This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
KEEP COUNTING It is not necessary to count calories all the time. Rather, it is


sufficient to do so periodically as a way of auditing your diet and training. At times when your diet and training are consistent, one quick audit will cover you until your diet or training changes. But when either of these factors does change, it’s a good idea to perform another audit to quantify the change and keep it within acceptable parameters.


If you are like most triathletes, your training does change as you move into the offseason, and it’s not unlikely that your eating habits change too, so be sure to calculate your total daily calories consumed and burned early in each offseason and perhaps also periodically throughout it. This measure will help keep you from relaxing too much. Also, research has demonstrated that the very act of recording your eating heightens your awareness and steers you away from the worst excesses. Again, you can refer to Racing Weight for simple guidelines on calculating “calories in” and “calories out.”


SHIFT FROM CARBOHYDRATE TO PROTEIN Unlike fat and protein, which are used structurally in the body, carbohydrate is strictly an energy source, and it is the main energy source for high-intensity muscle work. Therefore, the amount of carbohydrate in your diet should vary with your training workload. During peak training you may need anywhere from 7 to 10 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight daily, depending on your size and exactly how much you’re training. But during the


offseason you need less — as little as 4 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight. In addition to reducing your carbohydrate intake, you may wish to increase your protein intake during the offseason. Doing so will help you avoid gaining fat despite your reduced activity level. Eating a high-protein diet reduces appetite, eating and fat storage, thereby promoting weight loss in those who maintain or increase their exercise level and limiting weight gain in those who have reduced their exercise level. Calorie for calorie, gram for gram, protein provides more satiety (e.g., appetite satisfaction) than carbohydrate or fat, so when you switch to a high-protein diet, you feel fuller and eat less.


Matt Fitzgerald is a certified sports nutritionist and author of numerous books, including “Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance” (Velo, 2009).


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124