What do you eat after a century ride?

meanredspider
meanredspider Posts: 12,337
I'm training for Alpe D'HuZes and upping the mileage to aim to do at least one century ride a week on top of my turbo rides and commutes. But I'm also looking to lose as much weight as I can ahead of the day. What's a sensible thing to eat that also tastes reasonable (given that the rest of the week I'm on a pretty tight rein)? Or could I blow it for one day and have a quality pizza or steak and chips given I have an extra 4000kCals to play with? Thoughts?
ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH

Comments

  • Calories are calories but pizza is something that only evil people eat, avoid at all costs. Dough and cheese are the devils foods.

    Plenty of fruit, some cereal based top up, or maybe fat free fruit cake if you think you deserve a blow out. Banana smoothies are as great way of getting calories in without being bad for you, use some fat free yogurt in there if you want.
  • dgstewart
    dgstewart Posts: 252
    You do have to refuel reasonably well, as if you leave a massive calorie deficit on a long ride day, you will be like a certain caterpillar the next day, or the one after, then your tight rein comes under more pressure :-).

    For that length of ride it depends how much you eat during it - you obviously have to eat some food or you'll suffer a bit, but how much varies between individuals. For a 100 mile ride I'd probably plan on eating maybe about 5 or 6 items (i.e. a sandwich, an energy bar, a banana, etc), once every hour or so after the 1st hour. That would be around 1,000 to 1,500 calories depending on what you eat, so plenty left to play with if you burn 4,000 cals on top of your normal daily requirements.

    As for what you eat, I'd wouldn't worry too much as long as you're not devouring 12" pizzas every time! Nothing wrong with a bit of pizza - food of kings not devils ;-). If you have a bread maker, try making your own, can be very healthy and really tasty too. Otherwise, go for something healthy and tasty, rice/pasta based?

    Some lean quality steak with it wouldn't be that bad an idea, good protein and some fat is necessary. I know it doesn't have to come from meat, but a little will not do any harm - many Tour riders will have a steak on rest days to top up iron levels. Maybe some fish - salmon? I've got a superb recipe for a salmon curry I can send you, or an equally excellent Thai sea bass dish. If you want it let me know and I'll PM you.
  • majormantra
    majormantra Posts: 2,094
    or maybe fat free fruit cake if you think you deserve a blow out

    That has to be the most depressing sentence I've read this week. :D
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    Thanks. It's slightly more difficult than it might be in that I'm at my flat in Amsterdam rather than at home on the Black Isle. I'm reasonably limited in what I can make as I haven't been here long so my cupboards aren't stocked with the bits n bobs you build up to help make interesting stuff nor do I have much by way of equipment (no blender, no oven etc - though I do have an Air Fryer - mini fan oven but great for grilling fish and chicken). On the plus side I have no end of restaurants within walking distance - you name it and I can get it (including cake which allegedly makes you very mellow...). I feel as though I should eat some calories as I'm planning on doing some more miles tomorrow (though possibly not another century) and don't want to have nothing in the tank. I certainly have 4000+kCals deficit even versus my weight loss target.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    or maybe fat free fruit cake if you think you deserve a blow out

    That has to be the most depressing sentence I've read this week. :D

    Too funny - I didn't want to sound ungrateful but I can hardly think of anything worse... :lol:
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • Stalin
    Stalin Posts: 208
    I ate a fat free vegan once, tasted bland.
  • brownbosh
    brownbosh Posts: 602
    I eat the contentsof the house. The furniture isn't even safe!
  • dgstewart
    dgstewart Posts: 252
    Well, no cooking facilities makes a slight difference - just get out and have a good feed somewhere then!
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    dgstewart wrote:
    Well, no cooking facilities makes a slight difference - just get out and have a good feed somewhere then!

    I do have some - but man-flat (I normally only live in NL during the week) facilitates
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,217
    Me and a few guys on the club swear by a big mug of milk as soon as you walk in the door.

    I usually get fed by the girlfriend for lunch after my club runs and it usually involved salmon, prawns, bread, packet of crisps, apple juice.

    Or 'sausage pasta' which is self explanatory.
  • dgstewart
    dgstewart Posts: 252
    Hmm... sausage pasta. Jamie Oliver's fennel/lemon/chilli sausage pasta (think it's called "proper blokes pasta" in the book, or something like that) is superb. Maybe not the healthiest of dishes, but my word it's good. I remember having a massive bowl of that after doing The Snow Roads last summer.

    Meanredspider - you could always cook some fine pasta or rice sauces back home at the weekend, freeze them then chuck them in a cool box for the flight back to Amsterdam :-).
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    I can do pasta sauces here - they're typically pretty simple to prepare: a bit of chopping, frying and simmering. Normally simpler than homemade curries
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • nunowoolmez
    nunowoolmez Posts: 865
    An interesting topic this one. In my running days i was covering up to 50 miles a week. When i was asking about nutrition, someone (a wise old chap) said to me "if you're running up to 50 miles a week, you can eat whatever you bloomin like". I guess everyone is different & will know what works for them a what doesn't. In general, stuff like Pizza & anything greasy should be avoided at all times.

    My habits don't really change upon distance. After a hard ride i will typically have a milkshake, a bag of hula hoops or two, a peanut butter bagel, & an orange. For din dins i would not just pig out, but just eat a sensible meal replenishing the proteins & carbs. A baked potato with a tuna filling would be ideal.

    Sometimes it takes a complete overhaul of your eating habits & patterns to properly lose weight & achieve targets. It will be worth it though.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    Sometimes it takes a complete overhaul of your eating habits & patterns to properly lose weight & achieve targets. It will be worth it though.

    I'm generally doing pretty well - 6kg to the good in 6 weeks. After normal rides, I'd do nothing different than what I'd eat on a normal day. It's just after the properly long rides (that I'm going to be doing more and more of) in the 100+ bracket do I feel like I should be eating to replenish stocks a bit so I'm not too drained. Sat I did 105 miles and Sunday 42 recovery miles - after Sunday I just had scrambled eggs and smoked salmon with a bit of salad.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • gotwood25
    gotwood25 Posts: 314
    I find after a decent length pedal 70+ miles I simply cannot stop eating throughout the day afterwards. Might have something to do with poor refueling during the ride but I find it hard to eat when I'm out.

    Yesterday I managed a 3 course Sunday dinner and everyone's leftovers and I was just getting started. It was a good day.
  • ai_1
    ai_1 Posts: 3,060
    Whatever you do, don't punish yourself - (so just say no to fat free fruit cake - horrible idea :cry: ).

    If you try and starve yourself after a big calorie expenditure your likely to crack and pig out later.
    I regularly have an omlette or scrambled eggs straight after a ride or run. Only takes a few minutes to prepare and seems to hit the spot. I usually throw in some onion, tomato, chorizo or a little cheese depending on what I fancy and what's in the fridge. If the ride was a weekend morning I'd just eat normally the rest of the day or if it was a very big ride and I was still feeling particularly hungry I might have some pasta or a bowl of muesli to fill the gap.
    Pizza's never the ideal food for health/performance but what's life without the things you enjoy? Of course some pizzas are better than others! The take-away variety is full of salt and pretty poor quality ingredients. I think the best advice is the usual - eat a balanced diet, everything in moderation including moderation itself.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    Yes - I'm usually pretty good - I don't pig out and I've a lot of will-power and determination. But equally I'm a 49 year old bloke who cycles for fun and exercise: I've no one I'm doing it for but myself so I want to balance life out a bit. It seems to me that if I am going to cut myself some slack at any point, doing so after 160k is OK. At no other point do I waver. If I carry on at my current rate of progress, I'll lose close to 15kg. I've managed this before and kept it off so this will be another huge step. It'll also cost me a small fortune in new clothes... :roll: :wink:
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • dgstewart
    dgstewart Posts: 252
    Know that feeling, I've been "downsizing" my wardrobe over the last few years. Hardest bit I find is getting trousers and jeans to fit at both the waist and legs - waist OK but legs cutting of blood supply, or legs fine but waist like clown trousers :-).
  • drlodge
    drlodge Posts: 4,826
    Calories are calories but pizza is something that only evil people eat, avoid at all costs. Dough and cheese are the devils foods.

    Plenty of fruit, some cereal based top up, or maybe fat free fruit cake if you think you deserve a blow out. Banana smoothies are as great way of getting calories in without being bad for you, use some fat free yogurt in there if you want.

    I've only just come to realise this (as my girlfried is diabetic), most "fat free" stuff sure has less fat, but typically as much if not more sugar than the standard stuff. Next time you're thinking of buying "fat free", compare the sugar content to the standard stuff, it might make you think again.
    WyndyMilla Massive Attack | Rourke 953 | Condor Italia 531 Pro | Boardman CX Pro | DT Swiss RR440 Tubeless Wheels
    Find me on Strava
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    drlodge wrote:
    Calories are calories but pizza is something that only evil people eat, avoid at all costs. Dough and cheese are the devils foods.

    Plenty of fruit, some cereal based top up, or maybe fat free fruit cake if you think you deserve a blow out. Banana smoothies are as great way of getting calories in without being bad for you, use some fat free yogurt in there if you want.

    I've only just come to realise this (as my girlfried is diabetic), most "fat free" stuff sure has less fat, but typically as much if not more sugar than the standard stuff. Next time you're thinking of buying "fat free", compare the sugar content to the standard stuff, it might make you think again.

    Absolutely - besides there's nothing wrong with a little fat.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • drlodge
    drlodge Posts: 4,826
    Yeh...I just eat what I normally eat, just more of it!

    Tend to eat more fish these days, salmon, fish cakes and the like. Accompanied with a jacket potato, carrots and leeks. Then a pudding, custard using skimmed milk and say a rhubarb crumble :D
    WyndyMilla Massive Attack | Rourke 953 | Condor Italia 531 Pro | Boardman CX Pro | DT Swiss RR440 Tubeless Wheels
    Find me on Strava
  • ai_1
    ai_1 Posts: 3,060
    drlodge wrote:
    Calories are calories but pizza is something that only evil people eat, avoid at all costs. Dough and cheese are the devils foods.

    Plenty of fruit, some cereal based top up, or maybe fat free fruit cake if you think you deserve a blow out. Banana smoothies are as great way of getting calories in without being bad for you, use some fat free yogurt in there if you want.

    I've only just come to realise this (as my girlfried is diabetic), most "fat free" stuff sure has less fat, but typically as much if not more sugar than the standard stuff. Next time you're thinking of buying "fat free", compare the sugar content to the standard stuff, it might make you think again.
    Absolutely true. I actively avoid food that's marketed as reduced fat or fat free unless it's a food that is naturally low/no fat. Generally reduced fat means extra processing with sugar and othet additives to compensate for the change of flavour or mouthfeel from removing the fat. In many cases you're better of with the fat and st least you know what you're eating.
  • I read a book called "Food for Fitness" by Chris Carmichael (yes i know he is LA friend) however it had a good section on what and when to eat for the Athelete, looking at "Good Carbs" and "Empty Carbs" protein intake etc.

    Detailing out short events / long events / multi day events by hour and day.

    There is a useful section on timing of your foods leading up to an event / Training and after an event / Training, it seems a bit complex at first but you soon pick out the take home messages about what to eat and when.

    The only criticisms are that the book is very American in content and some of the food reccomeneded not freely available in blighty!

    In summary though you can read the book and pick out the take home message that you can use in a practical sense.
  • davep1
    davep1 Posts: 836
    gotwood25 wrote:
    I find after a decent length pedal 70+ miles I simply cannot stop eating throughout the day afterwards. Might have something to do with poor refueling during the ride but I find it hard to eat when I'm out.

    I'd agree with that, although I think I fuel pretty well on a ride. I think your body is playing catch up. I have also noticed after a big ride (about two hours normally) I crave citrus sweets like Starburst or Skittles, not sure why. I can't eat too many gels or energy bars, I have to have "normal" foods as well.
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Why has no one mentioned beer? They certainly go down real nice after a bunch of hours in the saddle. :?