What to Eat During a Meet.....

[quote]wonderbeard wrote:
Can’t forget about the bloat! A lot of lifters try to retain as much water as possible on meet days. The idea is that if you have more water stored in your muscles, they will function better.

Also, a big belly can help hit big lifts (less ROM in bench, more pressure when wearing a belt, etc…)

Not to say that it works, though. Just FYI.[/quote]

Not entirely true. While the water retention in the muscle belly increases the stored glycogen (thereby increasing the muscle’s energy stores), the muscles aren’t going to be utilizing the glycolytic pathways much at all.

The idea behind a bloat is pure physics. The greater the weight of the exerting force, the greater the leverage on the weight, and the less work (energy) required to lift the weight. I mean, there are finer nuances (weight distribution in relation to where the fulcrum, lever arm and moment arm are and that sorta thing) that may or may not assist, but the general idea is greater weight=easier lift.

Peanut butter and honey sandwiches. Bananas, bagels and peanut butter, and if I’m going to be there all day between squats and bench I eat a subway sandwich. Trail mix is pretty good too, it has lots of calories and it’s not too filling.

My wife also makes some really good chickpea and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just pick some foods that you like and make sure that if your not lifting you are eating and drinking. Generally you probably want to stay away from greasy heavy foods during the meet. I’ve found that it’s best not to stray too far from your normal diet.

[quote]animus wrote:

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
I’ve never completed but read somewhere (think DeFranco?) to load up on sushi and soy sauce the night before a meet or testing. All the sodium and carbs leads to a bigger bloat and hopefully a bigger total.[/quote]

Yes, DeFranco did recommend that.

I think it’s a solid idea assuming you have a 24 hour weigh-in rather than a 2-hour. Cause it’d duck to bloat out of your weight class.

Although the thread’s question was about what to eat during a meet.

This is what I typically bring:

Several balance bars… not exactly optimal food, but they don’t upset my stomach like protein bars do and they taste delicious and don’t weigh me down.

Surge Recovery… tons of it. I sip throughout.

Maybe some beef jerky.

One or two pieces of fruit (normally apples). Too much acid, I’ve found, doesn’t sit well with me. Normally one apple at some point is just fine.

Lots of energy drinks… The caffeine keeps me alert and also suppresses the hunger pangs.[/quote]

Thanks for all the tips! I weigh in tomorrow (Fri morning) the meet is Sat. So although I am far from 181 (172 this morning) I plan on eating pretty big all day Friday, and Saturday during the meet I will follow so of the tips on here.

[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:

[quote]buckeye girl wrote:

[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:

[quote]Brian14 wrote:
I always had a notion that one should eat, ya know, somewhat healthy on a day of a meet. Honestly Im really surprised how many people eat the shittiest food imaginable on a meet day. If anyone could explain this to me it would be appreciated[/quote]

BEcause its a powerlfting meet and not a goddamned bodybuilding show?[/quote]

Most bodybuilders I know don’t really eat healthy the day of the show. It seems like everyone I’ve talked to is a big fan of burgers and fries. I actually had a bacon cheeseburger and two orders of fries between prejudging and the night show. Best I looked all day was the few hours following that meal.

For PL I like a pb, banana and jelly sammich or two. I don’t like to eat much on meet day and pbbj is enough to keep my blood sugar stable and full enough.[/quote]

Yeah I was using hyperbole to make a point.

I’m curious about the eating between the judging events though. Do you drink liquids as well? Or just the food? I know nothing about manipulating body comp at that level of leanness, so I’m curious. I thought drinking was verboten but not sure.
[/quote]

Personally, I didn’t really drink throughout the day and that was probably the most uncomfortable part other than the nasty, sticky tan. I had a few sips of diet coke with lunch and 3 shots of espresso throughout the day. I’ll do things differently next time but fluids will remain low.

I think fluid intake depends on the division and how lean the competitor is to begin with. I’m sure everyone is drinking less than they’re used to, but figure and bikini girls are probably drinking more than others. I’ve heard gurus/coaches claim that their athletes drink gallons on show day but have never actually met a person that did that.

[quote]jpparts wrote:

Thanks for all the tips! I weigh in tomorrow (Fri morning) the meet is Sat. So although I am far from 181 (172 this morning) I plan on eating pretty big all day Friday, and Saturday during the meet I will follow so of the tips on here. [/quote]

Wow, 9lbs up and 7lbs down… Dunno why you didn’t just cut, especially given the time between weigh-in and lifting.

In any case, be sure you can tolerate those foods. It’d suck to go in with a bunch of Balance bars and realize they give you wicked gas and you’re farting every time you go down on the lift, then miss your opening bench because you were too busy taking a shit to warm-up.

[quote]animus wrote:

[quote]jpparts wrote:

Thanks for all the tips! I weigh in tomorrow (Fri morning) the meet is Sat. So although I am far from 181 (172 this morning) I plan on eating pretty big all day Friday, and Saturday during the meet I will follow so of the tips on here. [/quote]

Wow, 9lbs up and 7lbs down… Dunno why you didn’t just cut, especially given the time between weigh-in and lifting.

In any case, be sure you can tolerate those foods. It’d suck to go in with a bunch of Balance bars and realize they give you wicked gas and you’re farting every time you go down on the lift, then miss your opening bench because you were too busy taking a shit to warm-up.[/quote]

I weighed in at 173 this morning. Last week around Weds, I was talking to some of the guys about what I should do. They felt because I am kind of lean (8.5%BF) that I didnt have that much water to drop, without losing strenght. Antway…I am at 173. Packing my food and gear now. Get to bed early, and CRUSH it tomorrow!!