timsataurus

Hello

Just started a new job last week and the commute is a hundred miles with change. I've only been averaging around 60 miles a week for the last four months. Woke up on Saturday with no sore muscles, and went for a 4 mile walk. I really enjoy the 36t chain ring I switched with a the 32t that came with the crank set.

Takes about 50/60 mins depending on traffic lights. Which should improve as I get used to riding at 5am. I also purchased some reflective gloves which makes me feel better. I'm also going to start taking a gopro with this week for one specific area were I get buzzed. The area has no bike lane and puts me in a turning lane for a freeway on ramp. I've been taking the lane with none turning traffic, and is where I get buzzed.

I'm getting a new city bike which is a step through for commuting, and will put my e-bike kit on it to use a few days a week. Mainly since I can't take bags in to the production floor and have a small locker. Thinking that I can put a set of wire baskets on the back and use a shoulder bag for clothes and a lunch box with my food. New food jar arrive tomorrow very excited.

Some thing's I want to work on changing is the sugar in my oat meal since I use the instant. Also considering a after ride drink with 4oz OJ, 8oz almond milk, and a scoop of whey powder with a bacon, egg breakfast burrito, and fruit. I only drink water and coffee before I leave my Apt. Lunch is good with pasta, sauce, and salad. On breaks I want to switch to nuts and fruit since I'm currently eating another packet of instant oatmeal in the morning. Will keep the PBJ and fruit for afternoon break.

This is just an attempt to get it from my head, and been in a que for assistance for over an hour. The 36t chain ring is allowing me to spin, and at 280 is a nice cardio workout going both ways. I'm in the process of trying to learn how to sustain weight loss. Since I went from 310 to 235 last year, and went back to 280 by December. I have losing eating habits, and eat a lot of sugar snacks. Which is why I want to get sugar out of my main meals. The only thing my diet requires is the consumption of 35-40 grams of fiber, and over a gallon of water a day. Calorie wise I want to consume between 1800 and 2300. According to the calculators I can lose 1-2 pounds a week. Since I didn't get to this weight in a short period of time. I know that for me a slower and consistent process is best.

Well time to go shopping and get errands done since I can't continue to wait on this Que. Other wise I won't have the thing's I need for next week. Which for me would be a travesty and set me up for failure. My win of the week was getting my groceries done without the purchase of any sweets in the cart.

tandempower

If you want to reduce sugar in your diet, more than willpower is needed if you burn a lot of calories biking or otherwise. If you like the flavor of those instant oatmeal packets, you might consider mixing them with regular oatmeal without adding any additional sugar. Adding a bit of salt to oatmeal (or anything else) gives you the salt you need without adding additional sugar. You need a little sugar to "get the fire going" so to speak, but once you fill up with more complex carbs, you should not get hungry and crave sugar. Of course some willpower is still involved because sugar is an addiction/habit like everything else, but if you consistently resist sugary snacks, your body should crave them less; so if you have enough slow carbs in your digestive system to sustain your energy level, you should be able to cut down to mostly non-sugary meals with just a little sugar here and there for the extra kick.

When you say you have a 100 mile commute (from 60), do you mean 50 miles each way? How many hours do you spend biking per day?

FBinNY 

I stopped here because I'm confused about the math. I gather that the 100+ mile commute isn't each way or round trip. So, maybe it's per week, but is it based on 5 days per week? or what? How far is the one way or round trip commute?

Without a clear idea of what you're talking about, the rest is irrelevant.

Ekdog

Wow! Over 100 miles a day! I don't even ride that far when I'm riding all day long on a tour. You must be 280 pounds of rock-hard muscle.

Walter S

I was more taken by the fact he goes 100 miles (or even 50) in under an hour. That's some pedaling.

timsataurus

Opps

The hundred is per week, and 11 miles per each way. Never was good at math. The 60 was also a week with 3 20 mile rides, plus what ever I did for errands. I don't really count the miles of my errands since it is to much. Once again sorry for the confusion. I do the 11 in 50 or 60 minutes and stop for lights.

Thanks for the oatmeal suggestion since that sounds like a good idea.

For clarification my commute is about 22 miles per day not 100 miles per day.

B. Carfree

I've caused the same confusion when discussing my previous hundred mile per day commute, only in reverse. There were days I really, really didn't feel like getting up and hitting the road at 2:30 AM, but by the time I got to work I was always glad I rode.

Good luck cutting back on the sugar. It's really not possible to metabolize fat effectively if you keep eating sweets. Unfortunately, that means you do have to spend some time with reduced blood sugar. Eventually, as you get beta-oxidation going, you will be amazed at how long you can go between meals.

Roody

I checked with a couple nurses I'm working with, and they agreed that it's pretty much impossible for a normal healthy person to experience low blood sugar. The body goes to great lengths to ensure that blood glucose levels will stay normal, even under starvation conditions. Low blood sugar can be caused by insulin, other medications, toxins, and some diseases. It is a life threatening condition which requires immediate medical attention. You absolutely don't lower your blood sugar by exercising or by a dietary change, if you are a normal healthy person.

Artkansas 

Give up oatmeal, eat oats.

I sprinkle a few raisins in a bowl and then drop in 1/3 of a cup of organic thick rolled oats. I fill the bowl with water so it is about 1/8" above the oats. Then I stir the water until it is cloudy and drain it. That's all that's needed. The mouth feel is great, the oats feel like they are cleaning my tongue. The taste is fresh.

Walter S

Yum. My oats are similar but I prefer steel-cut vs rolled. (I cook mine in soy milk).

Seattle Forrest

Very interesting. Thanks for posting this.

Ekdog

What's the diff?

B. Carfree

Your nurses need to return to school. No offense, but in my salad days I taught metabolism to nurses. It is indeed very possible to deplete all the glycogen stores in the human body; they are not limitless. In fact, a common examination question involves calculating how long those stores can last under certain conditions. The body is reluctant, if I may anthropomorphize it, to convert proteins to carbohydrates until it is absolutely necessary. The signal that it is necessary is reduced glucose concentration in the blood.

There's lots more to the story, but I shouldn't spoil it for you. Pick up a copy of a nice introductory biochemistry text, follow up with some physiology texts and then move on to the expensive, short texts that will prepare you to be able to digest (ahem) the primary research in this field. It's fun stuff that kept me employed and entertained for decades.

Artkansas 

Comparing my thick rolled oats to the OPs instant oatmeal, the difference, beyond cooking it to a porridge, is:

SUGAR, SALT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, GUAR GUM, SPICES, NIACINAMIDE*, REDUCED IRON, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, FOLIC ACID*.

Ekdog

Okay, got it. I was buying big boxes of Quaker oats at Costco, but now they only offer rolled oats, which seem thinner and more processed to me, although they are 100% oats, no additives. What kind do you recommend--Irish, Scottish, old-fashioned...?

Nutrition Diva : Are Steel Cut Oats Healthier? :: Quick and Dirty Tips ?

Ekdog

I have a Scottish friend. Perhaps I should ask him.

Samuel Johnson: “Oats. A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.”

Walter S

Rolled oats are more refined than you want. Buy Steel Cut Oats. You have to cook them a bit longer. I give them twenty minutes in soy milk at low heat. Add a sprinkle of salt when done. Needs no sugar. I cook them with a handful of dried fruit.

What's the Difference Between Steel-Cut, Rolled, and Instant Oats? ? Ingredient Intelligence | The Kitchn

Ekdog

I'll have a look around and see if I can find some. My method, whatever kind of oats I'm cooking, is to pour boiling water over a bowl of about 70% oats, 30% oat bran and a handful of dried cranberries. Then I pop the bowl into the microwave and cook it for a minute, sprinkle it with sesame seeds, pour oat milk over it and voilŕ.

Ekdog

I've just taken on a job that will require a twice-weekly, 14-kilometer ride. That's nothing compared with what many of you ride, but it should help to keep me in shape.

ironwood

Which is why England has fine horses and Scotland such fine men. maybe Bosweel said something similar.

Steel cut oats and bron sugar and half and half.

Ekdog

timsataurus

I picked up a bag of steel cut oats from Red Mill based on the suggestion. Using a 1/2 cup of oats, with one packet of instant oatmeal that I still have. I cover with almond milk. Leave in the refrigerator for the night using a stainless food jar. I eat it after my commute, cold. Has been good. Will switch to fruit and nuts once the last box of instant is done.

Has been filling and have reduced my morning break snack to just a banana. I've also decided to drop the pbj in the afternoon and will just eat an apple, and nuts if needed. Lunch is a cup size portion of pasta with sauce, and salad.

Cravings have really reduced in last 10 days. Now it's just the mental portion of thinking of a snack, and trying to redirect my thoughts to something else. Which means that I will use this post to try and redirect myself.

Ekdog

Where do you live? Or would you rather not say? It's interesting to learn about what living car-free is like in different countries and regions.

timsataurus

I live in Tucson AZ and moved here last September from Portland OR. I used the train to get here and use my bike daily. While I've not been here during the summer. I'll have the heat to contend with. I try not to let weather dictate much. I found Tucson to have great infrastructure. Especially since it has bike lanes on the majority of major streets. They also have a few greenways, but it is also just as ease to use the regular roads. Since they provide a direct route.

For instance my commute uses major roads, but provides a straight line to work with only 3 or 4 turns. Which has allowed me to have a fast commute since I'm not zig zaging through neighborhoods. There are places which I take the right hand lane since it lacks a section of bike lane. I've not had any issues so far with traffic. A few horns, and a couple buzzes have occurred. I usually notice that the plates aren't from Arizona.

Tomorrow, I'm having my first overnight oatmeal with a banana, vanilla, and cinnamon. I did not use an instant oatmeal packet for it. Which should allow me to see how it workouts. Worse case I'll get a packet of sugar from the cafeteria.

hope I was able to answer the question.

baldilocks

One if the things I've been eating lately is plain cheerios with either peanuts or peanuts and raisins mixed in. Usually put it in a empty peanut jar. Nothing fancy, but it travels well.