In her first installment of this series, “The Rookie Coach” columnist Carrie Barrett outlined her experience with metabolic testing and establishing her training zones. In this article, she covers another one of her test results from her session at Playtri Multisport in Dallas: Calculating calorie expenditure and making a daily nutrition plan.

I love to eat. There, I said it. In fact, nothing pains me more than to be around people who simply “forget to eat,” are too busy to eat, or feel full after a 100 (empty) calorie snack—I’m calling their bluff on that one, by the way. I’m so not that person. I have a magical internal alarm clock that chimes every four to five hours signaling that it’s time for a little fuel. If I go more than six hours without some form of sustenance, watch out. But here’s the good news: About 90 percent of what I ingest is plant-based, and made of whole foods, which hasn’t always been the case for me. The nutrition element of training and racing has become something very important to me—as it should be for anyone who hopes to maximize their performance and improve their physique.

Without a proper nutrition foundation, it’s impossible to have a solid performance race day.

How many times have you witnessed or experienced this: you have a great swim and an amazing bike. You start the run on top of the world, and then about halfway through, you hit a wall bigger than China’s and are forced to shuffle, walk, or crawl your way to the finish. You finish the race totally depleted and after a couple of days of recovery (filled with pizza, beer and self-pity), you vow that you’re just going to train harder on the run.

Let’s be honest. Very few of us enter a race undertrained. Most of us have logged the miles, charted the hours, and bragged on Facebook and Twitter about our “part-time job” of triathlon training. Lack of sufficient training is almost never the cause of a race bonk. Most often, it’s improper nutrition. We know how many miles we should swim, bike, and run, but do we know how many calories to consume daily to fuel those workouts? Do we know what type of foods to eat and when for maximum performance? For most of us, the answer is no. That was my honest answer until last month’s nutritional assessment with Playtri Multisport in Dallas. In addition to metabolic testing to determine my training and racing heart rate zones, I also had my resting metabolic rate (RMR) and calorie expenditure across all heart rate zones tested. These numbers make up the foundation of a solid daily nutritional plan, as well as a bonk-proof race plan. They are the key elements of fat-burning efficiency, which is the optimal goal for your nutrition plan. After all, we all have an overwhelming amount of fat calories from which to draw and a limited amount of carbohydrate stores. If we can train our bodies to rely more on the fat inventory, we improve performance, efficiency, and ultimately consume fewer calories during a race, decreasing the risk of dreaded GI distress.

This test was my favorite one because all I had to do was sit in a chair for 15 minutes with a mask on my face. That’s it. Just sit and breathe. After 15 minutes, I learned that my RMR is 1400 calories—which means I burn 1400 calories a day doing absolutely nothing. Sweet! That also means that 1400 calories is my absolute baseline for daily consumption. I also factor in about 200 extra “lifestyle” calories a day to account for walking up and down the stairs, going to the mailbox, cleaning, etc. This makes my baseline approximately 1600 calories before exercise. So, how much am I’m supposed to eat on top of that? Here’s where the calorie expenditure tests come in.

While doing the bike and treadmill metabolic tests, Coach Aaron drew blood at various heart rate levels. The results showed me exactly how many calories I burn at various heart rate levels, as well as the specific amount of carbohydrates and fat calories I’m burning at each. For instance, if I do a one-hour bike ride at my training pace heart rate levels, I burn 570 calories during that hour. Through the blood draws, I know that 416 of those calories are carbohydrates. The rest are primarily fat calories. So, my basic calorie expenditure for the day is:

1400 RMR + 200 lifestyle calories + 570 calories for 1 Hour bike = 2,170 calories

In simple terms, if I eat less than 2170 calories, I will lose weight. If I eat more, I’ll gain weight.

Daily caloric expenditures and needs vary greatly based on the workouts in your day. Fueling and recovering from a one-hour bike ride is one thing, but special attention should be paid to those long weekend training rides and runs. You simply cannot recover efficiently and effectively if you aren’t consuming the proper amount and type of calories.

The ultimate goal of any nutrition plan is to burn fat more efficiently, recover faster, and properly fuel up for future workouts. It is a constant balancing act that requires as much (if not more) discipline and focus than the actual training itself. It’s also a very individual task that requires plenty of trial and error during training season. I’m primarily vegan so I seek out alternative protein sources mostly in the form of beans, tofu, and vegetables. My fat consumption consists mostly of avocados, peanut butter, and healthy oils. Carbohydrates are usually a variety of whole grains including steel cut oats, quinoa, and brown rice. Clearly, this is my choice and it isn’t the right one for everyone. In fact, all adjustments should be minor ones until you discover what works best for your body.

So how do you increase fat-burning efficiency in your training and race plan?

1. Follow your daily nutrition plan. Recently, I had an athlete email to tell me she almost passed out in the shower after a workout. She had biked, swam, and done some core work all without fuel. Lesson learned. It’s imperative to fuel yourself properly each day and not create a huge calorie deficit. While training for the Inaugural Ironman Texas in the Woodlands, I’m eating small meals every four to five hours because it keeps my metabolic tank running efficiently. I’m also decreasing my carbohydrate consumption slightly in order to increase my fat burning ability. (Notice that I said decreasing … not eliminating.)

2. Focus on long steady workouts within the fat-burning training zones. Currently, Coach Jeanne at Playtri has the majority of my workouts in the fat-burning zones to increase my efficiency levels and aerobic endurance. Intervals are great for burning carbs and sugar, but not so great at burning fat as fuel. As a result, by staying in these zones for several hours, I’m realizing that I don’t have to consume as many gels or calories during training. My stomach thanks me

3. Log those calories. This one is tough for me because it requires a tremendous amount of time and discipline. It also holds a virtual mirror to my face any time I want a glass of wine (often), a piece of cake, or a Dr. Pepper. It is, however, the best way of keeping track of nutrition. There are countless websites and apps with very detailed calorie counting including, www.livestrong.com, www.trainingpeaks.com, www.calorieking.com, www.fitday.com and others. Quite simply, there are no excuses.

Nutrition is often called the fourth discipline of triathlon training, but I think it should be the first. Without a proper nutrition foundation, it’s impossible to have a solid performance race day. The next time you are slogging through a workout or are struggling at the end of a race, consider the possibility that you don’t need to train more, but simply eat smarter.

In the third and last installment of this series on Triathlon Foundations I will discuss how to make an annual training plan that’s tailored to your individual needs. 

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Carrie Barrett is a USAT Level 1 Certified Coach and freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Her articles have appeared on Livestrong.com, “Runner Triathlete News”, “Inside Texas Running”, and the recent triathlon anthology, “The Meaning of Tri.” Barrett is also a member of Erin Baker’s National Triathlon Team. For more information on her coaching, speaking and writing, visit fomotraining.com