The Victorious One

A Glance at My Nutritional Beliefs

Filed under: Training — Victor March 31, 2007 @ 1:26 am
taken in Antipolo when I was 15 years old during a leg in the qualifying race for the tour
Photo taken in Antipolo when I was 15 years old during a leg in the qualifying race for the tour
A bike is fuelled by human power. Our body is energized by the food we eat. As a competitive cyclist, I take this seriously. 
            I came from a poor family who managed to meet its needs with its minimal income. I clearly remember how the food and the baons were divided among me and my siblings, and how I slowly drink my yakult, an occasional treat, from a small hole I poked on its aluminum seal. I will never forget how I learned to eat and appreciate ampalaya at a very young age because we have no ulam but the bitter gourd. Hindi rin nawawala ang calamansi juice sa baunan ko during my primary years in school. And how can I forget the long rides with only water to get me by, during my early years of cycling. Palibhasa bata pa, malakas pa ang tiis. Skyflakes lang solve na. Kahit hilo at nanghihina na sa pagod at gutom, padyak lang. In such experiences, I learned a lot, but the most basic yet very important is the significance of adequate food and right diet. Mahirap yata pumadyak ng kumakalam ang sikmura, o sobra naman bumigat pero malamya.

            I only started to take my health and my diet seriously about 7 years ago. Dati kasi, kahit ano na lang basta masarap sige. Ang concern ko lang noon basta di dapat ako lumagpas ng 60kg. I always have my headache and vomiting spells. All along, I thought I have a severe sinusitis and migraine attack. Hindi pala. Allergy lang lahat. Naging mapili na ako. I also invest on quality food items. Medyo mahal pero it’s well worth it. Naghahanap din ako ng mga pwedeng substitute na medyo mas mura (e.g. Spanish style sardines in olive oil instead of anchovies). I usually follow a planned diet starting one month before the big event. My primary source of carbohydrate during this time are pasta, brown rice, whole wheat bread, oats, and cereals. My wife will also prepare home-made energy bars as my baon. Pero pag medyo natagalan sa probinsya kasama ang ibang siklista, I usually eat white rice, vegetable, and fish or chicken for protein. But if I have the chance, I would cook for them some pasta dishes, like what I did when the Casino-FilipinoTeam were based in Tarlac (during its 1st year), and Casino-Filipino shouldered all the expenses and the cyclists were well fed. During the local tour, I had my own portable stove and supplies. Aside from the super drink (it’s not espresso! and I share it with my son) my wife sent me, she also has a secret concoction of generic multivitamins I take daily.

Hard to believe, but I am a bit scientific. I am one of privileged cyclists to have an opportunity to meet distinguished sports scientists, doctors, and sports nutritionist ( a discussion with Ms. Sanirose Orbeta arranged by my former team, Casino-Filipino ) in our country with the effort of my wife and my sister-in-law. Using Dr. Devine’s formula ( for men, 50kg + 2.3kg per inch over 5ft ), my ideal body weight for my height 5ft 7in is 66.1kg + or –  6.61kg. The range of my ideal weight is from 59.49kg to 72.71kg. Since I am a competitive cyclist, it is a must for me to maintain as light yet healthy as I can be. I would then take 59.49kg (BMI=20.5kg/meter sq) as my maximum ( I take this as my maximum because it is more accurate to base my ideal weight in my Body Mass Index or my weight divided by the square of my height. The healthy weight range has a BMI between 19-25 kg/meter sq ) and 55kg (BMI=19 kg/meter sq) as my minimum healthy weight. But, I prefer to maintain my weight around 56-56.5kg to have an allowance for the weight I will surely lose before and during the competition. I think it will be a bit dangerous for me to become underweight if I will stay in the minimum 55kg. I presently weigh 57kg, so I have to lose an extra kg. I have to eat around 2560 calories to maintain my targeted weight. I hope I can have a skin-fold before the tour ( I hope there is ) starts. Walang saysay ang pagpapagaang ng bike kung mabigat ang pumapadyak.    

Aside from setting my weight goal, my other concern is attaining it though healthy eating and good lifestyle. This is very important for me because I have so many foods to avoid due to my allergies and sensitivities. I have to be very careful so I wouldn’t be sickly especially when my immune system starts to go down during heavy training. I cannot afford to be very sick before a competition dahil hindi ako pwedeng basta-basta uminom ng gamot. There are so many medicines with prohibited substances, which can cause a positive result in doping tests. As much as possible, I try to have at least 8 hours of sleep. Madali din ako nagkakasakit pag ako ay puyat. Smoking and drinking are no-nos.

 I am not getting any younger. Discipline in simple things, like my food intake and keeping away from tobacco and alcohol, will help me keep in shape for a longer period and compensate for the wear and injury I encounter as I get older.

  • Banana Overdose: after a very long time, I finally found the culprit causing my severe headache. BANANAS! It turns out bananas are rich in histamine that triggers my headache. Based on experience, I observed that I am having severe headache spells after eating a number of bananas especially banana cue made with the saba variety. Due to this, I limit my banana intake, and looked for other sources of potassium. 

6 Comments »

  1. this has got to be the most interesting post in your blog so far…i’m not saying na yung iba hindi interesting ha hehe. Keep up the good work idol, nowhere else in the world do we get an in-depth look into the life of a real professional cyclist.

    Comment by Master Flahute — April 19, 2007 @ 9:16 pm

  2. thank you, when i wrote this i dont think it will be interesting, sad to say hindi kasi masyadong concern ang mga pro cyclist dito sa atin sa ganitong mga bagay siguro kasi kailangan talaga maging resourceful in budgeting. and although there were seminars, hindi rin nakagawian na iapply at magbase sa mga scientific measurements ang mga training programs.

    Comment by Victor — April 20, 2007 @ 12:57 pm

  3. pasensya na nga pala at konti tiis sa mga posts, na delayed ang mga posts. medyo grogehan kasi ang training at hindi na ako masyado makapagtype, sa velo na kc ako. but i’m working extra hard to write my posts in advance para marami reserve hehehe

    Comment by Victor — April 20, 2007 @ 12:59 pm

  4. sa america scientific sila lahat mula sa gel,recovery drink at kung anu anu pa.

    pero tayong mga pinoy immigrant dito na mahilig sa bisikleta palitaw at peanut butter sandwich ayos na bago bumiyahe.

    in terms of nutrition system iba ata metabolismo nating mga pinoy.

    Comment by sram — May 3, 2007 @ 12:07 pm

  5. Hi Vic I was reading your blog regarding BMI here in the UK its being faced out as a means of determining a healthy weight.

    Its never used by world class endurance athletes to my knowledge, they tend to be guided by Body Fat Percentage, as their BMI would always be well below a Medicaly recommended range for them.

    Remember that top cyclist here in europe use body fat percentage as a guide to their fitness level, this can be as low as 4 to 8% in some athletes.

    I appreciate its difficult to asses ones Body Fat, remember that in calculating BMI it does not allow for muscle mass, Arnel Swarzeneger for example would have a high BMI due to muscle mass and not body fat.

    I hope this helps in determining your Ideal racing weight

    Kind Regards

    John

    Comment by john cooney — May 25, 2007 @ 7:10 am

  6. This is the age of internet. Thru this sana maraming Pinoy road cyclists ang magbasa ng columns mo especially re: proper training. that they can apply. Very informative ang column mong ito.

    Comment by Norman Baybayan — September 24, 2007 @ 9:41 am

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