Training & Nutrition - ravenous hunger 3 hours into ride

3 hours into my ride today, I got so hungry that I wanted to go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and gorge myself. I brought along a huge, 1 1/2 lb boiled potato and a banana, which I ate along the way, and finished at the halfway point. It wasn't enough. I ate 3 scrambled eggs and toast 1 hour before my ride. This "ravenous hunger thing" didn't used to happen. It started mabye a month ago. Sometimes it will happen after a two hour ride up to Mt. Wilson.

I am 6'0", 173 lbs., and have been cycling for a year.

Have I burned up all my body's fat storage?

Obviously, I should be taking more food with my on my rides...

sounds like your blood sugar spiked.....hate when that happens.

No, you didn't use up all your fat stores. 3 hours isn't anywhere near long enough for that ... we're talking days and days of consistent cycling and very little eating for that. And you'd have lost a significant amount of weight.

No, your blood sugar didn't spike. Had that happened, you would not be hungry because you would have just finished eating.

What likely happened was that your blood sugar (the most readily available fuel) dropped because it was used up.

Were you consuming about 250 calories per hour while riding?

Were you consuming about 250 calories per hour while riding?

No. That huge potato probably had 300 calories. The banana, 100.

Is a baked potato really 300 Cal?

Is a baked potato really 300 Cal?

Depends how big it is. 300 calories would be a pretty monster-sized potato.

I'd suggest to go to a doctor for a check-up, mention it to him. If it is some sort of funky blood-sugar or diabetic thing happening, the quicker you know about it, the better off you are. And if everything's normal in that department, then you won't be wondering what's wrong.

Otherwise, yeah, take a PB&J or whatever along and eat when you feel like it.

I've always had plenty of fat reserves, and I can always eat, but don't get ravenous like that, either.

By the way, I've read in times past that a lot of the calories on a biked potato are the butter and sour cream and bacon bits and cheese, not the potato itself.

When mountain hiking in the past, I found that a 7-layer burrito always tasted SO good on the way home.

Depends how big it is. 300 calories would be a pretty monster-sized potato.

A ~350g potato raw. Really not that much if you visualize it.

i don't see what the big deal is.

to me, that's a "wimpy" breakfast (going to assume). A potato + banana isn't much food.

the whole "i eat more than usual for the past month" thing doesn't surprise me much. when i started to do my weight lifting + working + biking, my metabolism exploded, and i needed to eat and eat and eat. 5000kcal a day was normal for me.

if i go for a three hour ride, i pack 2 bananas, and a bagel. i lose my appetite when riding, and eat more when i get home. you were riding for longer than that; i'd think you'd have to eat more.

you might be burning 1000kcal/hour of riding. depends how much umph you've got. i'm a wiener biker, and the trainers i've been on tell me i burn maybe 850kcal/hour of biking.

Try a good sized dish of REAL oatmeal for breakfast, skim milk, berries. That is what Will Dehne (66 years old) ate for breakfast on his recent across the country ride in 28 days. It is what I eat also. Never have problem with hunger. Often, I will swim for an hour, weight lift, then bike for 2 more hours.

Digests slowly, good energy for a long time.

If continues, see the doc.

Thanks for the advice. Not sure how accurate it is, but my Garmin registered 5600 calories burned during the ride (5 hours, 36 minutes in the saddle) so that is about 1000 calories per hour of riding.

I should have had a bigger breakfast. Mabye added some bacon and some fruit.

I don't like oatmeal at all, but I like burritos. I'll have to try packing along a burrito and/or a couple of pbj's.

I understand it is better to not eat to much before a ride, better to eat after the ride. So far as I can tell, never hurts to have some snacks available as you ride, but just consider that it may be better to eat after the ride then immediately before.

I understand it is better to not eat to much before a ride, better to eat after the ride. So far as I can tell, never hurts to have some snacks available as you ride, but just consider that it may be better to eat after the ride then immediately before.

It's better to eat DURING the ride.

True just not to much, keep the fuel alive. Overeating on a ride can result in a not to happy stomach and a lost lunch. Thats just what I wanted to offer 2.5 cents you know :)

3 hours into my ride today, I got so hungry that I wanted to go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and gorge myself. I brought along a huge, 1 1/2 lb boiled potato and a banana, which I ate along the way, and finished at the halfway point. It wasn't enough. I ate 3 scrambled eggs and toast 1 hour before my ride. This "ravenous hunger thing" didn't used to happen. It started mabye a month ago. Sometimes it will happen after a two hour ride up to Mt. Wilson.

I am 6'0", 173 lbs., and have been cycling for a year.

Have I burned up all my body's fat storage?

Obviously, I should be taking more food with my on my rides...

Hunger is triggered by a drop in blood sugar, so you used up your carb supplies. Exercise is in general a hunger suppressant, and my experience is that if I'm hungry on the bike I am getting close to bonking.

If you started in the morning, your blood sugar was down from your fast overnight, and eggs and toast don't have much carbs in them.

My advice?

0) Pay a bit more attention to your recovery nutrition. You may be glycogen depleted from previous workouts.
1) Eat a bit more before you start, ideally a couple of hours before the ride. Complex carbs are best. If you have to eat closer to the ride, ride slower for the first 30-60 minutes.
2) 250 cal/hour while you ride.
3) Carry gels with you for emergencies. I always have two in my saddle pack, and while I don't use them that often, they're a lifesaver when I do.

Hunger is triggered by a drop in blood sugar, so you used up your carb supplies. Exercise is in general a hunger suppressant, and my experience is that if I'm hungry on the bike I am getting close to bonking.

If you started in the morning, your blood sugar was down from your fast overnight, and eggs and toast don't have much carbs in them.

My advice?

0) Pay a bit more attention to your recovery nutrition. You may be glycogen depleted from previous workouts.
1) Eat a bit more before you start, ideally a couple of hours before the ride. Complex carbs are best. If you have to eat closer to the ride, ride slower for the first 30-60 minutes.
2) 250 cal/hour while you ride.
3) Carry gels with you for emergencies. I always have two in my saddle pack, and while I don't use them that often, they're a lifesaver when I do.

Those are some solid points. It will help me and the hope is it will also help the OP thanks for sharing.