80+mile rides = not hungry???

I'm still working on getting ready for my first century ride on the 17th, and am confused to note that after long rides of 80 miles or more, I'm not hungry. I eat somehing every 20 miles -banana, granola bar, fruit roll up, power bar -depending on how i feel during the ride. Post ride I always fry up some eggs to feed the muscles... And that's it. Not hungry after that.

By contrast, after 40 or 50 mile rides I eat a LOT. I'm hungry for two days and pretty much graze all day.

Very confused by this. Any insight? I still feel good after my long rides, today was 85 miles with 4,434 feet of incline but I felt I could continue for another 15 miles just fine.

When I did my first touring, 744 miles in 10 days, I'd be starving when I got to whatever place to eat, I'd eat maybe two bites and then I'd be nauseous. That lasted for 8 days. Then I got my appetite! And the appetite lasted the entire summer, long after the trip was over.

Appetite is a funny unpredictable thing, I guess.

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Originally Posted by Melalvai

Appetite is a funny unpredictable thing, I guess.

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Ditto. For me, the magic number is usually around 140 miles, but I've had it occur as early as 80. At that point I'm no longer hungry, absolutely nothing looks enticing, and most food appears positively puke-inducing. It becomes a struggle to get anything down. Two days later, though, I'm eating everything in sight (excepting the free-range dust bunnies that run wild throughout the house).

Loaded touring: I've always wanted to eat well when we would go cycle-touring on our own for several wks. And do 50-100kms. each day. I have found that I would only eat a good lunch, then 1-2 small snacks if I already had a good substantial breakfast. Hunger is not the right word (for me). It was just having enough energy to keep me going.

The strange thing now is that I eat basically the same amount but doing only 60% of the cycling mileage this year compared to previous years. But I haven't gained any weight.

Probably because I cut out my bread intake by 75% in past 10 months.

For me, after long endurance stuff, I'm not hungry that day.

But the next day I'm starving.

Yup, appetite can be misleading. I can find myself thinking I'm not hungry, forcing myself to eat just a little to re-load, then end up scarfing down half the fridge. Hormones affect appetite, though, pretty sure adrenaline is an appetite suppressant.

Grey, good job and glad to hear you eat while riding. Nothing worse than a major Bonk when you still have 20 miles to the end of the ride. Sounds to me like you do a good job of keeping the fire stoked. Often times I don't feel hungry but then once I have eaten I have so much more energy and feel so much better I realize after the fact that it was a wise decision.

I am so glad to know this is normal! I was afraid I was messing up somewhere, and wondering where my body was getting energy for the days following a long ride if I wasn't interested in eating. I always have that fear it will turn on muscle even though there's still plenty of blubber to work off of.