Lose the Belly Fat: Weight Management for Triathletes

weight management is often a concern for triathletes. For some, it's about shedding a few pounds
to achieve the ideal race weight to improve performance, but for the majority, it's more about
fitting into those skinny jeans again or dialing back the clock to your leaner college days.
Sometimes this works out, and sometimes not so much.

This became especially clear few years ago when I went to watch IRONMAN Arizona and register
for the following year's race. The night before the race I was having dinner at th e hotel bar and
struck up a conversation with a couple sitting next to me.

They had come to watch their son compete in his first IRONMAN. After about 10 minutes of the
usual conversation about why someone would tackle such a crazy event, the woman leaned over
with an incredulous look on her face and said, "I didn't expect so many of the competitors to be
fat."

For the next 15 minutes, I tried to explain that many people take up endurance sports believing
that the increased exercise alone will trim them down. In reality, though, ramping up the tr aining
doesn't always mean shedding pounds. It's common to underestimate how many calories you
consume and overestimate how many calories you actually burn, especially since as your fitness
improves, you progressively burn fewer calories at the same level of training.

An "exercise only" approach to weight loss also hides the eating behavior that piled on the extra
weight to begin with, which becomes all too apparent when the exercise declines. Many use the
high volume training as an excuse to eat high volumes of food. In social psychology and behavioral
economics circles this is called the self-licensing effect, more commonly known as the 'I deserve
an extra piece of cake because I trained today,' approach to nutrition.

Simply put, it's much easier to consume calories than it is to burn them off. And to make matters
worse, now that you've ramped up your training, your appetite has also increased.

Lose Belly Fat First

So how can you modify your daily nutrition to support your training and weight management
goals without getting stressed out? Your first priority should be to lose belly fat. Losing belly fat is
one of the fastest ways to improve both your fitness and health. Excess girth around the middle
has been shown to increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol issues and premature
mortality.

The standard approach at this point would be to reduce your daily calorie intake by some
percentage or by so many hundreds of calories per day. But I believe the best approach is to start
by making better food choices instead.

Choose Healthy Whole Foods First

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, author of The Blood Sugar Solution, approximately 80 percent of
food products currently available have sugar added to them. Excess sugar consumption leads
directly to that fluff around your midsection, which points back to the increased health risks
mentioned above--not to mention slower finishing times.

Instead of reducing calories, focus on replacing junk food and processed foods with balanced
meals consisting of whole foods (think carbohydrates consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables,
plus healthy fats and lean protein).. In other words, build better nutrition habits before you start
cutting calories, which will likely only cause you unnecessary stress and ultimate failure.
What would a balanced meal replacement look like? Examples might include:

 Breakfast: Have a piece of whole fruit, a couple of ounces of lean protein and a small handful
of almonds instead of a bowl of cereal with milk and a glass of juice.
 Lunch: Prepare a green salad with some lean protein and pumpkin seeds or avocado with an
olive oil-based dressing instead of a sandwich and chips.

In each example, the new balanced meal won't spike your blood sugar and will likely stay with you
longer because it has good fats and protein. Keep in mind there's no single ri ght answer. You just
want to keep it simple and figure out what works best for you in your life.

Be sure to consider how even these small nutrition changes will impact those around you. Unless
you're in complete control of the grocery shopping and what and where you eat, you'll probably
have some negotiating to do with the others in your family or household.

The good news is that you're already more than halfway there when it comes to being fit, lean and
healthy. You've already committed to a high level of training by deciding to train for a triathlon.
The next step is to elevate the importance of your day-to-day nutrition so you can progressively
modify your diet in a way that supports your fitness and optimal health without creating
unnecessary stress.

Solid nutrition principles for those not wanting to put a lot of thought into eating healthy.
I’ve tried understanding nutrition. I’ve read articles and had people try to explain to me what a
healthy diet encompasses. But it all sounds like chemistry to me – a subject which I almost failed
miserably in high school and college.

I needed a simple nutrition plan. Something I could follow easily without having to think too much. A
couple of years ago, a nutritionist friend (who understood my simple ways) sketched out the No-
Brainer-Nutrition-Plan.

Guidelines
I’m not into nutrition plans with rules. Rules make everything complex. However, guidelines are
different. You haven’t failed if you don’t follow these guidelines. They’re ideas to aim for...lifestyle
changes you can work your way toward little by little:
 Eat 4-6 times a day. Eat three large meals, with two or three smaller snack meals interspersed in-
between.
 Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. Decaffeinated coffee or tea can count toward this.
 Have a glass of water after each soda, cup of caffeinated coffee, or caffeinated tea.
 Allow one day a week as a cheat-day. Eat, drink, and be merry. You can have whatever you want
on this day. Of course, this isn’t to say you should go hog-wild and eat ice-cream with every meal,
or down a 12-pack of beer. But don’t deprive yourself of the foods you enjoy.
 Try to avoid eating after 9pm.
 Steam, grill, and broil foods to best keep their healthiness.
 Try to eat a protein and a carbohydrate with every meal.

Proteins Carbohydrates Fats

Eat all you Fish, turkey, soy milk, Whole wheat bread, wheat Walnuts,
want lean beef, low fat pasta, brown rice, beans, seeds, olive
cottage cheese, eggs, shredded wheat, potatoes, pita oil, flaxseed
chicken, skim milk, bread, kashi, green vegetables, oil, walnut oil
low fat cheese, natural fruits, oatmeal, whole wheat
peanut butter, low-fat crackers
 dairy products, white-
meat poultry

Eat only a Fattier cuts of beef or Enriched pasta, white rice, white Corn and
few pork, fattier ground bread, starchy vegetable oils,
servings a beef, dark-meat vegetables (potatoes, corn) reduced-fat
week poultry margarine

Indulge in Bacon, sausage, hot Potato chips, french fries, Butter,

these dogs, bologna, cold doughnuts, cookies, cupcakes, vegetable
foods once cuts, fried chicken, ice pastries, crackers shortening,
a week cream and other stick
only margarine,
lard

This nutrition plan works as follows:

 Green Foods: Feel free to eat as much of these as you want,
 Yellow Foods: Limit these foods to a few servings a week,
 Red Foods: Avoid these foods. Save them for your once-a-week indulgence (see the guidelines
above).

Try this plan. It’ll work for anyone—athletes in multiple sports, those just trying to lose weight, or
expectant mothers. It’s also especially useful for triathletes.

Triathletes have enough to worry about how to train for three sports, and how to fit all that training
into their lives. Don’t try to understand the science of nutrition if you don’t want to. You shouldn’t
have to be a registered dietitian to eat healthy.

Meal Plan for Triathlete Training

Triathlons are races that involve three endurance and sequential disciplines, most commonly
swimming, cycling and running in immediate succession over various distances. There are four main
distances of triathlon for varying experiences:

 Sprint Distance: 750m (0.47 mile) swim + 20km (12 mile) cycle + 5km (3.1 mile) run.
 Intermediate / Standard / Olympic distance: 1.5km (0.93 mile) swim + 40km (25 mile) cycle +
10km (6.2 mile) run.
 Long Course: 1.9km (1.2 mile) swim + 90km (56 mile) cycle + 21.1km (13.1 mile) run (half
marathon).
 Ultra Distance / Ironman: 3.8km (2.4 mile) swim + 180.2km (112.0 mile) cycle + 42.2km (26.2
mile) run (full marathon).

All levels require considerable endurance with a high demand on the cardiovascular system. The
Ironman is really only for elite athletes and involves considerable experience and training.

Training for the triathlons will involve swimming, sprint and longer distance running and cycling as
well as some gym work 2-3 times per week. Longer distance training sessions are very enduring and
put a high demand on energy levels. Following an event no training for a few days is essential to
recuperate.
The meal plan below is a good example for a training day for a recreational triathlon competitor.
However, on harder training days you may need to eat more carbohydrate both pre- and post-training
in order to maximise the muscle and liver carbohydrate stores.

Breakfast
Porridge: 75-100g oats + tbsp ground linseeds + 250ml skimmed milk + tsp sugar
2 slices granary bread, toasted + olive oil based spread + natural peanut butter
250ml fresh fruit juice
Tea/coffee

Mid-morning
3-4 rye crispbread + 150g cottage cheese or quark
Item fruit
Mug green tea

Lunch
75-100g (dry weight) basmati rice / wholewheat pasta
150g chicken / turkey / fish
100g mixed nuts, seeds & dried fruit
Mixed salad
Low fat, low sugar yoghurt
Drink

Mid-afternoon
2-4 squares Easy Flapjacks
Large handful mixed nuts
Large banana
Mug green tea

30 minutes pre-training
6 Oatcakes
100g mixed nuts, seeds & dried fruit
Water

Training session
Sip plenty of water or isotonic drink where possible

Immediately post training

30g whey protein + 20g maltodextrin + 20g dextrose in water

Evening meal (45 mins later)

Lean fillet steak or chicken breast or fish + herbs to taste
Boiled new potatoes or basmati rice or dry roasted sweet potatoes or wholewheat pasta
Loads of vegetables
Low fat, no added sugar yoghurt
Drink

Mid-Evening
Unsweetened muesli + 200ml skimmed milk
Item fruit
Drink

1 hour pre-bed
2-3 satsumas / plums
Small handful mixed nuts & seeds
Drink
The above plan provides sufficient levels of all macro- and micronutrients for most recreational
triathletes. However, people are different and men and women will require different amounts of food
and more experienced, harder trainers will have larger requirements. The plan is merely a general
guide; there is no mention of portion sizes on purpose so that you can adapt it to suit yourself. You
must eat a variety of different meats/fish, complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables every day, and
drink plenty of water. This plan is based around sustained slow released low glycaemic
carbohydrates to help provide energy for exercise sessions. Oatcakes and granary bread will top up
this slow released energy through the daytime.

A Meal Plan for Triathletes

Training for a triathlon is grueling, often requiring two workouts a day. In addition to the training,
work and family, triathletes also need to find time to eat. Whether this is your first triathlon or your
tenth, what you eat plays a major role in helping you gain the strength and endurance you need for
training and competition. While you may be tempted to eat protein bars and drink shakes to keep you
going, a meal plan for triathletes should center around whole foods with an emphasis on carbs.

Carbs
If you're having a hard time finishing your workout, you might not be getting enough carbs in your
diet. Carbs are your muscles preferred source of energy, so depending on how hard you're training,
you need anywhere from 2.3 to 5.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight, says the
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds and train a minimum of
four hours a day at a high intensity, you need 4.5 to 5.5 grams of carbs per pound, or 675 to 825 grams
a day. Ideally, these carbs should come from real food, such as whole grains, fruits, beans and
vegetables. These foods not only supply your body with energy, but also provide essential nutrients
your body needs for recovery and health.

Protein
Protein supplies the amino acids your muscles need for recovery and growth, and as a triathlete
athlete, you need more protein than a non-athlete. Like carbs, proteins needs vary depending on the
intensity of your training, and range from 0.55 to 0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight. For
example, a 150-pound person training heavily needs 0.9 grams of protein per pound, or 135 grams a
day. To maximize your nutritional intake, make your protein choices healthy by including lean meats
such as poultry and fish, beans, nuts, seeds and low-fat dairy products.

Fat
As a triathlete, you might be weary about getting too much fat in your diet because you want to stay
lean; however, adequate fat intake is essential for training. Fat provides energy, fat-soluble vitamins
and essential fatty acids. Most of the your fat should come from healthy sources, including fatty fish
like salmon, vegetable oils, avocados, nuts and seeds.

Training Meal Plan

Now that you know what to eat, it's important to know how to put it all together. Your training meal
plan should include three meals and three snacks, recommends the Millenium Institute of Sport and
Health. Two to four hours before you train, you should eat a high-carb, low-fat meal such as whole-
grain cereal with fruit and nonfat milk. To improve muscle recovery after you work out, eat a high-
carb meal with a moderate amount of protein, such as spaghetti with turkey meatballs and broccoli.

Race Day Meal Plan

How you eat on race day differs from how you eat while training. The night before your competition
you need to eat a low-fiber high-carb meal, such as grilled chicken with white rice. The morning of
your race, eat a light high-carb breakfast such as toast with egg whites and diluted juice. Drink a carb-
containing sports drink one hour before the race. If your race lasts longer than an hour and a half,
drink another carb-containing sports drink during the cycle portion of your race. Immediately
following the race, eat a carb and protein snack, such as cheese and crackers, to help with recovery. To
help maintain blood sugars throughout the day after the race, eat a high-carb snack or meal with
protein every two to three hours, such as cheese and fruit or fish with vegetables and rice.

9 Nutrition Rules For Beginner Triathletes

A solid nutrition strategy will help your body make the most out of all your hours swimming, biking
and running. We asked registered dietitian (and multiple Ironman finisher!) Lauren Antonucci for her
top nine rules for beginner triathletes looking to maximize their training. She shared advice she gives
many of her multisport athletes through her business Nutrition Energy in New York City.

1. Keep a food log for 3–5 days at least twice per year for a nutrition “reality check.” Seeing your
habits written down may clue you in on what you might be missing or going overboard on.

2. Eat carbs, every day, with most meals and always before and after workouts.

3. Don’t forget your fruits and veggies! Although we’ve heard this over and over, sometimes you get
busy and the produce is the first thing to slip out of your diet. Eat 2–3 fruits and 4–6 veggies per day to
optimize your weight and nutrient intake.

4. Be realistic about weight loss. Losing five pounds in 5–6 weeks is possible, 10 pounds in two
weeks is not. When you’re looking to shed weight, slow and steady really does win the race, especially
when you’re eating to support your training. And don’t be fooled by weight loss ads or supplements.
Gimmicks do not work!

5. Recover right. Consume half a gram of carbs per pound of body weight, and 15–20 grams of
protein within 30–60 min after training sessions or races.

6. Follow the 10 percent rule no matter what your nutrition and health goals are: Simply put, 10
percent of your total daily calories can come from splurges, treats or desserts. This keeps your glass of
wine, square of dark chocolate or ice cream cone guilt-free, but also within your nutrition budget.

7. Plan healthy snacks! Two minutes per day is enough time to pack two nutritious snacks, and will
save you hundreds of unwanted calories that you’d end up eating if you were not prepared with your
own.

8. Avoid foods that are high in fat and fiber for both your pre-race dinner and morning-of breakfast
to keep your gut happy during the race.

9. Eat breakfast 2–3 hours before your race to allow ample time to consume adequate calories and
digest them before you toe the starting line.