I eat a PB&J sandwich on whole wheat and a protein shake before my morning rides. I also pack a gel or two, and a Clif bar if its gonna be a LONG ride.

I would def. eat mor ein the morning.

Okay, maybe some toast with vegemite and a shake is the way to go then. Although that would take a good hour and a half to digest which means leaving later. Thats okay though.

Thanks.

You'd be surprised how fast stuff digests. I eat when i wake up. By the time I am dressed and ready, its all pretty much settled. Dont go for that "wait an hour" crap.

<3 Vegemite! I grew up on that stuff mate! lol

It's definitely an "aquired" taste!

cheers :)

Hello my friend...
Coffee.....the good and bad item on every athlete´s diet...
Now....as a glycogen uptake inhibitor....is a good stimulant to burn the carbs you already put in....the reason is the adrenergic response that triggers in your body....that means raising all your metabolic rate while under the effect of caffeine....
After reading a good bunch of stuff about this particular item, my conclusion is that it all comes down to every individual´s tolerance...
Some people, including me, will really feel the boost with a given dose of caffeine...but...also after a given amount of time, will bonk, no matter what....
Some other people will tolerate well and will really take advantage of the great energy boost that a nice cup of coffee gives....
CAcycling Fan is right...if you want to burn fat....effectively....you need to keep your body´s carbo stores full, so your body does not need to store fat. Tricky migh sound...but very true.

50km is not really long enough to test your nutrition. Many people could last on only water for that distance, provided they'd started the ride with adequate reserves.

Most people can eat something fairly close to riding; your stomach isn't jostled as much as it is when running. Rule of thumb is to finish eating 2-3 hours before you start riding, but in training, I can eat something like a banana 1/2 hour before I ride without problems.

If I'm riding 2 hours or less, I'm only concerned about having had 200-300 calories in me taken 1-2 hours before I start, and then I subsist during the ride just on Gatorade.

If I'm riding 3+ hours, I like to have 500-600 calories in me before I start (700-800 the day of a half or full Ironman), and then I will use Gatorade plus 1 gel per hour (to give me around 250 calories per hour).

In any case, pre-workout nutrition in the 1-3 hour window should be primarily carbs, and moderate to high glycemic to facilitate rapid digestion. Protein takes long to digest; as such it is better used during your recovery and "regular" meals.

Don't believe that crap about go slow to burn fat. The harder you work, the more calories you burn INCLUDING FAT. BUT, when you exercise with no carbs in you, your body thinks it's being starved, and this DIMINISHES your fat-burning process. Someone who is trying to shed weight/fat, therefore, should NOT skimp on their during-workout nutrition.

Successful weight reduction is all about knowing your body. How much does it need to maintain the weight? How much does it burn when you exercise? And then as you lose weight, those numbers adjust downwards, same as when you become more fit (sorry, the fitter you get, the less calories you burn when exercising). If you need to cut calories, just eat less of whatever you typically eat at mealtimes. A general rule of thumb is to take in 200-300 calories/hour while biking, slightly less than that while running.

My experiment of one with caffeine is that it's most powerful during a workout when also accompanied by plenty of carbs (SUGAR!!!). Again, I'm a firm believer in keeping your blood saturated with available glucose to conserve glycogen reserves and encourage fat burning.

Well, next week Ill just ride with a simple breakfast an hour prior - 2 pieces of WW toast and perhaps just have water on the ride.

Kona_expat, my ride never goes longer than 2 hours but we keep the intensity high. Should I take some gatorade/protein mix with me? It mixes up to 45g carbs and 15 protein. What do you think? Like sometimes I only ever feel like water so the drink I just have post workout.

glbrum, do you have any protein before hand? i mean, im in a mind set where if you dont have protein in a meal then it isnt a meal. am i wrong?

chav

If you can finish your meal 2+ hours before your ride, then by all means include some protein. Not too much needed; maybe 10-15 grams is all. And just go with Gatorade during the ride, and bring along a gel or 2 in case you feel you need more. But you shouldn't need to take in any protein for a 2 hour ride, even if it's hard (trust me I do plenty of those short, hard rides myself; no protein during, just after).