Author Topic: Eating before you’re hungry  (Read 4657 times)

simonp

Re: Eating before you’re hungry
« Reply #25 on: 12 September, 2018, 05:49:14 pm »
Gastric Distress during endurance events is a thing; something like 60% of athletes who take part in Ironman events report some level of issues.

The best thing to do is not eat. Train your body to run on its fat reserves. You do this by reducing your dependence on insulin. You do that by fasting or staying off sugary, refined carbs, over an extended period of time, and training whilst fasted.

Long distance cycling is different to running; it's less intense, but has a tendency to last a lot longer, so the mechanisms at play are probably different (runners have that whole mechanical stress thing going on in their lower gut - even on the shitiest [sic] road surfaces, cyclists don't get that) but the effects are often the same, as Oaky mentioned.

I saw this the other day:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30160554

Chris S

Re: Eating before you’re hungry
« Reply #26 on: 12 September, 2018, 05:51:01 pm »
Me too 😀

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Eating before you’re hungry
« Reply #27 on: 12 September, 2018, 06:43:42 pm »
DO NOT BURN UP OR BURN OUT EARLY ON AN AUDAX!

That is (almost) all.

Other folk will go faster. Let them!

Do not overheat; this will shunt blood away from your stomach.

How you ride early in an event will shape the rest, so if you consume all your stored glycogen and divert blood away from your gut, you might NEVER recover enough to save your ride. It takes time and training to switch from recently-eaten carb-rich food to stored fat.

Though you shouldn't faff, you might need to sit and rest to absorb your food well. Not everyone can eat on the move.

If you wear a h*lm*t, remove it as soon as you stop. An uncovered head can lose and diffuse a lot of excess heat.

Forcing food down is a mistake. Chances are it won't be absorbed.

Nelson Longflap

  • Riding a bike is meant to be easy ...
Re: Eating before you’re hungry
« Reply #28 on: 12 September, 2018, 06:50:07 pm »
DO NOT BURN UP OR BURN OUT EARLY ON AN AUDAX!

That is (almost) all.

Other folk will go faster. Let them!

Do not overheat; this will shunt blood away from your stomach.

How you ride early in an event will shape the rest, so if you consume all your stored glycogen and divert blood away from your gut, you might NEVER recover enough to save your ride. It takes time and training to switch from recently-eaten carb-rich food to stored fat.

Though you shouldn't faff, you might need to sit and rest to absorb your food well. Not everyone can eat on the move.

If you wear a h*lm*t, remove it as soon as you stop. An uncovered head can lose and diffuse a lot of excess heat.

Forcing food down is a mistake. Chances are it won't be absorbed.
Thanks Helly  :thumbsup: I can plead guilty to some of the mistakes you highlight here, and will try to follow the advice. Slow out, fast back is better than the other way round - I'll remember that!
The worst thing you can do for your health is NOT ride a bike

LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: Eating before you’re hungry
« Reply #29 on: 12 September, 2018, 06:57:28 pm »
There’s a written rule somewhere which states that it’s important to eat before you’re hungry. I have real problems getting food down especially when I’ve been cycling for a while and I get hot which then leads to me bonking as I haven’t eaten enough. Does anyone have any tips on what to eat and when?

It can be one of the biggest problems with long-distance/overnight cycling. 

The best solution is to become "fat adapted" because relying on Glycogen/Carbs isn't sustainable, no matter how much you eat.

Roughly speaking how far are we talking?  How many hours/miles before you start to bonk and at what sort of effort level are you riding?
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Eating before you’re hungry
« Reply #30 on: 12 September, 2018, 07:05:48 pm »
DO NOT BURN UP OR BURN OUT EARLY ON AN AUDAX!

Other folk will go faster. Let them!

The game with this is to set off at full-value audax pace, watch the fast boys go haring off into the distance, and see how many you pass in the first 50k due to superior navigation/mechanical skills.

Ben T

Re: Eating before you’re hungry
« Reply #31 on: 12 September, 2018, 08:30:38 pm »
I'm not 100% sure as I have not been able to do a scientific test but I think that staying hydrated, with not just water but hydration tablets, helps the continued ability to eat and digest food on a long ride. It certainly doesn't do it any harm IME.

Re: Eating before you’re hungry
« Reply #32 on: 13 September, 2018, 04:25:37 pm »
I've been doing some reading on 'feeding' for kayaking. It is obviously as to eat during long paddles as it is when cycling (your hands are busy for one thing); the position and tense abdomen don't help.

Most sources reckon that 'sports' drinks containing carbohydrate contain enough carbs to sustain the conversion of fats. That's at a exertion level considerably higher than Audax level, for 7-12hour events. So they go for camelbacks with drinks containing maltodextrin and electrolytes.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

simonp

Re: Eating before you’re hungry
« Reply #33 on: 13 September, 2018, 04:31:05 pm »
I'm going to try out SiS's Beta Fuel which is aimed at long, hard efforts.

They claim 80g of carbs (maltodextrin + fructose) per serving without gastric upset. This is more dense energy than the likes of Torq Energy (also maltodextrin + fructose).

Haven't tried it yet as I didn't want to try something new on race day (rowing) and haven't had any long bike rides to try it out on.

Zed43

  • prefers UK hills over Dutch mountains
Re: Eating before you’re hungry
« Reply #34 on: 14 September, 2018, 08:22:52 am »
The game with this is to set off at full-value audax pace, watch the fast boys go haring off into the distance, and see how many you pass in the first 50k due to superior navigation/mechanical skills.
Not to mention being efficient at controls.

On the topic of controls and food, during LEL I ate at every control (!), now that I have a little more experience I would probably only have a meal at every 2nd or 3rd control. On the other hand, it taking some extra time at the controls can be nice from a social (and resting!) point of view.

I never tried gels and the like. Food for me is not just getting the carbs in but can also provide some mental nourishment, and it has to taste well for that to work :)

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Eating before you’re hungry
« Reply #35 on: 14 September, 2018, 08:29:12 am »
I tried some of that carb+electrolyte chemical stuff for the 3 hour endurance race at Betteshanger.  It tasted disgusting and given the state my digestive system was in afterwards, I'd have been better off with plain water.  On the other hand, I didn't bonk after the second hour, which is what I expected to happen.  On the gripping hand, track racing isn't audax.

The lesson here is that you need to experiment to find out what works.  Preferably when it doesn't matter, rather than during the world championships.