Originally Posted by JamesV
Woo hoo... a fellow devotee of oatmeal! I love the stuff. Got my wife and daughter turned into oatmeal fans too. Once in a while we'll even say, hey, let's have oatmeal for dinner! Are we nuts or what?
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What CdCf said, I'm referring to the glycemic index of optimal food and drink for the cyclist, not the fad diet.
Here's an idea for you. Let's go on a 4-hour ride. After three hours, we'll each get one snack. I'll eat French Bread (GI=100+) while you have peanuts (GI under 40). After the last hour of riding I think you'll have a new appreciation of the glycemic index
I do agree with you about reading and studying up on glycemic index, metabolic pathways, gastric emptying, etc. Human exercise metabolism is complicated (to a non-expert like me, anyway) and there's a tremendous amount of misinformation out there.
I would eat what I usually eat for a 4 hour ride and I wouldn't bother with the GI at all. I'd have a fiber based granola cereal about 15 minutes before leaving and either some orange juice (not from concentrate) or gatorade, then during the ride, I'd keep myself refreshed with water and gatorade. If I started feeling like I needed more, I'd have a Pria bar or a Powerbar about halfway through, and then afterwards, I'd have some kind of higher carb meal, and I'd throw in a few pieces of fruit along the way. It's worked for me so far, and my rides average in length from 2 hours to 12 hours.
I'm not saying it doesn't work, I'm just saying that if you're going to use it, better to educate yourself about the GI, since it's a diet for DIABETICS, not regular folks. Somewhere along the way, desperate athletes found out about the GI scale and figured it would work for them. They got lucky. It can work, but I think a better way to figure it out is to seek a dietitian and have them draw up a good, solid eating plan that's individual to you and your energy needs. I don't believe in fads, gimmicks, or whatever the new schtick is out there. I believe in practicality and dealing with people who can evaluate me as an individual and make recommendations for me.
Koffee