Episode 172 - Real Triathletes, Real Results, FAST: The TNA Advantage

Real Triathletes, Real Results, FAST: The TNA Advantage

 

Ever wonder what actually goes on in my Triathlon Nutrition Academy? Well you’re in luck! 

For today’s episode I invited three athletes - Ben Meier, Tony Hampton, and Kathleen Gilton - who have already been through the program, to share their experiences. We dive into how the program works, the issues they were facing when they started, and the differences they’ve seen in their performance. 

 

Links:

Check how well you’re doing when it comes to your nutrition with our 50 Step Checklist to Triathlon Nutrition Mastery

Start working on your nutrition now with my Triathlon Nutrition Kickstart course 

It’s for you if you’re a triathlete and you feel like you’ve got your training under control and you’re ready to layer in your nutrition. It's your warmup on the path to becoming a SUPERCHARGED triathlete – woohoo!

Connect with me: 

To learn more about the Triathlon Nutrition Academy, head HERE | dietitianapproved.com/academy

See behind-the-scenes action on Instagram: @dietitian.approved

Follow along on Facebook: @DietitianApproved

Join our FREE Dietitian Approved Crew Facebook group

Enjoying the podcast?

Let me know what you loved about it and what you learnt by tagging me @dietitian.approved on Instagram!

Episode Transcription

Episode 172: Real Triathletes, Real Results, FAST: The TNA Advantage

Welcome to the Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast. The show designed to serve you up evidence-based sports nutrition advice from the experts. Hi, I'm your host Taryn, Accredited Practicing Dietitian, Advanced Sports Dietitian and founder of Dietitian Approved. Listen as I break down the latest evidence to give you practical, easy-to-digest strategies to train hard, recover faster and perform at your best. You have so much potential, and I want to help you unlock that with the power of nutrition. Let's get into it.

[00:00:00] Taryn: Welcome to the Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast, where we help triathletes train harder, recover faster and perform at their best. Today, I'm going to pull back the curtain on the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program. And I have a very fun episode planned for you, because I've invited three athletes.

[00:00:37] Taryn: We've got Ben Meyer, Tony Hampton, and Kathleen Gilton here who have been through the program already. And, uh, very excited to share their experiences and insights with you. Maybe not Kathleen. She's shitting her pants a little bit, but she's going to be awesome. so what we're going to do today is dive deep into the program about how it works. Some of the challenges these guys were struggling with before they started working on their nutrition. And then of course the rewards that they've reaped. Since taking control of the fourth leg from smashing some personal bests and also mastering everyday fueling, these guys are living proof of what's possible when you get your nutrition dialed in.

[00:01:17] Taryn: So if you've ever wondered what the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program is about, this episode is for you. So to kick us off, Ben, can you tell us a little bit about how you got into the sport of triathlon and what on earth you were doing before you jumped into the academy program and started working on your nutrition?

[00:01:35] Ben: Yes. Thank you, Taryn. My name is Ben Meyer from Tacoma, Washington. I got into triathlon in 2017. I did my first marathon in 2016, actually on my 26th birthday. I did the Twin Cities Marathon. And after that, I had, in 2017, I did a second marathon. I'm like, I need something else to do, something a little bit more challenging.

[00:01:59] Ben: And then a coach of mine, or somebody that I worked with, did triathlon. She's like, you should do the Lifetime Triathlon. So I did my first sprint triathlon that July, 2017. And I was hooked after that.

[00:02:10] Taryn: It's all history.

[00:02:11] Ben: yeah, it's all history, exactly.

[00:02:13] Taryn: And what, were you struggling with before that made you go, okay, I need to do some work and educate myself on nutrition?

[00:02:19] Ben: I definitely struggled by the time I get to the run, I would be like walking or cramping or I tended not to eat very well either before this I would eat a lot of fast food, um, which is never very good. the biggest thing for me was I would get to the run and I would be struggling, and I know that I shouldn't be. I mean, I knew I had trained for most of the races that I would do, and I would just be so tired by, especially with the half Ironman distance, which is the furthest I've gone, I would get to the run and I would just be exhausted about halfway through the run.

[00:02:50] Ben: So I knew there was something I needed to do about it, to be able to get to the finish line and not feeling exhausted.

[00:02:55] Taryn: yeah. , that's not so good for a runner. 'cause that leg is probably your strongest. But I know that a lot of people suffer with that. 'cause triathlon's a very different sport to just running. You gotta do all these things before you get to the run.

[00:03:07] Taryn: what about you, Kathleen? Tell us a little bit about your story.

[00:03:10] Kathleen: about 15 years ago, I had a friend who I was running with and she said she had signed up to do a triathlon and I was super intrigued because I grew up swimming and I knew I could run. I didn't think I had to worry too much about biking. I have learned otherwise since, I had a summer where I did triathlons and I really loved it.

[00:03:30] Kathleen: But then because of. Kids, job, all that. I had to take a break from it and went back to just running solely for the next 15 years. And in winter of 2022, I was struggling with some, what I politely call unpredictable GI issues while running. podcast, trying to find some information, see if anyone had any great ideas

[00:03:57] Kathleen: And I stumbled across the Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast. And that actually inspired me to reconsider doing triathlons again. 

[00:04:08] Taryn: Oh, wow.

[00:04:09] Kathleen: so for four months after hearing my first podcast, I had not only signed up for the academy, but I actually had signed up for two triathlons.

[00:04:18] Taryn: I did not know that I inspired you to do triathlon again. 

[00:04:21] Kathleen: Yes, you did. 

[00:04:23] Taryn: Oh, I got all the warm fuzzies.

[00:04:25] Kathleen: And you solved the unpredictable GI issues, which really is the best.

[00:04:30] Taryn: So signed up for triathlon and is continuing doing triathlon as a result.

[00:04:34] Kathleen: Correct.

[00:04:35] Taryn: Thank you. All right, Tony, what about you?

[00:04:38] Tony: So, I started with endurance sports probably about 15 years ago and everything was great. Couple of years, mostly running. Didn't have any issues ran up to a half a marathon, no problem. And then, uh, I started down the triathlon road, when I got into endurance sports, mostly running, my goal was to become a triathlete.

[00:05:04] Tony: So that was always on the list. I just didn't have a place to swim or a bike at the time. So I just started running. Finally got everything in place, started doing some triathlons, and then about the time I got to the 70.3, I realized that, I couldn't do anything over two and a half to three hours.

[00:05:25] Tony: I realized that I wasn't taking in enough water and then I wasn't taking in enough sodium. And then, 18 months ago or so, I found out that I wasn't eating enough as well. I'm definitely not taking enough carbs. but I never thought that that was an issue because I was a diabetic and I couldn't take carbs.

[00:05:44] Tony: Sothat's what I was always taught anyway. So, that was the last straw I was injured when I came into the program and I've done a couple of races since I've been in it, but not, well prepared for because it was more get into last minute. so I'm looking for 2025 to be the year that I really find out how well you're Schooling has taught me,

[00:06:09] Taryn: No pressure, no pressure. It is very common for diabetics to have no idea how to eat for triathlon, and, oh, I don't know, you get different education as a general population with diabetes, but when you have to train for three sports, it's a little bit different. 

[00:06:28] Taryn: problem is there's not a lot of information on the Internet, so it's some trial and a lot of air to to put it all together. One of the main things that the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program is designed for is to educate triathletes with the knowledge and the skills to I guess, empower you to work with your nutrition yourself.Like you're not. Left on your own and it's something that you get support with. But it means when you understand how to do the things that we need to do for nutrition, for. Plusalso the reasoning why, then it's so much more powerful because it sets you up for a lifetime rather than being dictated a race plan for one race and then having no idea all of the intricacies that go into that plan, so if something happens or goes wrong or you want to tweak it, you don't have the understanding and knowledge to be able to do that.

[00:07:20] Taryn: But I am very much for probably doing myself out of a job. By teaching you everything that I know after working with triathletes for decades and being a triathlete myself, we have 36 masterclasses in the program, which sounds like a lot. It's why it goes for nine months and you get 12 months access just in case life happens and you find you're a couple of weeks behind, it gives you time to catch up.

[00:07:46] Taryn: But I have so much to teach you about everything you need to dial in your nutrition for triathlon. So, Ben, can I ask you, what were some of your favourite modules or masterclasses that had the biggest impact on you and your triathlon nutrition? 

[00:08:01] Ben: the periodization ones, I mean, it biggest part about this is learning how to eat more when you're,you're doing harder workouts and eating less when you're either not working out or doing easy workouts. which, I mean, makes sense now, but at the time before I did the academy, I definitely was not doing that or I wasn't doing it consistently.

[00:08:21] Ben: Um, and now that I've finished the program, I feel like I have the tools to be able to, do any raced instance from super sprint to multi airmans if I decided to do that, which I will never do. and if someone tries to convince me to do that, please, please, please stop me. but for me it was the periodization.

[00:08:39] Ben: And then I would also say that, the modules, and then, uh, just some of the tools, like even this, like we have the weekly menu planner is huge. I mean, you write down all of the different meals you're going to do, and then you have a whole shopping list so you go to the store one day a week, and then you get everything and get out, because who likes being at the grocery store At all, in the first place.

[00:08:57] Ben: At least I don't, so. Um, it's great to have these tools to be able to plan everything out cause I think it really teaches you how to plan.

[00:09:05] Ben: I mean, race prep, it teaches you how to do all of these things during your prep phases. So then when you go to a race, there are very few surprises when you get to a race. Because 95 percent of what you do is training and prep, and then 5 percent is the race. Even, no matter what, no matter what you're doing.

[00:09:24] Taryn: It is those things that you do day in, day out that have the biggest impact, but it's often the race nutrition that triathletes focus on first. It's all those little one percenters that I talk about and the pills and the potions that you put into a race day. But then we forget and disregard all of the small habits that you compound over time that have that big impact.

[00:09:44] Taryn: One of the things that we've done recently with Ben is go through his diet. He has a plan written out for every day of his week that we did in consultation with each other. And we also did the same for Susie, who is in a bit of an off season. You know, that elusive off season that we have as triathletes after a big race, and then preparing for another one in a few months time.

[00:10:06] Taryn: So she's got both, like, a low, plan, and a getting into a big race season plan as well. What about you, Tony? What were some of your favorite masterclasses that we did in the program? 

[00:10:17] Tony: So, when I decided to join and I saw the outline, I thought, boy, this is going to be good. The one thing she's not going to be able to say anything about is my, Two things. One is my recovery because I'm on top of my recovery. And the other one was my race day breakfast. There's no way you're gonna mess with either one of those.

[00:10:42] Tony: They're dialed in. And man, was I wrong. My recovery was okay, but it wasn't nearly what I needed. And since I've got it more dialed in now, it's, it's even better than what, what I thought it was. But that was definitely, and it was week one, you know, it's like, okay, I'm definitely wrong. and then, my race morning it's just added more added stuff before, because I, I wasn't eating enough.

[00:11:11] Tony: It wasn't what I was eating. It was just that there just wasn't enough there.

[00:11:15] Taryn: Yeah, I know. Sometimes you don't know what you don't know. And it's not until you know stuff that you're like, Oh my god, I thought I had it so right and I was doing it wrong all this time. Damn it!

[00:11:24] Taryn: And high performing triathletes that are, high achievers like me want to do everything perfectly all the time.

[00:11:29] Taryn: So it's, it's hard to, swallow that. Like I thought I had this right, but I didn't, but that's okay. That's what we're here for. I,I'm not a gatekeeper. once you're in the program, All things are on the table and it's just about understanding what works for you and finessing that plan so that it does work for you and it's not hard and you're not trying to just follow or replicate somebody else's plan as well because that is designed for failure. So one of the things that I've worked really hard on last year is kind of leveling up our academy program in a way. I went inwards for the entire year of 2024 and tweaked things, perfected things and added so many more tools and resources to the program to make your life easier with nutrition. My goal is to make it easy, not make it hard, not make it another chore or just another thing you need to do.

[00:12:16] Taryn: Pick my brain to cut so much time and effort out of planning your nutrition and race planning and things like that. So we've got spreadsheets for all of the race distances, carbohydrate loading plans. There are over 200 recipes in the recipe database that are designed for active people.

[00:12:31] Taryn: Because that is the problem with a lot of recipes on the internet is they're not for people that do the type of exercise that we do. It's got to tick the right boxes for you, like the right macros if you want to call it that. Because a lot of recipes don't and we might feel like we're eating well but we're not actually hitting the right targets for us.

[00:12:50] Taryn: There's also, like Ben has alluded to, menu plans and meal plans to help with what you eat on a daily basis, as well as the recipe to follow and then the shopping list to go and get everything that you need to make that whole supermarket. journey. It's like my natural stomping ground. I love that place, but most people don't like it.

[00:13:09] Taryn: I have to set a timer for myself or watch the clock that I don't spend hours grocery shopping, looking at all the labels and looking at new products. I know it's bad, but That's my happy place. But I've done all that hard work for you so you don't have to write down your shopping list to go and get a week's worth of food.

[00:13:26] Taryn: It's already done for you. We also have lots of tools and calculators to help with the back end of race planning, hydration and things like that. So Kathleen, I know you found some of these really valuable this year. What have been some of your faves and what has helped make implementing nutrition faster and easier for you?

[00:13:46] Kathleen: I have particularly loved all the spreadsheets because they allow me to really tailor everything to me, which is the point of why I'm taking this class because my hydration needs might be completely different from Tony's and Ben's. And one size does not fit all. One situation does not fit all.

[00:14:07] Kathleen: So, Taryn started UF soft really easy with the hydration spreadsheet where we learned how to figure out our sweat loss while we were exercising and she had very clear instructions. And I completed that one and she reminds us you need to complete it often. You also need to do it in different circumstances, different environments, so that over time you actually have this collection of information about your what your hydration needs for a particular race might be depending on the actual temperature of the day But that was like a really easy starter one And from there, she really stepped it up with the carb loading spreadsheets I mean I was one of those people that thought a bowl of spaghetti was carb loading I have since learned that it's not only carbs, but you have to balance your fiber your protein and Your energy

[00:14:57] Kathleen: your kilojoules something or other like that 

[00:14:59] Taryn: Yep, don't give away our secrets.

[00:15:01] Kathleen: And so I will take that spreadsheet and I will put, I don't know, it could be two hours worth of work crafting what I think is the optimum carb loading plan.

[00:15:11] Kathleen: And then I take it to power hour and Taryn opens it up. The group looks at it, Taryn looks at it. And. The questions start with, Hey, did you think about this? Have you thought about that? Did you know your kilojoules aren't quite where we need them to be? So what if you add some olive oil? What if you do this?

[00:15:27] Kathleen: And at the end of that power hour, My carb loading plan is done and all I have to do is follow it. We do the same thing for race day nutrition. And after the event, when I've actually implemented these spreadsheets into real life then we go back and I can make notes. What went well? Did I feel well eating those things with carb loading?

[00:15:51] Kathleen: How did I feel during my race? you know, was I able to take in what I thought? But All of those spreadsheets have given me the opportunity to take the knowledge that we've learned in the masterclasses, try to figure it out for myself. Generally, I don't quite get there. Pretty close, but not quite there.

[00:16:09] Kathleen: And then have the group and have Taryn really help me dial it in for me. And then I save it for the next race that's coming up and I just start tweaking and going from there. So I feel. It gives me a confidence that I have a plan, and it just makes all the difference in how you approach your race day.

[00:16:29] Taryn: What about you, Ben? I know some of our meal planning stuff has been really valuable for you. Is there any particular tools and resources in the program that you're finding make nutrition so much easier for you?

[00:16:40] Ben: The recipe database is huge. I make the homemade muesli recipe. I just eat it as a snack.

[00:16:47] Ben: I throw it in yogurt. It's great. It's super, super easy. And it can be found at any grocery store. I just buy a bunch of all the ingredients, and then whenever I start running out, I just make more of it. And the fun thing is you can add, I mean, whatever dried fruit you like, raisins or craisins or Blueberries, or whatever, whatever dried fruit you like, apricots.

[00:17:08] Ben: I guess if you really wanted those. , and then, of the different, there's a lot of different tools on there. There's even like a, I think there's like a summer salad thing, a recipe, a database or something as well, which I never really messed around with, but, I'm sure that would be nice as well.

[00:17:23] Taryn: Okay, awesome. Thank you. So each week we jump on live, kind of like this, but there's more of us and it is a whole heap of fun, but it's a great opportunity to ask any questions that you have around nutrition, make sure you're not stuck with anything and you get my input and making sure that you've got, individualized nutrition strategies, even though we do it as a group, you are not just a number.

[00:17:46] Taryn: The more I know about you, the easier it is for me to help you too, which is why these guys in our alumni program, I know them so well now that I can be like, well, hang on a minute. You're asking me this question, but what's the underlying question going on there too?

[00:17:57] Taryn: Like there is something else going on here that you're not telling me. And that is my job to get to the bottom of it. So can you share Kathleen Maybe an example of some of the questions that you ask or even other people ask that you're like, Oh my gosh, like that's a major light bulb moment for me when we do get to have the chance to jump on live for Power Hour every week.

[00:18:18] Kathleen: I don't have a specific question that necessarily is a lightbulb moment. I think most questions are a lightbulb moment for me. I'm still new in my triathlon career and especially I'm changing my nutrition habits. And I will say it takes a while to change habits. you know, you learn something new and then you're faced with a race and something unpredictable happens.

[00:18:41] Kathleen: You know, you fall back to old habits, and so, in my case, when I went to do my first Olympic distance, I got extremely anxious the night before, which carried over to the morning of, my stomach was in knots, and as a result I went into my old mode, which is we're not going to eat and we're not going to drink because we don't want to have anything happen during this event.

[00:19:06] Kathleen: And I got through the event, but I certainly did not implement any of my plans. I did not feel great as a result. And afterward in reflecting on that, you know, one of the first questions Taryn asked it was, okay, so what are you going to do in the future to alleviate your anxiety? She already knew to ask me.

[00:19:27] Kathleen: I hope you're not eating a big salad the night before you have a triathlon. Kathleen. So now she had a new question to ask, which is, What are you doing to alleviate your anxiety? And you know, with each month that goes by each race that I do she's, she's able to learn and something about me that I don't even realize.

[00:19:46] Kathleen: And then she brings it back out and Helps you, just remember this is part of the journey, you know, you're going to have some forward steps You're gonna have some backward steps But if you have a team behind you a group of people on power hour if you have Taryn behind you You are going to be in the best position to keep moving forward overall And that is what I have really appreciated about the community that has built through these power hour sessions

[00:20:15] Taryn: Yeah, it is awesome. It's so much fun. And it is being accountable, right? And having to turn up every week and report back because it's not a, Okay, here's the thing. Off you go. See you later. We always come back and check back in, which is probably something Tony can talk to. So Tony, what's it like having, regular weekly access to an advanced sports dietitian first, trying to just, fumble around and wing it on your own?

[00:20:39] Tony: So, I, one of my things was I've had a couple of DEXA scans and, uh, you've reviewed both, in Power Hour. And it's not all just about Power Hour either. I mean, being a diabetic, hear, podcasts or people talk about, Diabetes and endurance sports and stuff like that. And I'll shoot you a question and you're usually already, oh yeah, I know that person or, you know, I'm not familiar with that person's work, but I know, something about the topic or whatever.

[00:21:12] Tony: and that's not always in power hour cause it's not necessarily pertaining to everybody in the group. but it's nice to have that, accessibility, I guess. but yeah, there's All the time we review my plan or whatever, it's like, Oh, you're going to do this, and then you're going to report back next week, or you're going to do this, and, it's on the G sheet for next week, I'm putting it on the G sheet, and then I have to come back and be held accountable for whether I did or didn't do what it is that was asked.

[00:21:44] Taryn: We do get shit done here. It's not just a, soft, fluffy, fuzzy around the edges. It is like, all right, let's move forwards. Like I'm very much a get shit done type person in a short space of time. And I'm going to help you in a short space of time as well, so that you're actually doing something, not just, I don't know, procrastinating.

[00:22:01] Taryn: So many people just procrastinate. And if you actually did something, it'd be so much better. So having that check in weekly is really valuable for that, which is not something that you get in a one on one consultation type thing. You don't see somebody weekly. Maybe it's every like four weeks, maybe it's every six weeks.

[00:22:16] Taryn: And it's a long time between appointments for you to go off the rails or do something weird. And that's a long time of not doingdoing the thing and not actioning and implementing something that is going to move you forward. So weekly I find is really valuable as well because it is like a small little changes compounded over time that will have the biggest impact on your nutrition.

[00:22:38] Taryn: One of my favorite parts of the program is Power Hour and the community that we've created. We have some awesome people inside the program that you just wouldn't meet otherwise because you might have your own triathlon squad that you train with or a lot of people do just train solo and have a coach or a program online these days.

[00:22:55] Taryn: So it's connected people globally. with, the common good of working on the nutrition and we all fail forwards together. But it is very supportive. It is quite competitive, I would have to say. Everything is a bloody competition, but in a fun, supportive high five type way. But how has being part of our community impacted your journey, Tony?

[00:23:18] Tony: Oh so for me a triathlete that I haven't met in person is just a friend that I haven't met yet. And then when you bring it in with the TNA group, you know, you're already seeing them, you hear their story, you know, what they've been through, you what didn't work and how it didn't work.

[00:23:36] Tony: And you hear, some personal things about these people. And then when you do meet them in a race or, you know, a camp or whatever, that you already have that connection. And it's just, it's awesome. All the people are great. They're, very welcoming. So when I joined the Supercharged squad, I was the only one at the time when I joined, and I only knew one other person in there.

[00:24:01] Tony: but I know them all now. So, it's fun. It's great. I love it.

[00:24:06] Taryn: What about you, Kathleen?

[00:24:07] Kathleen: The community has been really one of the highlights. I have certainly learned a great deal about nutrition and that was the primary reason why I started in the Triathlon Nutrition Academy. the format of the weekly modules where you learn on your own, you have a little homework to practice to see if you can put it into play, and then you have a power hour to actually follow up on what you did That was awesome.

[00:24:32] Kathleen: But as I have become more involved and in the Academy longer, I've gotten to meet virtually people who have set audacious goals that just make me think, gosh, maybe I could do that. Other people who are experts at trying the latest and the greatest other people who ask great questions.

[00:24:53] Kathleen: And I learn a lot from these people. The thing that fundamentally has happened for me with the academy is I have gained a confidence that I can do it. Do more than the Olympic distance like Tony talked about. I figured I can eke out a three hour event if I need to, but I have never thought that doing a 70.

[00:25:14] Kathleen: 3 was something that I could do with my unpredictable GI system. And over time, between the information I've learned and the people who I've met along the way, I've gained a confidence that yes, I can do that. And I've actually gained enough confidence that I've said, yes, I will travel from Idaho. All the way to Sunny Coast 70. 3 next year.

[00:25:42] Kathleen: , there are so many skills that I'm going to have to learn about packing a bike, putting a bike together. I'm a little petrified, but every person who knew I was considering it said, do it, we will help you. And it's a really big step for me and I am super excited.

[00:25:59] Kathleen: My mother said, do you know these people? I said, I really only know them by little pictures on my screen

[00:26:06] Kathleen: with exception of Kelly Estes, who I've actually only met for about 20 minutes in person because he is another Idaho on. One of my favorite people from the Academy, but I do feel like this is a very special community and I'm very grateful to be part of it.

[00:26:21] Kathleen: And I'm super excited about getting on an airplane for a very long time and going to Australia in 2025. 

[00:26:29] Taryn: Don't worry, Kathleen, we've got your back. We have a lot of, bike mechanic skills that can help you put your bike together. That is the least of your worries. You just get your ass to Australia and we will sort you out on the other side. What about you, Ben? What's been your favourite part about our amazing community?

[00:26:44] Ben: there's so many things to list, obviously, but finding out that someone's already been through the academy. Um, I had a coach for my first half Ironman and I found out that he went partway through the program. Oh, he just finished and I was about halfway through the program and we just started chatting about it and we each kind of shared our, What we learned about it or like what we like the most about it I mean, I always love community no matter what so I mean, it's kind of another community, which is great Especially in triathlon.

[00:27:15] Ben: I feel like a triathlon is a very individualized sport but there's a community no matter what I mean at races at Training for things it's always better when you can train with somebody else and I mean with the program keep each other accountable, and train together, which is great.

[00:27:32] Ben: it's a great tool to have. for me it's been, that the community is huge.

[00:27:37] Taryn: We have to get you on the list for SunnyCo 70. 3 this year because Tony's coming, Kathleen's coming. Ben, you've just got to check with your wife and just bite the bullet. Add to cart. Add to 

[00:27:47] Ben: I, uh, I'm already going to Australia in January when this podcast drops. So I don't know if I'm going to be able to do a second trip to Australia. I don't know if that day. 

[00:27:56] Taryn: Stay. Just stay.

[00:27:57] Ben: just stay for nine months? That's what, September, right?

[00:28:00] Taryn: Yeah, work from 

[00:28:01] Ben: Yeah, sure. unfortunately with my job, I have to go to people's doctor's appointments.

[00:28:06] Ben: I don't really know if that'll work, 

[00:28:08] Ben: unfortunately. Unless you can convince my bots for nine months to not do that.

[00:28:11] Taryn: One of the things that does set the Academy program apart is its accountability framework. We've already talked about, weekly check-ins and people being accountable and held accountable to the things that they say they're going to do. We're not flaky here.

[00:28:25] Taryn: We definitely get shit done. So how has the structure of what we do? Tony helped you stay on track.

[00:28:31] Tony: so I'm a grazer, if there's food out, I'm going to eat it. I, I just, when I walk by, it's like, oh, hey, okay, I'll grab a handful or whatever it, and it doesn't matter what it is, really. I'll just, I'll, I'll eat it. And when you found that out, you put down a challenge and said, you know, I can't, I wasn't allowed to do that anymore.

[00:28:53] Tony: We picked February because it was the shortest month. and so I had to give up all junk food and all alcohol for the month of February. , and we also set my race weight goal in February. And I was 30 pounds overweight at the time. And so I made it down to the, to that goal.

[00:29:17] Tony: I obviously gave up the junk food and, this weekly check ins at power hour. Hey, are you still, eating any junk food? No, no fruit snacks. So, that was the big one. 

[00:29:29] Taryn: as an Australian, I had to look up what fruit snack was, because I thought it might have been like a little tub of like, you know, tinned fruit or something like that. But no, fruit snack is candy. And then I'm not sure there's actually any fruit in fruit snack, is there?

[00:29:41] Taryn: I'm not sure. He's repressed that information. So we set your race weight goal for November 2024 when you were getting back into racing. How did you go with that?

[00:29:56] Tony: So, I made it to my, race weight, but, I came into the program injured and, I had surgery when I was going through the TNA program and then started working out the beginning of 2024 and had scar tissue build up really bad and got to the point where I couldn't get my arm out of the water.

[00:30:20] Taryn: So, Swimming was a no go and to do a full Ironman without being able to get your hand out of the water was just something I said, No, I'm not going to do that. but I did up with the losing weight and I dropped the 30 down to my race weight. Probably about, I don't know, five pounds over that right now, but, I'll get it back, here soon, especially, with the challenges coming up, Yep, and sunny, sunny coast. 

[00:30:50] Tony: yeah, stay in focused and I know you're not one that, believes in weighing daily, but I do stuff on the scale every day.

[00:30:57] Tony: And that's kind of a, it's more of an accountability thing for me. And I really only pay attention to one day a week that that's my weight for the week. So,

[00:31:08] Taryn: Yeah, I think that was really useful for you, because you just needed a line in the sand and somebody to actually report into, otherwise you were just like flitting around on the ether doing whatever, and going, this is not working, why is this not working, I'm not in the shape that I want to be, but I don't know how to fix it.

[00:31:25] Taryn: So for you setting a challenge, because you were so competitive. Was like the key to unlock that change for you, I think. And it was fun watching you do that because everyone was cheering you on as well. It wasn't just me. Our whole, whole group was like, come 

[00:31:39] Taryn: on, Tony, you can do it. One more month down.

[00:31:42] Tony: Yep. Yeah, there was, I don't know, 10 of us or so that every week there was people talking about it. So, power hour asking questions, all this stuff. Right. So 

[00:31:53] Taryn: Yeah. 

[00:31:53] Tony: a great group.

[00:31:54] Taryn: It's no place to hide. Not for you anyway, Tony.

[00:31:58] Tony: No, not me.

[00:31:59] Taryn: So that is a really nice, I guess, overview of all the things that the Academy program covers. If you do want to check out all the details of what you get, all of our topics for our 36 masterclasses, you can go to dietitianapproved. com forward slash Academy, register your interest for the wait list if you're in a period where we aren't starting a new cohort Because doors open next week on the 20th of January. They're only open for one week only. And we are off. We're starting another new cohort of the Academy program. So jump in now if you're interested. If we are open, and if we're not, register your interest for the next one because I love to send out some sneaky little gifts for those people that have registered for our waitlist.

[00:32:40] Taryn: And you won't know what they are unless you have your name on that list. So dietitianapproved. com forward slash academy to check it out. So we have 36 masterclasses that walk you through. everything you need to know about triathlon nutrition. And I love to teach triathletes in a really systematic way so that each week kind of compounds on itself.

[00:33:00] Taryn: We do recovery nutrition and pre training nutrition right off the bat, because I believe that what you bookend your training sessions with has the biggest impact to start with. And then we kind of snowball effect through everything that you're eating on a daily basis, your periodization, making sure you're getting your key nutrients that you need as an endurance athlete.

[00:33:20] Taryn: And then we start to tackle all of your race nutrition strategies. So carbohydrate loading, hydration, your pre race meal, the performance enhancing supplements that we can harness the power of, as well as there's a sexy spreadsheet. Kathleen loves spreadsheets now. Hey, I love spreadsheets now

[00:33:36] Taryn: for every single distance.

[00:33:37] Taryn: So Sprint, Olympics, 70. 3 and full distance racing to make that whole process easier. It does all the calculating for you. And figuring out what type of products to use as well, which is a huge one that you can waste so much money on using products that aren't the right thing. And like Kathleen's experienced like GI issues because she was doing the wrong thing heading into training sessions, but she doesn't do that anymore.

[00:34:04] Taryn: And she's got the confidence up to run long off the bike, knowing that she doesn't need to know where every portal is on her long run days. You also get me live almost every week in our Power Hour sessions, which is really valuable. You get access to an advanced sports tititian every week, plus the wealth of knowledge of everyone in the program already,as well as our amazing community of triathletes.

[00:34:28] Taryn: And we're all meeting again this year in September at Sunny Coast to do the 70. 3 race. Everyone that came last year is coming back, plus we've wrangled in a few additional people because they had major FOMO and they want to come and see what all the fun is about, plus race in a pretty amazing part of the world.

[00:34:45] Tony: So if somebody is watching along, listening along, and they've been thinking about joining the Academy, but they're just not quite there yet, to somebody that's on the fence, what would you say to them, Tony, to get them off the fence? so I was on the fence. I heard your podcast on TriDot, the very first one you did, and I went out and signed up, your list, and, the timing wasn't right, and then I followed it up with The next time and I was like, no, it's still not right. The last, the time I actually did sign up, I put my name on the list and you sent me a message and I replied back.

[00:35:24] Tony: And I very vividly remember this because I was like, I'm a type two diabetic and I know you're going to tell me that I need more carbs and I'm afraid of carbs. I don't, I, carbs are bad and I don't know that this is going to work out. And You're like, that's the reason you need to be here and that was the reason that made me sign up and I don't regret it.

[00:35:45] Taryn: There you go. All right, Ben, you're next. If somebody's hurting their butt because they're sitting on the top of the fence, what should they do?

[00:35:52] Ben: just sign up. it's gonna really help you. I mean, I was on the fence for a while. I learned about it in, I think, probably 2023. And then I didn't sign up until March of 2024. And my only regret is that I didn't do it earlier. and we all have things that come up, but.

[00:36:09] Taryn: have a great community, you get the accountability and you learn to just race better, as well. It really teaches you how to whenever I finished, I mean, no matter what the race is, I always feel like I gave my all, no matter what, now that I didn't have that before, but I was able to Give 100 percent and I had 100 percent to give where before I definitely felt like I had about 70 or 80 percent No matter whatYes, so good. And you, Kathleen?

[00:36:37] Kathleen: too waited a little bit before actually signing up. And, I would say like both of these guys, if you're thinking about it, Jump in. There's no need to wait. No matter where you are in your triathlon journey, whether you're at the beginning like I was, whether you're, you're, super competitive you will learn and you will enjoy and you'll be able to put everything that you're learning into play.

[00:37:04] Kathleen: I think that I realized somewhere along the way that nutrition is the one piece of triathlon other than yourself, that is part of all three sports that you're doing during this race. So you, swimming now you're going to do your nutrition in advance of your swimming, but each of those disciplines requires you to have your nutrition and your hydration be on point.

[00:37:30] Kathleen: And so why not? Dive in and make sure you've got all those sports covered right from the get go.

[00:37:37] Taryn: Well, thank you guys so much for joining me for this episode and sharing your insights into the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program. I've loved working with you. It is so much fun. Our alumni power hour sessions now that I don't even know what to say. You guys are just awesome. So yeah, thank you for sharing your insights and I guess lifting the curtain a little bit around the Academy program.

[00:37:59] Taryn: I don't feel like we gave too many of our secrets away. Once you're inside, there's no holds barred. And that's because when I learn about you and understand how you work and how your mind ticks and all of your preferences, it's so much easier for me to really customize and tailor your nutrition to you and what you've got going on.

[00:38:18] Taryn: So if you are on the fence, hopefully these guys have given you a little bit of a push either direction. Doesn't matter to me which one, but once you're in, you're in. So go to dietitianapproved.com/academy to learn all about it. Make sure your name is on the list because when we open, we are only open for a very short period of time and then we're off.

[00:38:38] Taryn: We're off in phase one, recovery, nutrition, getting started, working with the awesome legends inside. So thank you guys. I will see you soon.

Thanks for joining me for this episode of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast. I would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or want to share with me what you've learned, email me at [email protected]. You can also spread the word by leaving me a review and taking a screenshot of you listening to the show. Don't forget to tag me on social media, @dietitian.approved, so I can give you a shout out, too. If you want to learn more about what we do, head to dietitianapproved.com. And if you want to learn more about the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program, head to dietitianapproved.com/academy. Thanks for joining me and I look forward to helping you smashed in the fourth leg - nutrition!