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What to eat & drink


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From McDonalds, large coffee to wake your brain up and oatmeal to sustain. My proven mid-pack finishing big match breakfast. And a custom proprietary mix of red bull and Gatorade throughout the day. Hydrates and keeps the caffeine fueled concentration level up. Wrap up and save for later the bbq tri-tip sandwich included in the match fee. It's a trap set by your competitors so you'll lapse into food coma in the afternoon stages.

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Instead of caffeine, eat foods with natural sugars. Apples, oranges, etc.

I usually eat 6 scrambled eggs every morning, including match days, and take Larabars or another natural fruit bar and some bananas and oranges to the match with me.

Gives you calories without the junk weighing you down.

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Carb load via beer the night before.

Sugar free Red Bull/Xenergy/Rock Star (whatever is on sale) and beef jerky for breakfast and lunch. And of course, copious amounts of nicotine.

Edited by d_striker
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My approach as a former very focused athlete: If you're halfway serious about maximizing energy/performance, it's about balance. Match day you probably want to step up the protein and fats a bit at breakfast, but don't abstain from the fruits, etc, either. Don't eat a huge meal, all your blood will go to your stomach to aid digestion. Think thanksgiving dinner - tryptophan, especially at the dose people get from turkey, has been shown to have very little effect, the food coma is much more about volume. Your body will only absorb so much, anyway, the rest will just be added waste. That's the hardest part to me, eating enough to get me to lunch without eating more than I need.

Many people put too much emphasis on night before/day of, though; balance and moderation should be daily. You don't have to give up dessert, beer, whatever, just keep it reasonable and make sure you're getting veggies. Avoid processed flour/sugar: if you're eating grains go for whole grain & look for the options with high fiber.

There's no free lunch in nature. I drink coffee on match days, but mainly cause if I don't I get a headache (withdrawals). I would avoid high doses, though, after any peak/high, you will get an equal & opposite crash/valley. When I was in college, training hard for multiple sessions every day, I never drank coffee. That's been a vise I took on when my wake-up time shifted from 7:00 to 5:00, & I got hung up on a girl who was a barista.... I guess a new addiction was worth it, though, I tricked her into marrying me & having kids.

The best thing for a focused, energized day is a good night's sleep, and throughout the day, STAY HYDRATED. Drink 'til your pee is clear. Water, or maybe a drink with some electrolytes. Many of us used to thin Gatorade down by 1/3 to 1/2. Thankfully most matches I go to have plenty of honey buckets, thiugh, 'cause doing the dance while waiting for the buzzer is no fun.

Sorry for the novel, sometimes I get on a subject & my fingers just start running across the keyboard, then pretty soon I'm like Forrest Gump, forgot why it was I was running...

Edited by Nathan
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A "special " meal likely won't mean squat compared to a guys every day diet.

One garbage meal when you usually eat clean= explosive ass lava.

One healthy meal when you usually eat garbage= hungry.

Changing diet habits may be harder than making A class but may be worth the effort as it improves you shooting and so many other aspects of your life!

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  • 3 weeks later...

disagree with those saying not carbs, the protein and fats are important but will take longer to process for fuel. The protein will help you stay full, but carbs in the morning fuel muscle and brain fuel are good. I am not suggesting a candy bars. Some fruit with eggs would be good; then something to sustain throughout the match if it is a long day.

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Depends on what you are used to. If you are a carb eater (average 'merican diet) don't skip carbs for breakfast, but keep them reasonable and LOW IN SUGAR, stick to complex carbs with soluble fiber (think oatmeal, bananas low sugar cereals ect.). Keep in mind USPSA isn't running a marathon, its occasional sprints and keeping your blood sugar at constant levels is more important than a specific meal or doing something silly like carb loading (which is greatly misunderstood how do do right) I eat oatmeal and a few hard boiled eggs and a cup of coffee for breakfast before a match. Then I eat about 100-200 calories of mixed 30/40/30 - protien/carbs/fat every 2 hours along with lots of water, but that's about what I eat every day since I am more of an competitive endurance athlete than a competitive shooter even though I probably try harder to shoot :).

Edited by Nebwake
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I'll agree with the comments about don't change much in one's diet just to prepare for a match. If you eat a big breakfast usually, drink a large coffee, etc-- keep that part of the prep stable.

For example, if you don't usually consume a large amt of fluid and caffeine, and you decide to do so the morning of a match, you may be spending time in the restroom, and by doing that dehydrate, thus feeling "different' that usual.

I am used to being able to snack a little between meals, so I bring peanuts or granola-type snacks for a touch of carbs/energy. I also drink water during the day, so make it a point to drink a bottle or so at each stage.

I try to keep things the same-- I get up at 0500 as usual, eat something as usual, cuss at the traffic as usual--and still shoot only fair--as usual.

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:cheers:

What to eat and drink before a match?

As you can see from suggestions above, everybody has

a different idea (super healthy, easily available, etc).

ANYTHING is better than nothing. I used to eat nothing

and evolved into bringing pretzels since they're easy to

bring and eat.

Now I bring pretzels and peanutbutter/jelly sandwich,

and lots of water.

Really makes a big difference, to me, over nothing. :cheers:

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Lots and lots of water, on match day and every day before that. You're in the sun longer than usual, exerting yourself more than usual and it's easy to dehydrate.

I try not to eat more than usual before the match then bring a few snacks (bananas, Cliff bars) to eat during the match so I don't get distracted by hunger.

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Lots and lots of water, on match day and every day before that. You're in the sun longer than usual, exerting yourself more than usual and it's easy to dehydrate.

I try not to eat more than usual before the match then bring a few snacks (bananas, Cliff bars) to eat during the match so I don't get distracted by hunger.

+1. I would skip all the cosmopolitan-esque fad crap that many here are espousing, and just eat what you normally eat, and bring some snacks.

I have the same amount of coffee I always have (1-2 cups), and a light breakfast that includes some protein, and I bring energy bars, bananas, fruit and so forth to snack on.

More importantly, I keep myself slender and fit, so hot weather and hustling to reset the stage don't really bother me.

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The only thing I change on match days with my diet is the extra water intake I drink during the match.

I usually try and drag around a gallon of water to drink during the match, it has really helped me stay hydrated post match so I'm not falling asleep on the drive home.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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