How do you pack a lunch
03-24-17, 10:27 AM
#76
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03-24-17, 10:29 AM
#77
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In the summer, I see 52-60 commute a day as a possibility, but not a regular occurance. I did it 2x last November/December when I was at my peak, but I took the middle of December to the middle of February off on account of 37 degree rain or 30 degree dry weather (Seattle) was too much for my kit. So I invested in panniers, gloves, winter shoes and rain gear. I'm working on getting back up to 150 a week, albeit with 25 extra pounds of bike and 10 extra on myself. It will take some doing. 2-4 mph slower so-far with all that gear and what I lost in fitness The calorie count v/s cafeteria food cost kills the LCF economics.
I think I'll take the weekend off, then try Mon, Tue, Thur, Friday again next week and see how I feel before moving up to 5 days.
The "true" cost of petrol is a fair point I hadn't thought about. I'm telling myself the food cost could be a gym membership I probably wouldn't use & that makes it better.
What I ought to do is suck it up and bike both ways, then I can bring as much food as I want with out the hassle of pannier-on/pannier-off and do without lunch box complications for the bus.
I think I'll take the weekend off, then try Mon, Tue, Thur, Friday again next week and see how I feel before moving up to 5 days.
The "true" cost of petrol is a fair point I hadn't thought about. I'm telling myself the food cost could be a gym membership I probably wouldn't use & that makes it better.
What I ought to do is suck it up and bike both ways, then I can bring as much food as I want with out the hassle of pannier-on/pannier-off and do without lunch box complications for the bus.
@base2, 26 to 30 miles one way? That is a big distance! You have to expect that your appetite will be much bigger than most people's. It takes a lot of energy to go that far.
I mused over this a few years ago: fossil fuel is like simultaneously borrowing from our ancestors (because the fuel was formed over millennia without them using it) and borrowing from our descendents because we are depleting the supply and leaving them less. That is why it is grossly underpriced. If we paid the true cost, it would cost a lot more. A gallon of gas has 31,000 calories in it. As of today, it costs is $2.29 here in the US. That's insane. Even at its historic highs a few years ago, it was still under priced. How much does 31,000 calories of food cost? Of course, you can't put gas in your stomach for fuel. And cars consume more calories per mile than cyclists do because the vehicle is so big and heavy and we tend to drive them much faster. Still, this has been fuel for thought for me. When I resumed bike commuting a few years ago, I saw my food costs go up more than my gas costs went down.
I do eat a lot for someone my size. I weigh about 155 pounds (70 kg). I make a lot of body heat. I guess I'm just an inefficient engine.
In endurance events, athletes eat a lot of starch and sugar. I've found that when I take a long bike ride, this helps, and it's probably not as bad for you as it is when you're not doing endurance work. And your commute might be considered such an event. Do you really travel 52 to 60 miles a day, every day?
I mused over this a few years ago: fossil fuel is like simultaneously borrowing from our ancestors (because the fuel was formed over millennia without them using it) and borrowing from our descendents because we are depleting the supply and leaving them less. That is why it is grossly underpriced. If we paid the true cost, it would cost a lot more. A gallon of gas has 31,000 calories in it. As of today, it costs is $2.29 here in the US. That's insane. Even at its historic highs a few years ago, it was still under priced. How much does 31,000 calories of food cost? Of course, you can't put gas in your stomach for fuel. And cars consume more calories per mile than cyclists do because the vehicle is so big and heavy and we tend to drive them much faster. Still, this has been fuel for thought for me. When I resumed bike commuting a few years ago, I saw my food costs go up more than my gas costs went down.
I do eat a lot for someone my size. I weigh about 155 pounds (70 kg). I make a lot of body heat. I guess I'm just an inefficient engine.
In endurance events, athletes eat a lot of starch and sugar. I've found that when I take a long bike ride, this helps, and it's probably not as bad for you as it is when you're not doing endurance work. And your commute might be considered such an event. Do you really travel 52 to 60 miles a day, every day?
Last edited by base2; 03-24-17 at 10:35 AM.
03-24-17, 10:32 AM
#78
aka Tom Reingold
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@base2, your distance between home and work makes it difficult, any way you do it. If you do it only one or two days a week, it's plenty workout. Just don't make the same mistake I made for decades, thinking that cycling was the only exercise I needed. It's not a complete program.
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
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03-24-17, 10:41 AM
#79
Senior Member
@base2, your distance between home and work makes it difficult, any way you do it. If you do it only one or two days a week, it's plenty workout. Just don't make the same mistake I made for decades, thinking that cycling was the only exercise I needed. It's not a complete program.
Maybe some stretching is helpful as well...but really what more could you ask for than 100s of miles on a bike?
03-24-17, 10:48 AM
#80
Senior Member
In the summer, I see 52-60 commute a day as a possibility, but not a regular occurance. I did it 2x last November/December when I was at my peak, but I took the middle of December to the middle of February off on account of 37 degree rain or 30 degree dry weather (Seattle) was too much for my kit. So I invested in panniers, gloves, winter shoes and rain gear. I'm working on getting back up to 150 a week, albeit with 25 extra pounds of bike and 10 extra on myself. It will take some doing. 2-4 mph slower so-far with all that gear and what I lost in fitness The calorie count v/s cafeteria food cost kills the LCF economics.
I think I'll take the weekend off, then try Mon, Tue, Thur, Friday again next week and see how I feel before moving up to 5 days.
The "true" cost of petrol is a fair point I hadn't thought about. I'm telling myself the food cost could be a gym membership I probably wouldn't use & that makes it better.
What I ought to do is suck it up and bike both ways, then I can bring as much food as I want with out the hassle of pannier-on/pannier-off and do without lunch box complications for the bus.
I think I'll take the weekend off, then try Mon, Tue, Thur, Friday again next week and see how I feel before moving up to 5 days.
The "true" cost of petrol is a fair point I hadn't thought about. I'm telling myself the food cost could be a gym membership I probably wouldn't use & that makes it better.
What I ought to do is suck it up and bike both ways, then I can bring as much food as I want with out the hassle of pannier-on/pannier-off and do without lunch box complications for the bus.
If you start doing calculations to the point where you're figuring cost of food per mile on the bike....you also need to look at all of the costs associated with a vehicle that might not be readily apparent if you're just looking at gas cost. Insurance, scheduled maintenance, unexpected repairs, new tires/brakes, windshield wipers, car washes.
03-24-17, 10:50 AM
#81
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@Abe_Froman, I got frozen shoulder in fall of 2015. Very painful. As far as the doctor and I could tell, it was from disuse. I couldn't lift my arms, and doing something as simple as tossing the bath mat onto the shower rod would give me painful spasms that hurt for the rest of the day. I had a couple of months of physical therapy. Now I lift weights or do pushups or some other kind of upper body workout almost every day. (That reminds me, I forgot to do my exercises this morning.) I think maybe I should do some yoga, too.
Sure, cycling is good for legs and butt and the cardio-vascular system, but that's not the whole body.
Sure, cycling is good for legs and butt and the cardio-vascular system, but that's not the whole body.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
03-24-17, 10:51 AM
#82
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Understood. I can't wait for summer to get here. Hikes, and swimming are lookin' real attractive right about now!
Anyhow, I think we've strayed off topic. (Though overall fitness is equally valid) With no other viable options I think I'll stick with the cheaper things in the cafeteria for now until I'm strong enough to go both ways at least a day or 2 every week. Then reconsider from there
Anyhow, I think we've strayed off topic. (Though overall fitness is equally valid) With no other viable options I think I'll stick with the cheaper things in the cafeteria for now until I'm strong enough to go both ways at least a day or 2 every week. Then reconsider from there
03-24-17, 10:53 AM
#83
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If you're subsisting on candy bars and potato chips and not suffering from it yet, it's only a matter of time. It does matter whether it's good food or not. But lots of foods get bad raps, like cheese, meat, and so much other stuff. The name of the ingredient (wheat, beef, rice, cheese) matters less than the quality of it. If food is not very processed that's a good start. If it comes from a local farm, it's probably even better. Cooking a good fraction of your own food, any kind of food, is likely to make a good diet.
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Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
03-24-17, 10:55 AM
#84
Senior Member
@Abe_Froman, I got frozen shoulder in fall of 2015. Very painful. As far as the doctor and I could tell, it was from disuse. I couldn't lift my arms, and doing something as simple as tossing the bath mat onto the shower rod would give me painful spasms that hurt for the rest of the day. I had a couple of months of physical therapy. Now I lift weights or do pushups or some other kind of upper body workout almost every day. (That reminds me, I forgot to do my exercises this morning.) I think maybe I should do some yoga, too.
Sure, cycling is good for legs and butt and the cardio-vascular system, but that's not the whole body.
Sure, cycling is good for legs and butt and the cardio-vascular system, but that's not the whole body.
03-24-17, 10:58 AM
#85
Senior Member
If you're subsisting on candy bars and potato chips and not suffering from it yet, it's only a matter of time. It does matter whether it's good food or not. But lots of foods get bad raps, like cheese, meat, and so much other stuff. The name of the ingredient (wheat, beef, rice, cheese) matters less than the quality of it. If food is not very processed that's a good start. If it comes from a local farm, it's probably even better. Cooking a good fraction of your own food, any kind of food, is likely to make a good diet.
03-24-17, 11:06 AM
#86
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That's the assumption I operate under, but I'm happy to hear from an expert as to whether it has merit.
There are always sweet potatoes. I'm going to try packing a few on my next long ride. Last time I rode a century, I was pretty damned tired, and then a disgustingly sweet "iced tea" in a can perked me up.
There are always sweet potatoes. I'm going to try packing a few on my next long ride. Last time I rode a century, I was pretty damned tired, and then a disgustingly sweet "iced tea" in a can perked me up.
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
03-24-17, 11:09 AM
#87
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I figure if I don't get scurvy or rickets, or get fat, or pass out from low blood sugar, I'm doing it right.
03-24-17, 11:21 AM
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Abe Froman: --- LOL
Joe
Joe
03-24-17, 11:27 AM
#89
Senior Member
@Abe_Froman, I got frozen shoulder in fall of 2015. Very painful. As far as the doctor and I could tell, it was from disuse. I couldn't lift my arms, and doing something as simple as tossing the bath mat onto the shower rod would give me painful spasms that hurt for the rest of the day. I had a couple of months of physical therapy. Now I lift weights or do pushups or some other kind of upper body workout almost every day. (That reminds me, I forgot to do my exercises this morning.) I think maybe I should do some yoga, too.
Sure, cycling is good for legs and butt and the cardio-vascular system, but that's not the whole body.
Sure, cycling is good for legs and butt and the cardio-vascular system, but that's not the whole body.
03-24-17, 11:39 AM
#90
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03-24-17, 11:41 AM
#91
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03-24-17, 11:45 AM
#92
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I do like mixing up a cocktail or cracking a beer when I get home...
03-24-17, 11:49 AM
#93
Senior Member
I got fat when I wasn't doing any physical activity (college and a few years after). Have seen only weight loss and being steady since then (still not where I want, but it's a marathon, not a sprint).
I do like mixing up a cocktail or cracking a beer when I get home...
I do like mixing up a cocktail or cracking a beer when I get home...
03-24-17, 12:21 PM
#94
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@Abe_Froman, I got frozen shoulder in fall of 2015. Very painful. As far as the doctor and I could tell, it was from disuse. I couldn't lift my arms, and doing something as simple as tossing the bath mat onto the shower rod would give me painful spasms that hurt for the rest of the day. I had a couple of months of physical therapy. Now I lift weights or do pushups or some other kind of upper body workout almost every day. (That reminds me, I forgot to do my exercises this morning.) I think maybe I should do some yoga, too.
Sure, cycling is good for legs and butt and the cardio-vascular system, but that's not the whole body.
Sure, cycling is good for legs and butt and the cardio-vascular system, but that's not the whole body.
03-24-17, 12:25 PM
#95
aka Tom Reingold
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Yes I have very good insurance. I'm very lucky. I wish everyone could have this. I don't consider good healthcare to be a luxury.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
03-27-17, 09:26 PM
#96
Senior Member
Costco has these black plastic takeout looking food containers...I don't know how else to describe them and I can't find them on their website...but anyway! They seal extremely well and hold a good amount of food. They are my preferred way of stashing food in my backpack. It's something like 9$ for 20 disposable-ish containers.
