New to long rides, am I doing ok?
 

I am currently in weight loss mode, lost a bunch, and still have quite a bit of weight to lose. I'm up to taking 50+ mile rides one day on the weekends in addition to my daily commutes.

This past saturday I rode 54 miles and drank probably 6 quarts of water in 5 hours (took some extended rests to take in some scenery, totaled 3:47 in actual ride time). I'm a pretty big guy and sweat lots. I also took some trail mix made of mixed nuts, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips and ate about 400-500 calories worth of it. I ate a decent meal of mostly green vegetables, some tuna and a boiled egg about a half hour before I started. I drank some fat-free chocolate milk when I got back home.

I felt really good after the ride, and could have gone longer if I had the time. I was surprised how well I felt the next day also.

But I don't necessarily want to base the right nutrition on how I "felt". Is the mix of water and trail mix a good mix? I really don't want to get into sports drinks and would prefer a food/water mix. And how about the chocolate milk after the ride, given what I ate before and during the ride? I see it recommended lots and I LOVE chocolate milk. Am I repairing muscles adequately?

My main goal is to convert the muscle to fat, so I want to use my ample fat reserves to their fullest. As I bike, if I need energy will my body simply pull from these reserves?

Thanks :)

Fat to muscle, right? Anyway, the Calories in the trailmix are mostly good calories with some sugar for taste. I usually eat trailmix or a snackbar of some sort on long rides. As for the Chocolate milk, the sugar content is though the roof, far out weighing the benefit of the protein. There are plenty of protein mixes that taste just like chocolate milk with minimal sugar.
As for the 54 mile ride, keep up the good work! Just being in the saddle for that long is a workout in my book.
I hope this helps you, it worked for me... I too love chocolate milk!!

The primary purpose of the recovery drink is to replenish your glycogen stores which is what the sugar is for. Chocolate milk has approx 4:1 carb to protein ratio which has been found to be optimal.

Haha, yes, fat to muscle....spent too much time doing the other.

Sugar is bad if you are in weight loss mode.

If you don't replenish your glycogen stores with sugar, your body will begin eating your muscle mass. You need the sugar, just not too much of it.
Sounds like overall you are doing the right thing.
Don't worry too much about it. Fueling while on the bike is much, much more important than recovery food. In the old days racers in Europe used to keep boiled potatoes and boiled eggs in their jersey pockets if that is any indication of what you need on the ride. Complex carbs are best, and easily digested protein.