When and what to eat before a big ride

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billinger

Regular
Location
Billinge
Hi All,

Did a fairly, for me, big ride last night - 30 miles.

Left home at 7.20pm and landed back just after 9.30 which was fine - however, i'd not really eaten much proper since lunchtime (give or take the odd mini donut for someone's birthday at work). Lunch was a tuna salad.

I didn't struggle particularly for energy on the ride, well didn't feel like i did anyway BUT when i got home any hunger i had was completely gone and i wasn't really hungry at all. Had a banana and a glass of milk, and then a cup of coffee a bit later and went to bed fine.

However, this morning i was ravenous. Had the usual bowl of museli for brekkie, followed by a big bowl of kids chocolately crap cereal, then a crumpet - and then spent most of the morning counting down the minutes til i could get to the shop for some junk to go with my healthy salad!

Now, planning to go out again tomorrow night for an equally long ride if not maybe 33 miles or so and issue that i have is that i don't have any time between getting in from work at 6pm ish to get my tea down me, let it digest and then get out.

So, question is - what should i eat tomorrow and when?

I'm no dietician but i've heard jacket potatoes are good for energy. Perhaps a jacket potato or 2 smaller ones for lunch to get me a good bit of energy in??
 

numbnuts

Legendary Member
I'm happy to do a 30 mile ride on a banana and an apple (a bike would be better :laugh: ) along with some fruit juice
 
OP
OP
billinger

billinger

Regular
Location
Billinge
:laugh: very good!

Apples for wheels and bananas for handlebars?

I know what you mean - but what do you eat a few hours before the meal?
 

Robson3022

Senior Member
We eat the wrong way round in this country. Eat a huge Breakfast it's got to fuel you all day. A smaller meal for lunch then smaller again for tea. It's not our culture to eat this way round but we should. Are you trying to loose weight or do you just not want to feel hungry on a morning?
 

T.M.H.N.E.T

Rainbows aren't just for world champions
Location
Northern Ireland
We eat the wrong way round in this country. Eat a huge Breakfast it's got to fuel you all day. A smaller meal for lunch then smaller again for tea. It's not our culture to eat this way round but we should. Are you trying to loose weight or do you just not want to feel hungry on a morning?
Why should we exactly?
 

Robson3022

Senior Member
Because your metabolism shuts down when we go to sleep but it can't do that with a belly full of food. When you wake up you should be empty (ish). Starting with a large meal should fuel you through the day and your meals get smaller as the day goes on.

(I don't eat like this I have no breakfast a snack at lunch and a massive dinner :/)
 

BrumJim

Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
Hi All,

Did a fairly, for me, big ride last night - 30 miles.

Left home at 7.20pm and landed back just after 9.30 which was fine - however, i'd not really eaten much proper since lunchtime (give or take the odd mini donut for someone's birthday at work). Lunch was a tuna salad.

I didn't struggle particularly for energy on the ride, well didn't feel like i did anyway BUT when i got home any hunger i had was completely gone and i wasn't really hungry at all. Had a banana and a glass of milk, and then a cup of coffee a bit later and went to bed fine.

However, this morning i was ravenous. Had the usual bowl of museli for brekkie, followed by a big bowl of kids chocolately crap cereal, then a crumpet - and then spent most of the morning counting down the minutes til i could get to the shop for some junk to go with my healthy salad!

Now, planning to go out again tomorrow night for an equally long ride if not maybe 33 miles or so and issue that i have is that i don't have any time between getting in from work at 6pm ish to get my tea down me, let it digest and then get out.

So, question is - what should i eat tomorrow and when?

I'm no dietician but i've heard jacket potatoes are good for energy. Perhaps a jacket potato or 2 smaller ones for lunch to get me a good bit of energy in??

Jacket potatoes after a ride, not before. I think that the carbs in potatoes are high GI, and therefore not the slow release stuff that you need.
 

T.M.H.N.E.T

Rainbows aren't just for world champions
Location
Northern Ireland
Because your metabolism shuts down when we go to sleep but it can't do that with a belly full of food. When you wake up you should be empty (ish). Starting with a large meal should fuel you through the day and your meals get smaller as the day goes on.

(I don't eat like this I have no breakfast a snack at lunch and a massive dinner :/)
No it slows down(only in the region of 15%), if it shut down entirely you wouldn't wake up the next morning. The average person burns 80ish cals per hour just by sleeping, add to that if you have exercised that day.

If anything what you eat before bed has more of an impact on how you feel waking up the next morning than how much.
 

Peteaud

Veteran
Location
South Somerset
We eat the wrong way round in this country. Eat a huge Breakfast it's got to fuel you all day. A smaller meal for lunch then smaller again for tea. It's not our culture to eat this way round but we should. Are you trying to loose weight or do you just not want to feel hungry on a morning?

I do the exact opposite.

No brekkie at all, snack at 10am, light lunch at 2pm then big meal at 7pm, bed at 10 and up at 6. (work day)

Before going out on bike, 2 bannanas or porridge.
 
OP
OP
billinger

billinger

Regular
Location
Billinge
Thanks folks.

I never used to worry too much about what i ate in terms of energy (my concern previously was keeping weight now) but recently prior to going on holiday to the south of France (long drive each way!) had a chippy tea very late on and then straight to bed to prepare for the long drive. Massive mistake as took hours to get to sleep and woke up feeling massively bloated (not a massive chippy tea either by the way!).

So, jacket spud after ride. But at say 9.45pm, would this be far too late for someone hoping to be catching some zzzzz's by 11?
 

Peteaud

Veteran
Location
South Somerset
Thanks folks.

I never used to worry too much about what i ate in terms of energy (my concern previously was keeping weight now) but recently prior to going on holiday to the south of France (long drive each way!) had a chippy tea very late on and then straight to bed to prepare for the long drive. Massive mistake as took hours to get to sleep and woke up feeling massively bloated (not a massive chippy tea either by the way!).

So, jacket spud after ride. But at say 9.45pm, would this be far too late for someone hoping to be catching some zzzzz's by 11?

I would say that would not be good.
 
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