What And When Should I Be Eating???
Discussion
If you're just starting out, don't worry re. eating. Just do as you would do normally/eat healthily, and pedal. And then pedal some more. Else you'll tie yourself in gastric knots as your world degenerates into a mess of energy drinks, recovery drinks, proteins and overuse of the term "fuel".
Just don't, whatever you do, go out and go hard/far/fast on an empty, or near empty, stomach, else you'll bonk. Oh God, that's bad.
Actually no, DO go out and bonk once, just so you can appreciate just how unpleasant it is, then you'll never do it again!
Just don't, whatever you do, go out and go hard/far/fast on an empty, or near empty, stomach, else you'll bonk. Oh God, that's bad.
Actually no, DO go out and bonk once, just so you can appreciate just how unpleasant it is, then you'll never do it again!
Jimbo. said:
If you're just starting out, don't worry re. eating. Just do as you would do normally/eat healthily, and pedal. And then pedal some more. Else you'll tie yourself in gastric knots as your world degenerates into a mess of energy drinks, recovery drinks, proteins and overuse of the term "fuel".
Just don't, whatever you do, go out and go hard/far/fast on an empty, or near empty, stomach, else you'll bonk. Oh God, that's bad.
Actually no, DO go out and bonk once, just so you can appreciate just how unpleasant it is, then you'll never do it again!
I had heard this term 'bonk' but had never experienced it. I figured either I wasn't pushing myself enough or somehow was too fit and healthy. I was wrong. Went on a road ride last weekend from Leeds to Settle. Only 50 miles but around 3500ft ascent, with heavy rain and 15mph head wind most of the way. Arrived in Settle averaging a pathetic 9mph and was on the verge of throwing up. Well and truly bonked. Never again I hope!Just don't, whatever you do, go out and go hard/far/fast on an empty, or near empty, stomach, else you'll bonk. Oh God, that's bad.
Actually no, DO go out and bonk once, just so you can appreciate just how unpleasant it is, then you'll never do it again!
Jimbo. said:
If you're just starting out, don't worry re. eating. Just do as you would do normally/eat healthily, and pedal. And then pedal some more. Else you'll tie yourself in gastric knots as your world degenerates into a mess of energy drinks, recovery drinks, proteins and overuse of the term "fuel".
Just don't, whatever you do, go out and go hard/far/fast on an empty, or near empty, stomach, else you'll bonk. Oh God, that's bad.
Actually no, DO go out and bonk once, just so you can appreciate just how unpleasant it is, then you'll never do it again!
Been there done that lol! I know how unpleasant it is and never want to do it again. So when I get home from work I should eat my dinner and then wait how long before going out?Just don't, whatever you do, go out and go hard/far/fast on an empty, or near empty, stomach, else you'll bonk. Oh God, that's bad.
Actually no, DO go out and bonk once, just so you can appreciate just how unpleasant it is, then you'll never do it again!
OK, going against what I said for a minute. If it were me, I'd have a reasonably sized lunch, finish work, MAYBE top-up with, I dunno, a banana, pedal immediately after work, then eat after that. Assuming of course it's possible. Going to a ride on a post-dinner stomach isn't comfortable!
Jimbo. said:
OK, going against what I said for a minute. If it were me, I'd have a reasonably sized lunch, finish work, MAYBE top-up with, I dunno, a banana, pedal immediately after work, then eat after that. Assuming of course it's possible. Going to a ride on a post-dinner stomach isn't comfortable!
Dont really get a chance for big lunch at work but I can have a snack when I get home to top up again. Not a banana though. They make me gag! Anything else recommended?Sammo123 said:
Dont really get a chance for big lunch at work but I can have a snack when I get home to top up again. Not a banana though. They make me gag! Anything else recommended?
As above, don't ride on a heavy stomach. Some Malt Loaf, porridge or muesli. Anything not too heavy but with slow release carbs. swerni said:
Anything up to a couple of hours,I really wouldn't worry too much.
When you get beyond that you need to start planning your nutrition.
Would agree with this - if you've eaten ok during the day then you should have enough carbs stored up... only once you start pushing in to serious training will you then want to have a boost en route.When you get beyond that you need to start planning your nutrition.
What's more important is that feeling of energy so something like a double espresso 30 minutes before with a sugar in it - I don't take my coffee with sugar but that certainly gives a nice booster for an afternoon session.
if you're just starting out and are anything like me, you'll manage about about 5 miles before thinking you're about to die. don't worry about the diet / carb nonsense. just ride and enjoy and listen to your body. everyone is different with how their body uses energy, so what works for one may not work for another. for example i will frequently go out on a 50 mile ride and drink less than one bottle of water, whereas people i go with with drink two and still ask for some of mine... your body seems to adjust itself. the only thing i would say is have a sensible balanced diet, then you'll be fine. obvious i know.
and bonking is a very strange feeling. you're almost hallucinating...
and bonking is a very strange feeling. you're almost hallucinating...
Rob_T said:
if you're just starting out and are anything like me, you'll manage about about 5 miles before thinking you're about to die. don't worry about the diet / carb nonsense. just ride and enjoy and listen to your body. everyone is different with how their body uses energy, so what works for one may not work for another. for example i will frequently go out on a 50 mile ride and drink less than one bottle of water, whereas people i go with with drink two and still ask for some of mine... your body seems to adjust itself. the only thing i would say is have a sensible balanced diet, then you'll be fine. obvious i know.
and bonking is a very strange feeling. you're almost hallucinating...
Well I finally got out on the bike this morning and bonking is a very strange feeling. you're almost hallucinating...
I set off feeling very happy with myself, however I think I may of overdone the enthusiasm a little. I managed to get just over 1.5 miles from my house before I couldnt breathe! So I turned round and went home hehe!
I must say that in my very short ride I was really impressed with the bike. I couldnt get over how fast it was! I would struggle to get my Mountain Bike to hit 17-18mph, but on the Allez I was quite easily doing over 20mph and not going full chat! Although that may have contributed to the extremely short distance I rode
Anyway, bring on Wednesday night
Slightly related - but this is one of the most painful things I've ever watched.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTn1v5TGK_w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTn1v5TGK_w
The whole 'what should I eat' question depends on what sort of riding you are planning on doing (obvious I know but. . . . . ).
If you are planning on competing or doing a 100 miler then you will start preparing a few days before and will carefully plan your meals, and snacks/hydration for the ride. If you are planning on doing a quick 30 mile spin after work, then as long as you don't stuff your face with alcohol or hard to digest food at lunchtime you should be ok with a 'normal' lunch! Just make sure you take on plenty of fluids in the afternoon and have enough fluids with you for your ride, you should be fine! In time you will find you can ride further and further on less and less fluids.
I would suggest avoiding sugary or caffeine 'hits', you'll get a very quick spurt of energy but it won't last and you are not feeding your muscles - too much of this stuff WILL resulting in bonking (not the good kind)! - or at very least cramp ;-)
I experienced 'the bonk' once just over a year ago when I did a 65 mile ride on my hardtail (5 1/2 hours), at 45 miles I hit what I could only describe as a wall of total pain! I could not pedal, I could not stand, I could not walk, I cried with pain - it was without doubt one of the most painful 20 mins of my life! Thankfully after a 10 min walk/crawl I found a garage and stuffed a pasty and a couple of bottles of lucazade down my throat - 10 mins later I was ready to get back in the saddle. In retrospect the reason was diet, curry and a few beers the night before, bowl of cornflakes and a banana before I set off, a couple of mars bars 'en-route' and 2 litres of orange squash for the road! Lots of sugar, no carbs or protein - no wonder my body rejected me!
This Saturday I did the same route (on a road bike). Chicken and noodles the night before, Weetabix with a couple of banana's for brekky, couple of flapjacks for the road, 750 mls of carb drink and 750 mls of hydration drink - 65 miles (including Bury hill in Sussex) in 3 hours 20 without any issues. Pint of chocolate milkshake at the end and a couple of mins stretching - job done!
Then I dragged the family to Goodwood on Sunday for the BHF ride, another 22 miles with 750 mls of carb drink and a handful of jelly babies to keep the speed up, again no issues!
You will find what works for you through experimentation, and in time you will need less and less. I would not consider myself a 'serious' cyclist, I do lots of road riding, I spend as much time as possible on one of my MTB's but I don't compete (with anyone but myself), however - I do make sure I am 'fuelled and hydrated' for every ride. Unless you are competing or planning 'epic' rides, a 'normal' diet will be fine supplemented by carb and hydration drinks (get into the blood system nice and quick).
I swear by SIS PS22 carb drink and High-Five hydration drink for all rides, others will have different combo's they would recommend. Don't bother with expensive recovery drinks, if I have done a 30 mile+ ride I find chocolate milkshake does the job well!
Good luck, keep riding, focus on your cadence to begin with (not your speed), keep riding, keep hydrated while you are riding, keep riding, ride regularly, keep riding, enjoy yourself and don't take it too seriously - oh, and keep riding!
If you are planning on competing or doing a 100 miler then you will start preparing a few days before and will carefully plan your meals, and snacks/hydration for the ride. If you are planning on doing a quick 30 mile spin after work, then as long as you don't stuff your face with alcohol or hard to digest food at lunchtime you should be ok with a 'normal' lunch! Just make sure you take on plenty of fluids in the afternoon and have enough fluids with you for your ride, you should be fine! In time you will find you can ride further and further on less and less fluids.
I would suggest avoiding sugary or caffeine 'hits', you'll get a very quick spurt of energy but it won't last and you are not feeding your muscles - too much of this stuff WILL resulting in bonking (not the good kind)! - or at very least cramp ;-)
I experienced 'the bonk' once just over a year ago when I did a 65 mile ride on my hardtail (5 1/2 hours), at 45 miles I hit what I could only describe as a wall of total pain! I could not pedal, I could not stand, I could not walk, I cried with pain - it was without doubt one of the most painful 20 mins of my life! Thankfully after a 10 min walk/crawl I found a garage and stuffed a pasty and a couple of bottles of lucazade down my throat - 10 mins later I was ready to get back in the saddle. In retrospect the reason was diet, curry and a few beers the night before, bowl of cornflakes and a banana before I set off, a couple of mars bars 'en-route' and 2 litres of orange squash for the road! Lots of sugar, no carbs or protein - no wonder my body rejected me!
This Saturday I did the same route (on a road bike). Chicken and noodles the night before, Weetabix with a couple of banana's for brekky, couple of flapjacks for the road, 750 mls of carb drink and 750 mls of hydration drink - 65 miles (including Bury hill in Sussex) in 3 hours 20 without any issues. Pint of chocolate milkshake at the end and a couple of mins stretching - job done!
Then I dragged the family to Goodwood on Sunday for the BHF ride, another 22 miles with 750 mls of carb drink and a handful of jelly babies to keep the speed up, again no issues!
You will find what works for you through experimentation, and in time you will need less and less. I would not consider myself a 'serious' cyclist, I do lots of road riding, I spend as much time as possible on one of my MTB's but I don't compete (with anyone but myself), however - I do make sure I am 'fuelled and hydrated' for every ride. Unless you are competing or planning 'epic' rides, a 'normal' diet will be fine supplemented by carb and hydration drinks (get into the blood system nice and quick).
I swear by SIS PS22 carb drink and High-Five hydration drink for all rides, others will have different combo's they would recommend. Don't bother with expensive recovery drinks, if I have done a 30 mile+ ride I find chocolate milkshake does the job well!
Good luck, keep riding, focus on your cadence to begin with (not your speed), keep riding, keep hydrated while you are riding, keep riding, ride regularly, keep riding, enjoy yourself and don't take it too seriously - oh, and keep riding!
Tonberry said:
Slightly related - but this is one of the most painful things I've ever watched.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTn1v5TGK_w
I really shouldn't laugh but the way those two women were running just made me think they were trying to hold in a poo! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTn1v5TGK_w
....unlike some poor chap just ahead of me in the 2008 London Marathon who actually shat himself, much to the disgust of two women who were sat on the kerb at the side of the road at the time.
Somd good advice above.
The question depends on many things:
- your body composition (the amount of fat reserves you are carrying)
- the intensity of exercise - if you are working harder then your body is less able to utlisise fat stores, and so will use relatively more glycogen
- the state of your glycogen stores - how far they have been depleted by preivous days exercise
- the length of the ride
etc etc....
I rarely use energy gels / bars (quite apart from the awfulness of them) as I find I don't need them. If I am out on a decent traing ride (anything over 60 miles) or a race then I will have a "double meal" before hand. One perhaps 2 1/2-3 hours before, and another 1 - 1 1/2 hours before and perhaps take one bottle of carb drink and one bottle of electrolyte with me.
Annecdotally, I cycled to Lands End last week - about 570 miles in 6 days. The chaps I were with were constantly scoffing on energy bars / gels and lost no weight at all (and they were carrying significant amounts of stored energy with them). I ate good meals, and enjoyed the cake stops and lost a couple of pounds. For guide my % body fat is c7% so I'm not carrying a lot of excess.
If you are riding the Tour then I can understand the marginal gains argument, and the need for top-notch nutrition and constant fueling. For the rest of us it's another example of good marketing convincing peeople it is something that they cannot live without.
The question depends on many things:
- your body composition (the amount of fat reserves you are carrying)
- the intensity of exercise - if you are working harder then your body is less able to utlisise fat stores, and so will use relatively more glycogen
- the state of your glycogen stores - how far they have been depleted by preivous days exercise
- the length of the ride
etc etc....
I rarely use energy gels / bars (quite apart from the awfulness of them) as I find I don't need them. If I am out on a decent traing ride (anything over 60 miles) or a race then I will have a "double meal" before hand. One perhaps 2 1/2-3 hours before, and another 1 - 1 1/2 hours before and perhaps take one bottle of carb drink and one bottle of electrolyte with me.
Annecdotally, I cycled to Lands End last week - about 570 miles in 6 days. The chaps I were with were constantly scoffing on energy bars / gels and lost no weight at all (and they were carrying significant amounts of stored energy with them). I ate good meals, and enjoyed the cake stops and lost a couple of pounds. For guide my % body fat is c7% so I'm not carrying a lot of excess.
If you are riding the Tour then I can understand the marginal gains argument, and the need for top-notch nutrition and constant fueling. For the rest of us it's another example of good marketing convincing peeople it is something that they cannot live without.
Didn't ride it last week though. Waaaaaaaay too unforgiving! Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff