What to eat before or after a 10 mile commute? Getting home and feeling a bit sick and faint

[Chris842]

Hi,

This is my first post here. I found this forum after having this question in my mind, but I now doubt it'll be my last.

I started cycling to work about a year ago, stopped for a few months after an accident whilst I recovered, and regretfully stopped during the winter which was a big demotivator. I also moved house in the winter so had to figure out the new route to work too, and the cold weather put me off doing that.

I've been cycling to work again for a couple of weeks now. I'm about average in terms of build, probably a bit overweight.

I cycle 10 miles to work each way. On the way back, it feels a little hilly to me. I go up about 400 feet according to google maps. I do 4 days a week, with a break on wednesdays. I want to do 5 days when I feel fit enough.

Question I have is, can anyone please advise on what I should be eating or drinking? There has been a day or two when I've gotten home and I've felt a bit sick and faint and I guess this is because I haven't eaten right. I still eat the same as what I was eating before getting back on the bike. On one day I felt faint last week, I forgot to drink water throughout the day and only had 1 glass. I remember this sometimes being a problem when I cycled about a year ago too.
Wondering if I should buy some protein bars and eat on after every cycle? I've been reading I should be getting carbs and protein afterwards? Or is that going overboard?

Thanks for any help.

Chris

 

[Shaun]

Hello Chris,

Welcome to CycleChat.

Do you skip any meals or do you eat a reasonable breakfast and lunch? Do you push really hard on your way home - try to get home as quick as you can (you could be overdoing it a bit maybe)? Have you tried eating and drinking something around an hour or so before you leave work to cycle home - doesn't need to be anything fancy, just a banana and a glass of water?

10 miles each way shouldn't require any carb-loading and will likely get better as your fitness improves, but I'm sure others will have some questions and info to offer, so hopefully you'll get a range of opinions and advice.

Cheers,
Shaun

 

[Berk on a Bike]

Basically echoing what Shaun said. My commute is harder going home too. When I began commuting I was emptying myself on the homeward trip, so I started having a snack an hour before leaving. A banana or a peanut butter sandwich was enough to perk me up. I've since realised a lot of what I experienced was indeed down to fitness. I no longer need an energy boost, but I have to say old habits die hard

 

[Fab Foodie]

A normal days food and drink should be more than enough for a 10 mile each way commute. Maybe take it a bit easier on your return run until your fitness builds.
No need for so called 'performance' products, though a glass of milkshake when you get home is no bad thing!

 

[alicat]

Just make sure you are well-hydrated and take it steady.

For the next couple of weeks, have a bottle of water on the bike and make sure you drink every few minutes whether you need it or not. Keep a banana in the back pocket.

 

[ozboz]

i always carry a choco milk drink , i drink it usually nearing the end of journey if I feel a bit low on energy and rest for a while then carry on , so a slurp of it about an hour to 30 mins before hand may well carry you home ,, if that is if you do not have a lactose intolerance !!

 

[Spinney]

What they said...

I'm not the fittest, and I have the occasional 'wobbly' feeling when out on the bike, and when I think about it it is usually because I haven't eaten anything for several hours. I always feel better cycling if I've had a snack about an hour before. Even if you forget, if you eat a banana as you're getting ready to cycle home you should be fine.

But the key is eating something before you cycle home, to stop the wobbly feeling happening at all (not worrying what to eat to recover from the wobbly feeling!).

 

[vickster]

Have a banana and a glass of milk before you leave work?

Edit...as @Spinney just said!

 

[Chris842]

Thanks for the replies, that is useful. I have runkeeper running and it tells me I burn about 1000 calories a day, so was guessing I'd need to replenish that in extra calories per day.

Shaun... yes I do push myself to get home quicker. Tend to skip breakfast a lot on weekends but not weekdays when I'm cycling. It'll be 1 weetabix just before leaving and then fruit when I arrive at work. Because 2 weetabix makes me feel a bit full and I think its bad to exercise when you're full right?

Come to think of it, the days I've felt rough probably are the days I've not drank as much water now. At least I now know that I dont need big changes to my diet (well I probably do actually, because its not great, but atleast not for the cycling).

And yeah I need to start drinking during the ride too. I've been putting off getting a water bottle cage attached but really ought to.

 

[vickster]

20 miles probably more like 600 calories (approx 30 per mile a decent rule of thumb unless you are very heavy or really hammering it in hilly terrain)

 

[ayceejay]

Chris, there is no offence in what I say but this is a beginner problem that you will find the answer to as you go because we are all different and what is good for me may not be good for you.Your distance is quite a bit before and after a days work and it looks like you are not fuelled for it. It may even be possible that you are not fuelled properly for the bit between the rides. You should perhaps look at what you eat of regular food during a day before looking for supplements.

 

[HLaB]

Two weetabix is my staple breakfast but we are all different, when I commute 10 miles I always carry a bottle even if I only take a sip but again we are all different.

 

[midlife]

Hi

Silly question but how old are you?

Shaun

 

[PenttitheFinn]

I used to find the commute home worse than going to work especially in the summer. What I found helped me was drinking enough water to make me want to go to the loo before leaving for home, then evening meal as soon as I got home.

 

[Dayvo]

Another one here who advocates drinking a chocolate milk drink after a ride.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeands...secret-powers-chocolate-milk-mo-farah-runners

The fact that it has, evidently, nutritional benefits is a bonus for me as I love cold full-fat chocolate milk.