Totally Addicted to BA....ah no. Energy Bars....HELP!

WarlKicken

Morning All (and what a damned glorious one it is at last in London)!!!

Okay, so my diet sucks. I've had some el' trouble with eating in the past when I get stuck into Triathlon and, although it's improved, it still sucks.

Recently, I've found myself addicted to energy bars and I need a decent way or weening off them! I'm cycling to and from work, across London twice a day and it's just shy of 36km a day. Using the ol Strava it reckons it's about 700cals burn so I need that to make them up, the only way I do it is to smash SIS bars...and I mean lots of them. People at work think I'm odd when I sit down to lunch and it's just bars of food. Anything in bar form.

Any ideas on something I could sub for them that as easy to consume. I find them so damned lovely to eat, low in sat fats, high in sugar (which I burn like there's no tomorrow) and just tasty. I'm also guessing this is extremely unhealthy?! HELP!

Bit mad I know but, does anyone else have this problem?!

simonhead

Sounds like you need to go cold turkey.

jordan_217

Malt loaf or rehab.

smoggysteve

On a serious note, what are you eating for breakfast?

Sounds like you need to fuel up before you even set off as you are constantly hungry. Try eating more complex carbs throughout the day instead of the quick fix sugar rushes like you are doing. Nothing wrong with eating the odd bar on the move but while you are not on the bike eat more substantially and you wont feel so hungry for energy bars all the time.

Bobbinogs

36k of riding, what in two chunks and you need to eat an unlimited amount of energy bars? Seriously?

A good diet should mean that you can ride 90 minutes, at race pace, before you get into problems. Most folks who are doing tough rides start eating after about an hour and a banana (with its 25g of carb) is more than enough to keep most through to the 2 hour mark. After that, ~65g of carb an hour should suffice if going full bore.

Given your ride profile then you have to face it that you are in a delusionary world where you believe your performance (which is merely commuting in anyone else's language) merits unlimited energy bars. Sorry bloke, but it doesn't. Try and eat decent meals, 3 times a day starting with a good breakfast. If you need to snack then have the odd piece of fruit or some fruit/nuts, etc. Make sure your meals are balanced and eat enough protein to satiate your hunger (but don't go mad as you need easy energy too).

You can probably tell I am a 'tell it how it is' type of bloke

WarlKicken

Bobbinogs wrote:

36k of riding, what in two chunks and you need to eat an unlimited amount of energy bars? Seriously?

A good diet should mean that you can ride 90 minutes, at race pace, before you get into problems. Most folks who are doing tough rides start eating after about an hour and a banana (with its 25g of carb) is more than enough to keep most through to the 2 hour mark. After that, ~65g of carb an hour should suffice if going full bore.

Given your ride profile then you have to face it that you are in a delusionary world where you believe your performance (which is merely commuting in anyone else's language) merits unlimited energy bars. Sorry bloke, but it doesn't. Try and eat decent meals, 3 times a day starting with a good breakfast. If you need to snack then have the odd piece of fruit or some fruit/nuts, etc. Make sure your meals are balanced and eat enough protein to satiate your hunger (but don't go mad as you need easy energy too).

You can probably tell I am a 'tell it how it is' type of bloke

Ha not an issue at all. I suck at eating. I hate it. I get asbolutely knackered after cycling my 17.5km to and then from work. Madness. I can go 120km without eatin a bean and feel fine. It's bad cycle eating habits.

seanorawe

Strava calories burned is very inaccurate, I would say you more than likely burn more than it says.

Dont bring the bars to work and dont bring any money to buy them.

racingcondor

I don't even want to know what you're spending on this.

I'd have a banana when I get to work if you're hungry (or even better take a plastic sealed box with a banana and an apple or something cut up into it and eat that). That said it's 12 miles so you shouldn't need anything if you've had breakfast.

EDIT - Re Strava calories being accurate or not. I'd agree that they're normally way out but in this case I actually think it sounds about right. 700 calories for 1.5 hours on the bike isn't far off. What I would challenge though is the 'need' to recover the calories. Unless your BMI is <19 and you're losing weight I wouldn't worry (usual declarations about BMI not suiting everyone).

keef66

"People at work think I'm odd when I sit down to lunch and it's just bars of food. Anything in bar form."

I'm with them. Big bowl of porridge for breakfast should see you through the morning, then for lunch buy a sandwich, some fruit, a lump of flapjack if you must. If you are surviving on energy bars you must be spending a fortune and missing out on anything fresh / unprocessed.

If this persists I think you may need psychiatric help

Anonymous

You should not need any for an 18 mile commute should you?
Eating them at lunchtime is plane odd.
Sorry, but I think you should seek medical help.

Just opened a wiggle 8) and found a Nectar (sports fuel) Cell in with my Haribo Tangfastic :P
If I had not already had lunch I could have a Ciif peanut butter bar for main, Nectar Cell for pud and Nuun Kola (with caffein) to wash it down/coffee

stueys

Agree with the comments, you don't really need anything for that distance. Bowl of porridge in the morning will see you right. Having said that I'm partial to a homemade protein bar as an 11:00 snack. Basically peanut butter, honey, oats, raisins and whey protein powder. Maybe try those as a weaning technique.

I tend to eat little and often which works for me.

smoggysteve

I guess you are just sat there at work, maybe in front of a computer all day and its easier to snack on bars than get up and have a proper meal? If all you are doing is eating sugar then the effects wear off quickly and you are hungry again. I think you should forget about the cycling to work and back part, I think you would be like this if you drove in. You need to have a proper breakfast to keep you going through the day and I would suggest taking proper food to work with you. Snacking is part hunger, part boredom. If you snack on something healthier you would feel less inclined to fill up on energy bars.

pilch

Get some proper food in you, sounds like you have a shit diet. Change your diet to low GI with good fats & fresh veg and stop bingeing on quick burning carbs.

Snack on things like apples, seeds & nuts, when you get control of the food you eat it will stop the spikes and big lows, you will have more energy - and you will feel much better.

WarlKicken

pilch wrote:

Get some proper food in you, sounds like you have a shoot diet. Change your diet to low GI with good fats & fresh veg and stop bingeing on quick burning carbs.

Snack on things like apples, seeds & nuts, when you get control of the food you eat it will stop the spikes and big lows, you will have more energy - and you will feel much better.

Ta big guy. Yeah my dinners aren't too bad and I always follow up with a bowl of delicious chopped up fruit and some yoghurt. My daily diet sucks. I'm quite light and wana keep it that way but am a complete d!ck about the way I do. Ha.

Some of the comments on here are amazing as well. I sound pathetic but....ah, well I am I guess :-D