Weight watching man - need fuel!

ljs1977

Hi

I have been on diets for bloody ages, however since starting mountiain biking I have enjoyed my greatest losses.

I used to be over 21st and now just over 15, however as I get fitter and thinner my rides are getting longer.

As I am still counting the points, the idea is to burn fat not consume what I I burn but anything after 20miles I need fuel!

What is the best food to consume for energy and performance whilst not blowing the pro points? i am taking bananas but they are not cutting it and the occational hand full of Jelly Babies are too short lived - good though

Cheers

.blitz

Some fuel before you set off always helps. You need to start your rides with your muscles and liver fully fuelled with glucose and you can do this by eating a low glycaemic index carbohydrate with some protein a couple of hours before you ride. The carbohydrate will increase the glucose levels in your blood and protein will help to stabilise it. You should aim to eat as much as you can without feeling uncomfortable:

porridge + semi skimmed milk + raisins + chopped hazelnuts
muesli + milk
butter beans + chickpeas + mackerel
wholegrain bread + tinned salmon + sliced cucumber
medium sized jacket potato + tuna + green side salad.
chicken soup + wholegrain roll

During the ride if it's more than an hour then you’ll need to consume some carbohydrate to keep your muscles fuelled. Aim to consume between 100 – 250 Calories (25g – 62g carbohydrate) per hour after the first hour of riding. Each one of these is 50g of carbs:

litre of a carbohydrate sports drink (quite like High 5 EnergySource meself & I find Torq is easy to digest but somewhat less effective)
energy gel
banana + half a litre of a carbohydrate sports drink
small box of raisins + handful of nuts (anything except salted & dry roasted peanuts)
packet of Starburst or Haribo etc
apple and a big handful of pumpkin seeds
couple of oatcakes and a small chunk of cheddar
small flapjack

You will need to experiment to see which works best for you.

.blitz

You might also find some caffeine helps. You'll need 5mg or so per kg of bodyweight which is a lot e.g. a couple of expressos 40 mins or so before you ride.

Something about it being easily absorbed by the digestive system and attaching itself to the receptors in the nervous system that
a) release all your energy in one go because you appear to be trying to escape from a sabre-tooth tiger
b) tell you you're knackered and on the way to becoming a sabre-tooth tiger's breakfast.
Caffeine subdues these signals, regulates energy output and reduces the symptoms of fatigue.

It works for me anyway.

ljs1977

Wow, cheers!

styxd

Ride fasted, get your baody used to using its fat for fuel, rather than relying on high carb gels and sweets.

rockmonkeysc

I prefer to load up on energy before a ride. A good bowl of porridge is always a good start to the day and if I'm riding in the afternoon then some wholemeal pasta for lunch. Carbs are good as long as they are the right type.
Good work with the weight loss, I'm on a similar mission, down from 17 stone at christmas to 14 stone 11 lb now. The best tip I had was from an ex pro racer who told me that on days when I'm not riding I should run a couple miles before breakfast and then have just eggs for breakfast, no carbs before lunch.

mmacavity

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-lu ... 59564.html

Burndust

i normally carb load the night before a big ride, either that or fast releasing protein shake before i set off, and use those hi 5 zero tablets the caffine one...does me on a 50 miler, then i have lunch with a hight protein content and good balance of carbs and fat for recovery

Woodmonkey

Might sound silly but are you drinking enough fluid? If your fitness has increased this much then you prob need a lot more fluid than when you started riding. And +1 for the high 5 caffeine tablets