Post ride hunger

[uforgot]

I've noticed that after a ride of 2+ hours I'm ravenous. I stopped at a produce stand after my ride and they had peanuts. Normally, I would ignore them, but I had to have them. I'm on Weight Watchers, eating healthier than ever and am trying to lose weight, but the more I ride, the more I gain. The only time I even think about breaking the diet is after a ride, and if it doesn't walk away, I want it. I think my body is telling me something, not sure. I have gel shots and bananas during my rides. Is there something I should have immediately after the ride that would stop this insanity? I seem to crave crackers or salty stuff, and for breakfast, before the ride today, I had a tablespoon of peanut butter on toast. I've googled this and am not really finding anything other than one website suggesting chocolate milk within 30 minutes. Hey, I'll try anything.

What do YOU have post ride?

[Blueberry]

Protein in some form. Eggs, cheese, milk (yep, chocolate milk) - not much - just a slice of cheese or a hard boiled egg. It sticks with me longer than carbs.

CA

[JaneE]

Oh, boy...I have the same problem. I find myself craving crackers. Trisquits and Wheat Thins are my downfall. Sounds healthy enough, except when I can't stop eating them. And they come in such interesting flavors now, too, darn it!

*STEP AWAY FROM THE CRACKER BOX*

On longer rides (over 30 miles) I carry Shot Bloks, a granola bar and maybe a power bar for a quick lunch. When I get home I always have a piece of fruit and some cottage cheese or something. I think I eat a pretty well-balanced diet, over all but I definitely have a carb-craving problem. I'm curious to hear how other people deal with post-ride cravings.

[Blueberry]

With crackers or pretzels, I get out a serving and put the package back. That seems to help - at least a little

CA

[uforgot]

Wheat thins, sigh...I bet I ate a half of a box this afternoon on my way home. Cream cheese and chive. When did they come up with that one? One problem is that when I go on organized rides, I have to drive 2 hours or so. No biking around Belle, MO. When I stop to get gas or grocery shop...Katie bar the door! I wound up tossing the rest of the crackers at a gas station to prevent further damage.

[Blueberry]

Could you package them up in zip locs before leaving home? That way, you have a serving with you, but not more?

CA

[uforgot]

Could you package them up in zip locs before leaving home? That way, you have a serving with you, but not more?

CA

I don't keep anything like that in my house. I don't eat them any other time, but today I stopped because I wanted the salty. I try not to eat refined sugar or white flour. It's just for a few hours after a ride I have the cravings. I just need some idea as to what I'm missing before during or after riding that is causing these intense cravings. I just found another site that suggested chocolate milk. That's two. I could stop at a convenience store for that on the way home.

[Tuckervill]

It's cuz you need to eat!

A tablespoon of peanut butter on toast is not enough to stoke up the fire. Then you're burning up all those calories on the ride.

I wore my heart rate monitor on a 3 hour ride and it said I burned up 1400 calories. Okay, so that means I burned up almost my whole allotment of calories that I'm supposed to eat that day! Say my breakfast was 350 calories, that banana on the ride was 110, the granola bar was 160--that's 620 calories of the 1500 I'm allotted for weight loss.

That leaves me 880 calories for the rest of the day PLUS the 1400 calories I burned on the ride. My protocol for weight loss is to have a calorie deficit of at least 100 calories a day, but it is most often 500 +/- calories with exercise.

1400 + 880 = 2280 calorie deficit after the ride
2280 - 500 = 1780 calories left consume with just half the day left

I think I'm entitled to that danged post-ride cheeseburger!

Karen

[OakLeaf]

If I eat ANYTHING substantial within 30-60 minutes after a long workout, to replenish my muscle glycogen, I don't get that ravenous depleted hunger. It doesn't have to be anything particular (although yes, you need carbs to replenish muscle glycogen and a bit of protein to rebuild muscle tissue that broke down during the workout).

I really have to force myself to eat so soon after a workout, and I hate that because I prefer to listen to my body and NOT eat when the idea makes me nauseous , but it makes a big difference.

Tuna or egg salad sandwiches work well for me, or a ProBar, half a Chipotle burrito, or something similar.

Eating something a little more substantial before the ride will help fire up your metabolism also.

[fastdogs]

how was the ride? did you ride the shorter one twice to get your miles?
I made the mistake of eating only a south beach diet bar (180 calories) for breakfast before my mtn bike ride.
I used that up walking up the first hill. About the second or third hill I stopped to eat some of my trail mix. I should have ate the trail mix waiting for the ride to start! They had bananas and peanut butter sandwiches at the first stop.
vickie

[indysteel]

Your body is telling you that it's hungry and/or dehydrated (thirst is often confused for thirst), and the salt craving is an indication that you need to replace lost electrolytes.

If you're counting calories, then bagging something before the ride to eat at the end of it is your best bet. I don't do it as much anymore, but I used to bring a thermos of chocolate milk to drink after rides. It was pretty good at staving off bingeing once I got home.

As a side note, I'd suggest being careful about relying on the calorie "estimates" from HRMs. They usually overstate calorie expenditure.

[limewave]

I did a 20 mile mntn bike ride yesterday (mostly flat, don't be that impressed). I was STARVING all day. I had an Amy's burrito with some steamed veggies right afterwards for lunch. Then later, I ordered a thin crust pizza with lots of veggies minus the cheese--I about ate the entire thing! And then I ate 1/2 a Ben and Jerry's Sorbet! And then I wanted popcorn! But I stopped before the popcorn.

I probably should have had a little more protein to help me out. I just don't like meat and I can't handle dairy very well.

[Brandy]

I wore my heart rate monitor on a 3 hour ride and it said I burned up 1400 calories. Okay, so that means I burned up almost my whole allotment of calories that I'm supposed to eat that day!

Please be careful if you're using a HRM to estimate calories burned. I ride with a power meter and it gives me energy expended in kilojoules. This equates fairly equally to calories. I can tell you that my HRM always reads about 25% higher than the power meter does in terms of calories burned. If you're trying to lose or maintain weight, I wouldn't trust a HRM...I believe the numbers read high.

[Brandy]

As a side note, I'd suggest being careful about relying on the calorie "estimates" from HRMs. They usually overstate calorie expenditure.

lol...I should read ahead before posting. At least I agreed with you.

[Brandy]

Oh, and as far as post ride nutrition. I get Endurox in within 30 minutes and then eat a regular meal (so many people go overboard with post-ride meals) about an hour later.