For years, athletes are told to eat a high carb diet for training and racing. I have questioned this theory in the recent years especially since I started offering (and following) clean eating challenges at Fitness Forward Studio with my clients as well as listening to many podcasts on nutrition. Do we need to eat carbs for fuel when we are doing endurance heart rate training and wish to burn fat as our main fuel source? Eat carbs to burn fat… doesn’t make sense does it?
The first step is to start cutting back on processed foods and refined sugars in your daily food plan. I tell my clients in our “FF 21 day Rapid Fat Loss Challenge” to eat mostly plant based diet, add more healthy fats and organic grass fed proteins. We have been trained to eat non fat and fat free foods for the last two decades that now we are scared to eat fat. We need to understand which fats are natural, healthy fats and which fats are unnatural fats. Healthy fats as coconut, avocado, nuts and seeds are what make us feel full and satisfied. Protein makes you feel full. Sugar makes you want to eat more sugar. Who can eat just one slice of bread or a handful of chips? Who can overeat on chicken or salad greens? Hmmm.
Now if you are training for endurance event, hopefully you have been training by heart rate and training your body to burn fat for fuel during the majority of training workouts. We want to be fat adapted… it takes time to traing your body to utilize fat for the main fuel source. Should you eat carbs before a workout? For most your meals during the day? Carbo load a week before the big race?
I have learned alot about my body over the years when it comes to food. For years, I realized my diet was mostly carbohydrates, non-fat everything and little protein. I always felt as I didn’t have a “full button” and could over eat carbs easiliy. I would go to work at 4:30 am, train clients and teach classes until 11am then go do my workout then return to work. Everything I was eating was a startch carb as I am always on the go. After listening to seminars at my USAT Coaching certification course then nutrition podcasts over the last year, I have determined I need more fats and protein in my daily food intake. I also have trained my body to be more efficient fat burner on my workouts as I don’t need to eat or drink more than water on workouts under three hours. I am training my body to be a fat burning machine which helps on race day if I am training in the correct heart rate zones to be utilizing fat for an Ironman distance event. This is one of my secrets to success on passing faster, stronger athletes. The difference is pacing and nutrition. Do you have gut problems in a race? Review your nutrition and pacing plan.
A few clean eating tips…
- Eat less or not eat before short workouts under 90 minutes. You don’t need to load up on carbs for a short workout in the morning but this takes time to switch to a fat adapted instead of a sugar burner.
- Eat good qualtiy carbs: fresh local vegetables and fruits. Athletes need to eat more quality startchy carbs as sweet potatoes (purple in Hawaii!) and taro instead of wheat products as pasta, bagels, muffins and breads.
- Shop at local farmers market. This is easy to do in Hawaii as the farmers market in Kona is my favorite. We can go purchase all our fresh locally grown vegetables and fruits every few days. Buy fresh fish and raw seeds/nuts. Every night in Kona, we love to have a big mixed colorful salad for dinner with avocado and fresh fish… my favorite meal. I tell my clients that colorful vegeatbles are “Free”… eat as much as you need to feel full.
- Add protein and healthy fats into each meal. Learn to cook and eat more coconut oil including coconut mana. You will be full for longer and end up eating less. PLUS coconut oil makes food taste better when used in cooking.
- Don’t feel the need to “Carbo load” the week of a race with processed foods and refined sugars. I am always shocked at what athletes choose to eat as they think it is okay as they will “burn it off”. Fuel your body… you wouldn’t put low grade gas into a sports car and expect it to run perfectly? If you want to perform you best on race day then treat your body the best with high quality clean food. Stick with easy to digest simple food and not over indulge on empty “low grade” fuel sources. You want your gut to be operating efficiently so you are ready to go on race day… less chance of issues on race day.
- Don’t experiment on your clean eating plan before or on race day but maybe start making small changes. Start cleaning up your food plan in the off-season and experiment on your workouts next season.
- Off season experiment with a few days a week of intermittent fasting… try not eating for 15 hours (over night hours included). Talk to your naturapth or sports nutritionist for details prior to this self experiment. Goal is to be more fat adapted. Read up online and “low carb for athletes” book for research.
- Post race finish line is not the time to be eating cookies, pizza and beer. I am always shocked what food is served at the finish line of 5k races to marathons to triathlons. I know what I can eat and not eat after a race… which is only ginger ale right at the finish line then a couple hours later I can take a protein drink as Shakeology for my recovery drink as well as ice bath.
These are few thoughts I had this weekend as the countdown to Ironman Hawaii World Championship begins and athletes from around the world take over downtown Kona, Hawaii. I find it easy to consume local exotic fruits and butter avocados with fresh vegetables every day but I do need to add more purple sweet potatoes closer to race day. I eat more eggs for breakfast with fresh avocado and coconut oil, chia seed pudding (chia mixed with water) with almond butter, fresh fruit, Shakeology smoothie with frozen mango post workouts or mid day snack and of course my favorite dinner of fresh grilled fish, huge salad and avocado.
Stay tuned for more tips from Debbie Potts… if you live in Bellevue, WA come to our “What is Wheat Belly” seminar on Thursday, October 25th with Dr. Geoff Lecovin. What are grains not the best choice for athletes and daily consumption for most people? Find out more on our Facebook page.
