To eat or not to eat?

[Anders]

My main worry about eating/not eating prior to diving is that I'm prone to heartburn when I dive. I think this is caused by spending a lot of time upside down, thereby some gastric juice my get into my oesophagus.
This is easily remedied by some yoghurt or milk due to their high buffering capacity.
I also try not to over eat or starve myself before a dive, other than that I'm not too worried.

 

[B-J]

For CWT my advice would be to eat well the day before, and then experiment with what you eat the same day. Try not eating at all, and if your legs fail you then you should probably eat something. If your legs can take you back to the surface without food then I can`t see any advantages of eating the same day. Personally I like to eat small amounts of fruits in the morning if I have to wait some hours before the dive.

 

[JayyyW]

Hi! What I could recommend is begin revising your diet, do cardio and weight training. Diet should consist of 5-6 small meals a day. Avoid sugar and white flour. Meals should contain clean protein, complex carbohydrates, veggies and fruit. I would recommend fruit in the AM as they still contain sugars. Example: breakfast- 3 egg whites, 1/2 ounce low fat cheese, 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese, whole wheat bagel with 2 Tbsp. light cream cheese; Lunch: chicken sandwich (no mayo) with whole wheat bread, and veggies; dinner: 4-6 ounces of chicken or fish with 1/2 cup of brown rice and 1-1 1/2 cups of steamed broccoli. Things should never be fried, baking or grilling meat prevents extra calories. Weight training 30-45 minutes 3X/week and alternate with 45 minutes of cardio between weight training days. Identify what your heart rate is at 60-70% of your max and note how you feel; this will help you to know when you are in "the zone" without taking your pulse in between training time. I would also recommend checking out Livestrong.com; they have some great articles. I have had to do alot of research in my time to determine what works "better" for weight/fat" loss. I would also google "caloric intake" for your height/weight/gender". This can give you an idea of calorie intake you are going to be adjusting. For weight loss, I calculate 10-12 calories per pound I weigh to determine my caloric intake for weight loss. It's also better to eat smaller meals throughout the day, in between meals I like to snack on almonds or grab a FiberOne bar-they are 140 calories and high in fiber (which helps your digestive system). I hope some of this helps (=By Bella
Best of Luck!

Although i do agree with a majority of your post, whole grains have been shown to be an impediment to digestion and brain function along with many other bodily functions. This is a common mistake when following the food pyramid which quite a few modern nutritionists believe should be turned upside down. Fat free and low fat products have to replace the fat with un-natural ingredients, or more commonly sugar. Your body needs healthy fats like avocado and coconut oil, my personal favorites, in order to burn fat. By starving your body of fat it is much more likely to conserve your existing fat as a defense against starvation. Higher fat diets also provide much more sustained energy without having to consume and digest constantly which is typically a hassle and hindrance in freediving.

 

[J Campbell]

I eat nothing for several hours before diving and then have a banana about a hour before. I take energy gel packs with me to use if I start to feel hungry - but for my pool workouts I almost never need them.

 

[SmallBlockShark]

I find eating anything impacts my breath hold dramatically. Eating good food, then wait about 3 hours or over night seems to work for me.

 

[spearoprelsey]

2 hours before I go freediving I eat a bowl of oatmeal and have a tea. Never cause me problems.

 

[Pinniped72]

For me personally, I would never willingly go diving, swimming, surfing or anything else in the sea without having ate something in the morning, things can go wrong and if they do I want to stay as warm as possible and have fuel in the engine. I am almost always on my own whenever I go in or on, so I plan for things to become emotional and if they don't its a bonus. For me its muesli with porridge oats, dried fruit and cold milk, this will keep me going for hours. Hydration is also critical for me, especially for my ears, I always make sure that I have drunk at least 2 litres of water and always eat a banana for the potassium before diving, swimming or bodyboarding, it really does seem to ward off cramps........... in my opinion