I planned on doing a club 50 miler on Saturday, which would have been my longest and hardest club ride to date. In anticipation, on Thursday and Friday I ate, in good conscience, everything in sight for the purpose of generating huge amounts of soon-to-be-needed glycogen.

Then on Friday night my wife informed me that because of scheduling requirements on her part (which never panned out) I would have limited riding time on Saturday. I only got to ride 20 miles, and leisurely ones at that. This resulted in me having about 12 times more glycogen then I could possibly have used Saturday morning. In other words, the two days before I had very simply just pigged out.

This led to much philosophical pondering over the weekend:
1) If your intentions were good, is carbohydrate loading in the name of cycling still pigging out?
2) How far do you have to ride in order for pigging out to qualify for carbohydrate loading?
3) Is pigging out/carbohydrate loading a quantum phenomenon, which in one universe it's pigging out and in another it's carbohydrate loading?
4) And if the answer to the above is yes, then isn't it true that the line between pigging out and carbohydrate loading is probabilist only, rather than absolute?

I'll check back with you in a bit. I'm getting hungry so I'm driving up to Arbys.

Gluttony is gluttony.

Pigging out is a relative thing.

Even more distressing is the wife expecting you to put the kabosh on a ride you had planned on.

Driving to Arby's? Ride to Arby's instead!

Simple. Longer rides or smaller trough! It is, ultimately, your decision.

Thats kind of like saying "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" Pigging out is Pigging out and of course I would never do that.
Ice Cream doesn't count does it?

Well, I meant the question to be philosophical, not theological. That would be WAY over my head.

My family returned from a trip to Walmart (a venial sin in some circles, I'm sure) and I had just returned from a penitential 17 mile ride, so I did not go to Arbys.

Side-stepping discussions of my fallen nature, just how far do you have to plan on riding before pigging out qualifies as carbohydrate loading?

And then does it matter if you end up not really putting the miles in?

You didn't over eat. You just under rode.

Happens to me all the time.

First time I've ever encountered probabilist or probabalistic in a discussion online or anywhere.
Makes me want some ice cream. Fat loading, anyone?

The idea is to replace fat and protein with carbs and not to increase your calorie intake. But, if you ride to be able to eat more then do it.

Carbo loading is a myth. The most important meal is the one you eat after a workout.

I'm no expert but somehow I suspect that the nutritional "loading" idea, presupposes a certain amount of previous unloading. Certainly there was a deficit in subsequent unloading, as per Retro Grouch.

I'm going to get a snack while I think about it.

From my personal experiences, you hit the very number I consider when getting ready for a ride. If my ride on Saturday morning is planned at 50 or more miles I eat a good hearty meal Friday night that often includes pasta. For less than 50 miles I eat normally, which is much less than it was in the past as I am trying to get much leaner. If the ride ends up at 70 or more miles I eat well on Saturday night also. The body needs the nutrition after the ride.

I worry about having a good breakfast, what I will eat during the event, and trying to carefully eat after the event.

Pigging-out is not an option.

Michael

I have never eaten days before a ride for that ride. I eat I ride I eat.

I've chosen to return to my childhood.

At 220+ pounds I started doing the following:
*drink when I'm thirsty
*eat when I'm hungry
*stop eating when I'm no longer hungry (I don't care what's left on the plate or how nuch food you prepared, I'm not HUNGRY!)
*ride my bike whenever I want to for as long as I want to.

Now, at 190 pounds, I'm not certain I understand your question.

I know what you mean- every time my wifes relatives show up, we pig out. They always bring deserts.

Exactly! I've found that hunger is just your body's way of telling you it's hungry, and feeling uncomfortably full is your body's way of telling you it's uncomfortably full.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but by the time 2 days rolls around, if you haven't burned the carb calories you took in, your body has stored it as fat, no? Fat cells I believe are the only long-term energy atorage system your body has.

In wrestling we did complex carb loading, but it was only the night before, and it did help, along with smple carb loading (sugar candy, sports drinks, etc.) just before the event after weigh-in.

Snickers and Gatoraide is my preferred pick-me-up when I need a break.

Pigging out is fine if that is your goal. But if you want to lose weight or maintain a weight, you'll need to eat less or ride more or both.

It doesn't take an awful lot of preloading to get through a 50 mile ride. A good breakfast and some snacks during the ride will do it.

I've done most of my long rides this year without eating breakfast. I just eat on the bike about 250 cal per hour. We all have thousands of calories stored as fat. The trick is teaching the body to access them. There is no reason to eat anything special the night before or even breakfast the morning of a ride.

I was 250 pounds in high school and I wrestled and lifted weights 2 hours per day, so pigging out became a way of life for me. Sometimes I pig out to the extreme after a ride, but not as much as I used to.
I have to agree with BikeWNC, it doesn't matter so much what you eat the night before, it's more important what you eat during the ride. I would never skip breakfast, however.
Not trying to sound eliteist, but a 50 mile ride doesn't require a lot of fueling, unless there is a ton of climbing.

After experimenting, I agree with what Hammer Nutrition says about breakfast before a ride. That is, if you can't eat at least 3 hours before the start, skip it. Eat a gel or have a bit of carb sport drink right before the start instead. It's worked for me and I've felt better on the bike. I've never been hungry on a ride when skipping breakfast and eating properly on the bike.