Carb Loading

Carbohydrate Loading – are you doing it wrong? Or are you doing it at all?

• Feeling full?
• Bloated?
• Sick?
• Sluggish?
• Struggling to eat more?
• Trying to include more pasta, rice, and potatoes yet failing to hit high numbers of carbohydrates?
• Only including a larger portion of dinner the night before?
• One week out vs a few days out?

If any of these resonate with you, this post is for you –  It’s no surprise, that carbohydrates are king when it comes to performance, and low carb is a thing of the past!

Check out our recent video on why low carb doesn’t work!

Carbohydrate loading, what is?

• A strategy used by athletes to fill up their carbohydrate stores in the body to ensure they have plenty of energy heading into an endurance event.
• Stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. You want these storage sites filled up so that you can exercise for longer before fatigue sets in.
• This helps prevent ‘hitting the wall’.

Common Errors

1. Eating only plates of pasta, potatoes, rice and oats
2. Eating too much protein, vegetables and fatty foods
3. Feeling full, bloated, lethargic
4. Going long gaps in the day without carbohydrate feedings
5. Only focusing on dinner the night before
6. Trying to carb load for a week
7. Using foods like pizza (pizza is mostly fats)
8. Overeating
9. Not hydrating
10. Not practicing in training

👆 These are some of what you should NOT do 👆

Did you know – carbohydrate loading begins 36-48 hours before race day?
Recommended targets are between 8-12 grams/kg of body weight.

Quick tips for proper carb loading

• Reduce fibre intake!
• Reduce fat intake!
• Reduce spice intake!

Instead, choose fast-digesting carbohydrates – jam, honey, granola, fruit smoothies, juices, toast, dried fruits, fruit yogurts, ambrosia rice, jellies, flapjacks etc.

Less volume, more carbohydrates, more success.

If you need support around carbohydrate loading and how to structure it so suit you and your lifestyle, get in touch today!
Book your nutritional consultation, VO2, or metabolic test HERE.

Yours in Health and Fitness,
The Health Matters Team

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