💡 Fuel For Thought

Why I stopped writing nutrition plans

Three years ago, I stopped prescribing nutrition plans and started teaching people how to make confident fuelling decisions for themselves.

When I began my practice 13 years ago, I saw how powerful nutrition could be. Clients improved their energy, managed cravings, trained better, recovered more consistently and achieved stronger race results.

The plans worked.

But sometimes, a year later, I would hear: “Gaby, I need your help again. I’ve fallen off the wagon.”

Many had learned how to follow my plan, but not how to make confident decisions without me.

That was the limitation I could no longer ignore.

A plan may work while life stays the same, but training, goals, work and family demands constantly change. An athlete may move from a marathon to an ultra, increase their training volume or change their lifestyle. In those moments, following an old plan is not enough.

You need to understand what your body and training require, recognise when something is no longer working and know how to adjust.

So I changed my approach.

Instead of only telling clients what to eat, I began giving them the knowledge, practical tools and ongoing support to adapt their nutrition with confidence.

That became the foundation of the Fuel To Thrive Academy.​

Three years later, clients still message me to say they are using the race nutrition calculator for their next 100-miler, adapting the FASTER framework to a new training program or sharing their daily nutrition framework with the whole family.

That is what fuelling with confidence means to me.

A plan may solve today’s problem. A framework helps you keep moving forward through everything that comes next.

🚀 Endurance Highlights

1️⃣ Hitting the wall: Why it starts long before race day

"Hitting the wall" has long been blamed on running out of fuel, but this recent narrative review argues that what happens in the final kilometres is shaped more by the months of preparation than by anything on the start line.

The authors propose a broader explanation centred on durability: the ability to preserve physiological function and performance as fatigue accumulates. Hitting the wall may occur when metabolic stress, heat, dehydration, gastrointestinal problems, neuromuscular fatigue, declining running economy and pacing errors combine until the planned pace is no longer sustainable.

The review notes durability appears trainable: regular long runs, higher training volumes, gut training, and heat adaptation all build resistance to that late-race deterioration. Race-day carbohydrate still matters, but the review positions it as one input into a much broader system.

This is exactly what I keep coming back to with the runners I work with: your race-day fuelling plan can only cash the cheques your preparation has written. The gut you've trained, the long runs you've fuelled, the adaptations you've banked over months that's what holds you together when the wheels start to wobble at 32 km.

2️⃣ Food-based antioxidants for recovery and training adaptation

Exercise increases the production of reactive molecules commonly associated with oxidative stress, muscle damage and fatigue. Contrary to popular belief, oxidative stress is not necessarily a bad thing: when the response is moderate and short-lived, it acts as an important signal for mitochondrial development, stronger internal antioxidant defences and other training adaptations. This narrative review examined how food-based antioxidant strategies may support recovery without unnecessarily suppressing those beneficial signals.

The authors distinguish antioxidant-rich foods from chronic, high-dose supplementation with isolated vitamins C and E, which may interfere with some redox-sensitive adaptations under certain conditions.

Food-based antioxidant strategies should be applied according to training context rather than used as a fixed daily intervention. A varied, nutrient-rich diet should remain the foundation, while targeted foods may be most useful during heavy training blocks, closely spaced competitions, muscle-damaging sessions or environmental stress. The evidence is inconsistent across foods and largely based on short-term studies, so this framework is better viewed as a periodised approach than a fixed prescription.

🕵🏻‍♀️ Retail Finds*

This week's product review: Pillar Energy Gel 30

A few weeks ago I mentioned these new gels, and I finally got a chance to try them.

Features & beenfits

• Facts per serving (1 gel / 50g): 122 kcal, 30 g carb, 0 g protein, 0 g fat and 82 mg sodium
• Three flavours available: Original, citrus and wild berry
• Neutral flavour, not too sweet.
• 1:0.8 glucose to fructose ratio

Things to keep in mind

• $5.55 AUD per gel
• Slightly thicker than a Precision Gel but less than a Maurten one.

Final take

Overall a robust product ticking most boxes for those prioritising high-carb fuelling and absorption. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

👩🏻‍🍳 Kitchen Creations

​Download the recipe​​​

Pasta with Lentil Mushroom Tomato Sauce We have recently been incorporating Meatless Mondays into the household, and this pasta has been a hit.

I'm committed to sending the most valuable endurance nutrition newsletter. I want to make sure that every piece of content you receive includes information that helps you on your journey toward achieving your personal best.

Happy fuelling!

Gaby | Endurance Nutrition Specialist

🏃🏻‍♂️ Want to work together?

When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. ​Take the FREE Endurance Nutrition Audit. Not sure if your fuelling strategy is working? This quick 3-minute audit will reveal exactly where you stand and what adjustments could help you perform at your best.
2. ​Book a FREE strategy call. Need expert advice on your next best step? Let’s chat! In this commitment-free call, I’ll help you identify key areas to improve and map out a fueling approach tailored to your endurance goals.
3. ​Join the Fuel To Thrive Academy. Ready to take action? My signature program gives you the ultimate fuelling roadmap to unlock your full potential in sport and life, with proven strategies that have helped endurance athletes fuel smarter, perform better and break records.