Know your portion sizes
Are you underestimating your portion sizes?
Most people do. In my experience the average person underestimates what they eat each day by 500-1000kcal!
Take the piece of bread I ate for breakfast yesterday...
I asked your thoughts on how much it weighed and the average ressponse was about 75g. A standard portion size.
Now say you thought you were eating 75g of bread when you were actually eating 110g... thats 100kcal that you aren't recognising in your diet.
Now imagine you did that with peanut butter on your bread, the piece of cake in the afternoon, the serving of rice at dinner... see where I'm getting at?
Missing 100kcal here and there across the day quickly adds up and can explain why progress isn't being made.
Food isn't the enemy as a cyclist. It all comes down to timing, frequency, portions and context. Sometimes we need more food, sometimes we need less. Understanding our portion sizes and knowing the nutritional content of food can in part help us to make smarter food choices as a cyclist. These are two ways to estimate and measure portion sizes to save you time and cash
When I'm working with my clients, one of the things I often recommend is that they periodically weigh certain foods to see what their portions are and how close they are to what they believe.
The difference can be quite surprising!
Once you know your normal portions, you can see where small changes can be made to suit your goals - without having to cut out the foods you love.
Gemma
Gemma Sampson APD
If you’re interested in nutrition coaching to ensure you get the most out of your training and performance, book an online sports nutrition consultation to get you on the path to success.