Supplements for cycling?

BOOTHMEISTER

Hi there everyone.

I'm on a mission to loose some weight after being told that I'm pre-diabetic. I weighed 19st on the 16th August and now weigh 18.1st so the weight is dropping slowly.
What I'm trying to find out is whether or not a supplement such as creatine or whey protein might aid with the weight loss without spiking my blood sugar levels.
I've read that creatine gives you more endurance but protein helps build muscle. Is there any point to either or should I just stay away from them?

Thanks, Chris

fenix

Really dont think you need anything.

fat daddy

supplements ... generally speaking "supplement" your diet if you are not getting enough of something, a good diet negates the need to supplement.

Considering ... and I am not saying this to be rude ... but considering you are trying to loose weight, you could argue that supplementing your diet (adding MORE ) to is the complete reverse of your requirements

Creatine is only really useful for short intensive bursts, ie getting 1 or 2 more reps out if you are heavy lifting ... so not really use full unless you are training to be a sprinter or a power lifter.

Protein .. again at your stats you don't need to supplement, just eat protein in your diet, fish, chicken, steak

POAH

stay away from it all you don't need any supplement

BOOTHMEISTER

Thanks everyone. What would be good to consume immediately after a ride then?

fat daddy

water .. rehydrate.

how long is your ride, how intense is it .. your body is a pretty resilient organism, if you were a 10% bf athlete trying to peak for a race or in training, then replacing lost glycogen through carbs, giving adequate protein for repair and growth and timing of this nutrition is very important.

For the average person though, it doesn't make that much difference, even if you don't eat for a while. your body doesn't know when you start or end a workout .. it doesn't actually know what a workout is, so if you get off your bike and then don't eat anything, its not going to change much, your body is still doing stuff, you are still moving, walking about so its just a lower intensity form of exercise.

If you are hungry eat something, but if not, just leave it until your next meal

at the end of the day the important thing for loosing weight is to leave you body in a calorie deficit

trek_dan

Forget everything and I mean everything that the bodybuilding and fitness industry want you to believe about nutrition. Go cycling, eat healthy, sorted.

BOOTHMEISTER

I get that but unfortunately I am always hank marvin after a ride. I tend to do about 16 mile off road at the moment but will up that as I get back into it. I just know I'll want to eat bad things after a ride and I want to try and eat well whilst stopping the cravings etc.

cooldad

So have a decent meal after a ride. With salad and veg and lean meat and stuff. Hunger gone, doesn't pack on the calories.

No need for anything special.

LimitedGarry

BOOTHMEISTER wrote:

I get that but unfortunately I am always hank marvin after a ride. I tend to do about 16 mile off road at the moment but will up that as I get back into it. I just know I'll want to eat bad things after a ride and I want to try and eat well whilst stopping the cravings etc.

The best thing to do is to have a proper meal right before the ride. Biking is mostly an aerobic activity, so you're mainly burning during the activity, not for several hours after, like with strictly anaerobic activities.
When I expect the ride to be really demanding (be it a killer climb or a day long tour), I favor having an abnormally large serving of whatever I prepare in the morning (full disclosure, I sometimes get so full I need to lie down for a few minutes ) and then basically live on small snacks for the rest of the day (candy bar here, a soup somewhere along the ride, etc.). When you get home, the sensible thing to do might be to drink a glass of milk, have a small-ish meal and wait an hour or two if you're still hungry or not. Although that's not at all what I do, as I usually end up drinking more than a glass of milk, some orange juice and than have something really, really tasty That said, I'm in no pressure to lose weight.

As for supplements, they're generally either for when you screw your diet up big time or when your activity is so demanding you have trouble keeping the intake up. For the latter, the first thing you want to look for is magnesium and potassium. Insufficient intake of either will seriously hamper your ability to keep up, especially, should you ever start doing very demanding activities on daily basis. Not to mention it prevents getting cramps. There's nothing more confusing than suddenly being woken up by your leg trying to jump out of the window.

fenix

A big meal right before the ride ? Jeez.

I'd be still digesting that half way round.

Much better for me to have 2 weetabix or nothing and keep eating and drinking little bits round the ride and then the obligatory cake stop half way.

molteni_man

Hi Boothmeister,
Congratulations on your efforts to lose weight to date - a great start.
I find it useful to eat as soon as I return from a bike ride.
One tip that I have found useful is to have everything prepared and ready to cook/ eat before I ride which then helps me avoid the temptation to not eat so well.
I'll only eat lightly and find scrambled eggs with smoked salmon an excellent combination. I combine this with a small glass of orange juice and fruit salad. If the saucepan etc are all laid out and ingredients to hand then it works and means you can get something in within the recommended 20 mins. I also find an apple really good straight after a gym session.
Good luck with the cycling. Remember to keep it mixed up with longer rides, some fast short rides and if time short go and do some hill repeats/ intervals. Most importantly enjoy it.
BW

Crazyjenkins01

Hey Booth,

The protein/creatine you're talking about wont help you lose weight. They CAN be used to help build muscle size and/or strength, depending on what training you are doing, which could actually cause weight gain.
However what you are (probably) looking for is actually fat loss, not weight loss. That will manifest itself as weight loss as long as muscle mass is unchanged. Using weight as a guide is partially useful but if you are cycling you will more than likely increase muscle mass at the same time as losing fat for weight changes need to be taken in context.

armsterarm

Try increasing your fiber and protein intake. Helps you feel full faster so you eat less. Plus you'll feel full for longer. Green tea might help too. But really, the best supplement is riding a bike.

POAH

don't need to increase protein intake, it will just get pooped out. you want to have insoluble fibre as that will pass through you

fat daddy

POAH wrote:

don't need to increase protein intake, it will just get pooped out.

surely thats quite useful if you want to loose weight.

2000kcal of carbs vs 2000kcal of protein ... I would choose the one that gets pooped out ..... actually I would just choose the meat because it tastes nicer ... ah censored all this talk about protien I need another bit of cold turkey !

POAH

no, because its pooped out in hard stools. too much protein isn't good for you in other respects too. I'd not eat either diets. You have to have a balance of fat, sugar and protein.

bigmitch41

Whats your diet like now, what would you usually eat on the day/days leading up to a big ride?

I found apps like myfitnesspal.com really helpful in loosing weight, log your meals each day add your rides etc and see if you are under or over your daily calorie limit.

davesnothere

Hi Booth, welcome and congrats on the weight loss so far, good work.

Post ride I would usually go for fruit and a glass of milk. Milk is v effective with rehydration i find, better than water. I'd usually have a banana as they are quite filling. Both milk and bananas are a good source of the electrolytes you lose when sweating/exercising (sodium, potassium etc)

In terms of building muscle the best thing is doing more riding IMHO

In terms of losing weight the best thing is the calorie defecit (eat less/healthier and exercise more)

The only supplement I use would be a zero calorie electrolyte tablet in my water bottle during the summer months. I find in warm weather if i drink plain water then I'm occasionally susceptible to cramps on longer rides (2hrs plus). If i use the tabs then I never have this problem.