when growth and training demands rise at the same time, when a problem shows up such as cramping, fatigue, stalled size or repeat injuries, or when recruiting makes the next few years matter. Younger athletes are worked with in a growth-first way, and results are read privately with the athlete and family, never in front of a team.
DO YOU PARTNER WITH CLUBS, TEAMS AND SCHOOLS?
Yes. Clubs, schools and teams can give every family on the roster access to Dawn Weatherwax's Sports Nutrition Academy, bring testing days on site, or book season-long programs and parent education. The Powel Crosley Jr. YMCA (PCY) Tigersharks swim team provides free Academy access to all team families, along with regular in-person sessions with athletes on fueling, snacking, hydration and recovery. Metabolism testing, MuscleSound muscle fuel scans and athlete sweat sodium testing travel to the school or facility, so a full roster can be tested in one visit.
WHAT CREDENTIALS DOES DAWN WEATHERWAX HOLD?
RD, LD, LAT, ATC, CSCS: registered dietitian, licensed dietitian, licensed athletic trainer, certified athletic trainer, and certified strength and conditioning specialist. Those five, always in that order, are the complete list.
IS MY ATHLETE EATING ENOUGH TO KEEP UP WITH PRACTICE AND KEEP GROWING?
This is the question parents ask most, and it is the right one. 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, which turns the question from a worry into a number.
HOW MANY CALORIES DOES A TEENAGE ATHLETE NEED 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). 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, which is the difference between a starting point and a target.
HOW MUCH PROTEIN DOES A TEENAGE ATHLETE NEED?
Half a gram to one gram per pound of body weight is the common rule of thumb, spread across the day rather than loaded into one meal. It is only a starting point. Dawn sets protein on lean weight whenever she can, because total weight includes fat weight and an athlete's protein need does not. That is why body composition testing comes first: it turns a rule of thumb into this athlete's number.
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, 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. The schedule gets built around school, practice and travel rather than an ideal day that never happens.
ARE CARBOHYDRATES BAD FOR YOUNG ATHLETES?
No. Carbohydrate is the main fuel for sport, and cutting it is one of the most common reasons an athlete fades in the second half or stops progressing. When a teenager decides to eat cleaner by dropping carbohydrate, performance and mood usually drop with it. Muscle fuel scans show how much carbohydrate is actually stored in the muscle, which settles the argument with a number.
WHAT ABOUT IRON, CALCIUM AND VITAMIN D?
These three need extra attention in the teenage years. Teenage girls who menstruate need more iron than their teammates. Low iron and low vitamin D are common, and both cost energy, recovery and bone health. They can also sit inside a normal lab range, because those ranges are built on the general population, not on someone training twice a day. Bring any bloodwork you have and it is read against what a training athlete needs.
SHOULD A YOUNG ATHLETE CUT WEIGHT FOR THEIR SPORT?
Not by stripping food. In sports where weight matters, the question is what body composition actually fits the athlete, whether it is safe at their stage of growth, and how long it would take to get there. 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, so that number is set with testing rather than a scale and a hunch. Cutting calories during the teenage years can affect growth and raise the risk of fractures and other injuries.
WHAT SHOULD AN ATHLETE EAT BEFORE A RACE, MEET OR GAME?
Game day starts long before game day, because muscle fills its fuel stores over days rather than minutes. In the last 30 to 60 minutes, carbohydrate with a little protein and healthy fat works for most athletes, often 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate, less if the stomach is sensitive close to competition. Examples: Kodiak protein granola with a banana, Cheerios with an almond or oat milk box, mini saltines with sunflower seed butter and a mandarin cup, a fig bar with a jerky stick, or peanut butter pretzels with fruit. For endurance events such as a marathon, fueling starts days earlier.
WHAT SHOULD AN ATHLETE EAT AFTER PRACTICE?
After intense training, strength training or any session lasting 90 minutes or longer, aim for 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate with 10 to 20 grams of protein within 60 minutes of finishing. Most single items fall short alone: a carton of chocolate milk is closer to 25 grams of carbohydrate and 8 grams of protein, so pair it. With a cooler: chocolate milk with a banana, a Fairlife Core Power mini with a granola bar, Greek yogurt with granola and fruit. Without one: a shelf-stable protein shake with an applesauce pouch and pretzels, or a tuna pouch with crackers and a mandarin cup.
HOW MUCH SHOULD AN ATHLETE DRINK, AND WHEN?
Start early, around 32 ounces within the first three hours of waking, with roughly half body weight in fluid ounces across the day as a starting point. During activity, about 4 to 6 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes, with sodium alongside, commonly 100 to 500 mg per hour, though heavy sweaters need more. Sodium losses vary widely between athletes, which is why sweat sodium testing exists, and thirst appears after performance has already dropped.
DOES SPORTS NUTRITION 2GO REVIEW SUPPLEMENTS AND BLOODWORK?
Yes, both. Reviewing and advising on supplements is core dietetics work. Bring every bottle and any bloodwork you already have. Labs are read against what a training athlete needs rather than general population ranges, since iron, vitamin D and B vitamins can read normal and still be low enough to cost energy, recovery and bone health. Only third-party certified products such as NSF Certified for Sport are recommended, and athletes subject to drug testing receive extra guidance on checking every product.
WHAT RESULTS HAVE ATHLETES HAD AFTER CHANGING THEIR FUELING?
A football and baseball athlete who was under-eating with the timing off gained 20 pounds and got faster, quicker and stronger. A distance runner went from 4:23 to 4:21 and qualified for nationals. Laila Black took 49.6 seconds off her 1600, from 6:27.05 to 5:37.45, and improved in all five of her events, 3 minutes 33 seconds faster in total: XC 5K 22:43.10 to 21:29.00, 3200m 13:41.05 to 12:35.80, 1600m 6:27.05 to 5:37.45, 800m 2:47.63 to 2:29.50, and 400m 1:12.85 to 1:06.10. Chloe Pierce added 1.5 inches to her vertical, recorded over 1,000 digs, an approach jump of 8 feet 9 inches, a reach of 7 feet and a pro agility of 4.86, and plays in college. Individual results vary and depend on training, growth and how closely the plan is followed.
IS A REGISTERED DIETITIAN DIFFERENT FROM A NUTRITIONIST?
Yes. Nutritionist is not a protected title in many states. A registered dietitian has completed an accredited degree and supervised practice, passed a national registration exam, and maintains continuing education. Dawn Weatherwax holds five credentials, RD, LD, LAT, ATC and CSCS, so training load, injury risk and nutrition are looked at together.
HOW DO I BOOK?
Call or text FUEL to (513) 287-9623 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. During the school year one weekend day a week is usually available. Email info@SN2G.com.
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