Food Intake Before Ride

[Splash]

Hi all.

I have recently read that it is important to eat before your ride to induce metabolic rates and allow the body to use that energy to assist with weight loss.

Any thoughts on this ?

Your views and recommendations?


SPlash

[simonov]

I find it best to eat before I ride because otherwise I'd be hungry. Sometimes I eat during the ride because, especially if it's a long ride, I get hungry. Nutrition can be a very complex thing but, unless you're vying for a pro tour contract (or something like that) or trying to drop that last bit of body fat to get under 5%, it can also be very simple. Eat healthy foods in reasonable amounts. Mix that with vigorous exercise and fat loss (or muscle gain) can be achieved. Anything else, IMO, is focusing on marginal gains before taking care of the big stuff. Like worrying about aerodynamic handle bar tops before getting flexible enough to bend your elbows and get out of the wind (I'm not specifically saying you can't bend your elbows...just using a general example).

[bewheels]

As Simonov says above, this is more complex then pulling out one little piece of the puzzle which is often what people do. ...not saying you are doing this, but that it is a common way for people to approach finding the 'silver bullet'.

I find it best to eat before I ride because otherwise I'd be hungry. ...

Exactly.

[Peter P.]

I read once of a training program to lose weight which recommended going for a ride (under 2 hrs.) at a moderate to easy pace, on an empty stomach, to promote your body to burn fat.

It got me to thinking; most of us or at least myself, go riding AFTER work, after we've eaten a lunch. Since supposedly our bodies can store enough energy from our meals for roughly 2hrs. of exercise, why can't I go for that after-work ride without "topping off the tank" and burn some fat?

I've tried this and concluded we, or at least I, top off that tank because it increases sugar/energy levels giving us more perceived energy rather than really being necessary. I think at the most we could eat a piece of fruit pre-ride and it would kick the energy systems into gear. That 2hr's worth of energy is still there, waiting to be utilized.

I think cyclists would burn more fat if they didn't eat so much pre-ride, and maybe carry a piece of food with them on the ride for a backup, assuming the ride is 2hrs. or less. Over 2hrs. then you definitely have to bring food with you.

[coffeecake]

Biju Thomas and Allen Lim's The Feedzone Cookbook is a cookbook designed for cyclists. The first chapter includes some information on food timing.

The authors recommend eating 3 hrs before competition and 2 hrs before training. They state that insulin levels spike between 1 and 1.5 hrs after eating, which reduces blood glucose as the insulin clears the glucose. If you are riding, your muscles are consuming glucose and the combination of these effects may result in feeling bonky.

Anecdotally, I used to eat immediately before rides until I read the above info. This summer, I would time my eating as described above and no longer felt the bonky/low blood sugar feeling during the first part of my rides.

[velofinds]

For me, it depends on what I'm looking to get out of a ride. If it's peak performance (e.g., I know when setting out that I'll be going either hard or hard/long), then I have carbohydrate beforehand. If it's to promote weight loss, or it's a short/easy enough ride, then I'll ride on an empty stomach (but not for too long: I'll usually eat about an hour into the ride).

I think it's important to eat on long rides. Doesn't have to be a lot, but a little bit every 30-60 minutes is a good idea. Failure to do so leads to overeating and/or feeling like s--- afterward, at least for me.

[Joxster]

A double espresso and I'm ready to ride. I've always ridden on an empty stomach since 1981 without any problems.

[azrider]

2hrs or less = empty stomach and water

[TheEnglish]

Pain is our friend, my body's comfort is the enemy. I mix it up to keep the enemy at bay. Sometimes I ride after eating sometimes I ride on an empty stomach. :p

Seriously, though, I just ride my bike. I try to not bonk entirely. I usually make sure I have some fuel in my body before a ride, and I almost always have some sort of calories on my person during the ride just in case. When I ran competitively, I often ran on an empty stomach, but I just want to have fun on my bike. I actively fight the always training mentality in order to maximize my enjoyment and fun on the bike.

Just my personal thoughts on the subject.

[denapista]

2hrs or less = empty stomach and water

Ha! I tell my friends this is the Cyclists diet! Do a ride that you feel is long enough to make it through, without bonking. I can do pretty long rides on water and empty stomach. It all works out, until I get home and drink a few "After ride" beers...

[zap]

edit

I find it best to eat before I ride because otherwise I'd be hungry. Sometimes I eat during the ride because, especially if it's a long ride, I get hungry.

Same for me.

[livingminimal]

2hrs or less = empty stomach and water

Yeah. 1.5 is my cutoff personally.

Daily routine:
Up at 4:30am.
Ride at 5:30am.

If the ride is 1.5 or > I have a single piece of peanut butter toast.
If it is definitely less than 1.5 hour, it is probably 1hr or thereabouts, no food.

Aeropress or pourover coffee and we out.

[Splash]

Thanks guys.

Any further thoughts?



SPlash

[KJMUNC]

+1 for the 2hr cutoff. I typically ride at 5:30am and go for 90m-120m depending on when I need to be in the office. I never eat before those rides and my performance isn't markedly different then when I ride later in the day on weekends.

Only time I eat during a ride is 2+hrs. If it's 2-3 I can top off during the ride and then gorge afterwards. But if it's longer than that eating during the ride (and earlier than normal) becomes key as I'll run out of energy at the end.

Short answer: the longer the ride, the earlier into the ride I'll eat to maintain energy. otherwise it's no food until I'm done.