Eat to Compete Nutrition Coaching

06/13/2022

Revere and Rex are going to have to make room in the Corvette! Baby boy number 3 arriving in December 💙💙💙 Taking any tips for 3 kids and boy name suggestions 😂
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02/07/2022

Check out all of these practical tips from some amazing dietitians!

These 20 practical and realistic nutrition goal examples from Registered Dietitians will help you feel empowered to make positive changes.

01/31/2022

Are you trying to "watch" what you eat?⁠

This can be so harmful if you're an athlete 🏃‍♀️ 🚴‍♀️ 🏊‍♀️⁠

You'll likely skip breakfast, skip fueling that long workout, or wait until lunch to eat anything.⁠
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This leads to you having ZERO energy throughout the day for regular life stuff, like work, virtual learning 🧒 playing with your kids, and other life stuff 😴⁠
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Your body wants and needs those calories, so you're probably going to feel starving right around 5pm until you hit the sack. You might find you eat a huge portion of dinner and still want more after, leading you to scrounge around for more food, even if you're past fullness.⁠

Does this sound familiar? 😞⁠

Instead, try to eat every 3-4 hours and include some protein and healthy fats with carbs (fruit, whole grains, potatoes, rice, etc) at every meal and snack.⁠

Do you fall into this trap too?
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12/08/2021

I’ve been thinking so much lately about why I run.

It’s no longer about weight loss like when I started around age 14.

It’s a huge stress and anxiety reliever for me and always has been.

But there are less strenuous and time intensive ways of getting that stress relief, like going for a walk outside or a quick HIIT/strength training workout.

What I always come back to is that I want to do hard things. I want to prove to myself that I can put the work in day after day.

That I can work on those hard paces and bumping that mileage up.

Not for anyone else on social media, but YES I for sure get caught up in comparisonitis like everyone else.

It’s a time to carve out for myself in this crazy tornado of motherhood and relentless go go go pace of life.

And do the hard things 💫

Why do you run?

11/25/2021

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

So much to be grateful for this year with Rex joining our family and moving to Texas. I’m extra thankful we were able to have our own turkey trot with the boys this morning.

I hope this day is filled with love, gratitude, and good food enjoyed without any guilt 🥧 🍁

11/22/2021

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It’s almost THANKSGIVING 🦃

But are you panicking about holiday weight gain? Are you thinking 🤔

“I’ll only eat one slice of pie.”
“I won’t go back for seconds this year.”
“How will I burn off all those calories?”

When you put restrictions on what you can eat, you’re going to automatically want that food more. If you tell yourself you can only have ___ amount of pie 🥧 (or whatever that trigger food is for you) you’re more likely to binge later to make up for missing out on your fave food. And if this becomes a pattern, you definitely can gain weight, feel out of control around food, and suck the fun out of the holidays 😞

Restriction leads to binging. Binging can lead to weight gain. It’s that simple.

I encourage you to let go of the fear of gaining weight over the holidays. This is WAY easier said than done. But when you’re ok with possibly gaining some weight because

🧡the holidays are stressful
🧡eating more during the holidays is 100% ok
🧡give yourself permission to eat what you WANT, not what you think you should have

Then those feelings will start to disappear. It takes work, but the work is worth it 💕

What’s your favorite part of Thanksgiving? Mine is stuffing!

10/13/2021

The other day I looked up my longest run ever (15 miles) on Garmin and was astounded at how many calories I burned- almost 2k 😳

For my half ironman- 2400 🤯

I'm not telling you this to compare calorie counts from runs or triathlons, because that really doesn't matter.

What does matter is that you skipping fueling or skimping on gels to save calories is NOT going to serve you.

Just think- eating 200-500+ calories an hour compared to the monster amount of calories you burn during a workout is not going to make a difference weight wise.

But performance wise, it most certainly will.

So take the extra gel, your body really needs it!

10/11/2021

Do you only have 1 or 2 gels an hour during long runs, rides, or races?

🤢 Maybe you haven’t found a gel or chew you like
💩 Maybe you get tummy issues when eating them
💨 Maybe you think you don’t have time to run + eat

As a runner or triathlete, part of your endurance journey is to find what nutrition works for you.

You can’t be an athlete and not eat while training. Period.

😢 Your performance will suffer.

🥵 You will have terrible races/runs/rides.

😢 You will regret ever becoming an endurance athlete at some point during said races/runs/rides.

It doesn’t have to be like that!

Find what works for you and get at least 2-3 gels/chews/whatever in you (so 30-90g/carbs/hour) and marvel at how much better you feel and how that hard pace feels so much easier.

What’s your go-to gel/chew?

10/07/2021

Are you racing this month? 🏅🏃‍♀️

After a huge training cycle, you might be welcoming that taper with a sigh of relief. You made it! The 20 miler is done! Race day is around the corner!

Maybe it felt normal to you to be hungry ALL.THE.TIME during training, but taper hunger is throwing you off 🤔

That's just your body working overtime to:

💪🏼 Stock up that glycogen (ie stored glucose in muscles)
🏃‍♀️ Repair and recover from that training cycle
🏅 Get you ready for race day

Do you get super hungry during the taper?

08/30/2021

Are you skipping carbs all day to lose weight/be in race shape?

Ladies, this is NOT going to help you crush your training or your race.

You're going to be:

🤤 Starving all day
🤔 Thinking about foods you can't have
🍫 Likely to overeat later in the day
💪🏼 Not helping with muscle adaptions, recovery, and synthesis, i.e. growth

Eat those carbs ALL day long to help you be a better and stronger runner and triathlete!

Do you eat your carbs all day?

08/26/2021

Do you get headaches after a run? 😣

I used to get these too, and I learned very quickly that I wasn't hydrating or fueling enough. I had one so bad after a 65 mile bike ride I almost threw up from the pain 😫

I learned very quickly that I wasn't taking in enough fluid or fuel during long runs or rides, and quickly remedied that.

It's also important to look at what you're having before- are you skipping a pre-run meal to save time?

Forget your water and have coffee ☕️instead before you head out the door?

You absolutely need to take the time to eat and drink before those big long workouts 🏃🏿‍♀️🚴🏼‍♀️

Do you ever get headaches after a long workout?

08/23/2021

Hey endurance athlete! 👋 ⁠⠀
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Just a reminder that you have increased carb needs and you need to have them ALL day, not just before your long run, ride, or swim.⁠⠀
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Carbs are essential for muscle growth and recovery, to provide energy to your body and your brain, for nutrients like fiber and folate, and also they just taste SO good and are satisfying.⁠⠀
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Athletes aren't meant to all look alike. You don't have to be thin to be fast. Not being at "race weight" does not mean you won't PR.
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Not eating enough carbs and not supporting your training *definitely* means you won't PR 😞⁠⠀
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Try to reframe your thoughts next time you say no to the bread basket- you need that fuel for your next workout!⁠⠀
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Are you ok with eating bread twice a day?

07/21/2021

This is working out with two littles 👶🏼👦🏼

🏋🏼‍♀️ Baby woke up early from his nap so I barely finished my 35 min strength workout and 10 minutes of postnatal core

🥵 Sitting on the floor to nurse because I’m so sweaty I look like I just showered

📺 Toddler watching too many episodes of PJ Masks but hey, it is what it is 🤷🏼‍♀️

💪🏼 Bringing all the weights up to the playroom from the home gym so I can keep an eye on said toddler 😜

I’ve been feeling great strength wise and lifting heavier than I ever have in my life, but running has been put on hold because my posterior tibial tendinitis started to flare up slightly after running. I did a few one leg tests to see if I was actually ready to run (because running is a one leg activity!) and my balance and arch/foot strength need A LOT of work. So taking a few weeks to do more .board work and focus on strengthening my kinetic chain so I can get back out there.

Progress is never linear and I’d rather be cautious now than deal with another injury. Plus I’m having fun lifting heavy these days!

How do you fit in workouts with little ones around?

07/09/2021

Do you find yourself skipping meals or not taking fuel with you on long runs or workouts? 🏃‍♀️🚴‍♀️

This is a recipe for disaster 😳

Even though diet culture has told you that you need less calories and less carbs and less fat, that’s simply not true, *especially* as a runner or triathlete.

You gotta fuel your workouts.
You have to eat every few hours.
You cannot skip meals and expect to not be starving later.

Swipe through above to see why skipping meals and fueling is hindering your performance 🏅

07/08/2021

First run after baby number 2 🏃‍♀️🎉 and oh boy did it feel weird and I had SO many thoughts running through my head.

👍🏼I waited 17 weeks that was just right for me

🦴 I’m taking it super slow to avoid injury and pelvic floor issues

🏃‍♀️ I’m doing a walk to run approach until I can run 10 minutes solid, so for the foreseeable future

I really want to do a big race in 2022, so my buildup starts now!

How was your first run postpartum?

06/30/2021

Do you have a clothing item that you avoid because you feel like you can’t “pull it off?”

Mine is stretchy spandex shorts 😔

I remember in middle school I was so envious of girls who wore short volleyball style shorts because I never thought I could wear them.

Fast forward to today and bike shorts are everywhere! I always wear typical loose running shorts when working out but only a handful of my usual shorts fit right now after having a baby four months ago and the ones that do fit roll up and chafe SO bad 😣

So I finally relented and got a pair of align biker shorts and they’re awesome 👏🏻

Did I question wearing them in public? Yes.
Do I regret buying them? No.

I have a body and can wear tight shorts. That’s it. The end.

06/28/2021

Is protein powder necessary for you as an athlete? 🏃‍♀️ 🚴‍♀️ 🏊‍♀️

You know body builders require extra protein, but did you know endurance athletes protein needs are just as high, if not higher than bodybuilders 🤯

Yep, you need as much as 1.6-2.2 g/kg/body weight per day. That's a lot!

But does that mean you need to supplement with protein powder?

Like most nutrition related questions, it really depends!

If you struggle to get enough calories in, a protein packed smoothie mid-day is a good choice.

Or a powder mixed with water for an on the go breakfast if you just don't have time for that meal.

I have a blog post devoted to protein powders for endurance athletes that breaks down:

🤔 Do you really need it as a runner or triathlete?
🤔 What kind is best for you?
🤔 What about plant-based powders?

And more! Check it out in the link in my bio or go to https://www.maritaradloff.com/blog/which-protein-powder-is-best-for-runners-and-triathletes

06/24/2021

Does this sound familiar?⁠⁠
Are you waiting on doing things you love or used to do for when you are "thin?"⁠⁠
This is peak diet culture; the notion that a smaller body will lead to happiness, faster paces, and you feeling more deserving of a fulfilled life.⁠⁠
Diet culture ties our self-worth with our physical appearance, meaning we are programmed to diet in order to increase our self-worth 😩⁠⁠
This thought process is tied to sports too; if you're thinner, you'll be faster.⁠⁠
NOPE 👎🏼⁠⁠
Thinner does NOT always equal faster. Maybe for a few months. But then the fatigue, lack of motivation, missing periods, and injuries set in.⁠⁠
Would you tell your friend she can run faster when she loses 10 lbs? No.⁠⁠
Next time you start to think you'll be happy or run faster if you lose weight, pretend you're saying that to your friend. Give yourself some grace and kindness to break this cycle.