Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Thanks for all the nutrition advice

1K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  verslowrdr 
#1 ·
Just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone that responded to my post about 'what to eat' on longer rides- I think it's helping already. :thumbsup:

Yesterday we did our first outdoor ride of the year, just clicking off some road miles on a bike path. I managed to get my hands on some Hammer gel, electrolytes, and perpetuem powder at an LBS for a trial spin. It took us 3 hours total to get 2 hours of riding in what with having to take toddler breaks, route finding, and repairing a flat, and only 22 miles at that.... but I still managed to feel super duper and even hammered the few climbs we encountered while towing 40+ lbs of kid trailer behind the ol' Surly Crosscheck. And I'm feeling like I could do it again today if it wasn't cold and rainy! :)

Husband still has some work to do on accepting food as 'fuel' instead of 'cuisine', but I think he might be starting to admit that this sort of thing makes a difference.
 
#3 ·
Dealing with food on the bike is one of the most important parts of a cyclists nutrition plan. A lot of people under-eat while riding, and immediately after. Not only does this make your ride not as much fun, but it also sends your body into a difficult to control insulin/sugar rollercoaster phase for the remainder of the day.

It is awesome what the right food can do - I have been feeling pretty lame all winter, due to not getting out to ride much in all the snow, etc. Skiing has helped, but I still feel like I am wearing a winter fat suit. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I had had enough and popped open all of my books from my nutritionist and started weighing my meals again. 2 weeks later I am 2 lbs lighter (not water weight, I am drinking a LOT more water). Nutrition is SO predictable. Definitely not going for single digit fat percentage, but it will be nice to see low double digits again.

It can be hard to have 2 people with different ideas about nutrition in the same house.
I have always had to be more careful with my weight than has JMH - there is something about that guy where he just decides he want so to be skinny and the pounds just start dropping off (might also have something to do with the 2 pots of coffee we drink in the studio every day). Over the years we have had to develop an understanding - when I am cutting weight I don't bake things like fresh scones in the morning, and I make meals that require a bit more assembly - this way, if he wants to have a burrito loaded with cheese and extra tortillas it doesn't undermine my efforts.

Same thing goes on the bike - he understands that if we have a supply of sport food for rides, it is because I am going to really need it when training, and that if it isn't around for me to eat while riding, it really undermines my goals.

Aside - for super long days, try Slimfast (or generic version) shakes as recovery food when you get back to the car or house. Very similar to Endurox, but a lot cheaper and more portable. It is pretty much a staple in the women's peloton.
 
#4 ·
Yeah, we'll figure something out. For the first time in the 15 years I've known him I'm hearing noise from his direction about 'loosing 10 pounds', so I think he might start to pay more attention to what I'm saying here soon (I've fought my weight all my life).
 
#5 ·
Really tracking food intake makes it easy to knock off 10 lbs of fat. I am hoping to ditch 6-8, so only a few more weeks to go... Increasing muscle mass makes it go even faster.
 
#7 ·
Hubby and I recently (probably around early January) really decided to clean up our diets. I was taking a prescription that aided in me gaining about 15lbs over a year or so, and I've shed that, but am having problems losing any more. Basically have plateau'd and am yo-yoing around 2-3lbs heavier (especially after race weekends where we eat out Sat/Sun night and I'm starving).

It's been tough. I thought just cutting back on Baked chips or lower fat cookies would help, but it doesn't. I don't drink soda, have always had skim milk.. don't drink coffee usually (sometimes a cup before working out - half decaf, usually with a teaspon or so of hot chocolate mix for taste). So, we're just eating a lot more veggies. I still do turkey sandwiches a lot (unless we have left overs), with cheese, but mostly to get the protein/calcium content up.

It's still difficult, though. I struggle a lot at making the right decisions, and often don't. This past weekend we went out twice, as mentioned above, and I didn't get fried food at all, but I didn't save any leftovers. Way too many carbs...

It's tough. Especially since hubby can basically do/eat the same stuff and while I gain a pound or two back, he loses a pound or two.

I've been doing a good bit of weight lifting the past 2 months also, and he hasn't. I think that the lean muscle is really all that keeps my weight steady and is helping me to lose weight. Cause otherwise it doesn't seem like anything does much good.

I probably just need to add in more cardio, but it's been tough during the week. Cold and rainy so I'm not into bike commuting.

If you haven't gotten the offer already, PM me if you would like 15% off your first order through Hammer if you want to order through them.

I also just signed up for their resupply program, which is pretty awesome. We'll be doing a few more races/events/long rides this spring/summer/fall, so I'm sure we'll continue to need Perpetuem, gel, and everything else.

Glad to hear you guys got out there!
 
#8 ·
Dude, seriously, just work with a sports nutritionist if losing the extra fat is important to you.

You are having a hard time because your calorie count / nutrient balance is off, not because you can't make the right choices. There is a correct food-intake for every level of activity, and if you don't get the right balance of nutrients, it is basically impossible to not eat stuff you shouldn't - the primate part of your brain will defeat the evolved part every time. If you increase your cardio without addressing your nutrition, you will just increase your eating.

The 6-8 weeks of annoying food-science will completely change how you view your meals (in a good way) and since you are going to eat and ride for the rest of your life (hopefully) it is a worthwhile investment.

C <--------- steps off of soapbox
 
#10 ·
I've lost a lot of weight since last spring... I loathe scales (more on that in a minute) so I don't know exactly how much, but it was sufficient to make my pants loose enough that I keep having to pull them up and people have noticed and commented.

The ONLY way I know how to do it: eat less and move more. I don't know much about what Chucky's saying, although I eat enough vitamin enriched bars at my desk through the work day plus a reasonable variety of reasonable food otherwise that I'm probably covered on most of the nutrient part. Dumb luck there.

Why Verslow Hates Scales: There's a bell curve on darn near everything in nature, and in this society we really love to focus on women at the low end of the size curve. I'm firmly planted at the other end- large boned, carry big slabs of muscle, ribs sprung like a barrel, and wide shoulders. At 5'8" there are charts that say I should weigh 140, some even less... I can tell you that during the few episodes where I starved down to that weight, I couldn't stay warm and my period was hit-or-miss. NO THANKS. I've been skin calipered at around 16% body fat at 150 pounds flat, and realistically anything in the 150s is maintainable and feeling good.

I have co workers in Weight Watchers that go to weekly weigh-ins. More power to them, but hell will freeze over before I go there. I know what's healthy for ME and have some proof to back it up. Damned if I'll get myself into a situation where I need to justify my numbers over and over to a group of women staring with raised eyebrows at the scale's needle. I'd like to THINK that they'd base their assumptions on what I actually look like (obviously fitter than average), but cultural norms are what they are. NO THANKS- RIDING INSTEAD!
 
#11 · (Edited)
For some reason, we are okay with doctors and CPAs and car mechanics and hair stylists knowing better than we do, but when it comes to food and personal finance, people really want to go it alone.

Yeah, everything you described sounds awful. I wouldn't do it either. Those women in Weight Watchers aren't learning anything, they are sheep and when the program ends, if they stop buying the food, most will gain the weight back.

A good nutritionist compares you only to yourself, and tells you if your goals are crazy for your build. A bad nutritionist sells you a national marketing strategy.

As for amenorrhea - that is a bad sign and if that is happening, you aren't doing yourself any favors. If you are eating correctly and getting enough fat to keep your coat glossy, you won't lose your period even at very low body fat levels. I spent several years at 9% + or - and was as regular as can be. My nutritionist (also a world-ranked adventure racer) was at 7% and never lost her period, either. This is because we both knew exactly what we were putting in our bodies. It isn't the low body fat that makes you sick, it is the lack of proper nutrients. The reason loss of period is so closely tied in with being skinny is that most people who are so skinny that they go amenorrheic (sp?) are eating like idiots.

The getting cold thing? Well, you know how if you are cozy in bed and someone pulls the blankets off of you, you get cold for a minute, no matter how warm it is in the house? If you lose body fat, you are going to be a bit more prone to being cold at first, because you are removing your internal blanket.

I really feel for you, having had those horrible experiences. It seems that society gives women (and most men) 2 choices - starve and be miserable, or do nothing and be defiant. I think we need a 3rd choice - educate ourselves and be in control. It is really f*king empowering.
 
#12 ·
chuky said:
Yeah, everything you described sounds awful. I wouldn't do it either. Those women in Weight Watchers aren't learning anything, they are sheep and when the program ends, if they stop buying the food, most will gain the weight back.
hey now...let's not knock weight watchers...:nono:

i have a participant who has been coming to my spinning classes for 2 years now....and she has lost enough weight with WW and regular exercise to go completely off her blood pressure meds. having talked to her at length about her health and fitness goals over the years, it seems to me that WW taught her a great deal about portion control, incorporating whole foods into her diet, cutting out the garbage, and even incorporating exercise into her daily life (she started spinning because of WW). the plan she is on does not require her to eat any WW specific prepackaged food. in fact, one of her proudest accomplishments is cutting out almost all prepackaged food out of her diet.

it is not as detailed of a plan as working one on one with a nutritionist. but from what i have witnessed with this particular individual, WW is a good, sensible plan for the average person. my participant not only lost weight, and is much more fit, but she has managed to keep that weight off for over a year now.

anyway, there is a lot of good info on this thread, you ladies know what you're talking about for sure! :thumbsup::) and chuky...thanks for that slimfast tip...i didn't even think to compare the nutritional value of slimfast to endurox! :thumbsup::D
 
#13 ·
dHarriet said:
it is not as detailed of a plan as working one on one with a nutritionist. but from what i have witnessed with this particular individual, WW is a good, sensible plan for the average person. my participant not only lost weight, and is much more fit, but she has managed to keep that weight off for over a year now.
Fair enough, if she is learning, that is what is important. My problem is with diet companies in general, not Weight Watchers specifically.

I really wish that American schools combined gym, health and lunch into one class. People (in general) are too far separated from the farm to teach their kids about food anymore, it will have to become a part of curriculum before most of the US is able to regain that knowledge.
 
#14 ·
One of the better investments I ever made was taking a "Health-Fitness" class at a community college. Frankly the nutrition component wasn't that different from anything my mom had accumulated from self education and her nutrition classes (dental hygiene prereqs) or from my biology and zoology classes.... Kreb cycle is what it is after all. The exercise component however really focused on what I think of as 'lifestyle/sustainable fitness', and that is where I wish more high school PE classes really focused their energy on instead of competitive ball sports that are usually dropped soon after graduation.

That class is also where I got skin calipered and had some subjective measures of body type, lung capacity, endurance, etc. done, which confirmed that I was both truly 'large boned' and fitter than average at 150ish lbs... and THAT was when I decided the scale- and all the preconceived notions that came with it- was leaving my life permanently. Complete with ripped off rear view mirror now rusting in the ditch, lol.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top