Back in the saddle- Nutrition advice?

RE: Back in the saddle- Nutrition advice?

Former Member — Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:08:10 GMT

Thanks guys! Dan I especially read into your comment on feeling hungry at night! I have been feeling that, so I guess it is not just me. Well, if I am reading correctly, all is well with this, but you guys are saying to keep the carbs and protein balanced as food intake increases, lots of water, eat soon after workouts. Will do! And glad nuts are okay too. I brought back a big bag of cashews from Brazil- they had just been roasted the day before I bought them at the plantation!, so nice to know I can eat those without guilt :) Thanks again! Tom.

RE: Back in the saddle- Nutrition advice?

Former Member — Fri, 15 Feb 2002 13:33:55 GMT

A book about longevity I read recently (can't remember the title) had a survey scoring good habits for longevity. The author recommended 5 oz. of nuts a day. More than I eat, that's for sure. I went over the limit on exercise though. Swim fast, Greg

RE: Back in the saddle- Nutrition advice?

Former Member — Thu, 14 Feb 2002 14:03:30 GMT

Tom, Your diet looks pretty good to me. If you bonk in practice from lack of sufficient food you will know it. It is sort of an unable to continue kind of tiredness. Perhaps you may have experienced it before if you did a lot of training. Given your size you may need a little bit more protein if you train hard. If you keep the meatlike objects in proportion to the good carbohydrates you should not overdo it. With your snacks I'd recommend nuts, especially almonds. Minerals and some good fats to keep your blood sugar stable. Plenty of water. Also, after practice, within 30 minutes ideally, get 1 fruit-equivalent of carbohydrates into your body. There is a replacement window for what you have just used in practice. If you miss it, your body is not very good at fully recuperating. I weigh more than you, so take this advice with a grain of salt. Find what works for you. Swim fast, Greg

RE: Back in the saddle- Nutrition advice?

Former Member — Thu, 14 Feb 2002 07:22:14 GMT

Tom, Welcome back to swimming! I returned to swimming a year ago after living a lifestyle as a business traveler for 5.5 years so I can relate to your story. Your diet sounds fine. When I first started back, I did have problems with sustaining energy during workouts and being hungry at night. Someone pointed me to the Zone diet and I adopted some of its basic principles. Primarily, eating more often, smaller portions, and an overall balance of protein, carbs and fat. I avoid heavy carbs, such pasta and white breads for the most part. I drink lots of water. You will need to increase your food intake but your body will let you know that. My first few months back in the pool I tried hard to stay to a strict diet and only ended up binging when I couldn't take the hunger. Needless to say, those first few months I didn't lose weight. If you keep to a good balance, over time the weight does comes off. I lost over 40 pounds in the past year. Of course, there's always the additional 10 pounds at the end that seem difficult to lose but I'm working on it. The only other advice is weight lifting does help. I try my best to lift light weights twice a week (which I hate doing), but it does help both in swimming and weight loss. Best of luck! Dan