{"id":136131,"date":"2025-04-03T13:43:39","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T17:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/?p=136131"},"modified":"2025-06-23T15:37:22","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T19:37:22","slug":"3-carb-loading-mistakes-to-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/health-nutrition\/3-carb-loading-mistakes-to-avoid\/","title":{"rendered":"3 carb-loading mistakes to avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"

Carb loading is more than a reason to double down on your favourite pasta\u2014it\u2019s a strategic tool that can boost performance, help you stay mentally focused and crush all the miles on race day. But if done wrong, it can lead to bloating, digestive distress and a sluggish race. Philidelphia-based registered dietitian Serena Marie<\/a>,<\/strong> who specializes in fuelling female runners, recently broke down three common carb-loading mistakes on social media\u2014and how to fix them. “Carb loading is about fuelling like an athlete, not fearing food. If you want to perform your best, it\u2019s time to ditch the diet rules and eat like you mean it,” Marie explains.<\/p>\n

\"woman<\/p>\n

Eating too much fibre<\/h2>\n

Fibre is great for everyday nutrition, but during a carb load, it can work against you. “Fibre makes you full, and it’s hard to eat a lot of carbs if you’re super full,” Marie says. Overdoing it can also lead to bloating and, worst-case scenario, race-morning bathroom emergencies. Instead, focus on low-fibre, easy-to-digest<\/a> carb sources like white rice, pasta and bagels to pack in the fuel without the discomfort.<\/p>\n

\"Person
Photo: Unsplash\/gardie-design<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Avoiding sugar<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve been told to cut out sugar because it\u2019s “inflammatory,” it\u2019s time to rethink that<\/a>. “Sugar is your bestie during a carb load,” Marie says. Fast-digesting carbs like gummies, syrup\u00a0<\/strong>and honey help you hit your carb targets without making you feel overly full. They\u2019re easy to eat, easy to digest, and, most importantly, race-day rocket fuel.<\/p>\n

\"bottle<\/p>\n

Fearing liquid calories<\/h2>\n

Drinking your carbs might feel like cheating, but it\u2019s a smart move. “Embrace the juice, lemonade, sports drink\u2026 it all has carb-load magic,” Marie advises. Liquid carbs<\/a> help you l<\/strong>oad up without feeling stuffed, making it easier to hit your numbers without force-feeding yourself bowls of pasta.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fuel smart with these tips and make your carb load count<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5367,"featured_media":136164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[336100,344648,338444,342146,336347,330756,344649],"class_list":["post-136131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-nutrition","tag-carb-loading-mistakes","tag-carb-loading-rules","tag-fuel-for-runners","tag-nutrition-for-endurance-runners","tag-nutrition-for-female-runners","tag-race-day-nutrition","tag-serena-marie"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n3 carb-loading mistakes to avoid - Canadian Running Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Fuel smart with these tips and make your carb load count\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/health-nutrition\/3-carb-loading-mistakes-to-avoid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 carb-loading mistakes to avoid - 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