Nutrition advice for daily commute (30 miles per day)
dac73
Posts: 15
G'day,
I've just started cycling a little extra per day - (2 x 15 miles) and I'm finding I'm lacking in energy by the time I cycle home in the evenings. I was previoudly cycling 10 miles a day less and was ok.
I am looking for ideas to help me feel a little more energetic.
My daily routine is:
5:45 Wake up
6:00 Double expresso for Breakie
6:30 15 mile commute to work
8:00 Porridge with 1/4 banana and syrup for breakfast + double expresso
11:00 Chicken/Ham and salad sandwich
13:00 Another sandwich
17:00 15 mile cycle home (with aching legs!)
19:30 Dinner - usually meat and veg Or a pasta meal
I'm easil drinking a few litres of water per day and have just changed my habit of snaking on sweets to snacking on nuts.
I'm 35 years old and weigh 105kgs - I'm currently losing weight (yay!).
I was going to start by trying a banana at 16:00 to give me a burst but am worried about the extra calories I'm eating, however, I could be tire because I'm not eating enough - any thoughts on that?
All advice is welcome!
Cheers.
I've just started cycling a little extra per day - (2 x 15 miles) and I'm finding I'm lacking in energy by the time I cycle home in the evenings. I was previoudly cycling 10 miles a day less and was ok.
I am looking for ideas to help me feel a little more energetic.
My daily routine is:
5:45 Wake up
6:00 Double expresso for Breakie
6:30 15 mile commute to work
8:00 Porridge with 1/4 banana and syrup for breakfast + double expresso
11:00 Chicken/Ham and salad sandwich
13:00 Another sandwich
17:00 15 mile cycle home (with aching legs!)
19:30 Dinner - usually meat and veg Or a pasta meal
I'm easil drinking a few litres of water per day and have just changed my habit of snaking on sweets to snacking on nuts.
I'm 35 years old and weigh 105kgs - I'm currently losing weight (yay!).
I was going to start by trying a banana at 16:00 to give me a burst but am worried about the extra calories I'm eating, however, I could be tire because I'm not eating enough - any thoughts on that?
All advice is welcome!
Cheers.
0
Posts
I am 35 years old and 85kg.
I do about 25 each way on long days (Tues and Thurs mostly, but depends on dog and kids).
I am on the same food intake except, I go for a banana at about 4pm - just before I set off.
And I am a Latte man - cannot do espresso!
If you have your banana, you'll be able to put in that much more effort on the way home, which will speed up your metabolism, use up more calories, and make you fitter.
No diet of worth involves starvation, but that's in effect what you're trying to do to yourself by riding a fair distance without the nutritional backup. So don't fret about the calories in a banana - a fit and healthy ride home is worth so much more than pushing yourself beyond your capabilities.
Blog (incl. bikes)
6:45 - Bowl of porridge made with a bit of milk & sugar, coffee
7:00 - Ride to work - 20+ miles, occasional swig of weak squash or water en route
8:15 - arrive, recompose, coffee or tea (1 sugar), change for work
8:45 - small bowl of muesli
9-12 - 1 or 2 more tea or coffees
12:30ish - couple of sandwiches, banana or other fruit, yoghurt, World At One on the wireless.
2 - 5 - more tea / coffee, apple if any left in drawer. Banana or bar of chocolate soon before leaving
5ish - away, occasional swig of weak squash or water en route
6:15 - home. Normal tea en famiile - spag bol, fish pie, chicken or whatever. Nothing special for cycling though.
Later - a nice glass of wine some nights, maybe a G&T too or instead of.
The ride is pretty easy now that it's normal to ride to work, and the 'diet' for what is keeps me going at a reasonable pace. Not too worried about my weight tho.
I hear what you are saying about starvation, Biondino. I had a terrible habit of eating a slice of cake a day AS WELL as a chocolate bar. I have been changing my habits, looking for healthier alternatives.
However, I did decide that if I had a choice of cake / chocolate or nothing - I would now say nothing. Having said that, I appreciate I need to feed the machine, so to speak, so I need to eat well, healthy and regular - but the trick is what? and when?
I have bought a banana a lunch so will eat it later this arvo. I'll let you know how I get on!
Cheers.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."
Ah - I have a few hills, so my diet includes flapjack and banana's + allot of water! Sometimes an energy drink in one bottle if I mean business - on road bike. On the fixed bike doing 10 miles twice a day - No water, but I do have a banana before I leave as I have one big hill to get up.
Yep, that's normal.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."
Definitely thinking the porridge/bran flakes for brekkie.
Coffee is also a life saver. I also find a protein shake when I get to work useful - capture the post execerise window with some easily absorbed protein to make the most of your workout.
After that - Just loooooads of water - You need to be well hydrated to feel energised and to metabolise your food. Low hydration affects your nervous system, hence you have low concentration, poor technique and ultimately feel tired on the bike.
Join the club....
I find that my energy stores deplete during the week (I'm on 2X15 miles a day also) so that by Thurs / Friday I'm feeling the effects and the legs don't have go in them that they will on Monday.
When I started the cycle commute this effect was much worse and I'd be seriously run down and bonking on the journey home later in the week. I've found that as my fitness levels have improved this hasn't been happening and I've been able to cut down on the calories taken onboard at the same time. (not that you'd think that to look at me but my glacial metabolism is constant source of annoyance)
Anyhoo - I'd go with the suggestions to utilise the magic 30 min window post exercise to get some easily metabolised carbs on board so that you re-fuel as effectively as you can.
Good luck
What would Thora Hurd do?
+1. You're not doing anything wrong really - just need a bit of a boost mid afternoon. I'm also on 30 miles a day and rarely set a PB on Friday!
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"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."
Good stuff, but if you want a change in case you get bored eating bananas every day, try and energy drink.
I usually have a banana but ocassionally add a couple of jaffa cakes as a wee treat just before leaving office.
Red Aende, Red Spesh Hardrock, Wine Mercian, Rusty Flying Scot
I only get to ride in one day a week at the moment, Tuesday, (having just started work again that means I've done it twice), but thats 24 miles each way, and coming after a 50 mile sunday club run.
For my diet I'm having
Large bowl of Fruit and Fibre cereal
Cup of tea
Energy drink stuff on the bike and a 'nana
Tea while at work if I get the time
Filled baguette for lunch
More tea
Maybe another 'nana and energy drink on the way home.
Average over 39km was 29.4 kph...fast enough.
My diet while commuting last year, 14 miles each way (with a sunday club run of 45-50 miles or so) was about the same, I'd frequently do the run home at 20mph+
eat diddly squat.
8 am: 3 large bowls of muesli tea and some oranges (sometimes i have 8 weatabix
instead)
11.10 am: large malt loaf and a couple of bars of chocolate
1.30 pm: 2 large bowls of pasta with chicken or whatever meat is on offer and lots of
bread.
4.15 pm: 6 slices of bread and jam and fruit juice
6 pm: same as lunch
8 pm: couple of bowls of shreddies and toast
9-10 pm: about 12 pieces of toast
I am going to try this banana thing, especially if I go to the gym at lunchtime then eat something carby I am having dreadful afternoon dips at the minute which often carry over into my ride...
Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
Beware of factory-made flapjacks, they're fatty (often saturated, sometimes hydrogenated), which isn't ideal. OTOH malt loaf is good. A colleague mentioned that he likes it because even after being shoved in the bottom of a huge, heavy rucksack and carried across Lakeland fells all day it still looks and tastes as it should.
I only have a lumpy ten miles to ride for 9am, but find that if I eat my porridge beforehand I will be Hank Marvin by 10 o'clock. So now I microwave it a short while after I get to work, having eaten half a grapefruit and a small dish of cereal before leaving. If you can't do porridge then DIY muesli is good - the nuts & seeds above plus chopped apricots, raisins and half an apple mixed with oats and barley flakes is excellent. If you soak it overnight the nuts apparently release more enzymes (like sprouting seeds).
A glass of warm water with lemon juice is the kindest way to start your liver and digestion systems working. Coffee certainly isn't. Save it for later.
I used to be a big fan of bread but nowadays I find it's like mattress padding and not satisfying, and can make me sleepy. Tortilla-type wraps work better and I have even been known to substitute with North Staffs Oatcakes.
also the fact i am 15 and have a ridiculous metabolism and a problem with my insulin levels.
How much exercise do you do, girl I train with now looks anorexic, I am worried about her, I know she does eat, seen her scoff a massive lunch recently, but think she needs to adopt your diet, 3 hrs a day in gym for her + cycling.
Red Aende, Red Spesh Hardrock, Wine Mercian, Rusty Flying Scot
:shock: it takes me three days to eat that much.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."
I can't afford to eat that much
What do people think of banana chips from holland and barret? would they be as good as and actual banana? I was thinking of getting a bag so i can put some in my jersey pockets for munching on the fly.
Voodoo Bizango - 2014 - Dead - Hit by a car
Vitus Sentier VRS - 2017
My personal preference is for bananas because you rip open the skin with your teeth and their easier to eat than in chip-form. Otherwise, I'm keen on fig rolls or jaffa cakes on the bike. Don't rule out jelly beans either if you're craving something a bit sweeter.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."
dac, I'd recommend that you concentrate on getting your fitness levels up first before worrying especially about dropping the fat as you're effectively trying to do two opposing things at the same time - getting fitter requires good nutrition whilst losing fat requires a calorie deficit, making it hard to supply the nutrients and energy your body needs to recuperate and adapt to your exercise.
Once you're getting through the weeks commute and feeling great by Sunday then I'd start to focus on getting lean. After exercise you have a 'golden window of opportunity' - insulin and other hormones etc. try to push nutrients into your poor old muscles in order to kick start the recuperation period and you can make the most of this by getting a large portion of your diet in at these times whilst limiting the chances of any of the food being stored as fat.
Caffeine, for all it's negatives is a fantastic diet aid (especially when mixed with ephedrine and aspirin - see the ECA stack) as it inhibits carb metabolism and boosts fat metabolism - this is more useful to you once you enter your fat burning period, not your fitness increasing period which you're currently in, though you should weigh this against the mental alertness plus if you're a bit tired or groggy before your ride home.
As simon said don't neglect water - its the most important nutrient bar none and if you're dehydrated you won't be recuperating or operating at your most efficient.
So -
Water water and more water
Try to improve your fitness before confounding your efforts with fat burning
Lots of carbs and protein after exercise to maximise the golden hour
Try to make sure you have some glycogen (carb) reserves before cycling - i.e. the banana or whatever an hour or two before cycling - or a good meal.
Take a mega-vit/min tablet and vit c and a mega vit-b complex (improves carb usage) daily.
Don't neglect protein - you need it to rebuild your muscles (muscles damaged during exercise and amino acids used during exercise need to be replaced)
HTH, you're doing great!
Daz
BSc. Nutrition, Physiology and Biochemistry!
Good post, I follow most of your advice. As a marathon runner I try to eat properly and load up, I usually take sports drink + caffeine before a hard hour to perk me up. But still suffer from the beer belly (ok I know, too much beer on rest days) but interested in your caffeine + aspirin theory, please elaborate or provide link.
Red Aende, Red Spesh Hardrock, Wine Mercian, Rusty Flying Scot
wikipedia as usual comes up trumps:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECA_stack
Basically the three substances act synergistically to become a highly effective and long lasting fat-burner. Ephedrine is a bit of a controversial little censored though (mainly because amphetamines are derived from it) so some people are wary of using it. I'd recommend against the ECA stack if you have high blood pressure or are particularly sensitive to stimulants.
Oh, pure ephedrine is now over-the-counter in the UK but the herb Sida Cordifolia contains natural ephedrine and this is of course legal. Go figure.
Daz
Daz