While carbo-loading sounds simple (just stuff yourself with pasta, right?), the truth is that many endurance athletes make food mistakes that hurt their performance.
The Athlete’s Kitchen Copyright: Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD
Does carbo-loading mean stuffing myself with pasta? Should I avoid protein the day before the marathon? Will carbo-loading make me fat…?
If you are an endurance athlete who is fearful of “hitting the wall,” listen up: proper fueling before your marathon, triathlon, century bike ride or other competitive endurance events can make the difference between agony and ecstasy! If you plan to compete for longer than 90 minutes, you want to maximize the amount of glycogen stored in your muscles because poorly fueled muscles are associated with needless fatigue. The more glycogen, the more endurance (potentially). While the typical athlete has about 80 to 120 mmol glycogen/kg muscle, a carbo-loaded athlete can have about 200 mmol. This is enough to improve endurance by about 2 to 3%, to say nothing of making the event more enjoyable.
While carbo-loading sounds simple (just stuff yourself with pasta, right?), the truth is that many endurance athletes make food mistakes that hurt their performance. The last thing you want after having trained for months is to ruin your performance with poor nutrition, so carbo-load correctly!
Training Tactics The biggest change in your schedule during the week before your event should be in your training, not in your food. Don't be tempted to do any last-minute long sessions! You need to taper your training so that your muscles have adequate time to become fully fueled (and healed). Allow at least two easy or rest days pre-event.
Fueling Tactics You need not eat hundreds more calories during race week. You simply need to exercise less. This way, the 600 to 1,000 calories you generally expend during training can be used to fuel your muscles. All during this week, you should maintain your tried-and-true high-carbohydrate training diet. Drastic changes can easily lead to upset stomachs, diarrhea, or constipation. For example, carbo-loading on an unusually high amount of fruits and juices might cause diarrhea. Too much white flour, low fiber bagels, breads, and pasta might clog your system. As Marathon King Bill Rodgers once said “More marathons are won or lost in the porta-toilets than they are at the marathon...” Fuel wisely, not like a chow hound.
Be sure that you carbo-load, not fat-load. Some athletes eat gobs of butter on a dinner roll, big dollops of sour cream on a potato, and enough dressing to drown a salad. These fatty foods fill both the stomach and fat cells but leave muscles poorly fueled. The better bet is to trade the fats for extra carbohydrates. That is: instead of devouring one roll with butter for 200 calories, have two plain rolls for 200 calories. Enjoy pasta with tomato sauce rather than oil or cheese toppings. Choose low-fat frozen yogurt, not gourmet ice cream.
Tools for Carbo-loading When carbo-loading, you want to consume about 3 to 5 grams carbohydrates per pound of body weight. (This comes to a diet with about 60% of calories from carbohydrates.)
Divide your target grams of carbohydrates into three parts of the day (breakfast+snack; lunch+snack; dinner+ snack), and choose foods to hit your target!
Get a Food Log! See BT's nutrition log to find out the calories in the foods you eat.
Meal Timing NYC Marathon Queen Grete Waitz once said she never ate a very big meal the night before a marathon, as it usually would give her trouble the next day. She preferred to eat a bigger lunch. You, too, might find that pattern works well for your intestinal tract. That is, instead of relying upon a huge pasta dinner the night before the event, you might want to enjoy a substantial carb-fest at breakfast or lunch.
An earlier meal allows plenty of time for the food to move through your system. You can also carbo-load two days before if you will be too nervous to eat much the day before the event. (The glycogen stays in your muscles until you exercise.) Then graze on crackers, chicken noodle soup, and other easily tolerated foods the day before your competition.
You'll be better off eating a little bit too much than too little the day before the event, but don't overstuff yourself. Learning the right balance takes practice. Hence, each long training session leading up to the endurance event offers the opportunity to learn which food—and how much of it—to eat. I repeat: During training, be sure to practice your pre-event carbo-loading meal so you’ll have no surprises on the day of the event!
Weight Gain Athletes who have properly carbo-loaded should gain about one to three pounds—but don't panic! This weight gain is good; it reflects water weight and indicates you have done a good job of fueling your muscles. For every ounce of carbohydrate stored in your body, you store almost three ounces water.
Fluids Be sure to drink extra water, juices, and even soda pop, if desired. Abstain from too much wine, beer, and alcoholic beverages; they are not only poor sources of carbs, but they are also dehydrating. Drink enough alcohol-free beverages to produce a significant volume of urine every two to four hours. The urine should be pale yellow, like lemonade. Don’t bother to overhydrate; your body is like a sponge and can absorb just so much fluid.
Protein Many endurance athletes eat only carbs and totally avoid protein-rich foods the days before their event. Bad idea. Your body needs protein on a daily basis. Hence, you can and should eat a small serving of low-fat proteins such as poached eggs, yogurt, turkey, or chicken as the accompaniment to most meals (not the main focus), or plant proteins such as beans and lentils (as tolerated).
Event day: Carbo-loading is just part of the fueling plan. What you eat on the day of the event is critically important and helps to spare your limited muscle glycogen stores. So fuel yourself wisely both before and during the event—and hopefully you will enjoy miles of smiles!
If you weigh:
Total #g carb/day
Target grams of carbs per five hours: 7:00 a.m.-noon; noon-5:00 pm; 5:00-10:00 pm
100 lbs
300 to 500 g
100 to 175 g
125 lb
375 to 625 g
125 to 210 g
150 lbs
450 to 750 g
150 to 250 g
175 lbs
525 to 875 g
175 to 290 g
Sample 50 gram carbohydrate choices for the foundation of a meal or snack:
-Wheaties, 2 cups -Nature Valley Granola Bar, 2 packets (4 bars) -Thomas’ Bagel, 1 (3.5 oz) -Banana, 2 medium -Orange juice, 16 ounces -Apple, 2 medium -Raisins, 1/2 cup -Pepperidge Farm multi-grain bread, 2.5 slices -Baked potato, 1 large (6.5 ounces) -Pasta, 1 cup cooked -Rice, 1 cup cooked -Fig Newtons, 5 -Flavored Yogurt + 3 graham cracker squares
Two Sample Carbo-loading Food Plans (3,200-3,400 Calories) Appropriate for a 150 pound athlete who needs about 4 grams carb/lb body weight.
Menu #1
Food
Approximate Calories
Carbs (g)
Wheaties, 2 cups
220
48
Milk, 1% lowfat, 8 ounces
100
12
Bagel, 1 (3.5 ounce)
300
55
Cream cheese, lowfat, 2 Tbsp
50
2
Orange juice, 12 ounces
160
40
Breakfast Total:
830 Calories
75% Carb
Whole grain bread, 2 slices
200
40
Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons
200
8
Jelly, 2 tablespoons
100
25
Fruit yogurt, 8 ounces
230
35
Potato chips, baked, 2 ounces
240
45
Lunch Total:
970 Calories
65% Carb
Apple, 1 large
120
30
Graham crackers, 4 squares
120
22
Snack total:
240 Calories
90% Carb
Chicken breast, 5 ounces
250
-
Rice, 1.5 cups cooked
300
65
Broccoli, 1 cup
50
10
Dinner rolls, 2 whole wheat
200
40
Dinner Total:
800 Calories
60% Carb
Banana, 1 medium (4 ounces)
100
25
Sherbet, 1 cup
260
45
PM Snack Total:
360 Calories
~100% Carb
TOTAL Menu #1
3200 Calories
547g/~70% Carb
~4 g carb/lb for a 150 lb athlete
Menu #2
Food
Approximate Calories
Carbs (g)
Oatmeal, 1 cup dry, cooked in
300
55
Milk. 16 ounces
200
25
Raisins, 1/4 cup
130
30
Brown sugar, 1.5 tablespoons
50
12
Apple juice, 8 ounces
120
30
Breakfast Totals:
800 Calories
75% Carb
Sub sandwich roll, 6” (4 ounces)
320
60
Lean meat (4 ounces)
200
-
Fruit yogurt, 8 ounces
240
40
Grape juice, 12 ounces
220
55
Lunch Total:
980 Calories
80% Carb
Fig Newtons, 6
330
65
Jelly beans, 15 large
150
38
Snack Total:
480 Calories
85% Carb
Spaghetti. 2 cups cooked
400
80
Prego spaghetti sauce, 1 cup
250
40
Italian bread, 2 slices
150
30
Root beer, 12 ounces
140
38
Dinner Total:
940 Calories
80% Carb
Canned peaches in syrup, 1 cup
200
48
PM Snack Total:
200 Calories
~100% Carb
TOTAL Menu #2
3400 Calories
646gram/~75% Carb
~4.5 g carb/lb for a 150 lb athlete
Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD is Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics. She counsels casual and competitive athletes in her private practice at Healthworks, the premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill MA (617-383-6100).
Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Cyclist’s Food Guide, and Food Guide for Marathoners: Tips for everyday Champions all offer additional information about how to prepare for endurance events. See www.nancyclarkrd.com and www.sportsnutritionworkshop.com for more details.
Rating Click on star to vote
85081 Total Views | 51 Views last 30 days | 8 Views last 7 days
date: November 20, 2006
Author
Nancy Clark
Nancy Clark, MS, RD, an internationally known sports nutritionist and nutrition author, is a registered dietitian (RD) who specializes in nutrition for exercise, health and the nutritional management of eating disorders.
Author
Nancy Clark
Nancy Clark, MS, RD, an internationally known sports nutritionist and nutrition author, is a registered dietitian (RD) who specializes in nutrition for exercise, health and the nutritional management of eating disorders.
Carbo-loading: Tips for Endurance Athletes
While carbo-loading sounds simple (just stuff yourself with pasta, right?), the truth is that many endurance athletes make food mistakes that hurt their performance.
The Athlete’s Kitchen
Copyright: Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD
Does carbo-loading mean stuffing myself with pasta?
Should I avoid protein the day before the marathon?
Will carbo-loading make me fat…?
If you are an endurance athlete who is fearful of “hitting the wall,” listen up: proper fueling before your marathon, triathlon, century bike ride or other competitive endurance events can make the difference between agony and ecstasy! If you plan to compete for longer than 90 minutes, you want to maximize the amount of glycogen stored in your muscles because poorly fueled muscles are associated with needless fatigue. The more glycogen, the more endurance (potentially). While the typical athlete has about 80 to 120 mmol glycogen/kg muscle, a carbo-loaded athlete can have about 200 mmol. This is enough to improve endurance by about 2 to 3%, to say nothing of making the event more enjoyable.
While carbo-loading sounds simple (just stuff yourself with pasta, right?), the truth is that many endurance athletes make food mistakes that hurt their performance. The last thing you want after having trained for months is to ruin your performance with poor nutrition, so carbo-load correctly!
Training Tactics
The biggest change in your schedule during the week before your event should be in your training, not in your food. Don't be tempted to do any last-minute long sessions! You need to taper your training so that your muscles have adequate time to become fully fueled (and healed). Allow at least two easy or rest days pre-event.
Fueling Tactics
You need not eat hundreds more calories during race week. You simply need to exercise less. This way, the 600 to 1,000 calories you generally expend during training can be used to fuel your muscles. All during this week, you should maintain your tried-and-true high-carbohydrate training diet. Drastic changes can easily lead to upset stomachs, diarrhea, or constipation. For example, carbo-loading on an unusually high amount of fruits and juices might cause diarrhea. Too much white flour, low fiber bagels, breads, and pasta might clog your system. As Marathon King Bill Rodgers once said “More marathons are won or lost in the porta-toilets than they are at the marathon...” Fuel wisely, not like a chow hound.
Be sure that you carbo-load, not fat-load. Some athletes eat gobs of butter on a dinner roll, big dollops of sour cream on a potato, and enough dressing to drown a salad. These fatty foods fill both the stomach and fat cells but leave muscles poorly fueled. The better bet is to trade the fats for extra carbohydrates. That is: instead of devouring one roll with butter for 200 calories, have two plain rolls for 200 calories. Enjoy pasta with tomato sauce rather than oil or cheese toppings. Choose low-fat frozen yogurt, not gourmet ice cream.
When carbo-loading, you want to consume about 3 to 5 grams carbohydrates per pound of body weight. (This comes to a diet with about 60% of calories from carbohydrates.)
Divide your target grams of carbohydrates into three parts of the day (breakfast+snack; lunch+snack; dinner+ snack), and choose foods to hit your target!
Get a Food Log!
See BT's nutrition log to find out the calories in the foods you eat.
-> Instructions and Features
Meal Timing
NYC Marathon Queen Grete Waitz once said she never ate a very big meal the night before a marathon, as it usually would give her trouble the next day. She preferred to eat a bigger lunch. You, too, might find that pattern works well for your intestinal tract. That is, instead of relying upon a huge pasta dinner the night before the event, you might want to enjoy a substantial carb-fest at breakfast or lunch.
An earlier meal allows plenty of time for the food to move through your system. You can also carbo-load two days before if you will be too nervous to eat much the day before the event. (The glycogen stays in your muscles until you exercise.) Then graze on crackers, chicken noodle soup, and other easily tolerated foods the day before your competition.
You'll be better off eating a little bit too much than too little the day before the event, but don't overstuff yourself. Learning the right balance takes practice. Hence, each long training session leading up to the endurance event offers the opportunity to learn which food—and how much of it—to eat. I repeat: During training, be sure to practice your pre-event carbo-loading meal so you’ll have no surprises on the day of the event!
Weight Gain
Athletes who have properly carbo-loaded should gain about one to three pounds—but don't panic! This weight gain is good; it reflects water weight and indicates you have done a good job of fueling your muscles. For every ounce of carbohydrate stored in your body, you store almost three ounces water.
Fluids
Be sure to drink extra water, juices, and even soda pop, if desired. Abstain from too much wine, beer, and alcoholic beverages; they are not only poor sources of carbs, but they are also dehydrating. Drink enough alcohol-free beverages to produce a significant volume of urine every two to four hours. The urine should be pale yellow, like lemonade. Don’t bother to overhydrate; your body is like a sponge and can absorb just so much fluid.
Protein
Many endurance athletes eat only carbs and totally avoid protein-rich foods the days before their event. Bad idea. Your body needs protein on a daily basis. Hence, you can and should eat a small serving of low-fat proteins such as poached eggs, yogurt, turkey, or chicken as the accompaniment to most meals (not the main focus), or plant proteins such as beans and lentils (as tolerated).
Event day:
Carbo-loading is just part of the fueling plan. What you eat on the day of the event is critically important and helps to spare your limited muscle glycogen stores. So fuel yourself wisely both before and during the event—and hopefully you will enjoy miles of smiles!
7:00 a.m.-noon;
noon-5:00 pm;
5:00-10:00 pm
Sample 50 gram carbohydrate choices for the foundation of a meal or snack:
-Wheaties, 2 cups
-Nature Valley Granola Bar, 2 packets (4 bars)
-Thomas’ Bagel, 1 (3.5 oz)
-Banana, 2 medium
-Orange juice, 16 ounces
-Apple, 2 medium
-Raisins, 1/2 cup
-Pepperidge Farm multi-grain bread, 2.5 slices
-Baked potato, 1 large (6.5 ounces)
-Pasta, 1 cup cooked
-Rice, 1 cup cooked
-Fig Newtons, 5
-Flavored Yogurt + 3 graham cracker squares
Two Sample Carbo-loading Food Plans (3,200-3,400 Calories)
Appropriate for a 150 pound athlete who needs about 4 grams carb/lb body weight.
Menu #1
Menu #2
Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD is Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics. She counsels casual and competitive athletes in her private practice at Healthworks, the premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill MA (617-383-6100).
Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Cyclist’s Food Guide, and Food Guide for Marathoners: Tips for everyday Champions all offer additional information about how to prepare for endurance events. See www.nancyclarkrd.com and www.sportsnutritionworkshop.com for more details.
Click on star to vote