Many starting out in Triathlons either overestimate or under estimate their nutrition needs.  There is much general guidance on what you need during a multi-hour session, but it is important to determine what your body needs.  Some longer rides may consume more than 3500 calories — a caloric “pound” — and during the actual half-ironman distance event, I may break 5000 calories or more.  So having the proper quantity and quality of nutrition is fundamental to having a successful race.   I still have much to learn about proper nutrition so I strive to educate myself whenever possible.

If I am able to take in the right foods, I don’t have to worry about my caloric intake.  And in The Weight Loss Hype: Why Counting Calories Never Works, Kathy Freston points out that studies show that most people end up where they originally started when they only diet by counting calories.  Instead, a lifestyle change of switching to a low-fat, high fiber diet leads to long term success.  However, a very-low-fat diet is not exactly ideal for endurance training but switching to the right balance of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates (such as in a ratio of 20-30-50) in ideal for sustained fuel during an event and to enhance recovery after.  And with the right stuff going in, I only have to keep an eye on my burn to ensure that I can carry through a 7 or 8 hour event.

Healthy Eating

So I have to focus on eating the proper foods.  I generally have breakfast down — a good grain cereal or eggs and toast for breakfast on heavy training days, and while on a long bike ride, I consume the right amounts of nourishment to get me through the ride.  And I generally follow a heavy training session with the old favorite Peanut butter sandwich on whole-grain bread.

But when it comes to dinner, all bets are usually off.  That is where I really need to change some habits.

To start, I need to conquer large portions and get into the proper mindset of eating less.  Seems simple enough, but what a struggle that is turning out to be…  Going out to eat quickly becomes a disaster as many restaurants have huge portions.   Just tonight I took my kids to Wahoo’s, a fish taco restaurant, but the amount of rice and beans that came with the meal was way too much.  The fish taco only has 170 calories and 4 g of fat, but the rice and beans have more than 500 calories combined! Sheesh!  Fortunately I only had half of the portion, so in all, I think I came out ok tonight.