Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Nutrition during a bike run

First off, this is my first post so woot!

Anyways, I have a question for those people who have been losing weight..

I know that keeping your energy level up by taking carbs helps you keep going on the longer runs..however, I also know that the body burns carbs first then fats, proteins...

We are not like the skinny bunch to need carbs so that we don't lose muscle, we got some fat the body can burn before that!

So my question is, if you want quicker results.. is it not better to not take any gels or other carb packed foods during a riding session?

Personally for me, I went 30 miles or so w.o food or water [at the time, i did not have a water bottle cage which i do now!]

First Welcome to the boards!!!

I am in no way a dietitian. If I was I would not be in the shape that I am now. I do drink a lot of water when I ride, usually 2 bottles an hour. I do ride in this Texas heat, so it might have something to do with it.

I will usually eat a goo pack 45 minutes into my work out. I do feel better after and it usually gives me an extra boost to push my ride that much further.

I have lost 10 pounds this last month, but I did not get my diet under control until 2 weeks ago. My wife is the same way, if she does not get some sugar and carbs 45min-1hr into out ride she starts bonking hard.

Will you loose that much more if you skip a snack on your ride?? I dunno... I guess your millage may very on that one. For me its worth it to get over that one hour hump ,ark that kicks my butt....

30 miles is probably going to be a 2 - 2.5 hour ride, and you can get away with eating breakfast before you ride and not bringing any food. Remember to bring water, though!

I don't usually bring any food for rides under 2.5 hours; a bottle with some Accelerade, and a second bottle with just water seems to do the trick.

I have found this to be an excellent source of information.

http://www.hammernutrition.com/downloads/fuelinghandbook.pdf?utm_source=Endurance%2BAthletes%2BGuide%2Bto%2BSuccess&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=fuelingbook

This may be a quicker read:

http://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HNT?PAGE=TRAININGTIPS&OMI=10126,10071&AMI=10126

Gels are not the best thing to eat. They are meant to be a quick boost to do a sprint or climb a hill or something like that. Sometimes I will use them if I don't eat in time and start to bonk to tide me over till I get the proper nutrition in me. They are not food! As Clifton said, for a 30 mile ride you should be able to get buy on a decent preride meal. If you start going longer you will need to plan a little more. The appropriate intake for most people is somewhere between 250-350 calories/hr depending on how big you are and what your stomach tells you. :) Regarding carbs, everyone is a little different. I cannot get buy on carbs alone. I need some protein mixed in there. If you are just doing 30 mile rides i don't think you need to worry too much about the food issue unless you start bonking even with a preride meal. You just want to insure that you are burning more calories than you are taking in if you are trying to shead a few lbs. It's easy to over eat on rides. I've done several ultra distance races where I actuall gained weight! When/if you start increasing the mileage then you will need to start looking at on the bike nutrition which should not include gels!

Yea, as i am new to cycling, I have no idea on how to plan for long rides. I appreciate all your input! Homey hit the nail on the head, I have taken 0 gel packs or anything on rides and I'd rather not intake more than my output.


The 30 miles was not bad for me at all, though I wish I had an MTB because I rode on crushed stone trail from north suburbs of IL to WI on a road bike

Horse poo and hoof marks on the road ftl

Maybe I should try increasing my calorie intake on long rides. I've been trying to get past the 50 mile mark and find it difficult. I managed 71 miles in five hours on Sunday, but was pretty burn out by the end. I tend to only eat 100 calories an hour while riding, but could probably do better without much problem.

I'm still trying to figure whether my biggest problem is lack of training, hydration, fueling, or a need to HTFU and ride through the exhaustion.

My problem is I cant stand to eat before a ride. I ride in the am when I wake up, so I need some calories by the 1hr mark. I guess I need to start training my body to eat a good breakfast before I start.... I just feel like even more of a tank when I eat before a work out..

My personal situation:

I usually get up and ride 20-30 miles first thing in the morning. The only thing I'll consume before heading out is a liter of water, and I'll take one or two bottles of water with me. I used to do a lot of mountain climbing and lived by the adage "you climb on last night's (and yesterday's) food", based on the assumption that it takes a while for food to digest (a few hours) and be ready for use by the body, and I hate exerting myself after a good meal. We tended to eat well at dinner and snack all day, so not completely without food.

As long as I'm eating normally I don't worry too much about the specifics of nutrition, but concentrate of keeping the fluids going down (as you seem to be doing). If I'm going on a longer ride, or an all-day ride, I'll either take something with me (snacks and/or a box lunch), or stop occasionally and get something to eat & drink along the way.

My 2 cents . . .

I eat well and often before and during any ride longer than 2.5 hours. I don't even think about weight loss or counting calories on any ride more than 4 hours.

However, I do try to eat healthy. I bring bananas, dried fruit, dates, Fig Newtons and Clif bars. I also use sports drinks and avoid pure water on long rides.

I find that I will fail if I try to ride on an empty stomach. I find if I eat well, I don't feel the urge to binge after the ride.

Michael

Edit, P.S. I suggest a heart rate monitor to keep you in the fat burn range. I lost 40 lbs without counting calories by controlling my pace. It took a year, but it works.

Rode my age the day after my birthday (and almost a month after a TIA episode), I rode 51 miles through various streets and trails through Houston and had 2 other BF members ( Rex G. and aggarcia ) with me most of the way.

I drew the route ( http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/51-mile-Birthday-Bash343732 )and included 3 rest stops roughly 13 miles apart. The morning of the ride I ate a breakfast of steak and 2 scrambled eggs, a pack of light yogurt with a power bar harvest bar crumbled into it. At the first stop I had a Snickers Marathon Energy bar (chosen because it's low GI ) and another at the last stop. I drank water and had some Nuun electrolyte tablets ( that goes into the water battle and fizzes, it's also low sugar ).

I've had a little trouble since getting out of the hospital riding distance without getting light headed and nearly keeling over. This ride was great. I wasn't even nearly as tired as I expected to be. I probably could have done another 50 miles.

Here's what I do.

I am on a low calorie diet also. So I needed to have something help me sustain energy when riding or working out. This is how I prepare and sustain my energy level for my rides.

shorter rides - Prior to your shorter rides (under 1 hour.) I consume about 100 - 150 calories (energy bar, fig newtons), 45 - 60 minutes prior to my workout.

Longer Rides - On your longer rides (over an hour), I eat an energy bar or figs newtons about 30 minutes into the ride. That helps me with my energy levels.

I also sip water every 10-15 minutes. I Included a energy drink on 2+ hour rides.

Maybe I should try increasing my calorie intake on long rides. I've been trying to get past the 50 mile mark and find it difficult. I managed 71 miles in five hours on Sunday, but was pretty burn out by the end. I tend to only eat 100 calories an hour while riding, but could probably do better without much problem.

I'm still trying to figure whether my biggest problem is lack of training, hydration, fueling, or a need to HTFU and ride through the exhaustion.

50+ miles rides require FOOD. Not just an energy gel or 2.

For example:

Last Sunday (8/30-09) my riding partner and I did 82 miles in 7 hrs. I took 2 gel packs, 3 powerbars, 2 energy bars (Choc + granola type) 2 bottles of water with electrolyte drink mix, and 64 oz of water in my camelback.

We stopped at 45 miles for a water refill (1 bottle left in camelback and 1/2 bottle of drink mix). By then I had eaten 1 1/2 powerbars, 1 energy gel, and 1 granola bar. I drank 64 oz of Coke and rested for 15 mins before we began to push toward home. By the time we finished I had eaten everything I had and was OUT of water completely (totally dry, no water at all) for the last 3-4 miles or so. I chowed on a jumbo hamburger meal immediately afterward.

I was STARVED Monday morning but my time for the miles was the best I'd ever had over distance. What was nice is that I finally got the timing right for the energy gels. I didn't bonk so bad on the climbs like usual.

Moral of the story: EAT FOOD. Even when you are trying to lose weight, you need to keep the glycogen levels in your blood up or you will bonk. When that happens, riding/walking the remaining 30 miles home is no fun. Nor are you putting out the energy needed to drop the pounds at that point.

I agree with most here. 2 hours or so you can get through easily with no food provided you ate a good meal before. Right after that you need something. Everyone is different though and early on in your training you may require more energy intake than after your body is well conditioned to deal with extended endurance.

Also you should give your body some kind of recovery food after a good workout although if optimum weight loss is your goal then your recovery food should be a minimum of calories with a max nutrition punch.

Apple. Banana. Veggies.

You always hear people talking about Chocolate milk and other wonderous delights as a recovery snack and that's just wonderful if you don't need to lose weight. The pros and the hard bodies can get away with it. Those of us who want to lose pounds need to tow the line a little better.

John

I also don't eat on rides less than 2.5 hours long. Like others have stated, I prefer real food. Something dry and portable that is easy to fish out of my jersey pocket. I like to switch-things up between stuff like:


Dried fruit: mango, raisins, banana chips, papaya, etc.
Wheat crackers - just 100-200 calories. I've found that the high salt content helps prevent cramps on longer and/or hotter rides.
Roasted and salted nuts - especially on longer rides.
Fig/Fruit newtons.
Fresh fruit - smaller-sized fruits like bananas, plums, small peaches or apples, etc.

In case I get lost, or I did not bring enough real food, I always carry a goo gel in my seat bag, and some cash for stop at a gas station or something.