I'm not so sure it's a gender thing. Might just be variation within the species. Yesterday's carbs work fine for me - I get hungry the day after, unless I'm riding hard then, too. Have ridden with males of the species who definitely hit the WALL.
Printable View
I'm not so sure it's a gender thing. Might just be variation within the species. Yesterday's carbs work fine for me - I get hungry the day after, unless I'm riding hard then, too. Have ridden with males of the species who definitely hit the WALL.
Carb loading prior to a major event is less effective for women than it is for men. Here's a blurb from peak performance...
"One suggested explanation for this apparent discrepancy is that women have a lower respiratory exchange ratio (RER) than men, with men tending to use carbohydrate for energy and women tending to prefer lipids, possibly on account of hormonal differences. Another possibility is that women don’t ingest carbohydrate in sufficient quantities to facilitate muscle glycogen storage."
But as far as garden variety bonking, men and women are equal. Although since I've been doing endurance sports for a couple years I can go hard for 110 minutes before bonking, while hubby goes at 75-80 minutes.
Would this explain why after my club rides Thursday night I'm wiped out for the weekend? I go right from work to the trails and ride for two hours on maybe a banana drinking only water. Afterwards, maybe an hour or so, we all go out to grab a bite to eat, but sometimes I just head home to bed without eating cuz I'm so tired. I've shied away from the performance bars because most have iodine in them or artificial sweetners, both of which are a no-no for me. Any ideas on what to eat in place of them?
Very interesting thread. Definitely got me thinking. Now my conscience can just holler at me "HEY, BONEHEAD, eat something before and during your ride!!!" Heck, maybe I wouldn't be the slow one if I did. Novel idea, huh?
Do you like to bake at all? If so, you can make "healthy" cookies/bars like peanut butter/oatmeal/raison (with added protein powder, if desired) and the like. My husband hates paying the inflated prices for Powerbars and such so is always baking us goodies for the road. I am lucky to have a spouse who enjoys cooking and baking more than I do!Quote:
Originally Posted by mtbdarby
Emily
you can also buy Larabars. They are a tad pricey but they only have dates, nuts and sometimes some other fruit in them. No additives, no processing, nada! You can also try making your own trail mix: nuts and dried fruits to munch on before you ride.
as for the being tired - yes, if all you're eating is a banana and water and then going home to bed you aren't replacing what you burned off. I think of it as putting fuel in my engine. I try to eat carbs and protein within 1/2 hour after my rides.
There is also an electrolyte replacement mix you can get at the health food store made by Alacar called Electro-Lyte (I think, dang I can never remember that name!). Again no sugars and no icky stuff just the electrolytes your body needs to help fuel your engine. It mixes with just about any liquid you want!!
Corsair modestly did not mention her own energy bar recipe, which is alot like Lara bars. There's a whole thread about them somewhere around here...Also that Ultralight Joe's Moose Goo is a great recipe.
Emily and Corsair,
Yes, I LOVE to bake! I would love to see some recipes on the bars you mentioned. Either send me a private message or point me to the place they're listed on the boards.
I get to pick up my new bike tonight - can you tell I'm excited???!!! And we finalized our race team. I hope you don't mind, whoever mentioned this name (cuz I'm sure I read it hear yesterday) but we're calling the team the "Slowspokes". We're just doing this for fun (ok, competivite when I'm on the course) but I'm sure we'll all try our hardest and have a blast.
its funny that i read this thread, because just this past friday, i was done work, and a little hungry and i thought, eh, i will just bike home. It was HOT. i had water, but boy it was a PAINFUL ride home. Its an hour bike ride (on the road) with a few long hills (including the brutal one to my house). i crawled to the kitchen and INHALED a sandwich and felt better.
Also, for carbo loading...it isn't a matter of eating lots of carbs (which many people do)
you have to deplete them COMPLETELY first. this means doing a few days of training and eating very high protein, very few cards. it makes you into a bit of a B**ch. then after 4 days or so you go nuts with cards. your body IN ThEORY will overcompensate and hence store extra carbs.
i have heard before that this doesn't work for women quite as well. but i asked my physiology teacher when we were learning about it and he didn't see why.
We pretty much really like a couple of the Balance Bars. During the winter we were eating the Balance Bar Gold Caramel Blast but did not want the chocolate coating for the summer. They came out with a Balance Trail Mix Bar and the fruit and nut is really good. I buy these by the box from Traider Joe's at 99 cents each. I saw a new Peanut Butter Crisp just over the weekend and that was really good also. It a thin peanutbutter coating.
Emily, your husbands bars sound yummy. Is there a recipe to be followed if you don't mind offering it?
~JoAnn
Unfortunately, not! He just takes any old cookie bar recipe and starts adding oats for some of the flour, uses whole wheat flour in place of white, throws in some whey protein powder and mashed banana, replaces chocolate chips with raisins, and the like!Quote:
Originally Posted by Jo-n-NY
But I remember seeing links to energy bar recipes online that were very similar. I suggest googling "energy bar recipe" and seeing what you come up with. Even if what you find isn't exactly what you want, you can do a little creative manipulation with the ingredients like Barry does. The key is not to change the amount of baking powder/soda, and to keep the proportions the same of dry/wet ingredients.
I know there have also been recipes posted on this forum in the past, so try the search function and maybe just look for "recipe".
Good luck, and sorry I can't be more specific!
Emily
That's ok...thank you for the info. I will do a search.
BTW...hope you are continuing to do well.
~JoAnn
Quote:
Originally Posted by mtbdarby
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=2764
ask and ye shall receive. I also started making the Mookies as an alternative energy cookie. Last night I had a Mookie about 1/2 hr before I rode home. I sure didn't feel any different but I was kicking hinney on the hills and ended up having a guy draft off me coz I was just screaming on the ascents and descents so I guess they work! LOL
Just as a footnote: since I'm allergic to corn and I can only use gluten-free grains I substituted Teff Flour for the Corn Flour in the Mookie recipe and it was just fine. You could also use Rice Flour or Amaranth etc etc.
I sometimes boil new potatoes the night before, and shake a bit of salt on them for long rides along with some energy bars. They taste fabulous, especially if I'm tired of sweet flavours from energy drinks and bars. Has anyone else tried this, or am I just weird?
CorsairMac, I read your Mookie recipe, and will have to try that. I hate paying so much for bars that are so small!
OOOO! Potatoes! One of the groceries here has little tiny golden potatos - they taste like they are already buttered and they are about 1/2 the size of a small new potato - that sounds like a great idea. I get sick of sweet and salt, so the potatos might sound crazy, but I bet that they would be great fuel.
No, you're not weird in the least - I know a few riders who carry small boiled potatoes as energy snacks. They carry them wrapped in aluminum foil. Rice balls work well, too.Quote:
Originally Posted by amg
At the last mtb race I did support on, they were handing out chunks of cooked potato, besides the usual bananas, watermelon, etc...
makes perfect sense to me! potatoes are the perfect fuel for me!
Namaste,
~T~
Wow, potatoes are a great idea - I get so tired of sweet stuff on rides! Will have to file this away for when I am back on the road again...thanks! :)
Emily
hmmmmmmmmmmm I can't eat potatoes - they make me sleepy but Rice cakes would work!! and I think they make a salted rice cake even. Thanks for the tip!!!!!
(here here on the overly sweet stuff - by the end of a long ride I just want to chuck anything left over and never see it again! LOL)
jobob Are potatoes a high glycemic option,instead of your jelly snakes etc? hmmm what sort of potatoes?l know TDF riders eat themQuote:
Originally Posted by jobob
l agree too many sweet things (esp dried fruit can cramp your style!)l copied a recipe for rice pudding that l can eat from a zip lock bag on those loong rides. l put very little sugar for taste. ld be very interested to know how your friends get the riceballs to stick together?
more than you'd ever want to know about japanese rice & rice balls (follow the links) :D
http://japanesefood.about.com/cs/des...ks/a/ohagi.htm
I just found this thread. Am so happy to have found TE and this kind of experiential advice. You all cut down tremendously on my trial and error.
And perhaps the best advice of all:
:D I have an Everyone Committee, too! This was hilarious, thanks!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Biking Chick
And I'm taking you seriously! There's some firin' in order....
Hi Nuthatch l have to concentrate on the road while eating while riding,as l havent managed to perfect this skill yet!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by nuthatch
lm still looking into carb loading stuff,(l dunno,,, lve a few womens books on sprts performance and l cant find much real difference btwn men and women,(cept that men have way more muscle and we fat!)but lm still looking,as lm interersted.
lve a peak performance book by (no nonsense) nutritionist.She says an old way of carb loading (workout +deplete glycogen in muscle,eatlow carbs and keep exercising, then rest several days and carb up can make you feel bloated,. due to glycogen is stored with 3 times its weight in water. Amongst other illside effects.She says its recognised now that most effective form of carb load is a diet high in complex carbs regualrily Combined this with strenous workout then rest b4 an "event". You have to eat complex carbs regularily, train your muscles(liver) to store glycogen and to use it regularily, eat/drink on the bike,and top up your "glycogen tank" as soon as poss post ride (~30mins) oh yeah and drink an drink......
l did learn as we get older our pit stops increase in number !!!!!! :)
Thankyou forthe recipe,jobob Those beans may be a bit hard to aquire though..But l like the idea,,,, l never thought to mash rice grains together to a pulp,then it will stick and not fly down my throat as rice grains can as l suck it in while riding Maybe l will try an make rice pudding mashballs! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by jobob
Every Wednesday, I start anticipating the weekend, thinking: "I"m gonna ride on Saturday morning, early" but then I wake up feelng tired and not ready to get on the bike....I sleep a little later, get up go eat a fairly big breakfast before I feel ready to ride....
So what should I eat fairly soon after I wake up so that I can get out on that bike earlier in the morning? Or should I eat something late in the evening before I go to bed (around 10-11 on Friday nights).
<sigh> I've got so much to learn!
I can't eat a ton of food in the morning (unless I want to awaken 2 hours before I want to ride... no thanks!) so when I plan to ride on Saturday morning I have a totally guilt-free pig-out dinner on Friday night. Maybe even some midnight ice cream. Works out quite nicely, in fact. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by shadon
I find that I really need to eat something before I head out on my bike. It doesn't need to be a huge breakfast, but something. A bowl of cereal with some fresh fruit works, as does just the fruit. And I can happily get on my bike & ride very soon after eating breakfast.Quote:
Originally Posted by shadon
--- Denise