Newbie Nutrition Question

[SimpleCycle]

So I've been riding for about three months. Right now my long rides are around 50 miles on Saturdays. I ride with some more experienced riders, and all of them seem convinced that if I don't start consuming things like HammerGel and Accelerade I'm going to turn into a pumpkin. Well, they say I'm going to "bonk". What is at issue is not that I am not consuming calories on the bike, just that I'm not consuming them in "sports nutrition" form.

I just don't see spending my hard-earned money on high tech sports food. I eat a decent meal ahead of time and have been drinking Gatorade (made from powder) and water, and eating fig newtons, bananas, and Clif bars. I suppose according to current "theory" I'm supposed to be consuming some protien too, but there's protien in the clif bar. I also for the most part can't have whey protien unless it's the isolate type because I'm lactose intolerant.

Am I making some terrible mistake? Are these drinks somehow superior to Gatorade? I suppose if my stomach were bothering me or I was unable to actually consume enough, that would be different. At least one of the guys I ride with is of the "expensive is better" school of thought and I get the impression that all their gels and drinks are part of their strange "I'm an athlete" thing. I also have the suspicion that if I could pay for a clinical trial of fig newtons and my homemade soy protien recovery drink, I could "prove" it's 44% better too.

[DeniseGoldberg]

The important thing is that you eat and drink - and that the food & drink that you choose supports your activity. I do not believe that means you need to use sport-specific foods or gels. And your choice of Gatorade, bananas, fig newtons, and Clif bars sounds fine to me.

On the liquid front - I used to drink just water, but I switched to Gatorade a few years back and I find that works better for me. If I'm on a long ride - one that will last for at least several hours - I often have Gatorade in my water bottles and water in a Camelbak. Food? I tend to carry bars of some sort with me just because they are easy to carry. The bars I currently eat are Pria and Luna Bars. Bananas are great, but not so easy to carry without getting them bruised.

From your description of your pre-ride food and your snacks on the bike, it seems that you are doing just fine!

--- Denise

[Dogmama]

Your riding food sounds good to me! Fig newtons are a good source of simple sugar & the fig part adds a little fiber so some of the carbs should last you awhile. I carry Clif bars & use them as well. I know a guy who rides many miles who carries raisins and peanuts. Everybody's body is different. Check out the thread on bonking for more info.

[RoadRaven]

This house spends no money on flash energy bars at all.

We have some muesli bars which we have found with an apple and blackberry mush inside... and with maybe a half can of creamed rice before the ride, they are all that is needed. Sometimes a can of V or Mountain Dew before the race too.

We do spend money on stuff like LEPIN and CARBOSHOTZ which my partner uses in serious endurance races, and we have sports recovery powders to have after a hard ride.

But those energy bars are too difficult to eat.

I agree with the majority - your nutrition scheme sounds fine.

Eat well either side of the ride, and just take with you on the ride what you are comfortable eating - your body knows what it can cope with- or if whatever you have chosen isn't enough. Listen to what it says and you'll be fine.

[alison_in_oh]

Well, I'll tell you, I just got back from a 3.5 hour 62 mile ride, drank only water and ate a Clif bar and a peanutbutter sandwich. My post-ride recovery drink was a tall glass of chocolate soymilk.

My sweetie's way more experienced than I, and he has one of his bottles with Gatorade for longer rides and races, and will do a Gu in a race, but otherwise his ride nutrition is pretty much the same -- I think I eat more often, as is appropriate for a woman cyclist!

[RoadRaven]

LOL... I often want chocolate milk when I finish a ride too... I wonder how many choc milk fans there are here?

[fultzie]

homemade soy protien recovery drink

ooh, do you have a recipe?

i generally eat about the same as all of you here... a splurge for a luna bar (when else can i feel "healthy" eating something called "Nutz over chocolate"?! ) or a Gu during a race.

personally i can´t stand "sport drinks" and just drink H2O. or chocolate milk that sounds pretty good right now....

i swear one time a powergel saved me (or at least let me salvage a little pride) when i bonked so bad at a mtn race that i ended up sitting in the woods in tears for a good 5 min. It was chocolate-flavored. thank goodness!

a friend of mine makes his own peanut butter-honey "gu" and keeps it in a little re-fillable plastic bottle (like those travel shampoo bottles that you can buy that don´t have anything in them). i need to get the recipe from him-- i think there´s more in it than peanut butter and honey)

cheers!

[CorsairMac]

Fultzieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee welcome back!!...haven't seen you in ages hun!

[emily_in_nc]

a friend of mine makes his own peanut butter-honey "gu" and keeps it in a little re-fillable plastic bottle (like those travel shampoo bottles that you can buy that don´t have anything in them). i need to get the recipe from him-- i think there´s more in it than peanut butter and honey)

Oh do get his recipe, please! I love pnut butter and honey, so this sounds good. I've seen that "honey stinger" gel but have never tried it. I like the peanut butter addition for some fat and protein; I find that I need some of both rather than just straight carbs on rides of over 60-90 minutes or I'll bonk.

Thanks!
Emily

[fultzie]

thanks corsair!

i´m actually technically not "back" yet... i´m studying abroad this semester... i´ve been off my bike(s) since february! noooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

i tried spinning classes... but now i have tendonitis in my ankle (perhaps from hiking as well) so i´m trying to lay off for a bit.

but i definitely will get his "gu" recipe, emily! it may not be for a month or so, since my teammates are scattered to the winds for summer break, but i´ll post it as soon as i do

happy riding!

[ACG]

On weekends I take longer rides, Sundays aroun 40 to 50, not far for most of you! I normally eat an apple/banana and V8, is this not enough. I normally bring some type of energy bar with me.

I usually feel fine though so I'm probably okay.

[SimpleCycle]

ooh, do you have a recipe?

I kind of make it up as I go along, but I have two main variations. A natural foods store near me sells a regular soy protien powder (just ground up, defatted soybeans) and vanilla flavored soy protien powder which has a finer, more mixable texture.

Recovery drink #1:
Orange juice watered down so it's not too acidic, with two tablespoons of vanilla soy protien powder. I was making it with orange gatorade, but regular OJ tastes much better and seems healthier.

Recovery drink #2:
Frozen ripe banana pieces + soymilk + two or more tablespoons of regular soy protien powder in the mini food processor. Process until smooth. Tastes like a milkshake! I like this one before the ride too.

The soy protien powder is much cheaper than lactose free whey protien powder.

So my riding partners loaded me up with hammergel and heed (hammer's sports drink) today and by the time we hit the convenience store, I needed some plain old sugar (gatorade). I'm not so sure about my ability to digest the maltodextrin in large quantities, so maybe I'll try a different gel or go back to gatorade for the sugar. The gel is easier to suck down than eating actual food, I'll give them that, although it reminds me of sucking the middle out of a jelly donut, and not in a good way. I'll keep experimenting to find what works. My digestive system is awfully finicky, I'm sure I'll have to make some compromises. Thanks everyone for their input.

[CorsairMac]

I have to be careful with maltodextrin - it does not always react in a positive way in my tummy!