5/23/15: Results of my First Experiment

    Not everything went as planned. The two carbo-loading days before the competition, I was not feeling full at all. This may have been due to the absence of heavier nutrients such as lipids and proteins, but whatever it was, I was not feeling ready. Because I felt hungry, I decided to eat some protein based foods including a half cup of canned tuna on the first day and a peanutbutter sandwich on the second. These foods did help me get full, and I'm not sure as to how much they affected my performances. On that note, my races did not go so well.

    Over the course of the meet, I added time in two of the four events and dropped minimal time in the other two. However, I'm not entirely sure if this outcome was due to my meal plan or bad swimming on my part. During the day, I felt well energized and hydrated, so there were no problems there. One problem may be actually a lack of food, as I was feeling hungry as I did over the two carbo-loading days. This time, I did not eat any supplemental protein because I did not want to feel weighed down in the water.
    Either way, my diet didn't go as planned. I did not perform how I wanted and have some obvious changes to make. I need to make a diet that not only energizes a person but also keeps them full. I will add more proteins to the preparation days and for the day of competition itself, I will create a more substantial breakfast so I can feel full throughout the day without needing to eat heavy foods that would slow me down.

5/5/15: Two Carbo-Loading Meal Plans

    I knew that carbo-loading required a massive amount of carbohydrates to be eaten in a day, but I didn't really know any specific foods to do this, much less an entire day's worth of meals. So I did some research. LiveStrong.com suggests eating between 450 and 700 grams of carbohydrates per day over the two days before the racing. Because I weigh 150 lbs, light for your average athlete, I kept my meal plans around 470 grams of carbs per day. To count carbohydrates, I searched for the nutritional data of my food on Nutritiondata.self.com.
    The First Meal
Breakfast: 1 bagel w/ jam, 1 8 oz yogurt, and 1 8 oz glass of orange juice
Morning Snack: 2 Nature Valley granola bars, 1 8 oz Gatorade
Lunch: 2 cups of pasta with .5 cups marinara sauce, 4 oz of strawberries
Afternoon Snack: 1 clif bar, 14 oz chocolate milk
Dinner: 1 chicken burrito with rice and beans
TOTAL carbs: 468
    The Second Meal
Breakfast: 2 cups cereal, .5 cups milk, one banana
Morning Snack: 1 trail mix package, 1 8 oz gatorade
Lunch: .5 cups applesauce, 1 grilled cheese sandwich on wheat bread, 12 oz chocolate covered almonds, 12 oz lemonade
Afternoon Snack: 1 clif bar, 1 8 oz gatorade
Dinner: 4 oz fried chicken, .5 cups parboiled rice, .5 cups lentils, 4 oz fruit
TOTAL carbs: 477
    I am going to experiment with this diet over Tuesday 5/5/15 and Wednesday 5/6/15 in preparation for a swim meet I am competing in on Thursday the 7th. I will publish results after the meet.

4/21/15: Testing My Diet

    Over the weekend of 4/18-19,  I competed at a swim meet where I tried to follow the nutrient ratios prescribed by my last post. Before I share results, I would like to state that it was rather difficult to calculate a diet with exact ratios such as the 10 grams :7 grams carb:protein ratio from my previous post. Because of this, I did not exactly follow the diet but rather tried to keep the ratio close.
    Even though my used diet did not measure up exactly with the ratios, I did observe some results. Throughout the day, I stayed energized and not too full to race. My day started around 7:00AM, about 2 hours before the meet started. Because I had a significant amount of time, I decide to eat a more protein based breakfast consisting mainly of scrambled eggs. This set up a base for me to stay full throughout the day. After the meet started around 9:00AM, I had a small energy bar made mostly of carbs but with a little protein. This gave me energy for my first race. After my first race, I had about half an hour before my second, so I decided to stay away from food and opted for some Gatorade. This kept me hydrated and light enough to swim my second race. After my second race, I had about an hour until my last one, so I had another granola bar again made of mostly carbs. My last race ended around 12:00PM and not once over the course of the morning did I feel weighed down or de-energized. So far the diet seems to work.
    I will continue to work on measurements of macronutrients to set a more specific diet, but for now loosely maintaining the 10g carb:7g protein ratio seems to work well enough.

3/27/15: What to Eat During a Day of Competition

    Last time, I addressed what to eat leading up to a day of racing. Now I will discuss what to eat during the day of competition itself. NOTE: Numbers presented here are for athletes competing in endurance based sports such as swimming or track and field where multiple events will be performed throughout the day with small breaks in-between.
    All of the specific measurements of macro-nutrients here were given to me by one of my strength training coaches, Chris Barber of the Center of Optimal Restoration clinic.
    First of all, the timing of meals during all-day competition is very important. A carbohydrate based breakfast should be eaten 2 hours before competition to give time to digest. This will create a source of energy to start your day off right. Examples of hardy breakfasts include toast with peanut butter, oatmeal, bananas, or even bacon and eggs if you have a little more time to digest (Life Hacker).
    Other meals depend on how much you are actually racing. Chris recommended eating a small meal (more like a snack) 45 minutes to an hour before a race to allow time to digest. This snack should have a ratio of 7-10 grams of carbohydrates for every gram of protein (stay away from lipids as they take a long time to digest and will make you feel heavy). It is also important to stay hydrated. Water and low-sugar juices will help keep you hydrated if you drink consistently and with every meal/snack.
    In a multi-day competition, the question is brought up of what to eat to help recover but also maintain energy levels. After each day of racing is done, your meals/snacks should still have a focus on carbohydrates, but with a ratio of 5 grams of carbs to every gram of protein (as opposed to 10:1). Some specific foods that will help you keep this balance are fruits, potatoes, pasta, white rice, liquids, and low-sugar cereals.
    When the competition is finished, types of foods eaten are not too important. It is vital to get back calories that you have burned and replace muscle broken down by the exercise. Hydration is also important for a full recovery.

SOURCES: Chris Barber, Athletic Trainer at the Center of Optimal Restoration Clinic
                    Life Hacker

3/7/15: Preliminary Research

    Some initial information I have learned from preliminary research: one of the most popular methods used to stock up glycogen stores is carb loading. There is no specific math behind carb loading other than consuming almost exclusively carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are long chain polysaccharides that can be broken down into simple sugars like glucose which is stored in the human body as glycogen.
    This method is used by marathon runners and cyclists before racing days. Note: carb loading is not something you should do more than just the day before racing. It is only used the day before because it is not healthy as a regular diet. Loading up on carbs, especially when large meals are consumed all at once, spikes insulin in the blood stream. Insulin is the hormone secreted by the pancreas that tells fat cells to take glycogen out of the blood stream for storage. Spiking insulin frequently can lead to the development of insulin resistance. This is when the fat storage cells no longer respond to the insulin and hence do not take glycogen out of the blood stream. After a while, the resistance to insulin's message becomes so strong that the body's insulin doesn't do anything. This is called Diabetes. So stay away from carb loading as an everyday diet. Only use it the day before competition if at all.

2/28/15: Basic Background Info and Getting Started

   The purpose of my project here is based off of a problem I have seen a great many times, and have experienced myself. This problem is completely failing at high level competitions because of nutritional deficiencies. As a swimmer, I have experienced and seen many times where my team mates and I prepare for an upcoming competition thoroughly and do everything right until the competition itself. We always seem to be running out of energy midway through the day or even by mid-morning. This problem can be solved by fueling your body with specific nutrients that will allow for sustained energy as well as the rebuilding of muscle after a long day of competition. I am looking to create a macronutrient meal plan calculated from specific data such as one's height, weight, and body mass index.
   Because I am just beginning this project and have done minimal research, I only have a general idea of nutrient needs for sustained energy. Through my research I have found out that you will need to lead a rather carbohydrate heavy diet the day before and throughout competition. After the competition, lipids and proteins will be required to rebuild lost muscle mass. Again, specific measurements have not been calculated, as I am currently trying to find out how.
   Just as a disclaimer, this blog will only contain nutritional information for those looking to compete in endurance based sports such as swimming, running, or cycling.