How Much Do You Eat Before A Competition
A lot of people don’t know what to eat before an eating competition, so I thought it was important for me to address this with you. So what do you do when you get up in the morning and you know you’re going to be having a competition later in the day.
Well, in the morning your stomach is empty. You might feel the need to not eat because an empty stomach is a good thing – WRONG. You need glycogen reserves in your body for digesting and you don’t want to lose all your energy while you’re trying to chew down all that food.
You should start off with a meal high in carbs and low in everything else – especially fat. This way it is fast digesting, but you also get your glycogen reserves beefed up before you go to the competition.
Also right before the competition it might seem bad to eat something. Well having a little fast digesting carbs can really help. Something like a sports drink can be really beneficial to this process.
I hope this information helps you know how much you should be eating before a competition.
November 24th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
This is a great idea for a blog (I’m an amateur eater myself) and have often wondered about issues like this.
Do you really think a game day morning meal to boost your glycogen reserves to aid digestion is necessary though? Aiding digestion only helps after the contest, not during. Also the morning meal to increase energy during the contest might seem like a good idea, but I always fast for 18 to 24 hours before every contest and I’ve never felt a lack of energy during a 10 minute event. The adrenaline rush of competition is more than enough fuel for me.
Still, everyone’s body works in different ways, so what might be good for one person (a morning meal) might not be good for others (I find the gnawing hunger to be a big psychological boost for me).
Once again, welcome to the competitive eating blogosphere…keep the entries coming!!!