Diluting gels

andyh01

Hi all
So started cycling a lot more to lose a bit of weight and get fitter.
Currently doing about 50-80 miles 3 or 4 times a week.
I've also reduced calories eating and trying to find the balance between energy needed for performance Vs fat burning and creating calorie deficit.

I recently got an Aldi special buy the high 5 energy gels, so far not used them.but wondering rather then just no added sugar juice (sweetener instead) could I empty a gel into my biddion and top up with tap water?

Thanks

Matthewfalle

sorry - are these like the normal energy gels? long thin packet, feel like they are full of snot? picture?

#claritybeforeanswering
#photography

webboo

AndyH01 wrote:

Hi all
So started cycling a lot more to lose a bit of weight and get fitter.
Currently doing about 50-80 miles 3 or 4 times a week.
I've also reduced calories eating and trying to find the balance between energy needed for performance Vs fat burning and creating calorie deficit.

I recently got an Aldi special buy the high 5 energy gels, so far not used them.but wondering rather then just no added sugar juice (sweetener instead) could I empty a gel into my biddion and top up with tap water?

Thanks

If you are doing 80 miles on your current nutrition I.e. no added sugar juice why do you need to start adding gels. If you need extra energy just take the gels as normal.

cougie

Yes you can. I do that for Ironman events. You need the gel taken with water so add the water in your bottle and it's a less messy way of doing things.

super_davo

DIluting gels will taste rank in comparison to an energy drink and ultimately, that's what you're creating.

If you've got them and want to use them, fine, else just buy something like this:
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/high5-energy-drink-22kg/
Which will last you a long time.

Gels are great for when you're working really hard for an extended period of time to get energy in your body quickly without needing to chew or digest, but they are ultimately just concentrated sugar in water (albeit fancy sports sugars). If you're going to turn that into dilute sugar in water, why not get something that's designed to be drank that way?

sungod

adding to water won't affect the gel's value as energy, might taste rank though

but as above, unless you're in a race/tt where ease/speed of intake is important there's little point in using gels

i find non-stop sweet stuff clags up my mouth, and a sugar wash several times an hour doesn't do the teeth much good

on long rides i prefer either energy bars if i'm not stopping, or a roll with cheese/ham/whatever, or cafe stops which are the best way of all

OnTheRopes

You really don't need gels, their purpose is to provide energy fast when you are racing and don't have time to struggle to open or choke on other types of food, they are also relatively expensive. For normal riding just carry a banana (I cut mine in half to make 2 small energy snacks) or fig rolls or a flapjack.
If you need energy in your drink then use something like https://www.wiggle.co.uk/torq-energy-drink-powder-15kg/
tastes quite good and does the job.

andyh01

Thanks , I'll keep the gels for emergency use if I ever bonk again - only happened once on one of the first club rides I did.

I would prefer some juice to keep hydrated (rather than just water) without added suger or sweetener low calories any recommendations?

jgsi

Ah, the old 'lose weight thru cycling' and 'eat ueber calorific manufactured shtuff' thread.

Cycling is too damned efficient to lose weight properly , unless you plan to spend hours + hours in the saddle.

sungod

AndyH01 wrote:

I would prefer some juice to keep hydrated (rather than just water) without added suger or sweetener low calories any recommendations?

i like the high 5 zero citrus tabs, one in a water bottle gives a slightly tangy taste, much more palatable on hot days than sweet stuff

navrig2

Robinsons No-added sugar. No point in spending money on fancy flavoured tabs. If you really need salts then get a bag of isotonic salts from Myprotein.com. Cheaper and lasts forever.

andyh01

Navrig2 wrote:

Robinsons No-added sugar. No point in spending money on fancy flavoured tabs. If you really need salts then get a bag of isotonic salts from Myprotein.com. Cheaper and lasts forever.

If I understood correctly:
Whilst no added sugars, a lot of them add sweetener, which not only can be carsengenic but also as tricks the body into thinking it had suger/energy (which it doesn't) still causes suger spike and can make you eat more afterwards?

sungod

AndyH01 wrote:

If I understood correctly:
Whilst no added sugars, a lot of them add sweetener, which not only can be carsengenic but also as tricks the body into thinking it had suger/energy (which it doesn't) still causes suger spike and can make you eat more afterwards?

perhaps according to tinfoil hat wearers, anti-vaccine nutters, and chemtrail conspiracy theorists

but afaik not according to current reputable scientific opinion on approved sweeteners at probable usage levels

for instance https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/cau ... fact-sheet

if you ingest enough of anything it can have a bad effect, water, sugar, fat, salt, bread, meat, fruit, milk, cheese, eggs, starchy veg, etc.

andyh01

True ..
Guess either get used to warmish water or carry on...

lakesluddite

I don't really 'get on' with gels as they are intended, so I used to do this - any freebie gels I got, I used them instead of powders and put two or three into the bidon. Now I will only use them as an emergency fuel if out on a ride and use powders that are designed to be diluted in water - and then only if I get some free at an event etc (I won't buy them).
Gels are one of the most revolutionary sports nutrition innovations in the last few years, but their environmental impact never seems to be discussed, which is strange when we consider the recent 'awakening' to the harm of single-use plastic. Compare this to a tub of powder that stays at home and can go into the plastic recycling (hopefully). Even then, it would be better if the containers were glass or metal.