An Interesting Observation

[Veronica]

What do you crave after a long bike ride?

Last night on the way to Denny's Thom said he wanted waffles and I said I wanted a grilled cheese sandwich. This is pretty typical for us. He wants carbs after a ride. I want fat and protein. Usually I ask for burgers for dinner.

BTW Denny's had neither. :D He got French Toast. I had mozzarella sticks, a chocolate shake and coffee.

V.

[bounceswoosh]

Fat and protein. In fact, if I don't make sure to eat a luna bar or similar right after a ride, I will eat enough burgers, cheese, ranch dressing, etc. to feed a small village. Eating something right away seems to curb the craving, so I only eat a small family's worth of fat and protein =)

[snapdragen]

I usually crave a chicken burrito - must be the protein. ;)

[jobob]

I don't think I have a specific craving after a long ride, but boy can I eat !! - to me, everything seems to taste soo much better after a long ride.

[pedalfaster]

I'm with jobob...I can (and do!) eat pretty much any and everything after a long ride.

Looking back, though I'm pretty balanced (carbs/protein/fat). I usually want fruit (green grapes, peaches) and wheat toast with pb and a big glass of milk.

That's in the summer.

In winter I often crave apples, cheese and soup after a cold ride.

When I mountain bike I want an omlette. I'm not sure why it's different, but it is....

:D

[gabrielle]

A large bowl of heavily salted & cheesed popcorn. :)

[Pedal Wench]

Originally posted by bounceswoosh
Fat and protein. In fact, if I don't make sure to eat a luna bar or similar right after a ride, I will eat enough burgers, cheese, ranch dressing, etc. to feed a small village. Eating something right away seems to curb the craving, so I only eat a small family's worth of fat and protein =)

Oh my g-d! I'm so glad you said that. I've just started to push my limits, so for the past two weekends I went for long rides, both days. Afterwards, I guess I didn't do something right, cause all I could do all afternoon was sit on the couch and EAT! I was lethargic, tired, and hungry. According to my HRM, I burned about 1800 calories on my rides, and I'm sure I ate every one of them back right afterwards. I'll have to try a Luna or Marathon immediately after. I can't afford to keep that up! You know - I went straight for the carbs, and I really didn't do much protein, so that might be the trick for me. Hmmm, actually, yesterday, I did have some protein a little later, and that seemed to stop the foraging. Thanks for helping me figure it out!

[bounceswoosh]

Audio-A:

I got that tip from Tonya Laffey, a pro mtb racer. She suggested a mix of carbs and protein right after the workout. Here's the actual thread, with some more info:

external link (http://www.mtbchick.com/chickchat/viewtopic.php?t=62&sid=9d5d781368ed3703f43952ceee693293)

[Pedal Wench]

Thanks Monique,

I'll try it this weekend. The beginning of my ride was at a Farmer's Market with an incredible bakery, so after my ride I treated myself to a mango croissant. Yum, but still wasn't enough - until I got that protein in my tummy, I was eating everything in sight. I will try a Luna or two afterwards. I was wiped out for hours after my ride, and I just can't afford to lose that much time each weekend. I will give myself time off for rides, but afterwards I need to get back to work (freelance writing takes up most of my spare time) and not sit on the couch 'recovering'. I'll be doing a long ride on Sunday, so I'll report back.

After reading that thread, I have to ask how was your hubby? I hope all is well - I realize that was a while ago.

[bounceswoosh]

I don't have any solutions to being gassed after riding -- I'm always useless afterwards!

Hubby's fine; thanks for asking. Annoyingly fine, as he doesn't ride nearly as often as I do but still outdoes me without even trying! Grr!

It's good to have him well, though. Honest.

[annie]

It doesn't taste all that great, but if I do a long, hard ride, I TRY and remember to mix up my Endurox and chug it down immediately following the ride. It really does make a difference in how hungry I am following the ride (much less likely to gobble everything in sight) and how I recover to ride again the next day. I could probably get the same mix of protein and carbs from food, but with the Endurox, I don't have to think about it. It's all ready there in a combination that seems to work.

annie

[massbikebabe]

BIG FAT CHEESEBURGERS!!!

and this past week my son, my husband and I were riding the New Hampshire/Maine shorelines and I craved good old fashion
New England Clam Chowda and a Lobstah...and yes, I talk like that!!

karen

[spazzdog]

a bottle of gatorade, a 2 hr nap :o , THEN a trip to Bickfords (kinda like IHOP) for a Tri-State breakfast (3 eggs, 3 bacons, 3 sausages [which I trade for 3 more bacons] and 3 pancakes) with a big glass of cold milk. YUM!!!!

[KkAllez]

Gatorade mixed half and half with water. I learned the hard way last week after a 26 mile ride that if I eat right off I get stomach cramps. Then later I'll have a light supper but wake up starving!

[Veronica]

Originally posted by massbikebabe
good old fashion
New England Clam Chowda and a Lobstah...and yes, I talk like that!!

karen [/B]

I only talk like that when I go back to visit family. :)

So how was the chowder and lobster? Did you have an Italian? I miss those. You can't get sandwiches like that in CA.

V.

[caligurl]

well.. i've only been on four "long" (for me) rides.. and i just plain want to eat! i'm STARVING afterwards! lol!at pat and oscars!

[massbikebabe]

Veronica:

Yup, had an italian grinder <grindah> for dinner last Thursday
because we got in late. For those of you who don't know what we are talking about an italian grinder is kinda like a antipasto sub-sandwich:D Delicious!! Lobstah is cheapah this year for some reason. Must've been a good harvest. Where are you from Veronica...originally, that is?

karen

[Veronica]

Hollis, Maine - it's in York County, about 40 miles southwest of Portland. Most of my family is still in the area. Thom's parents live there as well.

My brothers and sisters think I'm nuts when I go back. I could eat nothing but Italians and lobster rolls (I'm too lazy for a lobster in the shell.) Oh and red hot dogs! It used to be Humpty Dumpty salt and vinegar potato chips as well, but I think they got sold a few years ago.

The funny thing is, you can order the same stuff on a sandwich out here and it just doesn't taste the same. I think it's the bread they use, or maybe the cheese.

Veronica

[massbikebabe]

No Joke...

we had an aftrnoon of searching for Humpty Dumpty chips and could not find them...my husband thinks they are a canadian product...we went looking for them for our kids to try, we kept telling them how good they were!!! We head up to Ogunquit every chance we get, it's beautiful!! and it's only an hour ride from here:D I absolutely adore Maine...it truly is the way life should be...but the winters are the pits!! I'll bet you must really miss the snow and the cold;) Nothing like going into the store and picking out your very own lobstah dinnah right from the bin.
Hubby says the secret to the italian grinder is in the oil...that's why they don't taste the same out west. We are all crazy for the chowdah. I am working on making my own!

So how long did it take you to shake your accent??? Mine seems to get worse the older I get. Whenever I do a lecture I get many snickers and the like because of the way I talk...thick Boston twang!!

karen

[Veronica]

Humpty Dumpty used to be made in Scarborough, Maine. Thom made deliveries for them in Old Orchard Beach and Saco as a summer job. That was the early 80s though. Apparently they are still being made in Canada. I Googled them. Bummer, no one else's are as good. I'll have to get my mom to send me some of the oil. She works in a little store in downtown Hollis (yes, that was said tongue in cheek) where they make wicked good lobster rolls and pretty good Italians. (I wonder why they are called that?)

I don't really have much of an accent. As a kid I worked at not talking with one. It didn't sound educated you know, to talk that way. :p It comes back a little when I go visit. I do use "wicked" as my adverb of choice. My students think it's hilarious. I tell them it's better than using "hecka" like they do. Although I try to break them of that habit.

No I don't miss the snow. Although we were back for Christmas 2002 and we got snow on Christmas Day. We had fun shoveling for my sister. I'd hate to have to deal with it all the time. I've become a wuss, I guess.

V.

http://www.tandemhearts.com/christmas-02/05.jpg

[Adventure Girl]

Thats a lot of snow thehr on yoa hahd wood deck in the picktchah? Looks wicked pissah!:D

[Dogmama]

I just read a study that said post-ride you need to fuel with simple carbs and protein. The post-ride fuel needs to be as soon as possible because your muscles can uptake the glycogen faster. After two hours, you've lost the window of time.

When you exercise, your muscles use stored glycogen. If you don't replace it and keep riding, eventually you'll overtrain. If you seriously overtrain, you're looking at weeks-into-months worth of laying off the bike.

That being said, I like to have a shake of soy milk & protein powder or orange juice & protein powder.

BTW - on another thread we were talking about foods to fuel with during rides. I tried the pay days. They're great!!! They don't sit in your stomach like a bunch of lead, they give great energy, salt & a little fat for staying power. They don't melt too badly (I'm in Tucson!) and they're a bunch cheaper than the designer bars! I give them 4 stars (out of five. Mine was a little soft, but hey, Tucson in the summer ain't no picnic!)

[Pedal Wench]

I think it works!

Yesterday, I went for a long, hilly ride - about 25 miles. Right afterwards, I had some chicken and a sweet potato, and I felt great. Not wiped out, not ravenous for the rest of the day. I think that the protein was the key.

Thanks for the advice - it works!