don't know where to start...

[mandachris]

my husband has been into cycling for about a year and a half now, and he has finally gotten me interested. but i don't know where to start with the nutrition issue.

first i'll introduce myself. i'm 26 years old, 5'5", and weight 182 lbs. i started my diet at 215, blech.

i believe in real food instead of supplements, but he takes 12-14 different things. so i don't really want to listen to his advice on what to take, i think he goes overboard.

also, i've been on nutrisystem for four months now. i'm on a 1200 calorie diet. i've lost 33 lbs. with the diet and moderate excercise (walking/jogging). i know cycling is going to demand a huge fuel increase, but how do i figure that in with my weight loss plan?

yesterday we went on a 12 mile ride (my third ride ever, the first two were about 13mi). he says you're not supposed to eat anything solid before you ride, but from what i've been seeing on here that's not necessarily true. if i don't eat at least a little before i excercise it makes me nauseous. i tried to tell him that, but he says i'll feel worse if i do eat.

so yesterday he gave me a scoop of something called super charge nitric oxide pre exercise drink with some water. i drank a 16oz. bottle of water and then we left. 20 min later we rode six miles (i can only handle about 12-16mph) and stopped. i had a hammergel mixed with water and a few sips of my water bottle but felt really dizzy. rested a couple of minutes, got back on, road six miles back. felt better on the way back then i did on the way out. back at the car i drank some kind of recovery drink.

so am i doing anything right? can i eat something first? what should i be doing?

thanks for any advice!

amanda

[Selkie]

Amanda - I'm not a dietician and my philosophy for eating is having what I want in moderation. My opinion: 1,200 calories a day is not enough, especially if you are active.
I think you already know the answer to your question: what works for your husband doesn't seem to work for you. Therefore, do your own thing.

[RoadRaven]

hi there mandachris, and welcome to the board

I think you need to stay away from supplements and such until you get a good feel for how your body feels on a bike.

I would suggest that an hour or two before your ride have a nice sandwich or small lot a pasta.

Take with you a muesli bar, or some fruit like a banana (some of the gals here swear by dried figs if I remember rightly).

A 12 mile ride is not long enough to warrent loads of power gels and supplements. IMHO it is a waste of your money.

You are better to eat sensibly before hand, and when you get home to have something sensible too... alot of us here swear by chocolate milk as an excellent recovery drink.

I am not a nutritionist and have never eaten according to a weight loss plan - I don't even know how to measure calories or kilojoules etc.

What I do do is cut out or limit foods that are high in fats and sugars (cakes, cream, butter, pastry based products etc).

I suggest you visit a nutritioist or dietician if you want to adjust your current plan to your new sport.

You do need to listen to your body because your demands will increase. Also remember one of the perplexing things that many of us have mused over here... your changing body shape is not always reflected on the scales - many of us have changed shape and dropped dress sizes, with little or no initial difference on the scales.

Well done for persevering - once you find the thing that works for you, cycling will be so much more of a pleasure

[Kalidurga]

I'm probably one of the worst people to offer nutrition or weight loss advice. I've read a lot about good nutrition, but I don't necessarily practice it. But, I'll chime in here as a contrast to your husband and an example that one system will definitely not work for everyone.

Like you, I try to avoid supplements. And I just plain can't swallow Gu and Powerbars. I try to eat "real" food, even if I'm not making the best choices. Scary as it may sound to some folks out there, I've found that I'm able to ride farther on the following:

- Breakfast of steak, eggs, hashbrowns, toast and sweet iced tea at Waffle House

- Trail mix &/or Fig Newtons and Gatorade as snacks along the trail, in addition to water

- Chocolate milk and things like deviled eggs and Fig Newtons for recovery after my ride, then spaghetti w/ meat sauce or a bowl of Nature's Path Rebound cereal for dinner

Again, I offer this not as advice you should follow (especially if you're working on losing pounds). This is just a sample of what I've found works for my goal of increasing my cycling distance. I definitely do not ride on an empty stomach. After you get a few more responses to your question, you may want to have your husband read the thread so that he can also see the variety of systems that other people follow. As RoadRaven suggested, take all of the advice you get here and use it to find out what works for you.

One suggestion I will offer: I believe that Nutrisystem offers on-line counseling and advice. You might want to ask them to recommend how to use their meal plan to provide extra fuel on your rides without sabotaging your weight loss goals.

[spokewench]

Eat something before you ride - don't worry about supplements on your bike for a 12 mile ride. Take water with you and some fig newtons for if you get lost or have a mechanical and happen to be out longer than you expected to be.

Things you might eat would be an english muffin with a small amount of peanut butter (yes it is high in fat and protein it will give you the energy you need). When you come home from your ride, eat some fruit, banana, peaches, whatever you have and make sure you drink.

Longer rides would require more food intake when you get back from your ride. Immediately after your ride is when you should try to replace food into your system. That is when your body will utilize it most correctly and you will recover well for the next day.

I don't take supplements with me unless I'm going for about 40 miles, then I will eat a gu. This is on a road bike, this changes when I am riding a hard mountain bike ride it is a shorter distance because the riding is harder and takes longer This is different for everyone tho. The more you have trained, the more you have ridden,the more your body becomes able to use less food. It becomes more efficient. I used to have to eat more.

Calories and output that is weightloss. If you burn so many calories, you can eat so much. If you up your calories burned, you can eat more. That is how a diet works - it is like a car engine. Food is just fuel.

[Veronica]

Listen to these women, they've given you some good advice. Everyone eats something slightly different, experiment with what feels good to you. Keep track of what seems to work and what doesn't.

V.

[Bikingmomof3]

i'm on a 1200 calorie diet.

amanda

Amanda,
The others gave excellent advice so I will not duplicate it. What concerns me is 1200 calories/day. Most women's bodies need a minimum of at least 1200 just to function. Add in exercise and you fall below 1,000 calories. Yes, you will lose weight, but eventually you will lose muscle mass and your metabolism may stop. Please, please talk with a doctor about this. Do some research. Be careful. Listen to your body.

[Dogmama]

Amanda,
Most women's bodies need a minimum of at least 1200 just to function. Add in exercise and you fall below 1,000 calories. Yes, you will lose weight, but eventually you will lose muscle mass and your metabolism may stop. Please, please talk with a doctor about this. Do some research. Be careful. Listen to your body.

A moderate weight lifting program will help insure that you are not burning metabolically active muscle.

You won't need a huge fuel increase, since you are trying to lose weight. You will need to eat a clean diet, e.g., complex carbs, low fat protein sources, etc.

Eating before you ride is very individual. I can barely gag down a protein drink. I would never be able to eat a full breakfast & ride. I prefer to get my carbs on the bike with energy gels, cytomax & whey protein in one water bottle and Luna bars.

[salsabike]

I eat relatively little on a ride. I don't usually eat before I start if it's in the morning. On a 30-40 mile ride, I will eat one Luna bar after about 12 miles; another after about 15-20. I only drink water. I try to eat about 200 calories an hour, since I've read that 200-300 calories an hour on a ride is about all your system can digest, and I never seem to want more than that. My longest single ride is about 60 miles; longest tandem ride in a day 206 miles. I've never bonked. My doc, a major cyclist and climber, used to date a guy on the Olympic Team nutrition committee, or whatever it's called. He also said that if you eat stuff like PB&J and drink water, you'll be fine electrolyte-wise. I am not a big believer in sports drinks or supplements, although I know many people who are. I've yet to feel the need for them, except for electrolyte capsules on a hot day. I've read articles saying that cyclists often overestimate their calorie needs and eat more than they need.

All that is to say---you'll need to work out what works best for you, since everyone seems to deal with it differently. Listen to your body and it will tell you what you need...

[velogirl]

so am i doing anything right?

amanda

Amanda, the most important thing you're doing right is that you're dedicated to your health by moderating your nutrition and exercising. Congratulations! I know how frustrating all of this can seem in the beginning, so just remember that cycling is fun and you'll learn more and more everyday.

Nutrition is one of those topics that I would recommend you speak with a professional about. Ideally this is someone who focuses on sports nutrition who will be able to guide your weight-loss utilizing both nutrition and exercise.

While there are many intelligent women on this board, as you'll notice, you've already received a bunch of completely different opinions. As with all boards of this nature, you'll receive some really good, informed opinions and advice, and you'll also receive some not-so-good opinions and advice, and you can't always tell who is who by how loudly they speak. I'm sure it's enough to make your head spin at this point. Until you've educated yourself enough to sort through the various opinions, I'd recommend working with a nutritionist or registered dietician.

Good luck to you, Amanda, and we look forward to getting to know you better!

[Granny]

Hi Amanda,
Maybe we should start a section BGRB....Big Girls Riding Bikes. I am 59, 5'5" a little over 200lbs and just bought my first "good bike" ..a TREK 100. I have been working on increasing my distance and have included riding to work 2 days a week, my week-end ride, plus other physcial activity during the week. The point I want to share with you is that you will be building muscle with your increased activity level. And because muscle is heavier than fat, it might appear that your weight loss is slowing down, when in fact it is continuing. The increased muscle mass will also boost your metabolsim so you will continue to burn fat after you get off the bike. My weight loss is slow but my body shape is changing dramatically. Plus, those new muscles in my legs helped me kick *** doing sprints in my water aerobics class.

My goal; fitting into a bike jersey without looking like the Philsbury Dough Boy :-) Just kidding. This is not about how I look, it is about keeping my body in a physcial condition that enables me to participate in the activities that feed my soul.

Keep up the good work!

[mandachris]

wow, so many responses! thanks so much for all of your answers. i did as someone suggested and contacted a nutrisystem nutritionist (not sure why i didn't think of that, lol)...here's what they had to say:

Congratulations on losing 33 pounds! Excellent job!

If you decide to join your husband in the cycling route, you should add in extra protein and a fruit. Start with 1 extra serving of each after workouts, then if you realize it is not enough add more, or give us a call and we can reformat your plan to better suit your needs.

Good luck and keep up the good work!


--- Original Message ---
From: Amanda
Received: 8/12/2006 9:30:12 PM Eastern Standard Time (GMT - 4:00 )
To: questions@nutrisystem.com
Subject: counseling

hi! i've been on ns for about four months now and have lost 33lbs,
yay! until now i've been doing light/moderate exercise of walking or
jogging. my husband is into cycling and has gotten me interested. my
dilemma is that cycling demands a huge increase in calorie intake due to
the high calorie burn rate. so how do i figure in the extra calories
needed for cycling? right now i'm going on 10-12 mile rides, burning
from 900 to 1000 calories (according to the heart rater monitor). so
what should i be eating?

thanks for any advice!

that doesn't sound like great advice, but that's just me. what do y'all think?

by the way, this a.m. we went on a ten mile ride (i know that's nothing to some of you, lol). i ate a granola bar and some peanut butter on toast before we rode, then just water after that. i did ten miles just fine and really could've gone more except it was time to pick up the kids from their grandparents. anyway, i finished feeling good, not hungry or dizzy (not sure what bonking is yet, but i guess i wasn't). oh, and i got up to 18 mph today for the first time. yay!! :-)

oh, for those of you worried about my 1200 cal diet, i do some add ins. the program is 1200 calories, but i add to stuff, esp. salads (two a day)...i add bacon bits and feta cheese and pickles, i add fat free sour cream or parmesean cheese to meals, and i eat a couple of "free foods" a day too. so i'm not starving myself, i promise.

thanks for all your input on this. i really enjoy reading all that y'all have to say!

amanda

[mimitabby]

Amanda
your nutritionist did give you excellent advice. Don't go riding on empty!
as your rides get longer, you might consider eating more earlier (although eating steaks and stuff would DESTROY me)
Before a long ride I eat a light breakfast (like oatmeal) and then 15 miles into the ride a banana. I eat smaller stuff all through the day. No big meals
until i am done, but no fasting either. And I have never bonked.

Good luck!

[Triskeliongirl]

I too eat a low calorie diet for weight loss and cycle. What I fnd works for me, is to target my calories to support my cycling. By all means have a good breakfast before you go out on the bike (for me ~300 cal of carbs and low fat protein are good, i.e. a boca burger on a whole wheat english muffin). If I was only going to ride 12 miles I wouldn't eat anything extra, but I would probably drink gatorade if its hot out. I think you are overestimating how many calories you are burning. I think its a lot closer to 600, which is good for weight loss. If I were going to do a longer ride, I would drink gatorade throughout the ride (which can add substantial calories) and then take a gel say after 20 miles if I felt like I needed it. For a long ride, maybe a powerbar at mile 40, etc. After the ride, I'd eat a healthy low cal lunch, again to support my weight loss since now the exercise is finished BTW, that's terrific on your weight loss to date, and great that you want to take your exercise program up a notch! So, yes you do need to eat a little more to support your cycling, but much less than you think if you goal is continued weight loss.