Nutrition: Fix Misfueling Before It Limits Performance
By Dawn Weatherwax
Whether you’re a competitive swimmer, a water polo player, a diver, an open-water or masters athlete — or the parent or coach of one — you are fueling somehow.
And here’s what almost no one tells aquatic athletes: the way most of them fuel is quietly holding them back. Not because they’re doing something obviously “wrong,” and not always because they’re eating too little. Fueling goes sideways in four different ways — and it doesn’t matter what sport, what level, or how serious the athlete is. What matters is which of the four they’re in, and what to do about it.
That’s the whole idea behind the 4 Fueling Zones™.
Want your athlete’s zone right now? Take the free 60-second FREE Fuel Zone Gap Quiz — then read on to fix it.
Which Fueling Zone Are You In?
Two athletes can both be “eating healthy” and be in completely different places. One’s running on empty; the other eats plenty but at all the wrong times. That’s why generic advice doesn’t move the needle — it’s not aimed at your zone. There are four:
Under-Fueled — trying hard, running empty. Calories, carbs, fluids, or recovery aren’t keeping up with training and growth. Signs: constant fatigue, slow recovery, getting sick or hurt often, “doing everything right” without improving.
Misfueled — eating, but not for performance. There’s food on the plate; it’s just not timed, balanced, or matched to the sport. Signs: energy crashes, inconsistent sessions, weak strength gains, and constant confusion about what to eat and when.
Reactive Fueled — fixing problems after they show up. Fueling only changes when something breaks — a cramp, a crash, an off race or match. Signs: last-minute changes, supplement hopping, no consistent plan.
Performance Fueled — planned, consistent, built to perform. Stable energy, real recovery, fueling as a strategy instead of a guess. This is the goal.
What the Zones Look Like in Real Life
These aren’t just labels — they’re real athletes:
- The high school swimmer who skips breakfast, trains hard after school, and keeps catching whatever’s going around. That’s Under-Fueled.
- The water polo player whose parents pack “healthy” snacks, but who fades by the fourth quarter because nothing is timed around the work. That’s
- The family that doesn’t think about fueling until their athlete cramps at a big meet, then scrambles to fix it. That’s Reactive Fueled.
- The masters athlete whose energy holds, who recovers between sessions, and who fuels on purpose. That’s Performance Fueled — and it’s reachable from any of the other three.
None of these is “the elite kid grinding two-a-days.” That’s the whole point: it doesn’t matter what sport or level you’re at. A weekend lap swimmer and a national qualifier can be in the exact same zone. What matters is the zone you’re in right now — and fixing the gap for where you are today, not where anyone else is.
The Questions I Get Asked Most (and the Answers)
Every one of these starts the same way: what’s the goal, and what’s the purpose behind the question? There’s rarely one universal “right” food or drink. The right answer is the one that fits what you need — in your zone, for that moment. Here’s how that plays out:
“Is my athlete drinking the right thing?”
Start with the question behind the question: what’s the purpose? A sports drink is just water, carbs, and salt — and yes, the carbs are sugar, but sugar isn’t the enemy; everything you eat becomes sugar your body uses for fuel. What matters is whether the drink fits the job you need it to do.
Here’s the classic mistake. An athlete reaches for something like BodyArmor — it has coconut water, no artificial colors, it feels like the healthy, hydrating choice. But the sodium is very low. If that’s their main hydration through a hard practice, a meet, or a match, the salt stays too low to do what hydration is actually for during performance — and it ends up working against them. And because there’s so little salt in it to begin with, you can’t drink your way there — you’d have to add an enormous amount of salt just to make up the difference.
That’s a Misfueled mistake — right instinct, wrong fit for the purpose. The fix isn’t a “good” or “bad” drink. It’s asking what am I drinking this for, right now? and choosing the one that matches. Asking that before you grab it is also how you stop being Reactive Fueled.
“My athlete isn’t getting stronger — should they just add more protein?”
Almost never. Once an athlete is getting enough protein, more isn’t the answer — if the gains aren’t coming, something else is off. Ask:
- Is the timing off — food nowhere near the training?
- Are they getting enough carbs and healthy fats? Muscle isn’t built on protein alone. It needs carbs and healthy fats to fuel the growth — short either one, and it won’t grow no matter how much protein you pile on.
- Are they eating enough, period? You can’t build on a deficit.
- Are they hydrated? Being under-hydrated affects building muscle, too.
Real fueling is a team — protein to build and repair, carbs and healthy fats to fuel the growth, sodium to drive it all into the muscle. When the gains stall, you don’t add more of one thing. You find the piece that’s off.
“How much should they eat before a race, meet, or big practice — and how long before?”
Start with the timing — that’s the real question. About 90 minutes out, there’s room for a small, balanced meal: a carb base with a little protein and a healthy fat — think a peanut butter and honey sandwich. The carbs are the fuel; the small amount of protein and healthy fat help it last. The closer you get to the effort, the simpler and more carb-focused it should be, with lower fiber and fat so nothing sits heavy. Top up with small carb snacks during long sessions or between events, and never try a new food on competition day. That holds whether it’s a Saturday summer-league meet, a water polo tournament, or a championship final.
“Why is my athlete always tired and not improving?”
This is usually the Under-Fueled zone — there simply isn’t enough in the tank to turn the training into results. Left long enough, persistent under-fueling becomes a real medical concern (low energy availability, which can lead to RED-S). If you’re seeing ongoing exhaustion, frequent illness or injury, or a difficult relationship with food, that’s the moment to bring in a sports dietitian or physician. Parents and coaches: your job is to notice and reach out — not to diagnose.
So What’s the Fix?
It’s not more food, and it’s definitely not restriction — restriction is what creates the under-fueling problem in the first place. The fix is the same foundation no matter your sport or zone: eat enough, eat often, and balance every macro around training.
That means carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats together, plus the sodium that drives fuel into the muscle — and eating consistently. An athlete in regular training does best on five to six smaller meals and snacks a day, not skipping and trying to catch up at dinner. Carbs before to power the work, carbs and protein after to rebuild it, healthy fats and steady meals to hold energy, fluids and sodium to keep the engine running.
The science is simple. Turning it into something that fits a real athlete’s real schedule is the part worth getting help with.
Start with One Gap
You don’t overhaul everything at once. Find your zone, close one gap this week, and build from there. One small change a family can actually keep beats a perfect plan they drop by Wednesday — and it’s how an athlete climbs toward Performance Fueled, one step at a time.
Find your zone in about 60 seconds — take the free Fuel Zone Gap Quiz. It names the zone you’re in, the gap holding you back, and the one change to make this week.
Close
The road to a best time or a big win isn’t built only in the pool. It’s built at the breakfast table, in the bag between events, in the thirty minutes after practice. Whether the goal is a first ribbon, a state title, a masters comeback, an open-water finish, or simply feeling strong in the water — make sure your fuel is letting your work count.
Dawn Weatherwax, RD, LD, ATC, CSCS, is USA’s #1 Athlete Fueling Expert, founder of Sports Nutrition 2Go, Food for Speed TV, DW Sports Nutrition Academy and creator of the 4 Fueling Zones™. Not sure which zone you’re in? Take her free Fuel Zone Gap Quiz — you’ll get your zone, your gap, and the one change to make this week.
