Diet/How to lose weight without bonking

[Wannabe]

I really want to lose some weight, but everything I read talks about how you should eat carbs and fluids while riding. Can anyone tell me an easy solution about pre and post ride meals? My husband pushes me to carb up before a ride, so I assume I will burn this off during my ride. Is this right?

[DeniseGoldberg]

Hey Wannabee -
There was a discussion about nutrition and weight loss a while back - you may find some of the information you are looking for there, and I also highly recommend the books by Nancy Clark and Liz Applegate that I mentioned in that thread - it's in the Nutrition forum here: eating for endurance/weight loss . (The link will take you to the bottom of the thread, so you'll need to scroll up to see all of the posts.) In addition to the two books mentioned in that thread, Nancy Clark has a new book out called The Cyclist's Food Guide. All 3 books are excellent sources of good nutrition information.

Your husband is right - it's really important that you eat to fuel your activity. And that means carbs (plus an overall diet that includes protein + even some fat).

--- Denise

[snapdragen]

I highly recommend Weight Watchers. How much you eat depends on the amount of exercise you do.

[swlsue]

This is an interesting question. I'm a novice rider, just getting back in to the casual riding scene and I've noticed all the goo and stuff that people have on rides, even easy 25-40 mile rides.

I've also noticed that cyclist come in all shapes and sizes.

Do you really think all the supplemental carbs is necessary?
Is a moderate (16-18mph) 2 hour session so gyclogen depleting so as to warrant so much supplementation?

[MomOnBike]

slwsue sez:

Do you really think all the supplemental carbs is necessary?
Is a moderate (16-18mph) 2 hour session so gyclogen depleting so as to warrant so much supplementation?

I've wondered that myself. After some thought, I have decided that, no, extra nutrition is really not in my best interests for the amount of riding I usually do. (A known distance that takes about an hour to ride.) Long rides and tours are another matter altogether, of course, which may be one reason I'm starting to get in to touring.

Right now, I'm trying to balance burning off the excess on my hips with keeping my energy up. I've noticed, though, that rides after dinner are more energetic than others, with no net calorie (intake) gain. I must be doing something right, I'm losing weight and also getting faster.

As usual, YMMV, and you get a full refund on whatever you paid for my advice if I'm wrong (less a small service charge, of course).

[Dogmama]

A one hour ride at a moderate pace should not require extra carbs before you ride. You will want to have a post ride snack containing fast carbs and some protein. I like orange juice cut 50/50 with water and a scoop of vanilla protein powder. You want to protein for your muscles.

However - if you want permanent weight loss, you should build muscle. Muscles will increase your resting metabolism and generally make you look better. Weight lifting is a great addition to cycling.

[Veronica]

I think goo use depends on how hungry you think you'll get. I don't really like the stuff very much, so I tend to eat a granola bar instead. But a two hour ride all uphill - yeah, I want to eat something in the middle. On a two hour flat ride, probably not.



V.

[bikerchick68]

I'll second the Weight Watchers advice... I'm a lifetime member and have kept 80lbs off for just over 10 yrs now... cycling is great for weight loss and muscle strength... and the advice to cross train with weights is great too as cycling does not target the upper body... I can ride forever but weed whacking used to kill my arms! LOL

also, how far and long are you riding when the DH pushes you to carb up? I don't eat extra carbs unless I'm riding more than 25 miles... everyone varies, and any further than that you most likely WILL need to consume some carbs, which could mean as little as half a banana and 2 fig newtons, just a small amount of fuel... often I use Clifshots... they are easy to carry and only 100 calories but pretty effective for me at least (there's also Gu, CarbBoom and a bunch of other brands... they're all pretty close)

there is another great thread going right now called "bonking isn't just about long rides"... check it out when ya have a minute... women and men process carbs differently so what the DH does may not be what you need to do for the exact same ride! You'll get to the point where you'll know your body and what it needs... I bonked twice trying to eat just like my ex-husband on 50 mile rides... it's a horrible feeling...