blk

I've been pigging out lately on days off...it's like my appetite doesn't adjust to the fact that I'm not riding. Is this normal?

jbliss92

well by "days off" i assume you mean you cycle on a regular basis and/or other exercises as well with some scheduled off days. Your body will not respond to "days off" by decreasing its metabolism. With sports such as cycling (especially interval training) and weight lifting, your body's metabolism is raised to another level for around 48 hrs after the activity. Therefore, if you perform cycling and/or other exercises on a regular scheduled basis, your body still needs those calories to recover on those days off, that is the point of rest days: for your body to recover and rebuild so you can handle the next training session/race even better thus improving overall performance.

As I say this, if i misunderstood what you meant by your appetite not adjusting please let me know. Although your body needs fuel to recover and your metabolism is still raging the day after training, that is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE TO PIG OUT!!! Just maintain a healthy diet and listen to your body and NEVER eat because your bored! Get your mind off food and do something productive if that is the case. Good luck with everything!

petalpower

I keep track of my calories every day, and pretty much eat the same roughly 10-15 "recipes"..

One meal a week, I'll have a homemade pizza ( ~278 calories per slice ) as well as a light beer.

paulclaude

Yes, this is something I get too. In fact, dependant on how intense/long the ride is, I may not have much of an appetite until the day after the ride. As said, listen your body, if you are hungry, then eat (not junk of course). You'll know when it is true hunger and not just a craving for junkfood, as "normal" food will sound appealing.

colombo357

Eating too much is never the problem. You just need to ride on those rest days.