[jacksonpt]

How do you all eat before/after a big ride? I try to take in a lot of protein, carbs and simple sugars before a ride, but I never know how to eat after a ride. After a good long ride, I definitely need to refuel, but I'm not sure what's the best/healthiest way to refuel.

Typically I'll have a big breakfast the morning of my ride, 3 eggs, toast, juice, fruit. Then, if necessary, a good old fashioned PB&J before the ride. I take 2 energy bars and some gatorade with me on the ride (plus water in my camelback). Then I try to have a somewhat decent meal after the ride... usually pasta, chicken or red meat.

I'm asking because I want to keep my body in good physical shape, especially this time of year. As winter rolls in, I get less active and tend to put on 15-20lbs over the course of winter.

 

[Deyv]

I heard something high in protein no more than 1 hour after a big effort.

 

[Serial Midget]

YIKES! 15+ LBS each winter... I'm scared.

This all depends on what you call a big ride, most people are different. My endurance activity is 50K XC foot races - I have done 5 of them this year. After I am done all I really want is salt. My last event took me 6.5 hours to finish.

Breakfast = 2 cups shredded wheat, 1 banana and 1/2 cup half & half. I also had a 16 quad shot nonfat latte.

During the race I ate 1 8oz cup of stone soup that was made of rice, corn and peas. No meat, no fat. I also ate 4oz of Hammer Gel.

After the race I ate another cup of soup and a handful of potato chips.

For dinner I had a HUGE salad with 2 tomatoes and a whole avocado with 2 TBS of fatty dressing, an 8oz top sirloin with minimal fat, a baked potato with butter and sour cream.

For a snack I later ate 3 small cookies and 4 oz of icecream.

Aside from what I ate during the event, this was no more than what I would consume on a non race day. I also do not use half and half on a daily basis, only before a race of marathon distance or greater. I find the fat keep the stomach occupied.

 

[jacksonpt]

Originally posted by Serial Midget
YIKES! 15+ LBS each winter... I'm scared.

Yea... I don't really have a winter hobby (except watching TV and eating) so my level of activity/metabolism goes way down. During the summer I get down to about 160-165, and by the time spring rolls in, I'm usually threatening the 180lb mark.

For me, a good ride is about 4hours/20miles depending. I know my major fitness issue is my lack of physical activity during the colder months... something I'm trying to correct, but we'll see.

 

[Serial Midget]

Have you considered competitive snow removal???

 

[Scotty]

It sounds like your pre ride diet is pretty good. I know severaleople including myslef whom eat this exact same way and it seems to gove me good energy while I ride, especialy in the Summer since my rides are longer and more frequent. 15-20lbs is allot of weight to put on. You should do some walking or cardio on a regular basis and even get out and ride in the cold. I ride all year round and it makes a HUGE difference when Summer hits. 20 miles is a long ride, you should have no problem losing weight even if you only rode once or twice a week at that distance. In the Summer I go about 4 times a week for about 12-15 miles. Really keeps me lean. I weigh about 145-150 in the Summer and just a bit over 150 in the Winter. Of course, everyone's body and genetics are different.

 

[Topaz]

I eat 2 paks of oatmeal, glass of oj, bagel w/cream cheese, and a non-fat yogurt for breakfast. I try to eat 1.5-2hrs before my ride.

During the ride I'll eat on average a gu per hour and 20oz of water with a scoop of something like revenge sport or cytomax.

After the ride i'll have a glass of water w/scoop, a hearty sandwich and a cliff bar.

I prefer to do most of my eating during the day so I don't need a big dinner to fill me up.

My typical ride is 25-40 miles.

If I gain weight it's because of what I eat during the week and not on ride day.

 

[indieboy]

everyone's pre-ride/race meal is going to be a little different depending on how their stomach's can handle certain things and respond to whatever you ate. kinda have to experiment w/ length of time before the ride/race you eat and how much of what you eat and try and find a fine balance that works best for you. now after the race/ride you have a 30 minute window of getting in a certain about of protein and carbs to help rebuild any damage to your muscle tissue. a 4:1 carb to protein ratio is what is optium. generally just pounding as much protein you can handle will help your recovery time. by getting the protein in your system w/ in this "window" will help lower your recovery time. there as a product i as using for a long time that was a great recovery tool but didn't taste all that great, kinda a required taste if you know what i'm talking bout. this stuff is called jogmate, it comes in a pink tube for the "chocolate" flavor, and a white tube for the "vinallia" flavor. the way i have learned to take this product is by not actually letting it hit my tounge, just kinda letting it hit the back of my throat and sallowing it. try it out, dunno if you can get it at your local LBS but i'm srue you can order it online.

 

[Sideways]

Double bacon cheeseburger with chili.

Fuel for the whole day!