What do you eat the day after a big ride?

[Veronica]

Today my body has been craving FAT.

Breakfast was two eggs over easy on an English Muffin, slathered with butter. Lunch was a baked potato covered in cheddar cheese, more butter, sour cream and bacon.
Dinner was two chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate.

I did burn 10,000 calories yesterday. :D

V.

[RoadRaven]

Runny eggs on a plate of hot chips, pasta with cheesy sauce, loads of toast, scalloped potatoes... and meat - lots of red meat... and chocolate fish (not with the meat though:p )

I think after 10000 calories you are entitled to the foods you just had - your body knows what it wants and where to find it. If it didn't wants fats or sugars, that food would have made you feel unwell.

And the ride was good Veronica?

[Tater]

I will pretty much inhale anything that isn't nailed down to the countertop! I, like V., tend to head for whatever fatty thing I can get my hands on. I did the same after long runs as well. Leftover pizza was a hit this last weekend, several slices in fact.

[Trek420]

chocolate fish? :confused: :eek: where do I get that? :)

[maillotpois]

Okay, first - Trek, what IS a chocolate fish??!! :confused: :confused:

Immediately after some rides (like the 600k) I want a bacon double cheeseburger! After a double, I'm usually more hungry for a few days. After that 600, I was nauseated for a few days.

Yesterday I had a super almond croissant for breakfast from the French bakery. But I also crave salty stuff, like soups. I had an amazing bowl of tomato garlic soup and a grilled chicken salad for lunch. Then wine and cheese for dinner....! Nothing like a good Stilton to set you right...

[jobob]

In N Out Burger: Double-double with grilled onions, and fries well done, pleeze ! and a diet coke

[maillotpois]

In N Out Burger: Double-double with grilled onions, and fries well done, pleeze ! and a diet coke

Yes - that's exactly what I want immediately after. (But mine should have bacon, please.)

[DirtDiva]

Chocky Fish! (http://www.anythingforyou.co.nz/products/photos/choc%20fish6.jpg)

The marshmallow should be slightly chewy and totally PINK.

[caligurl]

I did burn 10,000 calories yesterday. :D

V.

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what on earth ride did you do to burn that many!!!????????

[caligurl]

In N Out Burger: Double-double with grilled onions, and fries well done, pleeze ! and a diet coke

this is what we get sometimes after rides! not the next day though... THAT day! only i don't get a diet coke.... i get a neopolitan milkshake! oh... and i get a regular cheeseburger.. animal style.. not a double double (cuz i get the milkshake!... so i have to be "good" somehow!)

another favorite... tommy's....

another thing i crave... pat and oscar breadsticks!

[maillotpois]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what on earth ride did you do to burn that many!!!????????


We did Davis DOuble century. I don't know how many calories I burned, but it'd be up there. 200 miles, about 12 hours. Not as much climbing as some doubles, though.

[caligurl]

ahhhh that makes sense then!!

[Bella]

I know most posts above are on the humorous side, but in your recovery period following a major ride (3+ hours), you need to replenish your body with carbs. This allows it to heal properly with nourishment.

That said, any foods on the high side of the Glycemic Index are what you should be consuming and not foods high in fat.

[maillotpois]

I know most posts above are on the humorous side, but in your recovery period following a major ride (3+ hours), you need to replenish your body with carbs. This allows it to heal properly with nourishment.

That said, any foods on the high side of the Glycemic Index are what you should be consuming and not foods high in fat.


What's the research that supports high glycemic index foods as recovery food? I have never heard this. I have always heard a combination of protein and carbs is best. Now what our bodies seem to crave here are fatty/salty foods - not that this is "right", but sometimes after you ride 200 miles (or 375), you tend to listen to your cravings!! I was not joking about the bacon double cheeseburger after the 600k.

I am just curious where this high GI information comes from. I have done a lot of research on this issue, particularly in conjunction with the coaching I do, and I have never read anything about this. I tend to lean heavily toward the Nancy Clark, Arnie Baker, Jane Brody and Monique Ryan schools of thought on sports nutrition, though. I don't recall any of them mentioning high GI foods for recovery? That's not to say that these are the only sources of info - is there someone else or another article you can refer me to that supports this?

[Veronica]

I know most posts above are on the humorous side, but in your recovery period following a major ride (3+ hours), you need to replenish your body with carbs. This allows it to heal properly with nourishment.

That said, any foods on the high side of the Glycemic Index are what you should be consuming and not foods high in fat.


No... I think we were all pretty serious about eating those things after a ride. :p BTW what I posted was after a 200+ mile ride and 15 hours on the bike. I think at that point you eat what your body tells you to. After a 3 hour ride, which I view as a pleasant excursion, I eat a normal meal.

V.

[jobob]

We did Davis DOuble century. I don't know how many calories I burned, but it'd be up there. 100 miles, about 12 hours. Not as much climbing as some doubles, though.

Um, wasn't it 200 miles?


100 miles in 12 hours. That's about how long I'll take !

[Veronica]

Yeah... I think the extra 100 miles addled MP's brain. Or maybe it's 'cause she was going wicked fast - unlike us mere mortals. :D

V.

[maillotpois]

Um, wasn't it 200 miles?


100 miles in 12 hours. That's about how long I'll take !


Well, see, there was this short cut....

Good catch! I changed it. Duh! I must still be sleep (or something) deprived.

[Geonz]

I, too, eat everything on the day **after** a long ride. I tend to just CRAVE FOOD, not fats in particular, so I make sure I've got more carby stuff on hand... and I recognize taht my cravings are actually bigger than my real need and dont' totally pig out.

Day of, I nibble and make myself eat proper recovery.

Consecutive days, I don't feel like eating until afterwards. So, GITAP (week-long), I lost 4 pounds. This year, with the blender, that might not happen :-) Banana and strawberry smoothies... a little chocolate syrup....

[Bella]

What's the research that supports high glycemic index foods as recovery food? I have never heard this. I have always heard a combination of protein and carbs is best.

Don't get me wrong - I love a hearty meal after a long ride or long workout. This segment is from "Going Long" by Joe Friel and Gordon Byrn:

"In addition to rest, food is important to aid and speed your recovery. It is very important to immediately reload the carbohydrates lost during long or intense workouts. Carbohydrates are necessary to replace spent glycogen, a primary fuel source in exercise. Protein is needed to rebuild muscle and other protein-based tissues. Fat, especially mono-unsaturated, maintains the immune system and other vital physiological systems. Also important are the micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, found in quality foods. Your goal should be to eat a wide variety of foods in a condition as close to their natural state as possible while minimizing sugar and highly processed products.

In the first 30 minutes post workout or of a race, use a recovery drink that contains both carbs and protein in a 4:1 ratio. For the next 90 minutes, continue to focus your diet on carbs, especially moderate to high glycemic index carbs. After this two hour or so window, return to your normal, healthy diet.

If you train two or more times a day, or have very long sessions of five hours or longer, you may find you need to supplement your diet with moderate to high GI carbohydrates for a longer period - perhaps up to four hours post-workout or post race.

The good fat sources cited include tuna, almonds, avocados, dark green vegetables, olive oil, salmon, trout and walnuts. (Basically fish and nuts).

As everyone knows, training, nutrition and equipment are all subject to the individual's composition and preferences. This works for me. Sure I crave a burger dripping in cheese, but that is not in any way a balanced or quality meal. As long as one is going through the trouble of a long ride, race or consistent hard exercising, there is no reason to sabotage it with poor food choices. This does the heart and body no favors.

Hope that helps.

[RoadRaven]

Hey Kiwi... thanks for posting the link for chocky fish... they are indeed a "cultural icon" in this country... and have spawned their own phrases in our colloquial lingo ...

"Thanks for that, I owe you a chocolate fish"

"Have I done enough for a chocolate fish yet"

Any one who wants to try a chocolate fish or two (they come in packets of five - although you can also buy chocolate sprats now about a third the size of chocolate fish and about 10-12 to the packet) pm me... we could do a mail swap... I'm still on the lookout for bumper stickers :)

And as you can see from Bella's post - fish is a very important for recovery!

[maillotpois]

I'm just super happy that I know now what a chocolate fish is. I feel much more culturally aware than before I stumbled onto TE. However, the last thing I need is another chocolate thingy to try. I may have to wander over to the little Aussie run deli-store over the hill and see if they carry any...

[SadieKate]

You know, if I've just ridden some epic all day ride and really lust after a bacon-hamburger I'm going to have one. The satisfaction and appeasement of my cravings from eating one hamburger a month does more for my soul than constantly grazing because I'm not satisfied. My heart and body can have the other 29 days of the month.

[Trekhawk]

I'm just super happy that I know now what a chocolate fish is. I feel much more culturally aware than before I stumbled onto TE. However, the last thing I need is another chocolate thingy to try. I may have to wander over to the little Aussie run deli-store over the hill and see if they carry any...

See now I know I have been away from home for too long as I have never seen or heard of Chocolate Fish.......Freddo Frogs yes, Chocolate Fish no.:)

[DirtDiva]

Don't fret Trekhawk. No Aussie influence involved in chocky fish - they're as NZ as black singlets and gumboots. :cool:

[light_sabe_r]

Don't fret Trekhawk. No Aussie influence involved in chocky fish - they're as NZ as black singlets and gumboots. :cool:


True. ... But they're oh so yummy!!! :D I ate a few while visiting in January :D

After my rides I've just found that my WEET-BIX intake has gone from 2 to three. O_O

WEET-BIX: How many do you do?

[Brandi]

Yup a bacon california burger ( california meaning avacado). A few fries off my husbands plate and a rootbeer. I normally don't drink soda's but rootbeer and a new soda called "The switch" in ginger rasberry are my favorites!
I can only get "The Switch " at my health food store. It is awsome too comes in different flavors.

[RoadRaven]

True. ... But they're oh so yummy!!! :D I ate a few while visiting in January :D


you gotta get the right type though... the 'new' giant ones aren't so nice... the originals are best... the other flavours are blah
The sprats and minnows are ok, but the originals are... the best!


After my rides I've just found that my WEET-BIX intake has gone from 2 to three. O_O

WEET-BIX: How many do you do?

Um... usually about three, sometimes after a ride I have 4-5

Before a ride they're best with milk and sliced banana
But after a ride, i like the milk warmed and then the weetbix spinkled with white sugar or - sin of sins - drizzled with highlander condensed milk

*drools*