Interesting article showing an example of Heather Jacksons food diary. Clearly she uses periodisation training principles with her diet, changing her diet as the race approaches.
Food Diary
6 A.M.: Wake up and have 2 cups of coffee with cream.
6:45-8:15 A.M.: Swim 4-5K and get through a bottle of Herbalife CR7 Drive sport drink with 2 scoops (50grams carbs/200calories)
9 A.M.: For a Breakfast Smoothie/Granola bowl, I usually blend 2 scoops of Herbalife Rebuild Endurance (Vanilla Flavor) with ice, strawberries, blueberries, banana, chia seeds, and a splash of milk or greek yogurt; I then sprinkle muesli and flax seeds on top. This breakfast has been working in terms of getting in both carbs and protein, as well as some natural, nutritious food before the rest of the day becomes primarily consuming sport drink until dinner. If I have just a ride left in the day with no run workout, then I might have some scrambled egg whites on top of a bed of sautéed veggies. I feel fine riding after eating fibrous veggies, but if I have a run…no way!
10 A.M.: Leave for a 3-4 hour ride that might include 4 repeats of (10 minute effort/5 minute easy/5 minute effort/5 minutes easy). In this session, I will aim for 2-3 bottles an hour of Herbalife CR7 Drive to make sure I’m completely fueled and hydrated and ready for a run off the bike.
2 P.M.: 30 minute run with maybe a 10-15 minute build to race pace effort, or just a steady run on the trails. I’m lucky enough to have Wattie join me on his mountain bike on all my runs, and he passes me another bottle of Herbalife CR7 Drive at each mile marker throughout the run.
2:45 P.M.: I get a recovery smoothie right after this big session. This includes anywhere from 2-6 scoops of Herbalife Rebuild Endurance, depending on how hard the ride and/or run was. I will usually add a little milk, peanut butter and a banana to make the smoothie extra delicious.
More on periodisation training principles here:
To maximize the effect of each training phase, you must alter the mix of nutrients to match your nutrition to the physiological demands of your workouts. Your daily meals and snacks and your post-workout recovery nutrition will vary as you progress through each phase of the Periodization schedule. More details in this excellent book by Robert Forster and Roy Wallack.
The 24FIT Workout is a 24-week program, designed to build your fitness in an effective and sustainable way. The 24 Fit DVDs are based on the science of periodisation training. This approach solves the training puzzle of balancing hard work and smart recovery, allowing fitness adaptations and a “hardened” body able to sustain all the hard work and recovery, peaking your metabolic fitness.