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Has anyone done the Core Diet consultation?

I feel like I need a hard reset on my nutrition, both my regular daily diet as well pre-race and race fueling. Looks like Core Diet's Consultation plan could be the ticket. Does anyone have any experience with that program?

Comments

  • I am in the process of getting race nutrition plans from them. Just did a sweat test for it and sent in a questionnaire.
  • Thanks Jim. Keep us updated, if you wouldn't mind.
  • I am really interested in this too. I am in a rut and need a reboot. Look forward to hearing how it goes for you.
  • LOL Dusty, I actually posted a message on Twitter last night that my nutrition plan needs a reboot, I'm in the same spot.
  • I'm looking at their site now trying to figure out the best options.
  • Hello, I may do the race nutrition dealio.
  • looked at it too, cost a lot.
  • Don't forget, with the EN discount the race nutrition plans, for three race distances, is $150. Good discount. Not bad considering all the other triathlon stuff I've spent money on...
  • When you say a "reboot" what are you looking for?
  • Penny,

    I am a big guy 6' 4" 240 and built like a linebacker. 2 years ago I weighed 285# and since falling in love with endurance sports I have dropped 40#. My BF% is around 19-22% and I'd like to get lean as I train for IMAZ. I struggled to lose any weight last year in getting ready for IMFL and ended up racing at 235#. For me the "reboot" is getting a good diet plan and having a focused purpose with my nutrition since my training hours are going to start ramping up in July.

    I eat pretty healthy but I am not following any type of structured diet plan focused on helping me get leaner. I'm not sure the Core Diet stuff is the right plan but I know I need to do something and get some outside input. Wish I was down in Houston to come visit you!
  • Dusty: I do work with people remotely. Now, if you want to come to Houston, that's all good, too!
  • My situation is similar to Dusty's. I'm 6'4" and float between 200-210. About 8 years ago I was 250 and used Atkins to get down to 190. Unfortunately I got back up to 225 then managed to get back down to where I am now but I really struggle to get below 200. I feel like my optimal race weight would be 185-190. I eat rather healthy but there's really no overall strategy behind my daily or race-specific nutrition and I'm at the point where I feel like I need some guided assistance to get down to the 185-190 range.

    I have a friend that's a top 10 ultra runner and about 9 months ago he switched to a diet similar to the Core Diet and said it's worked wonders for his endurance, he's been top 3 in his last few races.
  •  I am also looking at doing something with Core diet. Coach P which plan did you use?

    others on this string that have had the consultation or other plans, how did they work for you?

  •  Very interested in this. I too, used the atkins diet and southbeach diet. Those worked ok until I got back into all this endurance stuff. Had a hard time figuring out how to fuel the workouts within the confines of those diets. 

  • I signed up and did consult last week. Traveling today and will post full thoughts when I get to computer tonight.
  • I signed up and did consult last week. Traveling today and will post full thoughts when I get to computer tonight.
  • I did the race nutrition plan with them, and so far so good. I did a sweat test, and filled out a questionnaire that included things like weight, percent body fat, past nutrition issues, upcoming races, etc. I got nutrition plans for Olympic, Half, and Full Ironman races (and they threw in full and half stand alone marathons as well). The plans start two days out from the race, and are very detailed, especially for the day before and day of the race. The person I worked with was excellent - friendly and knowledgeable. The plan includes an hour phone call to discuss the plan, and my contact was great about responding to my follow up emails.

    You will be taking in much, much more than what is normally recommended around here. I'm a big guy (204 lbs), and the plan has me consuming many more grams of carbs per hour than the 90 grams per hour that I've seen given as the maximum possible. But on today's ride I had absolutely no stomach issues getting it all in - and my stomach felt better than it did when I used the concentrated Infinite that I used to use. I felt strong and alert right to the end of the ride. I've also noticed that recovery is much better too - I'm not wiped out for the rest of the day like I sometimes used to be, and there seems to be much less muscle soreness.

    The true test will be my next race (and race rehearsals - next one is next weekend). I think I've been bonking on the runs in half ironman races, and had major stomach cramps at Ironman Lake Placid last year. So far, I am pretty confident that this new approach will be a great improvement for me.

    Highly recommended.
  •  Which service did you go with?

  • Just the race nutrition plan (not sure if that is the exact name). Not a general diet overhaul - very specific about how to fuel for a race. With the earlier EN discount it was $150. A little more now with the new discounts that EN has.
  • I ended up going with the Mission Plan (no race fueling plan but I do intend to do that later). It started with a questionnaire like Jim mentioned, then a 1 hour consult with one of their RD's.



    I'll say this, the process of going through the questionnaire and documenting my typical daily diet really opened my eyes to how poorly I've been eating. I've been really struggling this year, particularly running, and I've been compensating by adding carbs - mostly grains. After comparing my typical diet to the Core principles it became painful obvious why I've been performing so poorly.



    I think the diet itself is fairly common sense and is largely guidelines that I've read elsewhere. However I do think there's value in the guidance they offer around training and race windows, and they draw a line in the sand between your "typical" day to day diet and your training / racing windows. That's new for me, I've tended to eat day to day to support my training and racing, and I think that's what led to me getting into a rut of overeating grains and carbs throughout the day.



    I just started on their diet this week and from a training perspective this week has been pretty much junk dealing with 100+ degrees every day, and next week I'll be in Toronto on business all week. So the week of the 15th will be my first real opportunity to log a solid training week on the Core diet and compare it with past results.



    Jim, you say you're taking in much more carbs than normal. Is that your training plan or your race plan? My Mission Plan came with a training plan and it's on par with the 90g of carbs per hour number. I'm your size - 210 lbs - but I haven't done a race plan or sweat test.

  • I got the race plan - not training or general eating. Although they do recommend practicing the race fueling on long rides, and the full day+ lead in on at lleast 2 race rehearsals. For me, on race day, I'm taking in much more than 90g/hour on the bike. And I felt good today with no stomach issues at all. Here's another shocker - no water. Powerbar, gels, bloks, washed down with sports drink. Seems to throw conventional wisdom on its head. So far so good - will see how next week's race rehearsal goes. Ever eat a jar of applesauce early in the morning and chase it with sports drink?
  • Would like to hear more feedback from you guys that have signed on as your season progresses, I have been looking at this program myself for the winter, and I'm curious to see how it stacks up over time, how you feel, how your body composition changes, etc.
  •  I signed up for the Core Diet Consultation and Mission Plan 30 days ago and have been following the program religiously since then.  Here are my observations thus far:

    • Goals:  My goal is to cut weight and get lean.  I am a big guy, (6'4") and I raced IMFL last year @ 235 pounds.  I would really like to get down to 205-210 if possible so my program was structured to help me achieve that goal.  One thing I learned is that I really really needed to change how I take in calories and what type of food I eat at certain times of day.  Last year I was controlling my caloric intake using myfitnesspal but I wasn't paying any attention to the quality of the calories or the macronutrient makeup.  Their program makes a lot of sense to regarding the types of macronutrients needed and the importance of timing. 
    • Results:  I am down 9 pounds since I started the program one month ago.  
    • Training Fueling:  Fueling during training: How they changed my training fueling was a big change from what I was doing before.  I have been using infinit and was going with a 2 or 3x concentrate in one bottle and chasing that with water.  I wanted to use Perform and go completely off course in IMAZ this year so their fueling strategy worked that in nicely.  The big change is the amount of calories I am taking in per hour on the bike.  Their recommendation was 1 bottle of perform, 1 gel and 1 powerbar per hour!  (after hour 1 switch to 2 gels and half a powerbar to make it easier to stomach)  My feedback after doing this for a month is that I have been much stronger later in my long rides and able to maintain solid workouts in hours 3 and 4 where before I would slowly drop off.  I struggled last year with nutrition on the bike, specifically bonking on long rides and this strategy seems to be working much better for me.  
    • Recovery:  It might be purely in my head but I definitely feel like I am recovering better now than I was before.  I am following their guidance to get a good recovery drink in within 15-20 minutes of a strenuous workout religiously and I am also doing the protein shake before bed as well.  I don't know if it is all related to Core Diet but my recoveries so far have been better after long runs and long bike rides.  I haven't felt as trashed as I did last year, but that might be just because my volume is just now ramping up.
    • Mission Plan:  I haven't really taken advantage yet of the Mission Plan benefits.  I have watched a couple of the webinars and those have been very helpful.  I am going to explore the forums some over the weekend to see if the value is there for me.
    • Race Nutrition:  Based on my initial impressions I am going to use them for the race nutrition plan to build a specific nutrition plan for me and my goals.  I struggled last year on the run at IMFL and I have struggled at most of my runs in HIM races as well.  I believe it is because I don't have a good nutrition strategy for the run and I really want to dial this in.
    • Overall Impressions: Overall I am pleased with what I have received.  I could probably have gotten a lot of the information from reading a couple of books but the time cost just wasn't worth it to me.  It was nice to spend 30' answering the questionaire and then getting a customized plan for my needs.  The RD spend almost 2 hours with me on the phone during my consult and answered every possible question I could throw at her.  One thing I really like is the specificity that is built into the diet regarding macronutrients and intake timing.  That made a lot of sense to me from a physiological perspective and when something passes the logic test with me I tend to buy in more.  

    Hope this helps.  Glad to answer specific questions if anyone has any.  

  •  I just signed up, my initial impressions are the same as Dusty's

    syracuseironman.wordpress.com/2012/...ckle-diet/

     

  • I payed for the race nutrition plan for Core Diet about a month ago. It includes race nutrition for the days leading into the race, and very detailed plans for race day. They did it for Olympic, half and full Ironman distances, as well as stand alone half and full marathons. I had been bonking on the run and had other issues. Although I love the simplicity of concentrated Infinite and water, it was just not cutting it for me. I'm yet to put the new plans to the test in a race, but my long training rides have been much better - no fade at the end, good run after the bike, and better recovery. Lots more carbs than typically recommended, but I'm handling it just fine. At this point, I would highly recommend it. And we get a pretty good EN discount.

    One side note - my contact was a little slow in getting back to me with the plan, but since she is a fairly well known, probably busy, female triathlete who recently won a 70.3 race, I was okay with it. She really knew her stuff, communicated it well, and responded very quickly to my email questions before and after my hour-long consultation with her to discuss the plan.
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