Bonking hard after 5k workouts. Thrifty nutrition tips?

If you are not allergic--Peanut butter; somehow sneak some in before and after your work out. Full of protein and relatively inexpensive.

Great advice! I'll try backing off on the carbs and get more protein and see if that helps. Lactose free milk is not cheap, but it could work for post workout on my 'big' days. What are your thoughts about pre-workout nutrition? Working out right after waking up has a lot of variables to it. Some people (me) are better off with something in their system before getting the heart rate up. Some people's stomachs can't take it. Just in my case, I have ulcerative colitis which for me means I have a hard time with appetite for solid food first thing in the morning often, so my "breakfast" is usually a bowl of cereal before workout and then a shake of 12 oz milk, half scoop protein powder and half serving Carnation Instant Breakfast. Not the "cleanest" but it hits pretty much all my morning needs until snacktime and the shake gets me calories I'd otherwise might have a struggle getting with my aforementioned issues. "Fasted cardio" is great for people that want to lose weight, but I suspect you aren't in that category. Maybe for the sake of experimentation, try that protein bar before workout, and to pull in dincti's contribution, have the banana with some peanut butter? That would get you some pre-workout energy and some extra protein at the same time.

I concur with Gary P above. I don't think it's necessarily the amount of calories you're consuming, the issue is when you're consuming them. You need more calories available when you swim. You might also consider a protein/power shake in the morning before you swim. Dan

You might also consider a protein/power shake in the morning before you swim. I'd be wary to recommend any protein powders or shakes as they can elevate creatine levels. Just from 1 shake a day, 5 days a week, my levels were high enough that my doctor told me to stop. I'd much more suggest some natural ways of getting protein, such as milk or yogurt, which is what I do.

What does your general diet look like overall? I would suspect at $10/day and swimming 5k a day you probably just aren't getting enough calories, period. And probably not enough protein as a subset of that. If spending some more to eat more isn't really an option, whole milk is a good choice.

I have a hard time eating first thing in the morning. I grew up swimming and was never able to eat before morning practice without seeing it again right away. I'll try the banana blended with some water and peanut butter and see how it goes. THanks!

So you're going to the pool on an empty stomach, swimming ~5k and wondering why you bonk? 11482 I'd eat that banana, or at least half of it, on the way to the pool instead of after your workout. ;) You don't have to swim on a full stomach, but a little something in there to prime your bloodstream with some free glucose will likely help. For a month or two, I'd also bump that calorie count a couple hundred on days you swim and see how you feel and whether or not you gain weight. 2400 might not be enough for the amount of activity you are doing. You say you're macros are 50/30/20, but I'm not seeing, based on the limited # of items you listed that you regularly eat, where you're getting your fat from. When you put it that way it does sound dumb. I just can't keep food down first thing. I'll try thick liquids. I snack on peanut butter and apples, nuts, and cook with olive oil and coconut oil. Last week I started eating a spoonful of coconut oil before my swims and it seemed to help, but I constantly had coconut flavored burps. (This also seems silly in retrospect. Peanut butter would have been a much better choice.)

Hi SwimFans! I'm having a bit of a problem with 'bonking' the crash after swimming a 5k workout or more. I'm a morning swimmer and have never swam on a full tummy, I also get up just barely with enough time to make it to the pool when it opens at 6. While working out I sip homemade Faker-aide and snarf down a protein bar and a banana afterwards with a cup of coffee (this is breakfast). I try to eat a carb rich dinner the night before, but I don't really think this helps. I budget $10.00/day for food so nutrition needs to be cheap. Suggestions? Recipes? first off, why are you doing 5k plus a day? are you training for race around manhatten? english channel? catalina swim?

I eat a 50/30/20 split of carbs/fat/protein taking in about 2400 cal/day at 145lbs I think that's pretty good. I eat a lot of rolled oats, brown rice, whole grain pasta, fish, chicken, veg (cabbage and broccoli are personal favorites), and fresh and frozen fruits. I have a hard time with dairy. Lactose free milk is a good idea. Thanks for the tip on whole milk! I'm not quite swimming 5k a day. I do 5-6k once or twice a week and keep it below 4k the other two or three days. Lactose-free milk is not particularly cheap though, it's like twice the price of "normal" milk if I remember correctly. 2400 cals is probably enough at 145, you're right. If I were you I think I'd experiment with replacing some of those carbs with protein and see if anything feels different. In my experience (which, granted, is not extensive) protein is really the lynchpin macro. If I did my math right, you're getting 53g protein per day, which is right at enough for a sedentary person. And even not considering you activity level in your job and other aspects of your life, 4k-5k swimming is definitely not sedentary! Your mileage may vary though, nutrition is a pretty individual thing.

So you're going to the pool on an empty stomach, swimming ~5k and wondering why you bonk? 11482 I'd eat that banana, or at least half of it, on the way to the pool instead of after your workout. ;) You don't have to swim on a full stomach, but a little something in there to prime your bloodstream with some free glucose will likely help. For a month or two, I'd also bump that calorie count a couple hundred on days you swim and see how you feel and whether or not you gain weight. 2400 might not be enough for the amount of activity you are doing. You say you're macros are 50/30/20, but I'm not seeing, based on the limited # of items you listed that you regularly eat, where you're getting your fat from.