How to Effectively Fuel Your Body

Summary

Nutritionist Erika Villalobos, a former junior and collegiate tennis player (Rice University) turned sports nutrition specialist, breaks down practical fueling strategies for developing tennis athletes. Drawing on her own experience of training five hours daily at Rick Macci’s academy without nutritional guidance, Villalobos emphasizes the performance plate model over macro counting for youth athletes, tournament-day fueling protocols, hydration timing with electrolytes, and the critical importance of practicing nutrition strategies before tournament day. She is part of the CoachLife platform and holds a Master’s in Nutrition from NYU after pivoting from a banking/finance career.

Guest Background

Erika Villalobos grew up in Costa Rica, moved to Rick Macci’s academy in Florida at age 14, and played collegiately at Rice University in Houston. She holds an MBA and a Master’s in Nutrition from NYU. After a career in banking, she pivoted to sports nutrition, motivated by her own experience of lacking nutritional guidance during her competitive playing career. She is now based in New York and offers consultation through CoachLife.

Key Topics

• Performance plate model over macros: Divide plate into sections (carbs, protein, fats) rather than counting macros; simpler and more sustainable for youth athletes
• Three-pillar nutrition: Carbohydrates for energy, protein for recovery and growth, fats for brain development, hormones, and reproductive system development — fats are chronically underemphasized
• Whole foods priority: One-ingredient foods from the perimeter of the supermarket; processed foods acceptable as a minor component, not demonized
• Timing by proximity to activity:
  • 1 hour before: simple carbs only (toast with honey, fruit)
  • 2 hours before: smaller meal with carbs and some protein
  • 4 hours before: full performance plate (half carbs, quarter protein, quarter fats/vegetables)
  • Immediately after: protein + carbs in ~3:1 ratio (chocolate milk is ideal)
• Tournament-day protocol: Half plate carbs, quarter protein, quarter fats/vegetables for pre-match meal; sip electrolyte drinks with sugar during play; 10-20g protein with 3x carbs immediately post-match for recovery; small carb snacks every hour between matches
• Hydration specifics: ~8 sips every changeover; minimum 300mg sodium per hour; start hydrating with sugar-containing electrolyte drinks the night before tournament play; stevia-sweetened electrolyte drinks for daily training (no sugar needed for sub-60-minute sessions)
• On-court nutrition: Low fiber, low fat simple carbs (gels, chews, fruit); practice tolerance before tournament day
• Key deficiency risks in teen athletes: Iron, calcium (especially in female athletes), magnesium (depleted soils); B12 shots essential for vegan athletes
• Coconut water myth: High in potassium but lacks sodium, making it inadequate as a primary electrolyte source; pickle juice and LMNT are better sodium sources

Actionable Advice for Families

• Practice your tournament nutrition strategy during practice weekends before ever using it at a real tournament; do not introduce new foods or drinks on competition day
• Chocolate milk is a near-perfect post-match recovery drink (protein + carbs in approximately 3:1 ratio)
• If training twice per day, a protein-and-carb recovery snack immediately after the first session is essential; if training once, regular meals suffice
• Consider sweat patches (~$20) to determine individual sodium loss rate rather than guessing hydration needs
• Vegan athletes require close nutritional monitoring; rice and beans together provide complete amino acid profiles; B12 supplementation is non-negotiable
• Magnesium glycinate supplementation helps with muscle soreness, recovery, and sleep regardless of diet quality

INTENNSE Relevance

• CoachLife platform: Villalobos is part of the CoachLife content platform, which aggregates expert advice for junior tennis families — a content distribution model worth monitoring
• Nutrition as performance edge: The “small margins” framing of nutrition mirrors the analytics and training efficiency arguments in adjacent episodes, reinforcing that marginal gains come from systematizing previously informal aspects of player development
• Eating disorders awareness: Villalobos references her own experience navigating weight management and eating patterns without guidance, highlighting nutrition misinformation as a systemic risk in junior tennis
• Pro-level gaps: Even professional athletes fail to implement proper tournament fueling protocols, suggesting the nutrition education gap extends beyond juniors

Notable Quotes

“I wish I would have had somebody to guide me to be able to fuel properly for those five hours of tennis and not be exhausted or try to eat the things that I thought were correct but were not correct.” — Erika Villalobos, on her own experience at Rick Macci’s academy

“The reason why they don’t have any fuel on the third day is because they’ve been depleting their body for two days and they’re not replenishing it fast enough.” — Erika Villalobos, on multi-day tournament fatigue

“A lot of people make the mistake of just going in there and just cramming in as many carbs as they can in the morning. And then they feel like crap.” — Erika Villalobos, on the importance of practicing nutrition strategy before tournaments