(Not) eating in the morning before my commute

[SoulOnIce]

Here's the deal.

I have a 15 mile each way commute that I do 2/3 times a week.
Once or twice a week I also chuck in some upper body weight training.
I am not a "serious" cyclist but I enjoy it as a way of getting outdoors and staying fit and trying to shift some of my middle aged spread.

I've started trying to do my commute in the morning on an empty stomach as a way of burning the fat. The cycle in is not a problem and I don't seem to get any problems with low blood sugar or run out of energy. I have a couple of tuna cobs when I get to work as breakfast, but I do tend to find I am hungry all day, even though I eat a good lunch (a big cob, an apple, a banana) and then I will have a cereal bar and a piece of fruit about 5pm about an hour before I set off home.

Today, before I cycled in, I decided to eat the usual bowl of muesli that I would have on a non cycling day. I found that I didn't need to eat anything when I got into work. I then had my usual lunch plus teatime snack.

Before I cycled the 15 miles home I went and did 50 mins on the weights and then did the cycle home.

Strangely I found myself less hungry all day, even though I think did more exercise than usual and had less to eat.

Is there some scientific reason for this? I know eating brekkie is meant to be good for you but today I ate less and exercised more and felt less hungry - and I'm sire there was nothing else different from my routine.

Or was this just some fluke?

 

[Scoosh]

Not being an nutritionist but having read quite a bit about it, it could well be that the muesli you had, being a 'slow release carbohydrate' kept you feeling fuller for longer, so not so hungry at lunch etc etc.

Try taking some muesli in to eat in the office some 'fasted' day and see if it helps

 

[Wee Incey]

I concur with scoosh, bring on the slow release CHO! I also happen to be a microbiologist with the dubious honour of having specialised in human gut bacteria and the great importance of your "happy" gut bugs (you know, the ones always promoted by people trying to sell you yoghurts). Slow release CHO are loved by your little happy bugs so, not only are you feeling less hungry, you are also keeping them happy, which will in turn keep your digestive tract and, thus, you healthy. Oats are particularly good because they help to reduce blood cholesterol and regulate blood sugar levels into the bargain, more so than other grains (I'll not start going into the reasons why) so museli is a great idea for post riding brekkie. You can also get microwaveable tubs of porridge for the winter.

 

[Losidan]

Would it be a bad thing to ride on a completely empty stomach? I have always thought it would not be advised and you should have something in the tank....Or is it ok to do this and it burns fat?

Thanks
Dan

 

[SavageHoutkop]

At risk of hijacking the thread, WeeIncey - I make my own meusli at home, toasted in the oven - ingredients:
oil
honey
oats
coconut
sunflower seeds
bran

Seeing as you say oats are great above, are there any other flaky-type things (we've put in barley flakes and rye flakes before) that would be as great or better?

 

[gaz]

i eat a biscuit and off i go...

 

[scaryant]

As the others have said, it's much better to eat something like muesli or oats (porridge) because it is a low GI food. It's a good source of fibre too and the low GI means it releases sugar into your blood slowly throughout the day.

Personally I cycle to work and back. I eat porridge for breakfast at work then go to the gym and eat a light lunch never feel hungry and always have the energy to ride and work out. Eating after your ride will be better for fat loss, because after a good work out your body continues to burn calories - so when you eat some after your ride it immediately begins consuming them rather than storing them. The cal burn period can last for around 30-45 min depending on the intensity you train at.

I've read a lot about this stuff (for weight loss) on other forums and training books. It's fine to exercise unfueled in the mornings and often trainers will recommend it as your body is more likely to burn stored fat rather than the carbohydrates you just ate. The reason is carbs you consume before training are much easier for the body to convert to glucose so your body uses them first.

Many people also recommend having coffee before training. I do this and find it works great, it gives you (if not fake) energy boost and also suppresses your appetite while you work out.