Training & Nutrition - Getting enough to eat -- yet not hungry

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DesnaePhoto
03-07-09, 08:59 AM
I can tell I am not getting enough to eat. When I look at calories consumed, I am getting about 2,000 per day. Riding long rides on the weekends, and trying to get at least 20 in the morning (long commute route), my recovery time is taking longer than before. Several days longer.

The problem is that I am not hungry. I have to drink water constantly to stay hydrated. Not only do I sweat rivers when exercising, my teaching has me talking all day long. Some days I am just starving and eat constantly, but more and more often, I am simply not hungry. Or I get filled up very quickly (1 PBJ or a small portion for dinner).

Anyone have this issue? I don't want to eat when I'm not hungry, but I need enough to recover and be effective on the road. Suggestions?

Thanks

paulclaude
03-07-09, 01:14 PM
The best plan i've found for fueling and recovery is to eat smaller amounts often. I used to get periods of intense hunger where I would eat loads, followed by not being very hungry for a few days. Ever since I started eating smaller amounts every 2-3hrs (i.e. breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, tea, snack...) the intense hungery thing has gone and my recovery and bike performance is much improved. You have to eat, even when you are not hungry I find. Training suppresses the appetite greatly for me, so I wasn't eating when I should have been.
daxr
03-07-09, 03:19 PM
Eat when you aren't hungry - 2000 calories isn't squat.

Back when I was racing I had the same problem, and it was a constant effort to eat enough. If I didn't, though, all the symptoms of overtraining would be there right away - elevated heartrate, fatigue, declining performance with increasing effort, etc. "Eat a lot of meat" is one thing successful athletes repeat often as a part of heavy training and recovery.

One good habit is to always eat right after a ride, no matter what. That is supposed to be a signal to your body to start the "restocking" of glycogen to the muscles.

arexjay
03-07-09, 04:05 PM
I used to have a similar issue, and I found that forcing myself to wolf down some more food has helped get my stomach accustomed to allowing more food in. Not eating enough definitely slows down recovery. If you're absolutely stuffed (not just not-hungry), you might find eating high calorie/low mass foods (like peanut butter, nuts, avocado, etc). will help you get more calories without making you feel as full.