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

[CXRAndy]

A 1000 calories of porridge? Do you make it with double cream topped with clotted and golden syrup?

A bowl of porridge is around 300cals, so 3 bowls before a 6-8 hour day riding works wonders.

I was consuming 5000+ cals a day whilst riding everyday in Tenerife, didn't put on any weight. Breakfast was a couple of bowls of porridge with toast, croissants, coffee

 

[vickster]

You eat 3 bowls before cycling? Where do you put it all?!
How tall are you? What do you weigh?

 

[Lovacott]

A bowl of porridge is around 300cals, so 3 bowls before a 6-8 hour day riding works wonders.

In a previous life (the 1990's) I used to have porridge every morning before setting off on my 17 mile London commute. I used a full coffee mug of oats, one of water and one of milk.

I'd soak the oats overnight in the fridge and warm it in the microwave in the morning.

I tried oats again earlier in the year and fell asleep a few minutes after I'd eaten them.

My son has the same issue and spent a whole train ride to London on the way to watch Arsenal v Everton in February, fast alseep. That was after a carton of that "Up and Go" rubbish which is basically a mashed up Weetabix for ten times the price.

 

[Notafettler]

, I never eat cakes or pastries. Chocolate, Ice Cream and sweets

Oh you more man. I have most of the latter 5 days a week.

 

[weareHKR]

spent a whole train ride to London on the way to watch Arsenal v Everton in February, fast alseep.

Was that before the match or during?

 

[matticus]

@Lovacott : I have a fair experience of doing long/short rides when sleep-deprived, eating at odd hours, and a bit of knowledge of blood-sugar levels:
I think your biology is so different from most of ours that I'd recommend seeing a sleep expert, and looking at it from that end (i.e. how your nutrients are effecting your sleep signals). It will be easier to fix your ride nutrition once you understand the sleep issues better (ideally you will get back to 6hour+ sleep every night, then look at your cycling needs).

Good luck!

 

[Lovacott]

@Lovacott : I have a fair experience of doing long/short rides when sleep-deprived, eating at odd hours, and a bit of knowledge of blood-sugar levels:
I think your biology is so different from most of ours that I'd recommend seeing a sleep expert, and looking at it from that end (i.e. how your nutrients are effecting your sleep signals). It will be easier to fix your ride nutrition once you understand the sleep issues better (ideally you will get back to 6hour+ sleep every night, then look at your cycling needs).
Good luck!

I do suffer from sleep deprivation quite badly. It's not Sleep Apnea because since about a month after I started cycling, the little bit of snoring I did has gone away (according to the OH).

But I have this habit of waking up two hours before the alarm and being fully wired and ready to go. I know that I should go back to sleep, but I can't do it.

I've tried different pillows, blackout blinds, earplugs, cutting out caffeine after 7am and avoiding tech and telly after 10pm.

I use a sleep tracker which tells me that the the majority of my sleep is either REM or light sleep and the missus says that I often mumble in my sleep as well.

When I first wake up (around 4.30am), I am full of beans but by around 10am, I feel like I've spent a month in Ibiza clubbing.

I'm going down the CBD route because I reckon my lack of sleep is down to either stress or anxiety issues as opposed to something physical like snoring or sugar spikes.

The CBD will take about two weeks to properly kick in according to what I've heard.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Why not tackle the source of stress rather than try and mask with drugs?

 

[LucretiaMyReflection]

Have you tried meditation or yoga to help with the sleep? I have problems getting to sleep and am a very light sleeper*.
Breathing techniques (yoga nidra) have helped me to switch off and not wake up so early. Blackout blinds helped too.

*this turns out to be quite useful for night rides though!

 

[Lovacott]

Why not tackle the source of stress rather than try and mask with drugs?

Our minds are controlled by a complex mix of chemical triggers which change as we age. CBD is known to help even out what is going on and should not be confused with THC which also comes from the same plant (the THC gives the "high").

 

[GoodLifeSpud]

I don't commute, well aside from the bedroom to the spare room via the kitchen these days, and am new to road cycling but have found porridge makes a noticeable difference. I took advantage of some free webinars through work on some very basic nutritional advice. The one bit that seems to apply here is: "if you're falling asleep after you've eaten you're eating the wrong things".

Though it sounds like you have an individual set of circumstances.

When I was in the office a colleague would regularly "porridge up" before riding the 12 miles home in the evenings - he'd just pour boiling water onto some Quaker Oats in a mug. Not to everyone's taste. I prefer mine with some soya milk and fruit, like banana/coconut and maybe some peanut butter stirred through.

Post-ride (about an hour to hour and a half - average speed 14 - 15 mph) I never seem to feel hungry. Perhaps that's a sign I've not gone hard enough :-)

 

[cheshirerob]

I personally find pasta to be a good fuel. If I have a hearty homemade pasta dish the night before, I go out the next morning on an empty stomach food wise, just a pint of water and can do 60 miles non stop before I get the bonk on (not in a good way ) averaging 17-18mph.
When I get home I eat 3 burford brown eggs, poached or scrambled and have a half pint of semi skimmed milk.

 

[Lovacott]

I personally find pasta to be a good fuel. If I have a hearty homemade pasta dish the night before, I go out the next morning on an empty stomach food wise, just a pint of water and can do 60 miles non stop before I get the bonk on (not in a good way ) averaging 17-18mph.
When I get home I eat 3 burford brown eggs, poached or scrambled and have a half pint of semi skimmed milk.

I've been eating a bowl of porridge every morning for the last month or so.

Just made with water, in a saucepan. The first couple of times, I experienced a few cramps in my calves on the hills but that seems to have sorted itself.

The main benefit is that I can then go the whole day without feeling hungry and I have plenty of energy left for the commute home.

 

[Willd]

A packet of kippers, two slices of bread and spread, two cups of coffee, a glass of cherry juice and a glass of orangeade, this morning at least

 

[Cycling_Samurai]

I'm trying to lose fat quickly so I started doing 2 hour rides before breakfast. Which ends up being recovery for me. Mostly fruit, an egg, some kind of carb and lots of water followed by a 30 min nap.