Eating for late training sessions...

Dear all

I've started doing a few swim sessions a week with a club, for my channel swim. But eating is becoming a problem and I don't want it to continue in this vein for the next ~8 months, especially as I am supposed to be putting *on* weight.

Basically, I finish swimming 9pm earliest, 10pm latest, and then have to get home (at least 1/2 an hour). I don't go home first, I either stay a bit late at work or just..er..wander about. And I don't usually eat before evening training.

So do I:
Eat first, although this is pretty difficult seeing as I'd still be at work
Eat when I get home, even though this can be up to an hour after a hard swim, and I want to go to bed.
Take dinner with me in the morning (!) and eat it on public transport on the way home (!)

Hmmmmm.

Thanks,

Dr Nic

xx
«1

Comments

  • Nic - you wanna be smearing yourself in lard, and then you can lick your arm as you swim. I think.

    Oh - I'm not a qualified dietician though.

    <>
  • Thanks Cougs, knew I could rely on you for practical, yet revolutionary, tips.

    Tho I may have to change my stroke to ensure that my arm is near my mouth when I swim.
  • sounds like you need to graze a bit dr nic..

    i struggle with evening training cos i'm usually starving by the time i get home.... and eating after is a bit late. plus eating anywhere before swimming is a big problem for me!

    i tend to snack in the afternoon to keep my energy levels up for the training.

    also i (we) tend to bulk cook a load of meals & freeze them in portions, then put them in the oven on timer in the morning... so they're ready when we get home.

    .....

    a 'few' swim sessions... wow :) .. my arms still ache from sundays.. but at least i didnt drown doing the catchup drill this time... not that i know what they're for anyway. ramble over.
  • Better still - have a word with Knorr and get a few tonnes of cup a soup powder for the pool. Then it'll be more like the channel, and you can drink at the same time.

    I seem to drink vast quantities when I'm in the pool.
  • Dr Nic - is there anyway that on the days you are training late you could eat your main meal at lunchtime and then have lunch (eg sandwiches) in the evening / late afternoon? This is the only way that I have managed to fit it all in... oh and grazing on top of that as well!!
  • Thanks Ed (see I am still here!) - I graze all day anyway! Seriously, I never stop eating!

    To clarify, I think my anxiousness about eating after these sessions is not so much from the hunger point of view as assisting recovery and just making sure I cope with the rigours of channel swim training - it's only going to get harder from here.

    But yes, cooking in bulk could help...I just hate cooking and don't have any time to do it..but a good suggestions.

    And ask if you don't know what you're supposed to be getting out of catch up, it's a good drill, helps your balance and body position, and slows your stroke down so you take less strokes per length of the pool. Just make sure you aren't crossing your hand over the top of each other when they touch, just touch your thumbs.

    Cougie - another good suggestion, thanks!! ;-)
  • Spans, thanks, yes i guess a huge lunch (as opposed to just massive as usual) on those days, then sarnies (yuk!) or similar for the bus afterwards....!!!
  • thumbs.. roger that.
    we've had 20+ at our sessions lately... so dialogue with the coach geeser is more of a luxury than before.
  • I think this calls for the right honorable Malt Loaf

    Half of one of those is aboput 400kcal of mainly carbs so it difinately fills the gap for me.

    Depends if you can eat so much sweet stuff or not,

    Combine that with savory snacs such as nuts or bombay mix- will be more than sufficient of your main meal is at lunch.

    Then a light savory snack when you get in
  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭
    Slimfast is actually quite a good recovery food (drink?), as it has vitamins, protein and carbs. Then you can eat something light but tasty without having to worry if it's enough.

    It tastes not too bad if it's really cold.
  • Thanks guys! Caspar (how are you btw?) I *Love* The Right Hon. Malt Loaf so yes 1/2 a packet of that in my swim bag for afters should be good...and Nessie, good suggestio too, have used meal replacement drinks before for recovery and worked well

    Thanks dudes!!
  • Hi Nic

    I just sent you an email!
  • regular pies throughout the day

    the devereaux (by the side entrance to Temple gardens) does a mean pie
  • Andy - thanks. Sadly I don't swim at Temple gardens but I'm sure it's useful info nevertheless.

    Caspar - got it! You, you, deadline-ignorer, you! ;-)
  • hey no one emails me :( *sniff*
  • Nic

    Take something to worl with you so you can have it before you train (1-2hrs before)

    Sip on energy drink on way to swim

    Take a recovery drink (SIS Rego or such) to have soon as you get ou the pool and a bit of malt loaf to munch on, on the way home

    Have something premade for when you get home that combines carbs and protien (Tuna salad and a yogurt or such)

    after club runs - i dont get in till 9:30 so follow something similar to the above

    Good Luck

    WW


  • I have a similar dilemma with running late after work from 6:30 to 8 and then do an hour of weights and then not getting home until 10-10:30. Last year I used Powerbar Protein bars succesfully, but they are too expensive to use all the time. They certainly helped me feel OK the next day...

  • Yes, expense is another problem...
  • oooh a challenge.. i love a challenge.

    i can live off my homemade flapjacks :)
    i did modify them a while ago to make them a bit lighter & more breakfasty...

    how can i cram some protein in too ?
    any flavour requests ??
  • Ooh what's the recipe??
  • can I have that as well please??!
  • I think your best strategy is to make sure that you have a good breakfast and lunch to make sure that your glycogen levels are maximised at the start of training.

    Have a light snack between 4-5pm of about 400 calories to stop you feeling starved while training. A bagel with some sort of filling is about 300 calories plus a banana is the right sort of snack.

    Drink lucozade or an equivalent while training for a further boost of calories although they are only 28 cals per 100 ml. i.e. 500ml bottle of lucozade is 140 cals. But every little bit helps.

    Then after training have between 800-1000 calories. A good pasta dish and salad with olive oil and avocado, or two bagels with good fillings like honey, philedelphia etc and finish off with some fruit and even something naughty like cake or chocolate from time to time.

    The optimum window for replacing glycogen after training is upto 2 hours, so you should have plenty of time to get home for supper. In my experience I don't think that your sleep will be disturbed by eating late.

    There are some very high calorific eneregy replacement drinks that you could have immediately after training but I don't believe that they are as good as eating real food nor as much fun.

    Don't forget to increase your protein intake as it will be needed to help keep your body in good repair given the amount of training you are doing. Can't remember the amount for woman offhand but can look it up if you like to know the figure.

    Hope that helps

  • well the flapjack was just flapjack... yummy with dried apricots in (went down extremely well at the club training weekend)... and pretty good with dried mixed tropical bits :)

    the brekkie bars i bulked it out with rice crispies & bran flake type stuff...

    can dig the original recipe out if you really want it.
  • My flap jacks are either too greasy - too much butter or oil

    or they fall apart- not enough butter or oil

    need to practice my cooking technique
  • Casper..
    add a bit of golden syrup.. adds the taste factor and caramelises a bit too so helps the binding...
  • Thanks CollyM...

    ..MM, you cook flapjacks..? Hooray..! :-))
  • nic -i'd 2nd ww's SIS rego. I tend to use it at half conc. as tastes nicer, but still a carb drink, so on top of big lunch and smaller sandwich tea, you'll get some extra cals in. Am assuming that as you up training even more you'll reach a point where it'll be a struggle not to lose weight. I had that through mara training and had bags of nuts to snack on then as they were the highest cal snack i could find.
Sign In or Register to comment.