Low carb cycling?

[jodeet]

Is there anyone out there who can tell me what to eat during long rides that would be lower carb. I've lost about 12 lb, but always put weight back on when cycling season comes around. I've tried using the Atkins bars, because they do have a fair amount of carbs, but lots of fiber also. I want to continue losing, so I can be faster....help?

[kacie tri-ing]

I would rethink that if you are doing any kind of longer riding. Carbohydrates have to be the basis of any athletic diet. Now the KIND of carbohydrate can certainly influence your weight.

Check out this article, and really anything else by Nancy Clark!

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/nutritio...confusion.html

[ny biker]

I would rethink that if you are doing any kind of longer riding. Carbohydrates have to be the basis of any athletic diet. Now the KIND of carbohydrate can certainly influence your weight.

Check out this article, and really anything else by Nancy Clark!

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/nutritio...confusion.html

I agree. If you're gaining weight then focus on how much you're eating. I think it's fairly common to overestimate the amount of food you need for recovery after long rides.

[TrekTheKaty]

What kind of carbs? Do you mean sugar or grains? Maybe try making homemade granola bars or energy bars? (I know there is a Nancy Clark recipe). Cut the sugar in half if that's your concern.

I started making the Garmin rice cakes last year--good carbs instead of candy bars.

[KnottedYet]

I'd love to gain 12 pounds of muscle every riding season....

[maillotpois]

I agree. If you're gaining weight then focus on how much you're eating. I think it's fairly common to overestimate the amount of food you need for recovery after long rides.

Huge point here - I think most of the calories that should be cut to lose weight should come from your off bike fueling window. You need a good 300 - 500 calories within 30 minutes of riding, but beyond that - the extra slice of pizza and extra beer "because I rode today" is what is going to sabotage your weight loss efforts. Don't cut calories during your rides. Cut them after.

- MP (who knows what she needs to do to lose weight but just really doesn't care right now )

[Grits]

I also have trouble losing or even maintaining weight while I am cycling frequently. I know I unconsciously justify overeating because I need to "fuel my ride."

I have recently started a food journal with calorie count based on Nancy Clark's "The Cyclists Food Guide." I don't believe she would be very supportive of low carb diets, but would encourage healthy whole grains and fruits, just not empty carbs. She gives you a formula for figuring a rough estimate of the base calories you need for daily living (which you can also easily find online on many different websites) and then a formula to figure what additional calories you need for riding based on your weight and average speed and time in the saddle. If you want to lose weight at a healthy pace and maintain your metabolism and energy level, you then decrease those calories by 20%.

I'm not counting carbs or anything other than calories because I just don't like to do that. Calories are about all I can handle. I have cut out refined flour and am eating more lean protein and whole grains. No junk.

It has been very helpful to me to have a guideline for how much extra I need to eat on riding days. For example, a 140 lb person cycling at 13mph for 2 hours needs an additional 980 calories. If you are trying to lose weight, reduce that by 20% and add an additional 784 calories to your base
amount that day. I have just started doing this so can't report results yet, but it has to be better than what I have been doing! This Friday will be my official weekly weigh in, and the first since I have done some riding, so we'll see then.

[azfiddle]

I have never tried a low-carb diet, but maybe my experience will be helpful.

I have lost a total of 35 lbs since Jan 2009, 23 of them since starting cycling in the summer. In July I was only riding 3 miles to the store, and gradually increased my time and distances. I'm using weightwatchers, which uses "points" - based on calories, fiber and fat but basically it's about 60 calories per point. For my weight, I'm allowed 18 points a day, plus 35 extra points per week. Cycling or other exercise adds in "activity points". One activity point is worth about 100 calories burned during exercise. I don't worry about carbs, protein etc but I have cut back on sweets, and eat more things like oatmeal, whole grain pasta, lean protein, fruit and veggies.

Currently, I'm riding 50-100 miles per week (about 4-8 hours), depending on my schedule & the weather. If I ride 45-90 minutes, I might allow myself 2-4 extra points for the day. If I ride 2-3 hours, I will allow myself as much as 8-10 extra points, but I almost never dip into the activity points by the end of the week. I keep my ride snacks small, and most of the extra points come from extra snacks after my ride and slightly bigger lunch or dinner. I try to think of the ride as burning more calories - not as an excuse to eat more.

It's working for me, but the essential ingredients have been careful tracking of everything I eat and adding in the regular exercise.

[TrekTheKaty]

Ditto Nancy Clark--excellent recipes in her books.

[bikerHen]

Cut down on the beer?!

I've got Nancy Clark's book. You want to borrow it?

+1 on not needing to eat as much. Especially the next day when I'm typically starving. I spend the whole day focusing on trying NOT to eat. bikerHen

[bikermaze]

I usually pack home made granola bars with not much sugar but a lot of fruits and nuts packed in it to keep it interesting. Variety helps. I stay away from processed bars because of the corn syrup. It's just as bad I read up somewhere.

I usually focus on the grain-type carbs than anything else since they break down into more sugar in my system and I don't need that.

Aren't carbs the staple of most diets? Of course the right amount of carbs sort of diet, not the empty/sugary sorts. That defeats the purpose doesn't it?

[moonfroggy]

bikermaze would you share your recipe?

[abejita]

+2 on the Nancy Clark books. I know when I was eating lower carbs (more due to lower calorie intake rather than actively restricting carbs) I hit a wall everytime I rode and I just had no energy. I made the decision to eat more for cycling endurance rather than focusing on loosing my last 20lb. I've had soooo much more energy and I am still loosing weight!

[Dannielle]

bumping this old thread because I was searching for info on combining low carb eating with cycling and didn't find much.

Wanted to chime in that the there is at least one other person out there (me!) who eats this way and rides a bike.

I keep carbs under 50g on off-bike days and go up to 100g or so on biking days (amount depends on how long my ride is). On biking days I have more carbs while I'm on the bike (cytomax/gatorade to drink, chocolate #9 gels, etc). My rides are always at least 2hrs so I need a little something. I do gravitate toward Long&Slow rides vs. going for speed, which I've read is better for burning more fat vs. carbs.

I don't eat grains, sugar(except when on the bike), starches at all. I do eat fruit and the occasional sweet potato though. And tons of veggies!

I've lost 100lbs eating this way (still have 50 or so to go) and it's become a lifestyle for me. It works for me so I can't see changing things. Though I do tweak things while on the bike as I do feel more energized when I have some carbs while riding. I try to be really careful to not consume more than I'm burning off though. I can tell I've had too much when I have carb cravings later in the day.

I'd love to hear how others who eat Primal/Paleo/LowCarb successfully combine their way of eating with cycling.

[shootingstar]

Congrats on your weight loss so far, Danielle! May it stay off.

So what carbs have you avoided/reduced drastically to lose weight? Jeez and you weigh your food.

I'm a lazy bum in this area, I have never weighed food portions nor have I ever counted calories eaten. Not that I have a weight problem.

Perhaps the focus would be carbohydrates with low glycemic index. which is what I've had to pay abit more attention in past few years or else I'm walking closer to the diabetes 2 result. It's just as well I reduced the high GI carbohydrates anyway since my metabolism is slower than what it was 20 years ago.

So I've cut down my rice intake ..probably by 70%. I used to have rice nearly daily.

I have light pasta. There are specific dried pastas I will only buy now for home. I will have Italian based pasta in restaurants..because one can't control the situation in some restaurant menus. But the latter is not often for me.

Potatoes- I rarely have potatoes. It's just not my starch/carb preference. Potatoes feel heavy to me in my stomach. Probably due to being raised on rice as a kid.

I do love artisan bread, so I have to watch myself. In lieu of too much lovely bread, I have oatmeal, just abit for breakfast daily with milk. Small amount of oatmeal is a good carb (with some fresh fruit) that burns well and easy to digest just before setting off for a bike ride. Well, at least for some folks.