January/February weight management challenge

[ny biker]

"Is it better to exercise fed or fasted?"

http://community.active.com/blogs/Na...-fed-or-fasted

[Crankin]

I am aware of the science behind it, but I just don't feel good doing it. And, as far as I know, I am not hypoglycemic or anything else in regards to blood sugar.
My problem is, I need to eat!

[Anelia]

ny biker, there is no one sided truth here. Everything depends on how you feel. Of course, if you feel dizzy, you should eat something before you work out. I feel OK in the morning after a cup of black coffee. If I do morning exercise, I have to get up really early to eat breakfast, wait to digest it and then cycle. I prefer to use the time to sleep.
You can be right: "try to move the meals towards the active part of day". But again there is another side of the coin and the same principle is used in the Intermittent fasting and even better: in the Warrior Diet, i.e. in order to digest fully the food, your body needs rest. Food digestion (especially of carbs) makes you sleepy and lazy. So, they fast in the active part of the day and eat a big meal in the evening. Yes, and they also lose weight, depending on their caloric balance.

I don't support either way and there is not an only answer to this. Just everybody should experiment and try which way is best for their body.
As far as fasted cardio for fat loss is concerned, my whole daily routine included: coffee, 20-30 minutes fasted cardio, protein shake/amino acids immediately after that. After 1-2 hous: protein(eggs usu)+complex carbs (oats). Depending on my day, I rotated strength training or longer and non-intensive bike riding in the afternoon. I ate simple carbs after the weights+again protein (milk usually). My dinner was protein (meat) and salad. My late dinner was always curd and walnuts. So, my glycogen was never full, I was always "fasted" in the mornings because of the small amounts of carbs and especially during the eveneng. Eating the slowest possible digested protein (casein from the curd) just before bed, combined with the fats from the walnuts which made it even slower to digest, ensure my good sleep. I hate when I go to bed slightly hungry and I can't even fall sleep if I eat dinner at 6 p.m. I'm already starving until 10 p.m.

[SadieKate]

"Is it better to exercise fed or fasted?"

http://community.active.com/blogs/Na...-fed-or-fasted

Thanks for this link! Calories and time of day is interesting. My weekday workouts are 5:45am and 6 am. I don't have to eat before cross training, but spinning without calories just sends me spinning.

[maillotpois]

Yeah I would never go for a ride or do intervals without food. But my husband commutes into the city several times a week (maybe 15 - 18 miles each way) and he NEVER eats anything before he leaves the house. I would fall off the Golden Gate Bridge if I did that. I think he keeps the intensity relatively low for his commute in and really works on the way home, but still. Whatever. Men.

[azfiddle]

I am a big fan of Nancy Clark's approach, and have two of her books.

The Carmichael Training Systems Coaches have a similar guideline about eating before exercise. Ideally, they suggest you have a big meal about 3-4 hours before a workout. Clearly, that isn't always possible, and the closer you are to the start, the smaller the meal should be, say a bagel or a banana if it is just half an hour before. They recommend mainly carbs shortly before/during the ride. Also, the half hour or so after you finish the workout is a good time to replenish your energy- the muscles continue to gather energy as if you were still working.

You can store enough glycogen for an hour or two of exercise, but after that you need to eat 100-200 calories an hour to refuel. Carmichael coaches suggested eating about an hour into the effort.

Personally, I'm usually good with just water for up to 15-20 miles (a little more than an hour) unless I haven't eaten for a while. I've followed that guideline of eating 100-200 cal/hour on long rides/ events and have never bonked.

[Owlie]

I know that if I don't eat within two hours of getting up (I can go longer if sleep-deprived, but that gets into other things), I'll end up with a splitting headache by 4pm. And that's without exercising! I can't do fasted workouts. No way.
DBF, on the other hand, can go 25 miles without eating breakfast, and on somewhat longer rides on relatively little.

I can do 15 miles in decent (not too hot, not too cold) weather on breakfast alone, with water on the bike. Anything longer than that (or in hot or cold weather), I need to eat.

Anelia, I'm like you. If I eat before 7, I'm hungry before bed!

[salsabike]

Bob Seebohar is another very well-thought-of person in the field. An example of his approach:

http://firebreatherfitness.com/coach...gInTheZone.pdf

[Triskeliongirl]

I have noticed on our club rides, that many of the overweight women are eating way more than need on the bike. I am bringing this up, because I know we all read articles and training books, but many are geared for the 20 something racer. If this is you, then by all means follow those recommendations. But if you are like me, a middle aged women who rides her bike for fitness and fun, by all means eat adequate food for your activity level, but if you are trying to lose weight, allow yourself to burn off your stored body fat, by being mindful of how much on the bike nutrition you really need. I am talking about the gal who shows up for a 30 mile club ride, with her pockets stuffed to the brim with gels and candy bars. I want to shout at her: You don't need that much food to ride 30 miles! You have your stored body fat! I don't because it doesn't seem my place. I am only posting here for those of you that have been 'stuck' for some time to consider it it applies to you. I will also say that sometimes you need to train your body to run on stored fat, so you will feel bad at first until your fat burning enzymes are expressed, so give it time, and perhaps try to gradually cut down how much you eat on the bike if you think this applies to you.

[klesko]

146 this morning. That article on leptin was really good and all the other discussion and articles are great too. I realized that when I gained weight through stress eating when my sister was in hospice, I messed up my hormone levels. I have terrible chocolate and carb cravings. However, I have cut down on my carbs and banned sugar and feel much better this week. Now I plan to work on portions and I should be fine. Thanks all!

[Catrin]

135.2