Basic question: Is it better to ride on an empty stomach, a full stomach, or (probably) somewhere in between? Probably most of us here ride at the start and end of a normal business day. So do you have breakfast at home before you start? I like to have breakfast at my desk after I arrive, to save time, but that means either I'm riding in on an empty stomach (usually), or sometimes I'll drink a glass of juice or something before setting out. Similar in the afternoon -- I'm riding home to my supper, so I'm usually pretty hungry by then, too. Maybe I should buy some granola bars or something to snack on in the late afternoon before starting for home?

What do you do for food?

I need something in the morning. Usually some toast. When I had a longer ride I would have museli with bananas and yogurt, with hot milk in the winter.

I am always hungry, so I have found that small, nutritious meals are better for my metabolism than having 3 large meals during the day.

That being said, I prefer to eat a big breakfast before setting out, but not enough to stuff myself. I have mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks to keep my insatiable tummy silent between meals. I try to choose my foods based on their nutritional content, not by how much they'll fill me up. ( https://www.health.com/health/pdf/pdf_nutrition.html )

I remember watching the TDF last year, and discovered Mr. Armstrong himself has coffee first thing (I can't live without the stuff) and his breakfast is usually a 3-egg omelette followed by some plain pasta.
Mmmm... spaghetti for breakfast.

I always eat in the morning before my commute. 1 of 4 things. Either a cliff bar, a banana, a piece of toast with peanut butter or a meal replacement drink (soymilk and 30/30/40 powder). Coffee when I get to work and then I'll have a regular lunch. I'll occasionally eat something small (maybe 1/2 of a PB&J) before my commute home.

nate

Personally I can't tell (nor measure) the difference for my 9mi commute that I push myself very hard on. Same for the commute home, somedays I miss lunch due to a meeting and feel like it will impact my ride home, but once on the bike often still have a great ride (and have some best times on empty stomach)
I wouldn't worry about it to much unless your commute is over 60min at comfortable pace or 45min at hard pace. It still is important to have a healthy breakfast before or after ride in and too keep hyrdrated.

Al

i never eat before my hour commute in the morning. just plenty of water while i am watching the weather...

i never drink coffee either (even though i need it to function properly at work).

i usually just eat a small snack right when i get in with my first cup of coffee (7:45), then go and get some soft pretzels (philly style) around 10 am for a snack with cup #2.

lunch at 1 then nothing all afternoon till dinner.

it seems like in the morning, i am super hungry and could just eat non-stop but i am full all afternoon from lunch.

before riding to work, i NEVER used to eat anything before lunch and now that is just not possible anymore...

i never feel like i am hungry on the way to work or before work. maybe thats cause it's early and my body hasn't gotten going yet? but if i was hungry, i'd eat.

My commute is really short, only 6 miles, (or 7.5 if I'm at the GF's place) and usually have a bowl of cheerios or nothing. I always seem hungry on the ride home though. Then of course I pig out on dinner.

My commute's only 6 miles, so I down a glass of V8 before I go, then eat when I get to work. The distance isn't enough to worry about running out of gas. Plus I wouldn't want to wake up earlier just so I could eat before I go.

I guess I eat the three traditional meals a day. I have breakfast before I ride in the morning - coffee, toast or ceral (hot or cold), and fruit. For lunch I eat whatever my wife makes - sandwich or leftovers (yum), raw veggies, fruit, cookies or something else sweet. Dinner again is whatever my wife makes . . . which is always very yummy (see "leftovers"). These three meals don't cut it though. I end up hungry at 10 am. So, my desk gets spread with nuts, raw veggies, fruit, crackers, cheese or whatever is available. I usually need to eat something in the afternoon too. Yesterday I ate a 1/2 of a peanut butter, honey, and raisins sandwich on sprouted grain bread before I rode home. So, I guess it's more like 5 meals a day!

I eat both before and after my morning commute. Usually eggs or oatmeal for breakfast, and then a clif bara about an hour after I arrive. Whatever I made for lunch gets scarfed before noon. Then a clif bar later unless I'm not hungry. I eat something soon after I get home. Then dinner. It seems like a lot, but in calories, protein/fat/carbs/vits, it seems to work pretty well. Instead of a clif bar, I sometimes like to bring just cooked brown rice in a ziploc with some tamari sauce and a little olive oil. Very sustaining!

I always eat first, otherwise it screws up my whole day. Usually just some serial or something. Coffee is not optional.

I just have a normal breakfast and go. Car, bike -- same thing.

Paul

Hi John

I think it depends on how far you go and how hard you go. The general rule of thumb is that solid food will not be converted into energy for about two hours. That's the reason for sports drinks and now gel, the gel digests faster than solid food. When you first eat a big meal a lot of blood goes into digesting the food and is not available for your legs and your stomach at the same time. This is really not a big deal unless you go hard or get going too soon after eating. I would say don't stuff your self and hop right on the bike and go fast, you may get stomach cramps. I think I read about your commute distance but I can't remember. If it's not a hard ride it does not matter too much. If you want a little energy for the ride, try some juice or fruit juice drink, that will covert to energy pretty fast. I've had it save me on long rides.
It's Maine-ly (sorry) a comfort thing.

I follow a very similar routine except for the morning. I don't eat a complete meal before I ride; just a granola/energy bar, or toast and some juice. But I eat after I get to work, snack, lunch (sometimes preceded by a 5 mile run), snack, ride home, dinner, sometimes a snack again later. In other words, I eat pretty much constantly.

I ride about 130 miles a week at a fast pace, and run 25-30 miles a week at a pretty good clip also.

My rules:

Hydration uber alles. I always try to stay properly liquified as I find that has a HUGE impact on my comfort and performance.

Eat a good amount of time before riding. I used to shower first in the morning to get a jump on the day and I would pretty much each last of all. That's reversed now. I'll often eat first thing or at least before I take the dog for her walk. That way I have time to get things settled, digesting, and a little stored up energy for my ride.

I find that exercise makes me un-hungry, so if I've skipped a meal and then ride, when I come down from the ride I'll be so unbelievably hungry that you might actually find me in the crawlspace trying to gnaw my way up to the next floor where the cafeteria is.

Good advice. I forgot about hydration. How much time between the last bite and pedaling? How hard do you go? I really need an hour before riding if I'm going to go hard.

no need to say more.

I eat a bowl of hot oatmeal with skim milk and a banana every morning of the year.
I love it.
I buy bulk oatmeal at at the local healthfood store and throw in a few handfuls of other rolled grains to give it a little texture.
Yum! Yum!
I eat moderate low fat lunch with lots of veggies and then I have a can of Campbells chunky soup for dinner.

I need the oatmeal for fuel.
Several other commuters of my acquaintance report the same obsession with oatmeal.

Never eat before my commute. Usually have a bagel with cream-cheese and a yogurt with tea or a diet coke at my desk after I arrive.

Lunch depends on whether I have leftovers, in which case it's whatever I had for dinner the previous night. Otherwise I end up eating fast-food :/.

-Trevor

I started commuting a longer (10 miles vs. 3) and then it got cold and suddenly I was exhausted all of the time. The solution: CARBS! I just started eating more carbs and calories in general and it made all of the difference, so be aware of glycogen exhaustion if your ride takes awhile. You might need to eat more, generally a half an hour before you start, especially in the cold. I eat bread and honey in the morning right before I shower. I also always eat something right after I get off the bike to replenish the energy I used.

I eat a lot of oatmeal too. (My wife thinks I'm a Young Fogey.) When I'm going out on my weekly group ride, I'll usually eat a huge bowl (probably 2.5 times the standard serving) of oatmeal with fruit and honey. And a big steaming cup of java.

If I'm just riding to work, BF isn't such a big deal. It's only 4 miles and I can eat something at my desk if I'm running late.

I think it varies from person to person. So long as you're eating regularly and taking in enough calories to sustain you, you're doing fine.

Personally I like to ride on an empty stomach and then eat once I get to work, as you have read others do not. To each his own.

I absolutely crash if I ride on an empty stomach. Feels like I'm riding up a 45-degree grade with a 50MPH headwind. In sand. Dragging an anvil behind me.

On the other hand, I'm careful not to eat a big lunch either, because riding on a "full" stomach is just... Uncomfortable.

So I tend to eat a healthy "snack" before the morning commute. Fruit or something. Yogurt & Grape Nuts make a tasty dish. Then a sandwich for lunch, which usually holds me through the afternoon commute.

To answer 2manybike's question, my commute is about 5 miles each way. I usually ride empty in the morning, but lately (even before posting this question) I've started having some juice, and this morning I had a bowl of cereal. I'm thinking that maybe I'll try to find a middle ground consisting of a little solid food with liquids. I can see the reasoning for not eating a lot, but I have also felt what others have said, that if I'm too hungry, I'm low on energy. I'm going to buy some granola bars this afternoon to keep in my desk drawer for late afternoon.

Thanks for all the responses!

I commute about 15,5 kms one way. I never eat anything before I leave to work, but I drink (fruit juice, berry juice, water, whatever's available). When I come back from work, my stomach is usually empty as well.

Come to think of it, I'm no good in re-fueling during my bike tours either. I always have to remind myself to eat little at a time, many times a day. What is ok for 31 km / day commute really does not work for longer, loaded bike trips.

--J