nutrition/ hydration advice

[hobbygirl]

i have been cycling for about 3/4 mths and i am enjoying going for further distances. i am not of great fitness and am slightly over weight. i initially thought i would lose weight but after reading hear am reassured that others have not lost weight straight away.
i would like to stretch myself a bit and aim at 40-50 mile runs and i am not sure what sort of drinks/ food i should have as weight is an issue i dont want to put too many calories back in.
how much should you have i generally manage 12.5 to 13 mph. i am 5ft4 and weigh 10st 4. i would like to lose a stone if possible by cycling and walking.

 

[Crankarm]

Well my advice hobbygirl would be continue to eat healthily as you are doing, watch portion size though, drink loads - water. Unless you are planning to ride really long distances a normal balanced diet is fine. For your ride take a few bananas and a couple of satsumas or some dried fruit - currants, sultanas, apricots, that sort of thing, to snack on, just don't eat too much dried fruit as it afterall contains sugar although slow release as opposed to refiined white sugar, during the ride and a couple of bidons (bottles) of water. Tap water is fine. Have a good drink say 10 gulps before you set off but not too much otherwise you'll be looking for the nearest hedgerow to hide behind soon after you have set off .

Enjoy your ride.

 

[Hont]

If you take each ride at a steady pace and don't push yourself, you should find that you don't need to eat much at all. If you keep the intensity low, then you will be burning more fat than sugars and it's only when you run out of sugars that not eating becomes a problem.

The following link explains the 5 "zones" quite well (half way down the page). Unfortunately I couldn't find one that shows you how to guess which one you're in without a HR monitor, but if you can breathe through your nose, with your mouth closed, then you will be in zone 1 or 2. A long time in Zone 2 will allow you to burn calories without needing to replace them far better than the higher zones...

http://www.howtobefit.com/five-heart-rate-zones.htm

 

[hobbygirl]

great thankyou both.

 

[shippers]

Don't really need to be eating much on a 40 miler- work your way up to it as you have been doing rather than taking a giant leap. You'll know if you're going to start taking calories on board as your distances increase.
Make sure you keep the liquid intake going though- dehydration would get you before hunger.

Comparing your needs to anyone else's wouldn't help- I'm 6 foot 2, 16 stone 5. Our calorie needs would be totally different!

 

[Vega]

Cycling is a good form of cardio exercise. I prefer it over running but I do like to swim, walk and hike also. The important thing when it comes to burning fat is to watch your intake. You need some carbs for energy but you don't want to overload on them or that will increase your weight. I would drink water and avoid the sugary energy drinks. They may provide you energy boosts but they're also high in sugars and carbs. One thing to remember as you build up your leg muscles from cycling, muscle weighs more than fat. So while you may lose fat, you may not necessarily lose weight or not lose much.