Anorexia after cycling...

[MaineMaid]

Hi everyone,
I haven't posted in a while, too absorbed by reading all your posts this past winter....grin.
Anyway, starting about 2 weeks ago, I was finally able to get out and ride. Since then, after a ride,(and sometimes during the last stages of the ride), I'm slightly nauseous. When I get home, I'm not hungry at all for hours, sometimes days.
So here's the background. I'm 55, and overweight. This cycling and training for the Trek Across Maine has been terrific. From a physical standpoint, I have no health issues and beneath all the flab , I suspect that I'm pretty sturdy. I rode 30 miles on Friday in 60 degrees- the longest I've done yet-, rode 20 miles yesterday and thought I would throw up during the last 5 miles, and rode today 15 miles and felt grand except for the lack of interest in food.
The lack of interest persists even now. No hunger, no interest in food. I'm forcing down water but it's making me a bit "urpy", and I've eaten a banana. I ate 1/4 of a hamburger last night and pushed the plate away; felt very full.
Is this normal for a newbie? As I've been cruising all the old posts, it seems that other people have "urpy" issues as well.
Any information would be terrific and I'll continue to go back and comb through all of you posts. Thanks again.

[KnottedYet]

I get urpy when my blood sugar crashes.

In fact, it's one of the ways I know I'm in trouble: I'll feel urpy and not have any interest in food.

That's when I know I have to force myself to eat a couple Clif Shot Bloks. I manage to help keep my blood sugar up by drinking electrolyte with carbs (Clif) through-out the ride and eating some Bloks or banana just before the ride and about every half hour during the ride. Even though I don't want to eat after my long rides, I force myself to eat something anyway. It really helps.

Whether you feel you are overweight or not, you need to figure out the best way to keep yourself fueled for rides. Everyone has their unique "tricks" and techniques and fuels that work best for them. Lots of trial and error! But when you find the right thing, you'll know it!

I am very partial to Clif Bloks and Electrolyte, bananas, and Lara Bars. (I used to carry Payday bars, too, but I started eating them all the time, not just on rides, so I had to cut them out!)

When you do find something you like, try to buy it by the case. Often you can get some good discounts, and then you'll have enough on hand that you'll be more likely to eat as often as you need.

[LBTC]

MM - keep a journal of your symptoms. If you have *anything* else: specific soreness, headaches, cold, hot, achey, lack of motivation, dizziness, or anything else, you want to try to find the pattern.

I agree with Knot that you may not be eating enough while riding, and may want to try that. No matter what your situation is, starving yourself is not healthy, and refuelling during or after a ride is healthy.

If you have other symptoms, and you can see when they happen, if you can't change this pattern, you may want to see a doctor to ensure there isn't anything in that sturdy body that's going awry. (I thought I was fit, healthy and indestructable until now, you never can be sure)

Keep riding, though, and keep enjoying!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Brandi]

yea I agree too. Maybe your body is telling you something. I too get urpy feelings when my blood sugar is low and won't think it has to do with eating either but it does. Maybe try some crackers. Good luck and keep up the riding no matter what it is good for us to move.

[MaineMaid]

Thanks everyone,
It seems to be leveling off; today I rode to work for the first time, (7 miles one way), and was hungry after about an hour. I sucked some hard candy on the ride and I think it must have done the trick. I talked to a nutritionist at work and she agreed with all of you that it was probably low blood sugar that was producing the effects.
And, again, just like you all said, grin, it's such a individual thing that I'll just keep experimenting until I get it right.
Thanks again.

Jan in Maine

[hellosunshine]

be very careful - ANOREXIA.


do you mean you are hungry and wont allow yourself to eat
do you feel self denial is the route to acceptance and love
do you fear gaining weight
how is your self esteem?
do you feel guilty if you do eat


this is anorexia,if you have any of these symptoms go to the doctor NOW before it gets a hold on you,it is a very evil disease and once it sets in it grips onto your body and mind like a nasty weed.

please get help.value your health it is very precious

i know from experience im ashamed to say,i had anorexia 22 yrs ago and roots have reemerged over the last year,i am now fighting the biggest race of my life to beat beat it before i get any iller.Its no fun,you havent the power to win like you used to nor the energy to socialise and sleep is a word of the past.i have got excellent help this week from the dr who has \finially taken note,believe me if you know you are in trouble get help and dont be fobbed off- i was for several months.


GOOD LUCK.

[michelem]

hellosunshine,

I think MaineMaid is referring to anorexia: –noun loss of appetite and inability to eat as opposed to anorexia nervosa: –noun Psychiatry. an eating disorder primarily affecting adolescent girls and young women, characterized by pathological fear of becoming fat, distorted body image, excessive dieting, and emaciation.

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling and hope you find the help you need and deserve. Take care of YOU.

[Offthegrid]

After my first bike commute two weeks ago, I felt completely sick and wasn't able to eat anything for several hours later. I had eaten two small muffins beforehand and drank a mixture of 1/2 gatorade, 1/2 water.

Yesterday when I biked to work I was starving and easily wolfed down some cereal. This time I didn't eat before I left, and I rode strong (it takes 70 minutes).

How much are you eating beforehand? Perhaps this is what is making you sick. You might need to eat less or to allow more time after eating beforehand and riding.

[Kitsune06]

I used to experience this, too. short 5-7 mile rides at moderate pace would have me urpy and nauseous for hours after when I was starting out.

What's helped for me is a small, light snack before, eating little and light during, only when necessary, drinking a lot of water w/ or w/o electrolytes, and then waiting maybe half an hour after riding for your heart rate to find normalcy before eating?

When it happened to me, I also got a strong ammonia scent through my sinuses. Not sure if/how that's related; just a thought.

[equus123]

Hi everyone,
I haven't posted in a while, too absorbed by reading all your posts this past winter....grin.
Anyway, starting about 2 weeks ago, I was finally able to get out and ride. Since then, after a ride,(and sometimes during the last stages of the ride), I'm slightly nauseous. When I get home, I'm not hungry at all for hours, sometimes days.
So here's the background. I'm 55, and overweight. This cycling and training for the Trek Across Maine has been terrific. From a physical standpoint, I have no health issues and beneath all the flab , I suspect that I'm pretty sturdy. I rode 30 miles on Friday in 60 degrees- the longest I've done yet-, rode 20 miles yesterday and thought I would throw up during the last 5 miles, and rode today 15 miles and felt grand except for the lack of interest in food.
The lack of interest persists even now. No hunger, no interest in food. I'm forcing down water but it's making me a bit "urpy", and I've eaten a banana. I ate 1/4 of a hamburger last night and pushed the plate away; felt very full.
Is this normal for a newbie? As I've been cruising all the old posts, it seems that other people have "urpy" issues as well.
Any information would be terrific and I'll continue to go back and comb through all of you posts. Thanks again.

Maybe your body is just reacting to this new stimulus? It might just take a little time for your body to regulate to the new stresses put on it from cycling.

[liberty]

I was going to start a thread on this very issue. I've been riding pretty consistently over the past few months, making sure I fuel up before the ride and eating something after the ride. Maybe even forcing myself to eat since I knew I had to ride. But I've noticed the past few weeks I have had no desire to eat anything, whether I rode or not. Just not hungry. And with the mileage I've been doing it has started to worry me. Been doing 80-100 miles a week. I should be hungry, you know what I mean?

Don't feel like cooking. Don't want to eat. I'm not depressed. I have been very busy, and things have been stressful. So, I've wondered, do I make myself eat? Do I wait to eat until I get hungry? I've been off the bike for 4 days now due to busyness. And during this time I've been eating junk just so my energy level will increase, hoping too it would stimulate my appetite. I talked with another friend of mine who is a cyclist and is also having the same problem. What gives???? By the way, the junk food thing doesn't work.

Overtraining?
Seasonal weather changes?
Low blood sugar?

[MaineMaid]

Yup to all your replies.. Not anorexia nervosa...just lack of hungar.
Yes to my body probably thinkin' ,"What the heck are ya doin' NOW???".
Yes to eating some crackers with peanut butter as a light snack before a ride and then a protein bar at the midway point.
At the moment, the "urpy" thing has gone away and the anorexia is waning too. I think it's all about becoming accommodated to the new activity, the effort my body is making and the REMARKABLE idea that food is FUEL for my engine .

Jan in Maine

[equus123]

wonder if either of your problems can be related to hormones? the stresses of the change in training accompanied by homone changes (may or may not be relative to menstruating) could be a possible cause.

similarly for me, i tend to lose my appetite 1-2 days before i get my period. sometimes the opposite happens - hungry 24/7 for no reason. it's all just part of my normal physiological changes.

[liberty]

Well, I usually have strong cravings and eat whatever I can find when I'm about to start my period. That didn't happen this past cycle. Just no interest in food. Very strange. I've decided that I've probably overdone the pushing myself to eat thing, and it would be fine to listen to my body... See if that helps.

[northstar]

Hmmm...

A couple years back, I had been suffering from depression and anxiety and finally went on meds to get it under control. Once on the meds, I realized I didn't have much of an appetite anymore. I am an emotional eater and had up to that point been kind of self medicating with food. I lost about 20 pounds. Maybe the biking has the same effect on you? The positive energy shuts off the appetite that may have been fueled by emotional issues? I don't know if that's the case with you though.

I don't know if "anorexia" is a good word to describe this effect...I think we should say loss of appetite. As a previous poster noted, anorexia nervosa is a whole other monster.