Advice on food intake please..

jobysp

Just wondering wether you wise owls out there can assist me / advise me the best way to go with eating and things during the day to prepare myself for the cycle home.

I do 9.3 miles in a morning on an empty stomach, just taking in water as and if I need it and find that I have no problems with this (I don't get up early enough to have a breakfast) - the problem is getting my food intake right during the day to assist me in cycling back home. By the time I leave work for the journey home at 16:30, I feel tired / lethargic and feel that some dietary changes could assist me in this.

What do you guys eat / drink throughout the day to prepare yourself for your trip home?

I know I only have 9.3 miles home to do... But every little helps!

Jamey

I also get the same problem so any advice is welcome here as well. I'm usually ok again once I've been riding for five or ten minutes (depending on how cold it is, more like ten this time of year) but I suspect I could do more diet-wise to make myself feel livelier ahead of the ride home.

ride_whenever

reasonably big lunch, lots of low gi carbs. if i were you i'd hit the local deli for a hearty sandwich

sarajoy

Would a banana half an hour or so before going home help?

I swear that fruit is magic.

Jamey

ride_whenever wrote:

reasonably big lunch, lots of low gi carbs. if i were you i'd hit the local deli for a hearty sandwich

Really? I'd always thought that it was big lunches that contributed to the problem.

jobysp

Banana sounds like a plan. Shame someones eaten all the fruit here today though!

cjcp

At the moment, it's either a big bowl of porridge with blueberries and honey or cereal with blueberries for breakfast. Lunch is usually soup with bread. I should have a banana or two every day, but don't.

Rich158

I have 3 Weetabix with a banana and honey for breakfast when I get in. Usually an apple and an orange through the morning. A big bowl of pasta with chicken/tuna/roast veggies for lunch, and a piece of fruit in the afternoon. This is all washed down with loads of green tea.

Pre-ride I always have a large expresso laced with loads of suger, and depending on how I feel I may add some High 5 energy powder to my water bottle in the morning.

I do 23 miles each way so this may be too much for you, but I try to eat throughout the day so I don't get a drop in energy towards the end of it.

I still feel ravenous in the evening though, and find that if I don't get enough carbs in my main meal I can feel washed out the next day.

bigease

I agree with the Banana plan.

The other thing I make sure I do is to drink several pints of water during the day. I find that if I don'tdo this then I feel much worse on the ride home.

squired

Do you have anyting to eat once you arrive at the office? Not having breakfast before you leave home is fine, but my first thought is that maybe you aren't having anything immediately after the ride. This could mean that your body is starved of fresh nutrients and hence your muscles don't recover due to that.

Fat Kid

Rich158 wrote:

.

I do 23 miles each way so this may be too much for you, but I try to eat throughout the day so I don't get a drop in energy towards the end of it.

Wow! 46 miles per day commute! That's awesome. Every day?

What's your commute Rich158? What time do you have to leave in the morning?

Fascinated.

Fat Kid

Rich158

My commute is between Gravesend and Greenwich. I usually stick to the country lanes between Gravesend & Dartford, and then straight through Crayford/Bexleyheath etc, over Shooters Hill (one of the highest points in London) through Charlton, and then down through Greenwich Park into the town center. I'm currently doing this four days a week, I use Mondays as a clothes changover day, plus I can't be arsed to get up early enough.

I normally leave between 7 & 7:15 and in total it takes about 1 - 1hr 20 mins dpending upon traffic and weather. This isn't unusual, I'm sure other people have a similar commute with more hills.

I can't wait for the clocks to move so I can add an extra loop to my route home a few nights a week. I suspect my food intake is going to go through the roof.

coffeecup

I do 9 miles each way

- ready-brek before I leave the house and an espresso
- scone or something mid morning
- sandwich and something sweet at lunch
- a couple of cereal bars/flap jacks if i'm peckish before the ride (good carbs.. i think?) or a couple of bananas
- rego recovery shakes if I feel a bit washed out (not sure if they work but i think they do..)
- big dinner
- couple of rounds of toast before bed....

Coriander

cjcp wrote:

At the moment, it's either a big bowl of porridge with blueberries and honey or cereal with blueberries for breakfast. Lunch is usually soup with bread. I should have a banana or two every day, but don't.

CJ, if that's all you consume during the day, especially after your relatively long commute, why do you keep talking about how much you eat? That's not exactly a mountain of food...

Petromyzon

I'm no expert but:-
there is nothing wrong with riding on an empty stomach but I think your body is more likely to break down muscle as well as fat and carbs to supply itself with energy. Fine if you are chunkier but not great if you are skinny. Could try stuffing down a small banana before you get on the bike (takes 10 seconds) or adding some calories (sports drink or dilute fruit juice) to your bottle.

I think there is a ~30 or so minute window after reasonably intense exercise during which your body replenishes glycogen stores most rapidly, and that you should eat something sugary during this time to optimise recovery. Further, some protein is also required in conjunction with the carbohydrate during this time. Something like chocolate milk is good, providing a good mix of carbs and protein. A slice of (good brown proteiny-bread) toast and jam, perhaps a small handful of nuts etc.

It is possible that your glycogen stores are a little depleted when you come to ride home, although this will depend on the duration and intensity of the morning ride. Another possible cause is caffeine, if you are a regular user during the day then in my experience you can feel flat if you don't have some before the ride home. Otherwise I think normal healthy eating rules apply, loads of fruit and veg and lean protein, minimise simple sugars, eat enough carbs to keep your weight steady and healthy, moderate your fat intake (not too many animal fats) and minimise salt intake unless you are sweating heavily.

Just MHO

fonty1978

I only do 6 miles each way, but as i commute from North Manchester towards Oldham i get plenty of hill climbing practice.

I tend to really give it some and ride each way as fast as i possibly can, so with this in mind i usually eat,

Morning - Bowl of Porridge

Mid morning - Several cups of coffee + 3 pieces of fruit

Lunch - Sandwiches

Afternoon - Don't really eat much but do drink more brews.

cjcp

Coriander wrote:

cjcp wrote:

At the moment, it's either a big bowl of porridge with blueberries and honey or cereal with blueberries for breakfast. Lunch is usually soup with bread. I should have a banana or two every day, but don't.

CJ, if that's all you consume during the day, especially after your relatively long commute, why do you keep talking about how much you eat? That's not exactly a mountain of food...

Cori - the OP was asking about preparing yourself for the commute home, not about how much you eat when you actually get home. Last night, I ate a large bowl of pasta and rice with chilli con carne, with a second helping of chilli, and a bit of chocolate to help it settle. Spag bol and chilli are two meals I generally cannot get enough of.

greg66_tri_v2.0

cjcp wrote:

Cori - the OP was asking about preparing yourself for the commute home, not about how much you eat when you actually get home. Last night, I ate a large bowl of pasta and rice with chilli con carne, with a second [sic] helping of chilli, and a bit of chocolate to help it settle. Spag bol and chilli are two meals I generally cannot get enough of.

:shock:

So you had three evening meals, and then dessert?

FFS, how can you sleep with that lot in you? You're not supposed to re-enact Cool Hand Luke when you get home - you do know that, right?

cjcp

Greg66 wrote:

cjcp wrote:

Cori - the OP was asking about preparing yourself for the commute home, not about how much you eat when you actually get home. Last night, I ate a large bowl of pasta and rice with chilli con carne, with a second [sic] helping of chilli, and a bit of chocolate to help it settle. Spag bol and chilli are two meals I generally cannot get enough of.

:shock:

So you had three evening meals, and then dessert?

FFS, how can you sleep with that lot in you? You're not supposed to re-enact Cool Hand Luke when you get home - you do know that, right?

Aside from the chocolate, that's normal for the evening meal (note the difference in size between JonGinge and I). I'm very hungry when I arrive home.

artaxerxes

Did anyone catch the Horizon programme on BBC2 last night about an experiment to overfeed thin people for a month to see if they can get fat? Like what cjcp ate above, but every day for 4 weeks.

Hey Jax

a healthy energy packed snack 30-45 mins before clocking off should buck you up. e.g a banana and a cereal bar with nuts/fruit in it

CyclingBantam

linoue wrote:

Did anyone catch the Horizon programme on BBC2 last night about an experiment to overfeed thin people for a month to see if they can get fat? Like what cjcp ate above, but every day for 4 weeks.

What was the result?

squeeler

Basically a load of thin people ate loads for 4 weeks and hardly put on any weight at all the "winner" only managed to put on 6%.

It pretty much told us what we know already: some people are lucky enough to be able to eat almost whatever they want without putting on any weight!

duckson

I have a 13.5 mile each way commute.

I start with either porridge or Bran flakes at home.
When i get there and get changed i have a good handful or 2 of nuts (brazil, hazel, walnuts etc), raisons and sunflower seeds plus a wholemeal Tcake with either Tuna mayo or ham etc.
Mid morning i have a piece of fruit.
Lunch is usually 2xwholemeal tcakes with tuna mayo, ham, cheese etc.
At around 3 i have a Quaker Oat oat bar with my brew.
I have another piece of fruit about an hour later, 30-45mins before i leave.

All through the day i have a couple of 750ml full bottles of water but i do have 3-4 coffees (so will dehydrate you).

mattybain

sarajoy wrote:

Would a banana half an hour or so before going home help?

I swear that fruit is magic.

Ahh Banana's, truly the gift from the gods. Don't know where I would be without my bananas and Natural Confectionary Company Jelly Snakes!!!

Although I am not religious Bananas do pose a quandary for me, how come something so perfectly nutritious and packaged for cycling be a evolutionary thing?, surely this is proof of intelligent design