Commute food

[Puffin]

Thank you, Ladies, for your advice.
I'm a petite person who eats loads and doesn't really gain much weight. (1m62 and 50kg). The extra hunger hasn't (yet) gone to my hips but it may if I keep it up. I worry that if I start eating the recommended amount of calories for my size I would probably lose weight and be really skinny - not sure I would have the energy to exercise on your diets but maybe that's what I need to do to be a healthier biker!
It think I might start having just a snack bar for breakfast because I only eat about 20mins before I ride. I'm hungry when I get in anyway! I'm also trying to have the right snacks to hand at my desk - oat bars, bagels (and bagels and bagels mmmmmmm), nuts, grapes, chicken breast...
Anika, you raise a good point about training intensity. I don't know much about it, but one of my mtb buddies mentioned the other day that girls tend to push a harder gear than they should. I certainly do that. The only time I move down from big ring is to tackle a long steep climb in middle ring on the way home. I like the feeling of power that big ring gives me.
I'm picking up a road bike today thanks to generous dh (currently on a heavy hybrid with flat bars) and its coming with a cadence computer. Will that help me monitor "zones"?
Sorry for the long speel!!

[Kimmyt]

hah, srsly? i've always noticed the same (mashing pedals unnecessarily) but in the guys that I ride with...

[HappyAnika]

I don't necessarily correlate my training zone with my gears, it all depends on the terrain. I monitor my zones with a heart rate monitor. You can do a search on the forum for those terms and come up with a lot of great info on zones and heart rate training. I hear that newbies, male or female, tend to push too high a gear (whether or not they are actually working hard). Generally you want to keep up a high cadence (anywhere from 80 to 110) to avoid mashing your pedals (and knees), so your new cadence monitor will help with that. Do a search here for cadence and you'll also come up with a lot of great info. I myself don't have a cadence monitor, but I've heard people say that when they ride by cadence in a lower gear they can go faster than trying to mash in the big chainring. Congrats on the new bike! How exciting!

Oh, and you rock for commuting 18.5 miles on a hybrid!