What Do You Eat Before You Cycle. When Do You Eat It?

[rivers]

I've read & can atest that it works, a portion of animal meat before bed. a dose of melatonin as late as possible doesn't hurt either. taking melatonin too early doesn't have the desired effect. also, we now have legal cannibis in MA. our Daughter seems to be an expert shopper. there are several strains, & there's one I've tried, where just a cpl small short tokes has a lovely effect just before tooth brushing & bed

It looks like a few more states have joined the ranks for legalising marijuana. I made my little brother take me to the shop when I was last stateside in January (born and raised in Central MA, now a UK transplant).

 

[simongt]

As I don't go out on 'rides', this doesn't apply. I ride about 5k a year commuting, shopping, pub etc., thus I simply eat normally. Brekky usually consists of three doorsteps of toast with marmalade, peanut butter, cheese etc. on plus the compulsory mug of strong tea. Then off on my twelve mile ride to work - ! Result, job done - !

 

[Lovacott]

It looks like a few more states have joined the ranks for legalising marijuana. I made my little brother take me to the shop when I was last stateside in January (born and raised in Central MA, now a UK transplant).

I live in a very Conservative (right wing) part of North Devon and yet our local council has allowed a CBD cafe to open.

I went in there yesterday and paid a refundable £10 for a sampler of a high potency CBD which will help me sleep for longer (apparently).

20 years ago, we'd have all been in jail after such a transaction.

We live in an ever changing world.

 

[Landsurfer]

I live in a very Conservative (right wing) part of North Devon and yet our local council has allowed a CBD cafe to open.

I went in there yesterday and paid a refundable £10 for a sampler of a high potency CBD which will help me sleep for longer (apparently).

20 years ago, we'd have all been in jail after such a transaction.

We live in an ever changing world.

Legal cafe or not if i imbibed its an instant dismissal in my industry ..... and i'm afraid its a gateway drug wherever you buy it from .....

 

[Lovacott]

I'm afraid its a gateway drug wherever you buy it from .....

Just about everybody I've ever known has done weed at some stage in their lives.

Not one of them has moved onto anything harder.

It's a gateway drug alright.

 

[Nebulous]

I started cycling on the third day of the first lockdown to control my weight and give me something to fill part of the day.

The first two days, I watched a box set, ate fry ups and drank loads of beer.

I put on half a stone in 48 hours. So I decided to do something physical and set about fixing up my old Apollo.

I rode the local estuary cycle path for ten or fifteen miles every day (the one where James May raced the electric model train set).

I was slow to start with and every joint ached, but over the coming weeks, I got quicker and it got easier.

The ride across country to work was a mad pipe dream. I didn't believe that I could do it. I tried it the week before we went back to work and it nearly killed me. But I stuck with it and it gradually got a bit easier.

I've got faster on the commute due to improved fitness, better use of my gears and by gradually learning when to go hard and when to take it easy.

I've more than lost my early lockdown weight and I'm now the same weight as I was 20 years ago. My leg muscles are ripped, my joints no longer creak and I don't get puffed out walking up the hill to the newsagents.

But still, the ride home every day seems like too much hard work.

I've tried a few different foods at different times to see what I can eat and when to boost my energy levels.

If I eat too early, I spend the last hour at work trying to fight off sleep. If I eat too late, I get cramps in my calves on the hills.

I did eat a Mr Kipling Bakewell Tart at about 4.30pm a couple of weeks ago and it seemed to make a difference. No sickie feeling in my legs, no cramps, quick commute time.

I'm reluctant to go down the sugar hit route though. I very rarely eat sweet stuff. I'd rather eat a bit of cheese than a lump of chocolate.

Congratulations - you've done really well. My tale was similar though 10 years ago. I was worried I had begun to break things with my weight, and my wife was becoming really concerned about my snoring, possibly sleep apnoea. I went from 18 1/2 stone to 15 10 and stuck, so took up cycling to try to get it going again. I finished up around the 13 stone mark, but by then cycling had become much more important than the weight. I'm proud that I have managed to keep most of it off for 10 years now.

Simple carbohydrates, or sugar is the basic fuel for much that you do.The problem is if you take it as sugar it gives you a big spike in blood sugar, which then disappears quickly as well, leaving you on a low. Complex cartbohydrates are better, as your body has to break them down into simple carbohydrates, giving you a more even blood supply. That would be a better route for you - but you would need to eat them earlier, which you have said puts you to sleep.

I'm a big fan of bananas, as are a lot of cyclists. Stopping for a short breather on a club run lots of bananas appear from back pockets. They are also believed to be good for cramps. I'm not sure that one is enough though. A big banana is only about 130 calories if I remember correctly. You'll be burning at least 400 calories I'd have thought on your commute home.

 

[Colin Grigson]

Congratulations - you've done really well. My tale was similar though 10 years ago. I was worried I had begun to break things with my weight, and my wife was becoming really concerned about my snoring, possibly sleep apnoea. I went from 18 1/2 stone to 15 10 and stuck, so took up cycling to try to get it going again. I finished up around the 13 stone mark, but by then cycling had become much more important than the weight. I'm proud that I have managed to keep most of it off for 10 years now.

Simple carbohydrates, or sugar is the basic fuel for much that you do.The problem is if you take it as sugar it gives you a big spike in blood sugar, which then disappears quickly as well, leaving you on a low. Complex cartbohydrates are better, as your body has to break them down into simple carbohydrates, giving you a more even blood supply. That would be a better route for you - but you would need to eat them earlier, which you have said puts you to sleep.

I'm a big fan of bananas, as are a lot of cyclists. Stopping for a short breather on a club run lots of bananas appear from back pockets. They are also believed to be good for cramps. I'm not sure that one is enough though. A big banana is only about 130 calories if I remember correctly. You'll be burning at least 400 calories I'd have thought on your commute home.

You’re right, bananas are good protection from muscle cramps - they’re rich in Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium ... the very depletion of which causes cramp.

 

[Landsurfer]

Just about everybody I've ever known has done weed at some stage in their lives.

Not one of them has moved onto anything harder.

It's a gateway drug alright.

I only know my daughter .... started with weed .... she's now a 20 year + heroin and cocaine addict. Her 3 children are in our permanent care. So i'll pass on it I think ...

 

[Lovacott]

Congratulations - you've done really well. My tale was similar though 10 years ago. I was worried I had begun to break things with my weight, and my wife was becoming really concerned about my snoring, possibly sleep apnoea. I went from 18 1/2 stone to 15 10 and stuck, so took up cycling to try to get it going again. I finished up around the 13 stone mark, but by then cycling had become much more important than the weight. I'm proud that I have managed to keep most of it off for 10 years now.

My bike and my commute have taken over my life and I have to say, I'm loving every second of it.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I live in a very Conservative (right wing) part of North Devon and yet our local council has allowed a CBD cafe to open.

We live in an ever changing world.

TBH, it's not really a Left vs Right thing. It comes down to nanny state puritans who want to tell everyone what to do vs libertarians who don't give a shoot what someone else chooses to eat, drink, or smoke.

 

[Landsurfer]

TBH, it's not really a Left vs Right thing. It comes down to nanny state puritans who want to tell everyone what to do vs libertarians who don't give a shoot what someone else chooses to eat, drink, or smoke.

No harm to you, but ..... this is possibly the biggest load of bull excreta i have ever read on this forum .... Sweeping statement of the year ?... or .. Cunning troll bait ? ... I can't decide.
Maybe redirect to another post Mods for some fun discussion.
I thought only pro cyclists took drugs before cycling ....

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Personally I would legalise all drugs for adult personal use in private, and not in the presence of minors. It's not my business to tell someone that taking stuff might harm them, they're quite capable of making that judgement for themselves. If they get it wrong, its also their lookout not mine.

 

[rockyroller]

I only know my daughter .... started with weed .... she's now a 20 year + heroin and cocaine addict. Her 3 children are in our permanent care. So i'll pass on it I think ...

sorry to hear that, totally understandable. my family has a history of trouble with alcohol. lucky for me, I get headaches from it & struggle with gout. eliminating the alcohol & animal meat (except eggs) has kept the gout away. I'm at a point, where I can have a beer with dinner, if we go out, but it can be a slippery slope. when both my kids started college, I started drinking more & paid the price

 

[Mines_a_pint]

I usually have porridge and a mug of coffee about an hour before going out and take a flapjack for every hour I’ll be out plus a water bottle or two...seems to work for me..

 

[Lovacott]

I try to avoid the sugar hit if at all possible. On my LEJOG i learnt after the first day that gels, sugar, protein bars are not a patch on real food.
If you want a kick before setting off for home have a chicken sandwich or a banana ... leave the buns alone ...

I've started to eat a lot more protein. I've probably doubled my intake in the last few months.

I'm of an age where muscle building is a very slow process and I looked at my protein intake and it was low (less than 20 grams per day).

I get a lot of fibre and fresh veg in my diet but I don't eat much meat. I've started eating tinned pilchards quite a lot and I snacked on a whole roast chicken that I bought in Morrisons over the weekend. It lasted me less than a day.

I avoid sugar and sweet stuff even though I was a sweet addict as a kid. I kicked sugar in tea over 30 years ago and my sweet tooth went away about six months later.

When I think back to my eating habits in my 20's, I cringe. Pie and chips, pasty and chips, chicken and chips, burger and chips, can of Coke and two Mars Bars for breakfast, can of Coke and two Marathon and a packet of Walkers for lunch.

By rights, I should be dead.