i have no idea what to eat. help :)

[letsride89]

Well, I just bought my bike. i'm a new cyclist.
my weight is about 104.
before i got my bike i was most likely around 1200 calories a day
now that im riding i think i should probably eat more. maybe a lot more..

but i have no idea!
i'm riding about every other day for about two hours i would say? roughly.

whatcha think homies.

[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.

[Starfish]

First, are you trying to lose or maintain weight?

Or gain weight? You said you are 104? Is that a healthy, strong, athletic weight for you?

[letsride89]

i would love to gain healthy weight!!!

what i dont want is flab. i dont have much of that now, i'm pretty toned (HA KINDA)...

i would love to be back around 110, but again, i dont want flab! i work out regularly (weights)..if that helps at all



cyclingmom- thanks for all that advice!!! how many little ones do you have?
starfish- what do you think i should do for a healthy weight gain?

you girls are amazing!

[Starfish]

starfish- what do you think i should do for a healthy weight gain?

I am not qualified to answer this question. There are some folks on TE who would be, and there are others on TE who also work on keeping their weight up. It would be worth your starting a new thread with a topic just for healthy weight gain.

That said, you are young, and you sound active...make sure you are not eating excessive junk foods, eat whole foods with a balance of nutrients (MyFoodDiary.com or other online sources can help), getting plenty of protein and taking a vitamin supplement if need be. Don't shy away from healthy fats like olive oil.

Stay active, lift weights to build muscle, and see a nutritionist!

Did you say you are in college? When I was in college, there were a variety of free programs through several departments that students could participate in (for instance, I did a free program in college where I got my body fat tested, had an appointment with a nutritionist, and had a few weeks of meeting with a group regarding eating habits, etc).

[letsride89]

wow! great advice!

the only thing i would tell you is i'm lactose intolerant..and i have IBS...and it cancels out A LOT of food for me. (yes, no fun)

i would love to see a nutritionist! i am in college so i will for sure double check on those tests!! its a great idea!!

[Grog]

Perhaps try to reduce stress?

I will let the competent individuals give better advice for the rest. But I know that from my eternal 120 I dropped to 115 - and it SHOWED, especially in my face, which scared my mom - when I started my Ph.D., which happened to be after my first intense summer of cycling. I was really stressing my body and mind quite hard that September. Reducing stress, and making sure I filled my caloric needs with many healthy meals (more like 5-6 than 3) seems to have fixed that...

[Blueberry]

wow! great advice!

the only thing i would tell you is i'm lactose intolerant..and i have IBS...and it cancels out A LOT of food for me. (yes, no fun)

i would love to see a nutritionist! i am in college so i will for sure double check on those tests!! its a great idea!!

Lots of collages will help you get in with a nutritionist for free/reduced prices Might be worth looking into.

Good luck!

CA

[ehirsch83]

Another question, you said your weight- but what is your height?

A good way, besides eating when you are hungry is to add in EFAs(essential fatty acids) sounds funny but add things like olive oil to oatmeal, eat more avocados.etc. You will benefit from the good fats:-)