FlippinFlags

Just curious on how much everyone actually eats while touring.

Machka 

I don't count calories while on tour.

staehpj1 

I have to say that it varies pretty widely with the tour. Both my mileage and my eating habits vary with the tour.

I know that on some tours I ate quite a bit, snacked at stops, and drank sugary sport drinks or chocolate milk at stops (usually only water while riding). I also indulged in stuff like ice cream, pie, and milkshakes. I typically did not indulge in the huge pig outs at meal time that some cyclists sometimes talk about, so it was more of a nibble all day kind of thing for me. The big all you can eat buffet was never a great deal for me on tour.

On the tours where I was knocking out the longest days and therefore eating the most I figured I was eating 4000-5000 calories per day, but that was only a guess so I could be wrong. I know I ate a lot and always came home lighter than I left.

I'd think it would be pretty easy to out eat my mileage if I weren't doing at least 50-60 miles per day. At 80 miles per day I struggle a bit to not lose too much weight. On a long tour of hard days my appetite can tend to fall off and at times I need to make sure to take in calories.

indyfabz

Depends.

Leebo

Yes. Eat early, eat often. Never pass up good lunch, even at 11am. Was on tour in central MA. Saw a sign, "goat cheese ladies" at the end of the driveway. Further up a saw a beautiful pair of daisy duke overalls. So naturally I stopped in. Goat cheese, fresh bread, garden tomato, and 1/2 lb of fresh bacon for dinner, yum.

GadgetGirlIL

You had me at bacon! Yummy!!! I need to find better routes.

Lemond1985

He had me at "Daisy Duke Overalls".

andrewclaus

I actually know this because I did count Calories for some long strenuous hiking trips (the PCT, CDT, AT, etc.). And I push myself on bike tours in a similar fashion, averaging over 80 mpd, with lots of centuries. I always carry between 4000 and 5000 Calories per day, then supplement that when I can in town, with pints of Ben & Jerry's, orders of fries, fresh fruit and veg (preferred diet is plant-based). Some days exceed 6000, some are as low as 4000.

I maintain body weight and muscle mass, with decent nutrition, and stay healthy on long (five to six month) trips. On a couple of the hiking trips, I took a leave of absence from a job as a firefighter, and returned to work without noticeable loss of upper body muscle.

alan s 

For me, it was “goat.”

Stadjer

That's not really an overall, is it?

Tourist in MSN

A guess would be a range from 3,000 to 5,000 calories per day, but it in part depends on whether or not I wanted to lose weight on the trip.

I did a five week tour this past June and July, lost about 10 pounds, but I wanted to lose about 10 pounds. So I probably was at the low end of that range.

Think averages, I am sure that some days I have a couple thousand more or less than other days.

indyfabz

They are a thing. Search Google Images for "daisy duke overalls." I would post a pic, but I don't want to be accused of posting something sexist and/or inappropriate. Too much randomness.

bikenh

It will all depend on how you are touring. What kind of miles are riding each day, what kind of load are you carrying, how much do you weigh to start with(aka what is your overall total weight you are moving on the bicycle, you and fully loaded bike).

The miles you ride, the faster you ride, the more climbing you do, the more you and bike weighs will all determine the number of calories you need each day. Everyone will be different depending on how they are touring.

Rob_E

It's hard to say because while I do count calories when I'm not touring, I tend to get lax when I am touring. Also those mom and pop, roadside restaurants don't come with in depth nutritional information. However, looking back at my tracking, it does look like I at least made an effort on my two, short tours this year, and I seemed to average between 3k and 4k per day.

stardognine

Perspective is everything, lol. It looks like you'd need a bike trailer, for that creampuff. 😁
I'm too skinny to waste time counting calories. I just eat all the time, touring or not. 👍

stardognine

Meant to say, I'm a sucker for those "Fresh Honey" signs, they seem to always have some fresh fruit, too. 😍

Caretaker

Countless.

GadgetGirlIL

Haven't done any tours yet but have done plenty of brevets - 200K and 300K variety. I eat pretty much anything that isn't nailed down. I suspect touring will be much the same. I do try to track my intake and am usually between 4,000-5,000 calories on those days. 5'11" & 170lbs.

djb

well, most of you folks have it over me, I have no idea whatsoever what a given piece of food has calories wise.
I really dont.
All I know is that I eat and eat and eat, when I'm hungry I eat, plain and simple. I have breakfast, then a few hours later I always feel the need for a second breakfast of sorts, and then lunch, and then snacking along the way, and some more snacking, and then always hungry for supper.

so short answer, I have no clue but I do listen to my stomach intently and obey its demands.
plus Im a skinny bugger so dont have much reserves.

alan s 

God knows!

PedalingWalrus

I have no idea how many calories but I do try not to eat diner or to finish stuffing my face beforre 7pm.

Stadjer

I remember the kind of jeans Daisy Duke usually wears, so I had the mental picture.

stardognine

Why do they call them overalls, anyways, when clearly they're just cutoff jeans? 🤔 They could still call them Daisy Dukes, I have no problem with that, lol, but they sure aren't coveralls or overalls.

acantor

I'm guided by my appetite rather than a scale, so can't contribute any quantitative data to this discussion! I don't think I have ever counted calories.

But I definitely eat more while I am on a bike tour. Normally I eat three times per day. I don't usually snack. But while touring, I try to eat hourly -- a banana, an apple, a handful of nuts, a granola bar, etc. On some multi-day tours, I substitute energy drinks for regular eating. I think the drinks are awful, but they seem to keep my energy level up.

My appetite becomes ferocious after a few days of touring, probably because my everyday life is sedentary -- a lot more sedentary than a cycle tour!

DropBarFan

I don't keep track of calories 'cause my tours are short. On tour I try to eat healthier stuff that's more digestible & I lose a little bit of excess fat. I used to ride ~300 miles as a courier & it was a bit surprising how easy it was to still overeat. There was one courier guy who also raced on weekends but remained a bit heavy 'cause he'd eat a lot of pizza & stuff.