Writing about nutrition does not come easy to me. Food is emotional. Food is cultural. Food can be political and deeply personal based on taste preferences and experience. But food is also powerful. Food can make you feel strong, nourished, and confident. Or food can make you feel gross, frustrated, and confused. We need food to live. We need food to fuel our bodies for the activities we perform, and if you’re reading this blog, the chances are high that you care about your performance both on and off the bike. You know there’s a connection between the foods you eat and the way you feel, but have you ever truly put in the time to figure out what works for you? If you find yourself repeatedly frustrated with how your body feels, looks, or performs. Keep reading.

The following are the top 5 things I wish I’d known about nutrition 20 years ago. People reach out to me on a regular basis to ask if I do nutrition coaching. While I have dabbled and it’s something I enjoy, I don’t have the capacity to run a full blown nutrition coaching business in addition to the mountain bike and strength training coaching I currently do. Therefore, this blog post, and the upcoming September MTB Wellness Challenge is an opportunity for me to share with you everything I have learned in the past 20 years when it comes to on and off bike nutrition. My ultimate goal for you is to feel empowered and confident. Tracking your food for 1 month once or twice a year is one of the best ways to truly understand the power of nutrition, and use that power to fuel your goals: mental, emotional ,and physical. The below info is a summary of everything I wish I knew about nutrition 20 years ago. If you’re ready to dive in, join me for the September MTB Wellness Challenge!

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1. Quantity Matters.

It sounds silly to me now, but for years, I didn’t recognize the importance of quantity of food. I thought as long as I eat “healthy” and keep exercising I’d get the results I wanted. Through 4 years as a Varsity athlete in high school, 4 years as a division 1 lacrosse player, and 5 years racing bikes at the professional level, I never learned that if I continued to eat all the “right things” but in the wrong quantities, I would not find the results I wanted.

The beauty of food tracking is you remove the emotion. You remove the concept of “good foods” and bad foods and you get a handle on the numbers that are fueling you.

When you look at any current or past diet trend, there’s one uniting factor: restriction. They either restrict a specific food group or type of food, or restrict your eating window. Paleo restricts your calories to whole foods and cuts out grains, dairy, and all refined sugars. Keto cuts out the vast majority of carbohydrates and restricts your food choices to mostly fat and some protein. Intermittent fasting reduces your eating window to 6-8 hours during the day. Diet success is typically defined by losing weight, improving biological health markers such as a lower blood pressure, and increasing energy. People who find success with these diets mostly have one thing in common. They are taking in fewer calories on the diet than they were before the diet. The success found in these diets is not in the specifics of the diet itself, rather the success is from the overall reduction of caloric intake. While I am not into restriction, quantity does matter. Food tracking allows you to eat the foods you want and see results.

2. Science is your friend.

Food is emotional, cultural, and celebratory. But food is also scientific. When you learn the science of what you should eat, it’s like learning to finally ride up and over that rock or down those roots that have always mystified you. Suddenly you are empowered to ride your own ride, and make decisions that benefit you.

For years, I was terrified to count calories, log my food, or track macros. I was scared I’d develop an unhealthy relationship with food and never be able to enjoy a cookie or brownie without obsessing over its nutritional makeup.

How much should I be eating? The answer depends on your goals but the vast majority of people I know and work with wish to lose a few pounds or show more of their hard earned muscles. This is where science is our friend. When you track your food, the first step is to use an energy calculator such as The Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) to calculate your ideal calorie intake for your goals. The science behind the formula used is sound, and given enough time and consistency, the vast majority of people see the results they are looking for.

3. More Exercise is NOT the Answer

I always used to think, “I’ll just exercise more” and that will get me to the results I want. This could not have been farther from the truth. Especially, if that exercise is a form of cardio such as riding a bike, running, or swimming. WHAT!!?? The reason is simple. Our bodies were designed to be energy efficient endurance machines. As soon as we start logging more miles we send a signal to our bodies that says, “conserve!” This means as you get more fit, your body adjusts and becomes more efficient, burning fewer and fewer calories as you stack on more miles. Don’t let your apple or garmin watch fool you! Those calorie trackers are often inaccurate and can be off by up to 50%!

Now obviously I love few things more than a massive ride. My point here is do not turn to exercise in the form of running or riding as your solution for fat loss! Look to eat a consistent diet and lift heavy weights.

4. Eat Foods you Enjoy.

I used to think if I tracked my foods I’d be pigeon holed into eating bland chicken, rice, and broccoli day in and day out. This is simply not the case! The reality is when you start food tracking you realize there’s a fair amount of flexibility to add foods you love such as dark chocolate, ice cream, or chips. This makes the whole process sustainable! Sustainability is what I’m after, not short term rewards. Any food change you make you should be able to make for the rest of your life. Tracking your food for a short period of time (1 month) once or twice a year is an excellent way to learn what food changes you can make that are sustainable.

The three primary macronutrients (macros) are Carbohydrates (carbs) Protein and Fat. Some people count alcohol as the 4th macro, but I’m going to focus on the top 3! When you decide to get a handle on your daily caloric intake, your first step is to calculate your TDEE. Your second step is to pick the macro split that works best for you. This means you get to choose if you want to eat more carbs (think rice, potatoes, bread) and fewer fats (think avocados, nuts, olive oil) or vice versa. The macro split you decide is highly individual and can be adjusted over time as you learn more about what works for your body!

The below image is an example of 3 different options for moderate carb, low carb, or a higher carb split. The numbers are based on my age (41), biological sex (F), body weight (129), and activity level (Moderate Exercise).

The hardest part about food tracking is not figuring out the numbers. It’s figuring out how to translate those numbers into real food! What does 167 g of protein and 86 g of fat look like in breakfast, lunch and dinner? You can start to get an idea with my blog post What I Eat in a Day, or join me for the September MTB Wellness Challenge where I will be hosting a food tracking webinar that will walk you through the most common food tracking questions.

5. Lift Weights. The Heavier the Better.

I’ve written in the past about 5 Ways to Build an Athletic Body and 5 Reasons to be Stoked on Strength Training (I cleary like rules of 5 :). I can’t stress enough the importance of lifting heavy weights when it comes to overall health. Want to burn belly fat? Stop doing crunches and lift heavy weights, says Dr. Stacy Simms. As we age, we become weaker. It’s a sad truth. Close to 20 percent of women over the age of 50 have Osteoporosis in their femur, neck, or lumbar spine! Women, we can prevent or stave off osteoporosis and osteopenia by lifting heavy weights! Lifting heavy also builds muscle, which burns more calories at rest and has the added benefit of helping you perform better on the bike, and be strong in your body! Strength training builds confidence.

So that’s it! Those are the top 5 things I wish I knew about nutrition 20 years ago. I hope you find them helpful:) If you’re looking to integrate a strength training program into your routine, but you’re not sure where to start and you don’t want to go to the gym, join buildCLASS! You can get started at no cost with code” BUILDSOLODEMO and all you need to get started are 2 dumbbells and a bench, box, or cooler!