Why You're Always Hungry

by Courtney Friese, Flex with Friese

You train like an elite athlete. But there's a good chance you're eating like someone on a diet.

That gap, between the energy you're burning and the energy you're replacing, is one of the most consistent performance killers I see across every type of swimmer. Teen swimmers dealing with diet culture pressure. Masters swimmers cutting back because they think they "don't need as much" as they age. Triathletes piling on run and bike volume without adjusting food intake to match.

The hunger isn't weakness. It's data.

Why swimmers burn more than they think

Water temperature alone forces your body to work harder to regulate its core temperature, and that's extra caloric expenditure on top of the actual training load. Add the glycogen depletion from sustained, high-intensity work, and you've got energy demands that rival endurance runners, without the obvious visual sweat cues that remind you how hard you've been working.

For teen athletes, layer puberty and growth on top of that. Your body is building bone, muscle, and organ tissue simultaneously while training 10–20 hours per week. The calorie math is significant.

For masters swimmers and triathletes:

• Metabolism doesn't slow as dramatically as fitness culture suggests, but recovery does take longer, meaning your body needs more resources to repair between sessions, not fewer.

• Triathletes running triple-discipline training weeks often underestimate fueling needs because no single session feels as demanding as a full swim practice, but the cumulative load adds up fast.

• Masters athletes over 50 have increased protein needs per pound of bodyweight to maintain muscle mass, making underfueling even more costly in terms of body composition and joint health.

Signs you might be underfueling, at any age

• Heavy, sluggish limbs during the middle of practice or a brick workout

• Persistent fatigue that doesn't resolve with rest days

• Brain fog, difficulty concentrating, mood swings

• Intense cravings, especially for carbs and sugar, in the evening

• Times or pace that plateau despite consistent training

• Getting sick more often than you used to

• Poor sleep quality even when you're exhausted

Carbs are not the enemy. At any age.

I know. You've heard otherwise. But carbohydrates are your body's primary fuel source during swim training. This is not controversial sports science, it's basic physiology. When you restrict them, glycogen stores run low. Low glycogen means flat, slow, early fatigue. It doesn't matter if you're 15, 55, or older.

Swimmer-friendly carbs your body runs on: bagels, rice bowls, fruit, granola bars, pasta, potatoes, pretzels, oatmeal. These aren't indulgences. They're the fuel in your tank.

For triathletes especially:

• Low-carb training approaches that work for casual fitness athletes tend to backfire for multi-sport athletes with high weekly volume. Your swim sets are high-intensity. Trying to run them on fat oxidation alone leaves you flat in the water and slow on the bike that follows.

• Carb timing around your longest sessions matters most. Prioritize intake before and after, and you have more flexibility on lower-intensity days.

Timing matters as much as what you eat

Before training → Quick-digesting carbs. Banana, granola bar, toast with honey, rice cake. Get something in before you're in the water.

After training → Carbs + protein within 30–45 minutes. This is your recovery window. More on this in Month 2.

Evening → A full dinner to replenish glycogen for the next session. Skipping or skimping here means starting the next day behind.

Before morning practice, even when it's 5am

Training fasted is one of the fastest ways to accelerate muscle breakdown and underperform on the sets that matter most. Even something small makes a measurable difference:

• Banana + protein shake

• Applesauce pouch + granola bar

• Toast + honey + glass of milk

• Dry cereal + milk if that's all you can stomach

Masters and triathlete morning note:

• Early-morning two-a-day training is common in triathlon. If you're swimming at 5:30am then running at noon, that window between sessions is your most important fueling opportunity of the day, not just for recovery, but to load up for session two. Skipping it compounds across a training week.

• For athletes over 40, the anabolic window after training is shorter and more important. Getting protein and carbs in quickly after a morning session matters more than it did at 25.

A note for parents of young swimmers

If your teen is constantly tired, complaining of heavy legs, or getting sick more than usual, the first place to look is nutrition. Not effort, not sleep alone. Focus on performance, energy, and consistency rather than weight or portion sizes. A well-fueled swimmer outperforms a restricted one every single time.

Quick tips

• Eat within 30 minutes before practice, even something small beats nothing

• If you're starving at 10pm, that's a fueling signal, answer it

• Hydrate before you're thirsty. Yes, swimmers sweat, even in the pool

• Pair a carb with a protein at every meal and snack for sustained energy

• Masters athletes: don't cut calories in the off-season, cut volume of training if needed, not food

• Triathletes: fuel each discipline, not just the longest one

Free Download: 10 Grab-and-Go Swim Snacks

Not sure what to grab before practice or a double training day? This cheat sheet covers protein + carb combos under 5 minutes, budget-friendly picks, convenience store options, and school-safe ideas for younger athletes. Works for the teenager and the 50-year-old masters swimmer on a lunch break.

Next month: Protein & the Recovery Window, why what you eat after training matters more than anything else.