The Rules of OFF-SEASON EATING
Tips For Staying Summer Lean All Winter Long
When the cooler temperatures come, many cyclists reduce their training as they head into their off-season. This time of less on-bike activity may be strategic as a means to refresh and recover or, for the less hearty, weather dictated. Whatever the reason, it is important to adjust your eating accordingly. Yet, many of the Lycra crowd eat as much, if not more, during hockey season as during cycling season. In spring, it can show on your waistline. Darn, those oh-so-dangerous holidays. A shift in eating style, however, must be made during this transition to lower training volume in order to maintain a healthy weight and good health so you can emerge from the grips of Jack Frost ready to nail those Strava segments. Just remember that what you eat now can play a big role in how you perform when the outdoor cycling season finally rolls around again. Here’s how to revamp some of your nutrition habits to avoid packing on the winter insulation.
Pair it down
Unless you are lucky enough to hibernate in Arizona or Girona, it’s likely you’ll experience some reduced mileage and intensity between late fall and early spring. In turn, calorie requirements also drop. “This should be accomplished through a combination of smaller portions and consuming fewer energy-dense foods,” says Kelly Anne Erdman, a sports dietitian at the University of Calgary Sport Medicine Centre and a former Olympic cyclist. She recommends keeping your kitchen stocked with summer and winter plates, the former for the larger portions needed to meet increased calorie requirements with the latter making it easier to stick with better portion control when energy needs are less. “Habitual plate volume can lead to winter overeating,” Erdman notes.
Healthy habit The trick to feeling satisfied on less is to eat plenty of low-calorie, high-volume foods like vegetables, water-rich fruits such as grapes and broth-based soups. Since it looks like you are eating a lot of food, you’ll feel fuller on fewer calories. So instead of having 2 cups of pasta, try 1 cup pasta mixed with a cup or two of steamed broccoli.
Practise your knife skills
If you want to stay on good terms with the scale, it’s essential that you spend more time dining in. “When you dine out too often, you lose control of what you are eating. Purchased meals are notorious for their hidden calories,” Erdman explains. No wonder research shows that those who eat out frequently are more likely to be overweight and less likely to meet all their nutritional needs. And it’s not just trips to the golden arches that are going to have waistline repercussions. A 2016 study in the Journal of the academy of nutrition and dietetics determined that family-styles it-down restaurants dish out entrées that, on average, have 35 per cent more calories than meals from fastfood establishments. The upshot is that a huge part of your off-season eating plan should include meals and snacks that feature you as the chef. After all, if you’re spending less time training, why not invest some of those free moments on another healthful activity such as cooking.
Healthy habit To get excited about cooking again, pick a new recipe or a couple of new foods to try each week. Visual potluck sites such as foodgawker.com or tastepotting.com can inspire you to cook up a storm.
Tilt the balance
To sidestep winter Buddha belly, it’s often a good idea to adjust your carbohydrate intake based on volume of exercise. High training loads during the summer months typically mean the need for higher carbohydrate intake. But when the season tapers down and calories burned from endurance exercise lessens, it can be a good idea to swap out some of your carb grams with those from protein. “Eating more protein makes it easier to get by on fewer calories since it does a better job at promoting satiety,” Erdman says. Our bodies also burn more calories to digest and process protein than than they do from carbohydrates. And a few extra grams of protein can also make it easier to hold onto metabolism-revving lean body mass. For these reasons, studies show that higher protein diets can be helpful in maintaining healthier body weights. In general, your off-season daily calories should be made up of 45 to 55 per cent carbs, 25 to 35 per cent protein and 20 to 25 per cent fats. You want to aim for 25 to 30 g of protein at each meal and about 10 to 20 g with snacks. On days when you might spend a significant amount of time on the trainer or other pursuits, such as fat biking or cross-country skiiing, Erdman says you can then bump up carb intake closer to what you would during peak cycling season to sustain your performance.
Healthy habit You need not obsess about counting every gram of carbohydrate or protein. “At each meal, try to devote half of your plate to vegetables, one-quarter to starch, like quinoa or rice, and the remainder to a protein such as fish, tofu or chicken,” advises Erdman.
Follow the 90/10 rule
With less sunshine and fewer hours for riding, many people can turn to comfort foods for solace. But partake in pizza or chocolate cake too often and you’ll likely end up with a few extra pounds to ride off in spring. Most cyclists can get away with more treats when in the throes of a busy riding season. But you need not eat like a saint during the off-season to stay lean and healthy. Try following the 90/10 rule: you eat clean 90 per cent of the time during any given week, but allow yourself guilty pleasures for the other 10 per cent. “You want to be as consistent as you can with your diet to avoid too many fluctuations in body composition, but this type of flexible eating can be more enjoyable and makes it more likely you’ll stick with a healthy diet in the long run,” says Erdman.
Healthy habit Make your cheat foods less hazardous to your waistline by giving into cravings on the days that you’ve partaken in vigorous workouts. Do so, and it’s less likely the calories will end up on your midriff.
Snack smart
More downtime can also mean more snacking. “With less of an endorphin fix from outdoor training and races, some people may seek out food for the high they normally get from exercise,” says Erdman. “A sense of boredom can also lead people to snack needlessly.” If you’re not careful, a nibble here and a nibble there can add up to calorie gluttony. Even if your meals are proportional to your training volume, it won’t do you much good if you’re snacking on too many processed foods. A good rule of thumb is to limit yourself to just a couple snacks daily that make up no more than 20 per cent of your total daily calories. Most of your off-season nourishment should hail from three square meals. “If you find yourself snacking out of habit or boredom, try to find other activities like taking a walk or embracing a hobby that can take your mind off of food,” Erdman suggests.
Health habit For snacks that will assist you with your goal of emerging from the winter gloom in tip-top shape, choose items with a very short ingredient list. Prime examples are plain Greek yogurt (a great high-protein option), a handful of plain nuts, a hard-boiled egg, prepared frozen edamame, some chopped vegetables with homemade hummus or a bowl of cottage cheese topped with berries.
Live in the present
As with your eating habits, you should also match your food itself to the season. That means you should take a pass on the bunch of asparagus from Peru and juiceless strawberries from California. Instead, focus your shopping efforts on cold-loving fruits and vegetables. Seasonal items, such as beets, pears, turnips and hearty greens like kale, can infuse your diet with better flavour along with maximum nutrition potential. The more nutrition you get for your buck, the easier it will be to hop back on your bike in the best health possible. When it comes to out-of-season foods, such as berries and corn, Erdman suggests seeking them out in the frozen food aisle. “Since they are frozen quickly after harvesting, they can be more nutritious than fresh versions shipped in from afar,” she says.
Healthy habit Farmers markets are not just for sunnier days. Many cities now run markets year-round where you can load up on seasonal foods grown closer to home.
Shelve the sweet stuff
During all-day pursuits, energy bars, gels and sports drinks can help you keep up the pace. But they should not be a year-round habit. Less training volume also means less need for the extra calories they deliver. “You should only really consider using these sport nutrition products when involved in a workout lasting two or more hours,” advises Erdman. Less than that, she says, you can likely get by with just water and perhaps a calorie-free electrolyte product such as Nuun. So swap that gel for a post-trainer banana.
Healthy habit Groove to the pantry shuffle. Hide the chews and their ilk in the back of the pantry and bring whole-food options, such as nuts, seeds and dried fruit to the forefront.
Drink up
Many cyclists are on the ball when it comes to maintaining proper hydration during the height of the summer. But when the mercury starts to plummet and outdoor sweaty workouts peter out, it can be easy to forget to sip fluid regularly. “The problem is that many people associate dehydration with heat and humidity but it can also occur when training during the cooler months,” says Erdman. Training indoors can also mean a high sweat rate. That’s a concern since dehydration can not only affect performance when toiling away on the trainer, but can also lead to the munchies – dehydration is easily mistaken for hunger. There is no one-size fits all recommendation for daily fluid intake, but a good rule of thumb is to aim to drink about half of your body weight in ounces each day. (If you weigh 140 lb., drink 70 oz.) To keep winter pudge at bay, make sure most of your liquids are low in sugar. Beyond water, don’t forget that tea, milk, coffee and even brothy soups can count toward your goal.
Healthy habit Consider a glass of aqua as your ultimate appetizer. A study in the journal Obesity found that adults who guzzled back 2 cups of water 30 minutes before their main meals lost more weight in a three-month period than those who did not preload with water before noshing. Drinking extra water expands your stomach so you feel satisfied on fewer calories.