Eating post-training

[spokewench]

I think it probably depends upon how much you ride normally, how long (years) you have been riding.

For instance, as I have ridden more years in a row, and when I am riding a lot every week, my body becomes more efficient in utilizing the energy I put into it. So, I don't need to eat as much as I used to because of the more efficient body.

If I haven't been riding much in a year, I need more food for a shorter period of time on the bike.

So, the longer the ride and the harder the ride, eat more when you get off the bike, right away. The shorter the ride, easier the ride, eat less. I agree chocolate milk is good. Other endurance after ride drinks are good too. If you start to gain weight, you are probably eating too much so just have a banana instead of the big carboload. Each person is different so you have to rate yourself accordingly.

I don't carboload if I just ride ten-20 miles anymore. Don't need to. If it is more, I will eat as soon as I can when I get back home.

spoke

[jusdooit]

I think it's considered 2 hours or more. A LBS hosted a nutrition talk here recently by a registered dietician. It was pretty informative. She recommended a book by Liz Applegate, The Encyclopedia of Sports and Fitness Nutrition. Ms. Applegate is also a RD, PhD, professor, and best of all a cyclist. I haven't purchased the book yet, but plan to. I had been riding to eat, now I want to eat to ride.

[OakLeaf]

I don't actually know, but from what little I do know about cell metabolism, it seems to me that intensity should be much more important than duration to how much you deplete your glycogen stores.

Good question, though, I'm interested in learning more about this.

[roadie gal]

This is a great question! I've searched google, general sports sites and some medical sites. I can't find any mention of the amount of time spent exercising that would require a specific post exercise recovery meal. All of the articles talk about the time frame to having the meal not the amount of time you have to exercise for the meal to become important.