Nutritional info for endurance athletes

I wrote these thoughts (not particularly organized) down recently for a client with a weight loss goal of ~30 pounds before mid-season, 2011.

I've decided to share with the rest of you as well.  

These are unorganized points that can be used regardless of what goals you may have, whether its losing weight, gaining weight, changing body composition, etc.  

I apologize as these are all over the map, but they do pertain to active multisport endurance athletes.  most of this was written with a goal of overall weight loss in mind. 

I will probably add to it down the road, and will post the updated version.  maybe a book someday :-)

Healthy eating for Multisport athletes.  A lifestyle not a diet!

Limit Calorie dense foods (cheese, caramel, ice cream, deep fried, heavy desserts, etc.)

Substitute Avocado for cheese.  it's creamy, good, and has healthy fats vs. bad, saturated fats found in cheese.

Drink Skim or 1% milk.  yogurt instead of ice cream.  mustard instead of mayo.

don't try to lose more than 1-2 pounds a week.  you need to exercise to lose weight (fat) and you need energy to train!  if you starve yourself you will not be able to train and you will tell your body to conserve the few calories you do put into it.

if your goal is body composition change (less fat %, increased muscle %), then be patient.  muscle weighs more than fat.  you can lose fat, gain muscle, and overall gain weight or stay even initially.

running will lean you out more than biking or swimming.

biking alone will make your legs/buttocks bigger due to increased muscle mass.

swimming will make your shoulders/chest/arms bigger due to increase muscle mass.

running will make you leaner all-around.  it is a full weight bearing activity, meaning lighter is faster and less impact.  the body will respond by losing overall muscle mass and total body mass.

also, running is more calories burned per hour.

calories burned per hour, approximate:

130 pound woman, moderate intensity:

running = 700-800

biking = 575-675

swimming = 500-600

170 pound man, moderate intensity:

running = 950 - 1,050

biking = 800-900

swimming = 700-800

consider supplementing with whey protein, casein, and/or amino acids.  as endurance athletes you cause tremendous damage to your muscles and need the proteins/amino acids to rebuild and repair.  some comes with food, but rarely is an long course athlete during the middle of their big build able to get enough quality protein from food alone.  Consider supplementing with 1-2 servings per day of 20g women, 25g men of whey protein.  2 servings on long, hard days.  1 serving on easier days.  before and/or after training session.  

use amino acids/protein DURING training as well.  when it's already in place in the body, your body will use it to repair itself immediately after the training session is over.  

about 4-6 g of amino acids per 300 calories in a drink.  or up to 10 g per 200 calories in a bar.  

amino acids are better than whey protein but probably more expensive.  amino acids don't have to be digested, they are absorbed immediately.  protein takes longer.  

casein is a protein, it is slowly digested and absorbed.  Ideal for taking before bed as part of a chocolate shake or fruit smoothie.

whey protein is more quickly absorbed and better for taking in the morning prior to working out.

50/50 combo of whey protein and casein proteins are great for recovery.  The whey helps immediately, while the casein comes into play later.

Soy protein is a vegan alternative, but much less quality than whey protein and casein.

don't ever starve yourself.  this tells body to go into conservation mode and cling tightly to all calories.  result is decreased metabolism.

don't drink too much juice out of a carton.  processed and lacks fiber and nutrients originally found in the fruit itself.

if you like juice, then get a Juicing Machine!  this is the healthy way to drink juice and a good juicer will keep the nutrients and healthy stuff you want.

better yet, get a vitamix or Health Master.  these powerful machines leave the pulp from fruits and veggies in, making sure you get all the healthy fiber.  The pulpy consistency may be hard to swallow.......

avoid creamy dressings like ranch and ceasar.  try vinegars, light oils, but nothing artificial.

eat immediately following workouts.  if you starve yourself after working out, your body goes into conservation mode and you feel like crap later because you didn't recover well.

Training is more about recovery than it is going hard.  ANYBODY can go hard in training when they feel good.  the REAL question is:  CAN YOU RECOVER SMARTLY AND QUICKLY AND CAN YOU BACK OFF ENOUGH IN SUBSEQUENT WORKOUTS TO ABSORB THE TRAINING?

get good sleep.  try to NOT set the alarm clock and wake up naturally at least 2 times each week and preferably up to 5 times a week.  take a nap if you have time and are fatigued.

use caffeine sparingly for training purposes ONLY.  When you do use caffeine, be careful not to go TOO hard, or the recovery cost will be TOO high and take too long!

start with 25mg of caffeine and take small doses over the course of a long ride or long run.  

While training, always STOP before you are completely SMASHED.  the recovery cost is too high and too long.  triathlon training is more about consistency over the long haul.  

Increase size of meals prior to 5pm.  this helps avoid over eating at 6pm dinner time.  when you over eat 2 things happen:

1.  you stretch your stomach, now it takes more food to make your body feel full

2.  you store the extra, un-needed calories as fat.  doesn't matter if it was carbs or protein going in your mouth, if you eat 2,000 calorie dinner, you'll store it as fat.

When to eat

5-6 smaller meals a day

for example, 6 meals a day, with biggest meals (calorie wise) at 7am breakfast and 1pm lunch.

7am pre-workout breakfast, 10am post-workout, 1pm lunch, 3pm pre-workout, 6pm post-workout, 8pm light snack

If you want to lose weight, Drink 1-2 glasses (8-16 oz) of water before taking first bite of food.  you will stop eating when you "feel" full.  Trick your body into thinking you are full by putting something in your stomach that is not calorie dense -- things like water, veggies, lettuce, rice, oatmeal, etc.  

Have a sweet craving?  Don't ignore it, satisfy it in moderation and with substitutes/alternatives.

supplement with protein.  increased protein intake curbs desire for sweets

substitute sweet fruits, popcorn, lightly sweetened cereal, peanut butter and jelly toast, almond butter + apples, for heavy, fat-and-sugar loaded desserts.

mix chocolate milk with regular white milk -- still tastes good, but less fat/sugar.

When (not if, but when) you do give in to sweets cravings, eat it with a meal rather than by itself.  This will limit the blood sugar spike effect of having sweets alone by themselves.  for example, eat the ice cream or cookies with your meal.  literally, one bite of cookie, then one bite of chicken, then a bite of rice/veggie mix.  

the other time to eat sweets is when you are training!  Your blood sugar level rises naturally while training and your body will process a snickers bar or coke while you are actively working out better than just sitting at work.  

Avoid frozen meals, and food that comes in boxes, bags, or cartons with nutritional labels half a page long.  Food in boxes, bags, and cartons generally means processed and preserved with chemicals and extra stuff.

Cooking is a pain -- cleanup, time, energy, etc.  When you do make a good, healthy meal from scratch, make a lot of it!

Make good, healthy meals in large quantities.  Freeze or refrigerate the leftovers.  Re-heat the leftovers in toaster oven, skillet, or oven (food does not taste good reheated in the microwave!!)

Avoid artificial colors and sweetners.  Avoid soda (diet and regular), sweetened tea, coffee with fat/sugar, energy drinks, etc.

drink green tea or another non-sweetened tea.  Add Agave nectar to sweeten tea.

Don't eat right before bed.  if you get to bed at 10pm, stop eating by 8pm.

Eat right when you wake up, don't wait.  your body has already been starving, it needs food NOW.  if you're not hungry when you wake up, it's probably because you are use to starving it by making a habit of not eating breakfast in the first place.  if you don't eat now, you will OVER eat later.

don't OVER EAT.  this stretches the stomach, requiring greater volume of food to make you feel full.  if your goal is to lose weight, all the body wants is to feel full, then you'll stop eating.  foods that are calorie low-density will do the trick and give you less calories per volume of food.  starving yourself earlier in the day will increase the chances of you over-eating later in the day.  like mom always said, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!  

coffee/caffeine increases fat oxidation.  will help you burn fat while exercising.  use it sparingly and don't go too hard!  you'll know if you've gone too hard later, when you come down from the caffeine high and you feel like you've been run over by a truck!

Use Agave Nectar and honey in place of sugar/artificial sweetner, to sweeten things.

Use Olive Oil in place of butter.

There is no rule saying you have to eat breakfast foods for breakfast.  Try eating leftover lunch/dinner meals for breakfast, it's not that bad!

There is no rule saying you can't eat veggies for breakfast!  veggies are naturally basic (pH > 7) which balance out the acidity of sugary, sweet foods and fruits which are acidic (pH < 7).  too much of our diet is acidic and our body must be more basic in order for immune system and digestive system to function properly.

Salt your foods to taste, not before trying!  use minimal amounts of salt.  Reserve your salting for training and racing, and only when you NEED it!  

if you over salt your food in meals, you will sweat more salt and increase your chances of cramping in training and racing.  

Your body will learn to become more efficient in its usage of salt if you use it sparingly in regular eating.

Don't go grocery shopping when you are starved.  make a list and stick to it.  

shop the perimeter of the grocery store -- produce, dairy, etc.  occasionally go down a center isle but only for stuff like oatmeal, nut butters, salsa, pasta, rice, beans, etc.  

go on the internet to find new recipes to try:  allrecipes.com is one of Charity's favorites.  

Out of site, out of mind.  if there's a certain unhealthy food or snack you can't help but indulge yourself in, then hide it!  or don't buy it in the first place.  

Don't rationalize at the store.  if you buy it and bring it home, you will eat it.  if you have a particular weakness to soda or candy and you buy it, you will probably eat too much too quickly.  have a spouse hide it or don't bring it home in the first place.  

Good things to eat for multisport athletes:

Fruit smoothies -- banana + berries/tropical fruits, yogurt, whey protein powder (no more than 25 g for men, 20 g for women), juice (OJ, grape, apple), and blend in The Magic Bullet!

meals that combine raw, lightly steamed, or lightly cooked veggies, lean meat like chicken, fish, buffalo, carbohydrate like pasta, rice, potato with skin.  side of grapes, clementine, apples, etc.

Avoid CREAMY sauces.  use soy, asian, rubs, marinara, pesto sauces.

egg bagel sandwich.  egg + spinach, tomato, onion, mushrooms, avocado, turkey, bagel.  can even add small piece of swiss cheese (yay!)

tuna salad on a bagel

egg salad on a bagel

celery + almond butter

non-sugar jelly + almond butter on sourdough or bagel or bread

oatmeal sweetened with almond butter and agave nectar

apple + almond butter

raw or roasted mixed nuts or almonds.

breakfast burritos:  egg, tortilla, tomato, onion, spinach, bell peppers, jalenpeno, curry spice, salsa, avocado, and a tiny bit of well-done bacon (drain extra fat/grease with paper towel)!

fajitas:  tortilla, rice, beans, bell peppers, jalepenos, tomato, onion, mushrooms, avocado/guacamole, beef or chicken

chicken pesto pasta:  pasta, fresh basil, pine nuts, spinach, mushrooms, tomato, sun-dried tomato, onion, bell peppers, chicken breast.

Coach Kirk