Trying to drop some weight and fuel for the big ride

davidmiller

I'm trying to drop some weight (see BlueCow's threads) and I'm being careful what I eat. So the other staurday I go out to do my first 50 of the year. I breakfast on 3 weetabix and a banana and whilst I'm out I have another banana, a packet of crisps, 2 Tunnocks caramel wafers and a chewy bar. I struggled. So next time I go out to do a long ride am I allowed to gorge my lardy fat gut to my heart's content and leave the dieting for another day???

Cheers,

DM

fuzzynavel

DavidMiller wrote:

I'm trying to drop some weight (see BlueCow's threads) and I'm being careful what I eat. So the other staurday I go out to do my first 50 of the year. I breakfast on 3 weetabix and a banana and whilst I'm out I have another banana, a packet of crisps, 2 Tunnocks caramel wafers and a chewy bar. I struggled. So next time I go out to do a long ride am I allowed to gorge my lardy fat gut to my heart's content and leave the dieting for another day???

Cheers,

DM

Before a 50miler I usually have some porridge with jam a couple of hours before and plenty of liquids. I will then have more liquids during the ride and a bit of Fudge/Tablet half way round....Gives me a calorie deficit but it keeps me ok till the end. I will then have a couple of scrambled egg rolls with salad after the ride for protein & slow carb hit.
Probably not ideal but as I can't be bothered paying for energy drinks and protein supplements I make do with what is in the houe at the time!

BeaconRuth

DavidMiller wrote:

.......... a packet of crisps............

:shock: Crisps? And you're trying to lose weight? :shock: Terrible, terrible things. Far too much fat in them to be good on-bike fodder. (I could eat them all day but they really are nutritionally disastrous. )

Ruth

chrisw12

DavidMiller wrote:

I'm trying to drop some weight (see BlueCow's threads) and I'm being careful what I eat. So the other staurday I go out to do my first 50 of the year. I breakfast on 3 weetabix and a banana and whilst I'm out I have another banana, a packet of crisps, 2 Tunnocks caramel wafers and a chewy bar. I struggled. So next time I go out to do a long ride am I allowed to gorge my lardy fat gut to my heart's content and leave the dieting for another day???

Cheers,

DM

Wind up right? What did you struggle with, carrying all that food or finding the time to eat it?

On a 50 miler you should eat sweet F.A. and that isn't a joke.

davidmiller

Ok thanks, I'm getting the message - I ate enough!!

Don't eat many crisps as I know how bad they are but I'm sure I read somewhere that during sustained exercise it's good to replace your salt loss?????

Maybe that's why it took me nearly 4 h - too much time stood / sat by the side of the road eating

Roadie Rods

to replace salts you can add just a little to some squash in one of your bottles. stay off the crisps!! :shock:

liversedge

You probably struggled because you don't have the legs for it yet - its not just about nutrition.

BeaconRuth

chrisw12 wrote:

On a 50 miler you should eat sweet F.A. and that isn't a joke.

I don't know about 'should', Chris. If you can do 50miles without taking on board any fuel, fine but I don't think most people can. I would need at least a banana to get me round a 3-hour ride and it's usual to reckon on needing some carbs after about 90mins of exercise.

However, the quality of the food is in serious question for the OP, though. I'm not sure I like the sound of Tunnocks Caramel Wafers much more than the crisps........... you are serious about trying to lose weight are you?

Ruth

bobalob

I'm interested in this as well. Any good ideas for low fat snacks on the bike? Powerbars and the like taste pretty good and seem to keep me going but I'm not sure they're the healthiest option.

BeaconRuth

Bananas, fig rolls, jaffa cakes, malt loaf, jam or honey butties. Muesli bars if you choose them carefully. I often wrap a couple of jaffa cakes in a square of foil and it's easy enough to get out of my pocket and eat them without stopping. (I'm not sure I could get into a plastic bag easily on the move.) Expensive sports bars and gels (yuk!) if you wish. I can't really see the point in them myself for everyday cycling.

Ruth

Anonymous

Sesame biscuits, energy gels both good stuff.

On a 50 miler I just have 1 or maybe two gels.

bahzob

Due to threads like this I posted this:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=15159312

In a nutshell my understanding is:
- during a ride its the carbohydrates that you eat that keep you going not the calories.
- there's a limit to how much the digestion system can cope with (60g-90g carbs per hour: specialist sports foods claim to work by taking this to the 90g per hour max)
- if you pick the right foods this doesnt necessarily equate to much bulk.
- you dont need this much, especially if well trained/ride is low intensity
- especially if ride is less than a couple of hours you dont need much because you carry on-board fuel in the form of glycogen.
- fat is something to avoid. It wont help fuel the ride and slows down carbohydrate processing.

simon_e

Raisins are my staple during a ride - cheap, easy to store and consume, a handful every now and then works very well. And nothing beats a spotty (fairly ripe) banana.

For longer rides I take a Tropical Wholefoods bar. Organic and fairtrade, they contain no rubbish and are a lot cheaper than sports bars.

Pre-ride homemade muesli can be good - jumbo oats, barley flakes, dried apricot, raisins, brazils, hazelnuts, almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Soak it in water overnight (raw food proponents claim it provides more nutrients), chop an apple on top and add milk.

Post-ride simple foods like tuna & pasta or something with eggs will do you more good than processed products. Eating more fresh fruit and veg and drinking plenty of water can only help your body do its job properly, and these things will fill you up with fewer calories and less fat. I'm told you are less likely to crave sweet treats the more fruit you eat.

SBezza

For a fast 50 miler, I will probably have just Muesli before going out, and then take a banana and a little bit of malt loaf with me, as well as SiS Go in my bottles. These may be finished by the time I get back, although I don't always like to eat on the bike, so get by with just the drinks.

The body probably has enough stores of energy for a 50 mile ride without you eating anything, as long as you fuel up properly the days before.

I have got quicker on the bike, and lost a hell of alot of weight in the last year (over 5 stone), so you don't need to eat massively before a ride, or even on it. Your body needs to get used to doing 50 miles first, and the first couple of times you do it, it will be a struggle, but I doubt it will be through lack of food.

The only time I will use gels and more food would be for sportives, audax's and reliability rides, where the distances are greater than a 50 mile club run.

davidmiller

Thanks guys this has been useful. The Tunnocks bars just took my fancy in the garage when I was starving and exhausted. I genuinely thought the crisps would be good to replace salt.

Interesing suggestions for alternatives. Jaffa cakes and fruit malt loaf I would have though as bad as anything I had that day - but if they're ok, great, I love malt loaf!!!

Raisens are good for me, already eat some with my cereals each day.

Somebody above said my legs were the problem not my stomach - probably hit the nail on the head there. As soon as the temp goes up a little I'll be back out try again - this time I'm put some more thought into how I fuel myself based on the suggestions here.

Thanks again,

DM

fuzzynavel

DavidMiller wrote:

Thanks guys this has been useful. The Tunnocks bars just took my fancy in the garage when I was starving and exhausted. I genuinely thought the crisps would be good to replace salt.

Interesing suggestions for alternatives. Jaffa cakes and fruit malt loaf I would have though as bad as anything I had that day - but if they're ok, great, I love malt loaf!!!

Raisens are good for me, already eat some with my cereals each day.

Somebody above said my legs were the problem not my stomach - probably hit the nail on the head there. As soon as the temp goes up a little I'll be back out try again - this time I'm put some more thought into how I fuel myself based on the suggestions here.

Thanks again,DM

Another thing to think about is how hard you are pushing. One of the training books that I have read..(think it may have been the Allen/Coggan one) compared your intensity to matches. Each rider has a certain number of matches that they can burn depending on their fitness/skill levels. When you perform an effort that is over threshold you burn a match and are left with fewer maximal efforts with which to complete your ride. Maybe you are burning the matches too early.
Try going at a pace that is just getting to the point of being uncomfortable and try to hold it for as long as possible. Put more emphasis on completing the ride rather than completing it quickly for the first few times and you will get better. You can then have a decent benchmark to shave some time off over the next few months as the point of being uncomfortable gets stretched further before becoming a problem.

simon_e

DavidMiller wrote:

The Tunnocks bars just took my fancy in the garage when I was starving and exhausted.

Shopping for food on an empty stomach is a bad idea. If you know youre likely to come home desperate for a 'quick fix' after a ride it might be an idea to have something prepared before you go out that you can wolf down cold or heat in the microwave on your return. Some toast and a cuppa would buy you some time.

The wonderful Tunnock's wafers aren't ideal training food but they're certainly better than crisps, pies or pasties.