Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > General Cycling Discussion
Reload this Page >

Is food over rated?

Notices
General Cycling Discussion Have a cycling related question or comment that doesn't fit in one of the other specialty forums? Drop on in and post in here! When possible, please select the forum above that most fits your post!

Is food over rated?

Old 07-03-20, 04:39 PM
  #26  
jay4usc
Live Healthy
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 417

Bikes: Wabi Classic

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 183 Post(s)
Liked 137 Times in 92 Posts
Originally Posted by thehammerdog
just returned from 25 mile ride feeling good. I ate handful of peanuts, coffee glass of iced tea.
been riding early since Covid often on empty stomach.
feeling good, losing weight. by cutting back on my food I'm feeling better. but dumb founded. so what is the science here?
calorie deficits = weight loss
jay4usc is offline  
Likes For jay4usc:
Old 07-03-20, 05:45 PM
  #27  
y2zipper
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 71
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 30 Post(s)
Liked 17 Times in 12 Posts
Like everything else in life, it depends.

I'm not surprised that people don't need to eat on 30 mile rides or indoor rides. A cup of coffee and 100 calories of something an an hour before gets me through a 2 hour workout of any kind, indoor or out. Longer than 2 hours and outside means I'll have to put something in. Indoors I've done centuries on just water but outside that's not realistic.

Between 30 and 50 miles or on my group weekend rides, I'll take liquid carbs because the ride is longer and I push harder with the group but I don't need to eat until after, which is usually lots of protein and an electrolyte drink.

When I'm training for centuries, I train up to 80 miles or so and I'll eat on a distance training ride like that just to practice bonk prevention. I learned this the hard way when I bonked 50 miles into a 70 miler with 8,000 feet of climbing.

I use sour patch kids as ride fuel because they're easy to piecemeal and yummy. On a century when you're burning 3 days worth of food, you need to eat. I tend to go for 200 calories or so an hour between food and drink, but YMMV.
y2zipper is offline  
Old 07-04-20, 08:29 AM
  #28  
RH Clark
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 902
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 522 Post(s)
Liked 449 Times in 246 Posts
I have experimented with my diet for 2 years. I've gone from a 360 lb guy who couldn't ride a bike out of sight to a 170 lb cyclist who rides about 100 miles a week in 2 years. When I am on a carb eating cycle I find that I will need more carbs every few hours to maintain energy. If I have been on extremely low carbs long enough to solidly enter ketosis, then I can keep my energy high even in a longer than 24 hour fasted state. It's a balancing act however between the right amount to lose fat and retain muscle. I definitely try to get the best nutrition from all my food and I never eat what I consider junk even on a ride. If I need carbs,I'll be eating natural healthy carbs and not candy bars and junk foods.
RH Clark is offline  
Likes For RH Clark:
Old 07-04-20, 08:46 AM
  #29  
Mulberry20
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 733
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 440 Post(s)
Liked 199 Times in 136 Posts
I only eat ancient grains like farro, quinoa, oats plus nuts and seeds, plain yogurt, egg whites lots of citrus and apples. Alcohol is red wine and sparingly. I always have whey protein after a workout, always.

Before, I avoid eating but have a pre workout supplement with creatine, citrulline, BCAAs and huperzine A.

I don’t think starchy foods before working out are a good idea.
Mulberry20 is offline  
Old 07-04-20, 10:20 AM
  #30  
genejockey 
Klaatu..Verata..Necktie?
 
genejockey's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 17,662

Bikes: Litespeed Ultimate, Ultegra; Canyon Endurace, 105; Battaglin MAX, Chorus; Bianchi 928 Veloce; Ritchey Road Logic, Dura Ace; Cannondale R500 RX100; Schwinn Circuit, Sante; Lotus Supreme, Dura Ace

Mentioned: 41 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10247 Post(s)
Liked 11,600 Times in 5,946 Posts
When I used to ride in the morning before work, I found that I could easily go 90 minutes without issue on nothing but a couple cups of black coffee. Maybe as long as 2 hours. Longer than that, I needed to either take eat something or drink something with carbs. The coffee might have had something to do with it, but I never did the control experiment of going without, because why would I forego coffee? That's madness!

Now I ride after work, and usually on nothing but a sandwich and an apple 4 hours prior. Again, up to 90 minutes. Sometimes I wish I had eaten, but it's more feeling hungry than running out of blood sugar.
__________________
"Don't take life so serious-it ain't nohow permanent."

"Everybody's gotta be somewhere." - Eccles
genejockey is offline  
Old 07-04-20, 11:03 AM
  #31  
GrainBrain
Senior Member
 
GrainBrain's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Central Io-way
Posts: 2,655

Bikes: LeMond Zurich, Giant Talon 29er

Mentioned: 17 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1218 Post(s)
Liked 609 Times in 458 Posts
Is food overrated?
Reported.

Seriously though you stated that a handful of peanuts were consumed...

So, even an eighth of a cup (18g) would have 100 calories, which is what I try and consume an hour while riding. Eating fat is where it's at
GrainBrain is offline  
Likes For GrainBrain:
Old 07-04-20, 11:12 AM
  #32  
skidder
Pennylane Splitter
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 1,873

Bikes: Yes

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1751 Post(s)
Liked 1,422 Times in 973 Posts
Definitely over-promoted as a way to instantly increase your fitness. Take a kook at actual dietary science and you'll find it takes 1-5 hours (simple carbs to complex proteins, respectively) for your body to digest anything into a form usable by your body's cells, so 1-2 hours rides shouldn't be an issue as long as you east a balanced diet, maybe throw in a few extra carbs if your weight drops due to ongoing cycling activity.

Better is to get in shape and keep hydrated in hotter weather. Do an occasional session of sprint intervals (or hill repeats) to 'up' your anaerobic fitness level, push some sections on a long distance rides, and you should see improvement. Dehydration will wear you down faster than lack of calories if you're eating a balanced diet, so don't be afraid to drink water regularly, especially if you're riding in warm weather - a little too much is far better than too little.
skidder is offline  
Likes For skidder:
Old 07-04-20, 11:36 AM
  #33  
hubcyclist
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Boston
Posts: 2,199

Bikes: 2017 Raleigh RX 1.0, 2018 Specialized Allez

Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 471 Post(s)
Liked 631 Times in 336 Posts
Alright, so I rode 100 miles today, over 3400kj of work done. I consumed about 1100 calories during the ride, sis beta fuel in a bottle, one clif bar, and two gels. In part I paced myself to stay about 200w NP and didn’t dig deep with efforts but I think it goes to show that food can be a bit overrated, especially if you end up over consuming relative to the effort
hubcyclist is offline  
Likes For hubcyclist:
Old 07-04-20, 11:59 AM
  #34  
Metieval
Senior Member
 
Metieval's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,857

Bikes: Road bike, Hybrid, Gravel, Drop bar SS, hard tail MTB

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1218 Post(s)
Liked 298 Times in 214 Posts
Originally Posted by thehammerdog
just returned from 25 mile ride feeling good. I ate handful of peanuts, coffee glass of iced tea.
been riding early since Covid often on empty stomach.
feeling good, losing weight. by cutting back on my food I'm feeling better. but dumb founded. so what is the science here?
There is science behind fasting. Intermittent eating etc..... Routine is good too.
Metieval is offline  
Old 07-04-20, 02:00 PM
  #35  
Troul 
Senior Member
 
Troul's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Mich
Posts: 7,291

Bikes: RSO E-tire dropper fixie brifter

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Liked 2,910 Times in 1,884 Posts
Short term, the things you had will get you what energy is needed. Over time that kind of diet can limit your abilities to keep up or go farther than what you achieved.
__________________
-Oh Hey!
Troul is offline  
Old 07-04-20, 02:25 PM
  #36  
burnthesheep
Newbie racer
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 3,406

Bikes: Propel, red is faster

Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1575 Post(s)
Liked 1,568 Times in 973 Posts
Still archived here before they moved platforms:
https://www.velonews.com/tag/fast-talk-podcast/

And:
https://www.trainerroad.com/blog/tag/podcast/

Folks should try a lot of those out. Good ideas and talks. Things to think about. To say there isn't science isn't genuine. The science just has to be applied judiciously to your own personal situation. Which is why coaches and nutritionists for elite people is "a thing". And doctors. Not everybody knows your BMI, ftp, insulin sensitivity, aerobic base, fat utilization, amount of glycogen stores, etc............

The short of it for me is that a morning fasted ride is an easier way to do a ride in a glycogen depleted state to cause a dependence on different energy systems for a workout. You don't have to do that. You can also do some VO2 before a long ride. Deplete, then extend. It's just that deplete and extend is much more mentally taxing on people having to do hard work just to have to suffer through another couple hours of well........work.

Not everybody is a bike racer, so for a non-racer I would recommend eating dinner earlier.......not snacking.......then wakeup and ride with H2O. A non bike racer doesn't need to do 30/30's or 3x3's to the point of puking to deplete their glycogen. That's simply unnecessary.

For the bike racer........I'd honestly say I feel deplete and extend is better simply because it mimics racing more.
burnthesheep is offline  
Old 07-04-20, 02:39 PM
  #37  
RH Clark
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 902
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 522 Post(s)
Liked 449 Times in 246 Posts
Originally Posted by burnthesheep
Still archived here before they moved platforms:
https://www.velonews.com/tag/fast-talk-podcast/

And:
https://www.trainerroad.com/blog/tag/podcast/

Folks should try a lot of those out. Good ideas and talks. Things to think about. To say there isn't science isn't genuine. The science just has to be applied judiciously to your own personal situation. Which is why coaches and nutritionists for elite people is "a thing". And doctors. Not everybody knows your BMI, ftp, insulin sensitivity, aerobic base, fat utilization, amount of glycogen stores, etc............

The short of it for me is that a morning fasted ride is an easier way to do a ride in a glycogen depleted state to cause a dependence on different energy systems for a workout. You don't have to do that. You can also do some VO2 before a long ride. Deplete, then extend. It's just that deplete and extend is much more mentally taxing on people having to do hard work just to have to suffer through another couple hours of well........work.

Not everybody is a bike racer, so for a non-racer I would recommend eating dinner earlier.......not snacking.......then wakeup and ride with H2O. A non bike racer doesn't need to do 30/30's or 3x3's to the point of puking to deplete their glycogen. That's simply unnecessary.

For the bike racer........I'd honestly say I feel deplete and extend is better simply because it mimics racing more.
Difficult questions to answer indeed. I'm 52 years old and though a very trim and muscular 175lbs my routine will differ greatly from what it would have been for my 25 year old self. Just on the simple question of whether or not I want to work out in a fasted state or about an hour after a meal all depends on my goals and if I want to cut fat or build muscle. I'm not saying I have it all figured out, as far as the perfect diet and exercise program, for me but I can tell you that it isn't simple and I don't think any one approach will fit everyone. I cross train with free weights ,and calisthenics, and yoga. I have times when I eat a lot and times when I fast.
RH Clark is offline  
Old 07-04-20, 04:03 PM
  #38  
Drew Eckhardt 
Senior Member
 
Drew Eckhardt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mountain View, CA USA and Golden, CO USA
Posts: 6,341

Bikes: 97 Litespeed, 50-39-30x13-26 10 cogs, Campagnolo Ultrashift, retroreflective rims on SON28/PowerTap hubs

Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 550 Post(s)
Liked 325 Times in 226 Posts
Originally Posted by thehammerdog
just returned from 25 mile ride feeling good. I ate handful of peanuts, coffee glass of iced tea.
been riding early since Covid often on empty stomach.
feeling good, losing weight. by cutting back on my food I'm feeling better. but dumb founded. so what is the science here?
Overnight your body converts fat into carbs via gluconeogenesis, so you should generally have 25g of blood sugar (100 calories), 100g of glycogen in your liver (400), and 400g (1600) in your muscles noting you can't move glycogen between muscle fibers.

Exercise is powered by an intensity, training, and diet dependent mix of carbs and body fat. A little fat helps satiety and protein alertness although they can't be digested fast enough to provide energy.

At high intensity, recruiting fast twitch muscle fibers allows using the glycogen in them and endurance is too limited to run out.

At lower intensity, only 1/4 to 1/3 of your calories come from carbs.

Most people with some training don't need to eat on or before rides under four hours, and past that you only need to keep up with the 1/4 to 1/3 of your calories coming from carbs.

Rob Gray's metabolic test results from the wattage list. FTP was 292W. On flat ground 200W is about 20 MPH, 150W 18, and 100W 15. 1 kj out = 1 W * 1 sec = 1 kcal = 1 calorie in is a useful approximation; e,g, 100% of FTP. = 292 W, * 3600 w = 1051 calories.

Last edited by Drew Eckhardt; 07-05-20 at 07:06 AM.
Drew Eckhardt is offline  
Likes For Drew Eckhardt:
Old 07-04-20, 07:58 PM
  #39  
woodcraft
Senior Member
 
woodcraft's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Nor Cal
Posts: 6,016
Mentioned: 17 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1814 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 923 Times in 569 Posts
This is a good read:

https://www.hammernutrition.com/medi...nghandbook.pdf

Take-aways:
- You cannot replace all the energy or fluids used during the workout- don't try.
- Eat and drink the least amount that will keep performance for the duration.
- If you weigh the same after a workout as before, that means you are over-hydrated. 2% weight loss is fine. (For me @ 165lbs= over 1.5 quarts)
woodcraft is offline  
Old 07-04-20, 08:19 PM
  #40  
jon c. 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 4,812
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1591 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,015 Times in 570 Posts
I generally only eat in the evening, so most all of my rides are done without eating. Although I ride for pleasure more than anything else, so I'm not pressing my physical limits.
jon c. is offline  
Old 07-04-20, 08:59 PM
  #41  
MeagreAger
Newbie
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 38
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I'm not here to contribute any response to your question, but my purpose is only to satisfy the 10 post requirement.
MeagreAger is offline  
Old 07-04-20, 09:23 PM
  #42  
Thruhiker 
Senior Member
 
Thruhiker's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Greencastle Pa
Posts: 128

Bikes: Fuji touring, jeep hybrid Trek 1100

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 54 Post(s)
Liked 28 Times in 20 Posts
Indyfabz what brake levers do you have on your surly? The hoods seem quite a bit bigger then mine (Tektra) I have been trying to find a larger more comfortable pair. I'm referring to the picture in post 26. Thanks. Nice rig by the way.
Thruhiker is offline  
Old 07-04-20, 11:06 PM
  #43  
Miele Man
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 4,655

Bikes: iele Latina, Miele Suprema, Miele Uno LS, Miele Miele Beta, MMTB, Bianchi Model Unknown, Fiori Venezia, Fiori Napoli, VeloSport Adamas AX

Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1324 Post(s)
Liked 927 Times in 640 Posts
I don't know about the science but I do know that snacking on dried fruits/nuts on logging/mining road tours in Northern Ontario, Canada makes a big difference in how you feel after a couple of hours.

A couple of friends and I were up there a number of years ago and after a couple of hours riding they wanted to stop for lunch. I told them that the area we were in was really bad for black flies and mosquitoes. We stopped, they started to pull stuff out for a lunch and then quickly packed it all away again. We rode for a fair bit more and got to an open area where we decided to camp. THey asked me why I wasn't starving and why I still had strength to continue. I told them I'd been snacking on dried fruits and nut as we rode along.

The next day I shared some of my snacks with them and they found it much easier to keep going.

It's pretty amazing how many calories you burn up riding a bike with 30 - 40 pounds of gear up and down hills especially up hills with loose surfaces that cause wheel slippage.

Cheers
Miele Man is offline  
Likes For Miele Man:
Old 07-05-20, 02:17 AM
  #44  
Toespeas
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 302
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 164 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 44 Times in 41 Posts
i always fuel to meet the needs of the ride , short and intense will need more sugars fast energy , long and endurance will need protein and carbs , my body doesn't respond well to fasted rides !
Toespeas is offline  
Old 07-05-20, 07:09 AM
  #45  
RH Clark
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 902
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 522 Post(s)
Liked 449 Times in 246 Posts
I've been practicing intermittent fasting for close to 2 years. I only eat once a day now about 95% of the time though I will eat if I feel like I need food. When I first started even 4 hours without some kind of calorie and I would start feeling weak. After stretching that fasted time longer and longer over time, I stopped feeling hungry and weak between meals and actually have more energy than before with the exception of needing an hour or two after a meal when I will feel my weakest. I think a diet of foods high on the glycemic scale will force anyone to eat frequent meals or suffer fatigue. If you want to study it in depth, I suggest looking into what triggers insulin, how insulin controls blood sugar ,and how blood sugar levels effect performance and hunger.

I don't think the human race would have survived if we couldn't operate physically after 12 hours without food. There are also huge health benefits, especially for older people when the body enters into autophagy, which won't happen if we are consuming calories every couple hours.
Fasted rides of about 6 hours or less and I do fine with no loss of energy. I have no need to try to push my body to collapse just to prove how far or long I can cycle. I cycle for fun and my health. Someone pushing the limits will obviously have different needs and should know and understand those needs before even striving to those levels if they want to stay healthy.

Last edited by RH Clark; 07-05-20 at 07:16 AM.
RH Clark is offline  
Old 07-05-20, 08:43 AM
  #46  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,059
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18320 Post(s)
Liked 15,298 Times in 7,231 Posts
Originally Posted by Thruhiker
Indyfabz what brake levers do you have on your surly? The hoods seem quite a bit bigger then mine (Tektra) I have been trying to find a larger more comfortable pair. I'm referring to the picture in post 26. Thanks. Nice rig by the way.
Tektro. Whatever came stock in 2011.
indyfabz is offline  
Old 07-05-20, 06:35 PM
  #47  
50PlusCycling
Senior Member
 
50PlusCycling's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,079
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 526 Post(s)
Liked 723 Times in 381 Posts
Science is dead, it has been taken over by politics. If you eat less, or ride more, you lose weight. If you eat less and ride more, you lose even more weight, there is nothing scientific about it, its simple nature.
50PlusCycling is offline  
Old 07-05-20, 06:49 PM
  #48  
bargo68 
Dedicated Detritus Dodger
 
bargo68's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Fairfax, California
Posts: 485

Bikes: Some mighty fine ones at that!

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 191 Post(s)
Liked 603 Times in 247 Posts
Originally Posted by MeagreAger
I'm not here to contribute any response to your question, but my purpose is only to satisfy the 10 post requirement.
We appreciate your candor.
bargo68 is offline  
Old 07-06-20, 06:48 AM
  #49  
subgrade
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Saulkrasti, Latvia
Posts: 898

Bikes: Focus Crater Lake

Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 391 Post(s)
Liked 336 Times in 204 Posts
I do rides up to 60 km/40mi (or ~2.5h) without eating. If I intend to do a longer ride, I try to take some food with me, or I buy some on the way. I have bonked a couple of times approcahing the 60km mark, but have also done 70 km just fine without food, but the 60 km seem to be my average limit for riding without eating. On a century ride I'd eat about one sandwich or Snickers bar once in an hour, and drink 0.5-1.-0l of Coke in addition to water.

Regarding hydration I've noticed that I usually drink less than seems to be the average or recommended - for a 60 km ride I usually drink roughly 0.5l of water and the same amount of water water or beer afterwards.
subgrade is offline  
Old 07-06-20, 07:53 AM
  #50  
aclinjury
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 660
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 497 Post(s)
Liked 170 Times in 128 Posts
food is like sex. Eat just enough. Over do it and you become sick. Can I get an oh-yeah.
aclinjury is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.