i have no idea what to eat. help :)

[lph]

I have no idea about calories and suchlike, but if you're hungry - eat! You're asking your body to put out more energy and it needs fuel to do this. As long as you eat healthily, not too large portions, often - and most important, don't go into a bike ride hungry, I think your natural appetite control will take care of it just fine

If I'm not eating enough I notice that I have trouble sleeping soundly, or wake up starving.

[letsride89]

thanks for the advice! it makes sense to eat when i want to eat. lol-

today i woke up and was honest to goodness HUNGRY.

after my 20mile ride yesterday i had a sandwich from which wich and an apple.

i guess that wasnt enough because i woke up today running to the cabinet for some cereal haha!

how long before my ride should i eat? what do you usually eat before a ride?

[mimitabby]

I can answer this one. If the ride is going to be a strenuous one, i eat at least an hour before I start. I just eat a normal healthy breakfast, like oatmeal or toast with eggs, and maybe some fruit. On the ride, i try to drink plenty (I have a camelbak for water) and the equivalent of a power bar every hour while riding. Then if it's a long ride, we'll stop and eat something like a sandwich. Heavy eating on a ride does not work. As you noticed, you can catch up later.

[motochick]

I have a routine that works very well for me for eating and riding. I always eat 2 eggs with chorizo/cheese mixed in and 3 pieces of bacon with flavored water to drink before my ride. I also take a teaspoon of chia seeds. I will eat, then pump up tires, stretch, get dressed, fill up water, etc. All of that takes enough time that by the time I am ready to pedal, my food is in a happy place.

On my ride I carry a package of those peanut butter crackers, some homemade beef jerky, and 3 tubes of accel gel. I stop at the 30 mile mark and eat the crackers and if it is to be a long ride, I suck down a gel. Then while on the bike I snack on the jerky as needed. If I need them, I have extra gels as well. This seems to work well for me. About 3 miles from home is a great BBQ place where I like to stop for pulled pork. YUMMY.

To start with I would say carry lots of different stuff so you can chose what you want while out riding. You will start to figure out what works for your body. Good luck!

Brenda

[Grog]

Being hungry in the morning is not abnormal...

Just eat! A good breakfast is the best start to an athletic day (and to any day!).

I find that fats and protein in moderate amounts keep me satiated until around 11 a.m. If I skip my daily egg in the morning, I am starting around 9:30!!

[tulip]

I have the very peculiar condition of not feeling hungry. I mean, I rarely feel hungry. I get quiet and spacey, and I know it's time to eat. If I'm not careful, I forget to eat. I just have to make sure that I eat regularly and not rely on any hungry feeling.

[cyclingmom]

Definately up your calories with rides like that. First, are you trying to lose or maintain weight? That's the first factor in how many calories you should be eating.
And yes, listen to your body, if it's hungry, feed it. It will usually tell you when you need more. If you feel very tired, that could be a sign of needing more calories too.

I don't tend to over load before a big ride. I eat a normal breakfast (we are morning riders in warm weather). It's usually oatmeal, fruit and yogurt, or a bagel with cream cheese, fruit and yogurt, something like that. Around 300-350 calories for me. Then during my rides, I stop about every hour for a snack. When the ride is over, after I have my lovely soak in the tub (cause for me, no ride is complete without that, keeps my soreness away, lol), I have a nice dinner (cause we are usually out for about 6 hours riding). It's usually something simple. Spaghetti, chicken I can throw in the rotisserie, things like that so I can spend the rest of the evening relaxing and playing with the kids.

Tulip, can I borrow the not hungry thing? Would help me in my weight loss, lol.