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Nutritional advice

Ive just completed by first year of sprint triathlon. I just started training for my second year (2weeks in) for an olympic season with hopes of qualifying for GB age group event. My training is going well. Trying to fit in 8hrs a week on a 3wk high 1 wk light stratagy. The only thing im concerned about is nutriation. I don't drink and very keen on a good diet to aid my triathlon training and recovery.

I generally have

Bran flakes and toast for breakfast 8AM
porridge oats mid morning for training 10AM
Banana and oat bar/cearal bar before training 12
Training - home made sports drink 12:30PM
tuna and rice/pasta after training 2 pm
Snack 4 PM
Evening meal 6PM
Something before bed. milk or some protein 9pm

The problem is im always hungary and wake up quite hungary. Im afraid to over eat or eat alot before bed. I have an extremly high metabolism which doesn't help.

Can someone give some pointers on nutrition and fluid intake

Comments

  • wyno70wyno70 Posts: 189
    All above sounds very good, I wish I was nearly as disciplined!!

    All I can think is are you drinking enough fluid?
  • When, it comes to fluid i always carry around a 800ml sis bottle,fill it regular with water and drink throughout the day. Im also quite dehydrated in the morning, urine is very dark. seem to sweat alot at night even when cold outside. When it comes to drinking I like to drink until urine is clear but also cautious of over drinking especially water. It can take a while to do this sometime s to midday. I add sea salt to my home made sports drinks when training. How much is enough?
  • Hi ministryofsound

    General rule of thumb for energy requirements:

    Carbohydrate requirements: 6-10g per kg bodyweight per day
    Protein requirments: 1.2-1.6g per kg bodyweight per day
    Fat requirements: 25% of total energy

    Eg. for 70kg athlete

    Carbohydrate = 420g-700g per kg bodyweight per day (at 4kcals per gram = 1680kcals-2800kcals per day)
    Protein = 84g-112g per kg bodyweight per day (at 4kcals per gram = 336kcals-448kcals per day)

    = 2016kcals-3248kcals per day
    + 25% Fat
    = 2520kcals-4060kcals per day.

    Light training days - target bottom end (2520kcals per day)
    Moderate training days - target middle of the range (~3250kcals per day)
    Heavy training days - target top end (4060kcals per day)

    Remember the basics such as wide variety of fruit and veg and high quality protein sources (lean meat/poultry/fish etc.). Let us know your recipe for your homemade sports drink and also if you want to know how to incorporate pre- and post-exercise meals then let us know.

    Eat Smart.
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    My first impression is perhaps a little more protein, some with every meal, this will help with satiety as well as recovery, it seems as though there is npt much protein before 2pm, which may leave you behind for the rest ofthe day. Is your porridge made with milk? That would help, maybe chuck an egg (not in the podge..altho....) in there somewhere maybe, I am thinking quick easy & portable in the case of a boiled egg made the night before if you are eating at work/on the go.
  • I agree with Britspin, you appear to have a glaringly low protein intake.

    Endurance athletes tend not to appreciate the importance of it, however the simple fact remains that protein is our muscles adaptation fuel. Carbohydrates (which you have sufficient amount of) allow your energy levels to be optimal for training and therefore is needed for recovery. However protein is as, if not more important, as the only way you adapt to training and therefore get better is by having sufficient protein.

    It isnt totally understood how much protein is needed, research says anywhere between 1-2.5g/kg bodyweight, for a 70 kg person this is between 70-175kg. Personally my belief is more is better as excess protein will simply be excreted rather than stored (as with carbs). I think if you aim for around 100g per day you will be ok. This is the equivalent of a protein shake, tin of tuna, chicken breast, and a couple of eggs all in one day.

    Another thing to consider is that you consume most of your protein after training (around 2pm) but it would be more advisable to have your protein a bit more evened out during your day. In fact it is probably better to have a greater portion of your protein in the morning and pre-training because your recovery/adaptation will be optimised with having protein already in your system rather than taking it after training and waiting for it to be absorbed.

    In terms of your hunger I would try this increased protein intake and see how things go. If however you still find yourself hungry look to increase your calorie intake for a couple of weeks and monitor your weight and see if there are any big fluctuations, if not keep eating the increased amount.
  • Thanks guys, I think your right extra protein is required. I use to by whey but it gets expensive. Now I try just drinking milk.

    I keep a record of food consumed.

    Im a 75kg athlete

    on average I consumed
    3167 kcal per day
    1927 kcal from carbs. 482g 62%
    567 kcal from protein 142g 18%
    673 kcal from fat 75g 20%

    train on average twice a day, 5/6 days per week.

    Home made sports drink
    high juice squash 50ml to 100ml or orange juice 200ml, water 300ml to 500ml and 0.5g sea salt

    Home made recovery
    chocolate powder into a pint of semi skimmed milk
  • Ministryofsound

    Do the calculation I provided above and target the higher range as you are training twice daily.

    Your protein is fine - any higher and you run the risk of disturbing calcium balance and leaching calcium from the bones.

    To find peer reviewed research on protein and exercise, look for Mark Tarnopolsky, Associate Professor, McMaster University Medical Centre, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada - the foremost scientist in protein and exercise research.

    Home-made Shake:
    1 cup 2% milk (semi-skimmed)
    2 tbsp skim milk powder
    Half a banana + tsp vanilla essence
    or half tin apricots
    or half tsp Milo mixed with hot water

    Blend.
    Eat Smart.
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    The protein may be fine, but surely the distribution through the day is not good, an even steady 'flow' makes sense especially as the body cannot effectively digest & utilise large quantities of protein in one sitting, whereas with all macronutrients a little & often is the most effective to remove spikes, difficiencies etc. Personally I would not go with whey or any other supplement unless really necessary,better to eat real food & less processed to get all the micronutrients.
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    Guesstimates of calories are also notoriously difficult to be accurate with, but better than not at all...see current series on www.sportsscientists.com.
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