30 Nov Eat To Live Not Live To Eat: Journey From Swimmer To Triathlete
As a teenage competitive swimmer, I discovered that I could eat anything in any quantity without it affecting my performance—thanks to 10 weekly swim sessions and about 65 km in the pool. Everything changed when I transitioned to triathlons.
At the ripe age of 25, I realised nutrition wasn’t just important—it was a limiting factor. Despite logging more training hours, I found my weight creeping up and my training sluggish if I indulged in two upsized fast-food meals for lunch. In triathlons, especially during that gruelling final run leg, staying light is critical. Here are the lessons I’ve learned over the past three years to transition to a performance-driven diet.
Tip 1: Food Is Fuel, Not Fun
Since birth, I LIVED to eat. I would consider myself a foodie, and a burger aficionado. I love all things that taste good, with a love of rich flavours and an unending appetite. I used to joke with my friends that I was always on a diet. A high protein, high carb, high fat, high sugar diet, yum yum.
I soon learnt (the hard way) that my diet was holding me back. It always seemed like I was lagging behind my teammates in trainings and competitions, and my rate of improvement was just a tiny bit slower than theirs. Not significant, but noticeable.
How could this be? I thought to myself. We do the same workouts, have roughly the same recovery time, and give our 100% in every session we do. Earlier in this article, I mentioned that your diet is a LIMITING factor, you can’t go fast if you have lousy fuel. Many other articles online use the analogy of fuel for a car. Racing fuel is 100 octanes, while normal cars pump either 92, 95 or 98 octanes. If you want to have an engine of an F1 car, you can’t be eating 92 octanes 3 times a day.
Tip 2: Start Small, Be Progressive
Changing ingrained habits can feel overwhelming, so I learned to start small. Instead of going cold turkey and risking burnout, I took gradual steps toward better eating.
Step 1: Cut Sugary Drinks
My first move was replacing soft drinks—Coke, my favourite—with alternatives. At first, I substituted one drink per day with whole milk, which I also enjoyed. Over two weeks, I added more meals without Coke, eventually replacing it entirely with water or sugarless vitamin C drinks.
Step 2: Control Portions
Portion control was next. I was used to ordering two meals because one never felt enough. To retrain my appetite, I ate more slowly, often scrolling through my phone during meals to extend eating time. I also drank water with meals to simulate fullness. Over time, my body adapted, and I weaned myself off double portions.
Step 3: Improve Food Quality
I tackled unhealthy fast food and hawker fare like roti prata, nasi lemak, and fried carrot cake. This was easier once I noticed performance improvements—faster recovery and a leaner physique. While I still indulge occasionally (no one is perfect), the cravings diminished significantly. McDonald’s went from a thrice-weekly habit to a once-a-month treat during training season.
Tip 3: Sustainable Changes Lead To Lasting Results
Building discipline in your diet is similar to building an aerobic base. Some days you may fall short, but what matters is picking yourself up and trying again. With consistent effort, your diet can evolve from being a limiting factor to a deciding factor in your performance.
If you’d like to know more about training with MetaSport or need personalised guidance, feel free to reach out to me at raphael.chau@metasport.com. Let’s work together to achieve your goals!
Raphael Chau
Coaching Services Manager
National (Development) Triathlete
