Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Hunger & high mileage

In prepping for the spring brevet season, I have picked up my mileage to about 200 miles per week. That's alot for me and it will hopefully go up as my distances increase. My hunger has increased in a BIG way. Long rides drive me to eat. High mileage weeks drive me to eat. I eat more on non-training days as well. I'm not gaining weight but I feel like I need an exorcism to keep me away from the fridge. I track calories in and out. The interesting thing is that my measures of inflow and outflow approximate each other over time (hence no weight gain) but each individual day may swing wildly.

Is this normal in your experience? How long after long riding or high mileage does the hunger persist? I'm afraid that I may be using the mileage as an excuse to pig out. Interestingly, I took a training break for the holidays and the calorie intake has dropped dramatically on its own.

Maybe I just need Jenny Craig ;)

If your weight is stable no problem.

After a ride I have a recovery drink (large chocolate milk with some protein powder) and that sorts the hunger out. If I skip this 2 hrs later I'm devouring everything in sight.

Yes, of course it's normal ... you're burning more, so your body needs to consume more.

It's a great excuse to pig out!! Since my mileage has dropped in the last few years, I really miss being able to eat anything and everything.

Welcome to "ravenous randonneur" syndrome.:thumb:

Enjoy!

I certainly do not shy away from all you can eat chinese food buffets and as many carb loaded meals as I can during high mileage weeks or when preparing for a larger brevet. This last season I gained 6 pounds while I was riding and doing mega training. But I had my measurements from before and almost at the end of the season and looks like I actually put on 6 pounds of lean muscle mass(yeah)

If your weight is stable no problem.

After a ride I have a recovery drink (large chocolate milk with some protein powder) and that sorts the hunger out. If I skip this 2 hrs later I'm devouring everything in sight.

The protein content (relativley high) might be the key to staving off the hunger pains. This is not based on any scientific evidence, but rather experience. My favourite after-ride meal is an entire family-sized chicken pizza (protein in chicken and cheese, mainly).

Wow! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who eats like a horse after a long ride. I'm going to try the chocolate milk with protein after my next long ride.

Wow! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who eats like a horse after a long ride. I'm going to try the chocolate milk with protein after my next long ride.

I do good on the ride days.
My Off days is when I eat, eat, eat, and then eat.

Wow! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who eats like a horse after a long ride. I'm going to try the chocolate milk with protein after my next long ride.

It seems better that the horse avoid BBQ sauce or I might eat it too :) The idea of adding some targeted protein makes sense at any rate. I never had the hunger increase at this level when I was running long distance. I am amazed at the calorie demands of high mileage riding.

I have got to get a grip on post ride food intake. Heck, one of my goals for riding is to lose weight in the first place.

I'm ramping up for 500 miles in 6 days at the beginning of March, and then my first 200K attempt sometime shortly there after. As a result, I'm really trying to extend myself on my rides on an ever increasing basis. When I get back from a ride my dog has started protecting her food bowl, lol.

I think the chocolate milk and protein bar may be a good starting point.

I think the chocolate milk and protein bar may be a good starting point.

Try a bottle of Ensure right after your rides ... it has a decent protein content, is easy to digest, and tastes good.

Try a bottle of Ensure right after your rides ... it has a decent protein content, is easy to digest, and tastes good.


Thanks for the tip.

Another thing I have discovered is Special K2O Protein water. It seems to be the rage with the High School soccer team my daughter plays for. I have several bottles and will be putting it to the task over the next few days.

Recovery nutrition can help moderate your hunger right after long rides. I use endurox, but chocolate milk is pretty good as long as it doesn have HFCS in it.

Try a bottle of Ensure right after your rides ... it has a decent protein content, is easy to digest, and tastes good.

+1

or even during the ride, at the point (about 24 hours in for me) when you can't stomach food anymore.

i agree with the first reply. as soon as i finish a long ride i'll chug on a shake or pint or milk and maybe nibble on a small sandwich if really hungry (usually only when i have not eaten enough in saddle - maybe this is your problem?). this keeps me going until ii sort myself out and think about a proper meal.

if you are not losing too much weight i wouldn't worry too much about it.

happy munching!

I tried the chocolate milk trick after a 63 mile ride and it seemed to help. The Dominos pizza I ate right afer the chocolate milk seemed to work better.

I've found that Carnation Instant Breakfast makes a good post-ride recovery drink. It's got a good amount of protein, plus a fair amount of sodium and potassium. The variety pack has 5 flavors, so I don't get bored.

But I find the hunger to be one of the best side-effects of riding. If somebody brings cookies or cake in to work, I don't have to feel guilty eating them, unlike most of my co-workers. I'm getting back into riding after a couple years off the bike, and loving not having to worry about how much I eat.

Sure, I'll have another slice of cake. It'll get me up the hill on the commute home.

I track calories in and out. The interesting thing is that my measures of inflow and outflow approximate each other over time (hence no weight gain) but each individual day may swing wildly.Good idea while you are on a ride - not so good if you "obsess" while off the bike.

Pigging out comes with the territory, but it's never a good idea if you want to zoom, zoom zoom.

If your weight is stable no problem.

After a ride I have a recovery drink (large chocolate milk with some protein powder) and that sorts the hunger out. If I skip this 2 hrs later I'm devouring everything in sight.

Just picked up an interesting article on that for class...

<a href="http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2006/03/02/chocolate_milk_could_be_key_to_longer_healthier_life.html">Chocolate milk could be key to longer, healthier life</a>

Excerpt:
"With funding assistance from the New Zealand Health Research Council, Dr Miller and PhD student Cheryl Murphy, asked a group of elderly kiwis to perform two identical sessions of aerobic exercise on a stationary bike. After one session the participants were asked to drink a mixture of protein and carbohydrate (e.g. sweetened milk) and after the other just carbohydrates."

If your weight is stable no problem.

After a ride I have a recovery drink (large chocolate milk with some protein powder) and that sorts the hunger out. If I skip this 2 hrs later I'm devouring everything in sight.

+1

Recovery drinks make a big difference for me in the after-ride hunger, and keep me from over-eating.

But I do find that if I am actually down on calories, I will be a bit hungrier the next day.

I find that if I eat more during the ride, I will not go into that "eat eaverything I own" mode in the hours after a long hard effort.

Helps me finish strong too.