I've been trying to stay away from protein shakes/sports drinks etc., such as Lucozade, Hi5, SiS etc. because first and foremost if I'm actually going to get faster and finish my target races then I need to shift some weight as well as get fitter.
Am I hampering my training by doing so? And if I indulge in the Sports drinks/protein shakes etc. will that hamper the weight loss? Or is there a happy medium?