A CYCLIST DIET!!!

ccull123

Hi alll,

I cycle approx 20 miles per day. I am finding recently that i am very sluggish and feel drained. Think it may be my diet???

i am 5ft10 and weigh about 161 pounds. i eat a cereal in the morning, sandwich for lunch( ham and cheese) and some meat and pasta or rice and pasta for dinner. i usually drink about 4/6 litres of water a day. Over the course of the day i have a small bit of fruit.

Just wondering what my avg calorie intake should be etc?

any advice would be great.

Lumen

If you're getting heavier, eat less.

If you're getting lighter, eat more. Unless you want to be lighter, in which case there isn't a problem.

6 litres of water a day is a bit mad. Maybe you're tired from walking to the tap. :pac:

Rew

Try porridge instead of cereal, most cereals are pretty crap

ccull123

hahhaha you could be right:)

NecroSteve

I'm no expert now so you don't have to take this seriously if you don't want to.

Your calorie base seems to be meat, dairy and grains, which are all less than ideal foods and can easily lead you to feeling sluggish and drained. Now I'm not too sure about what your calorie intake should be exactly, but I do know that where the calories come from makes a big difference; other nutrients play the most important part in how you feel and how well everything gets absorbed. My recommendation would be to shift your main calorie base to lots of fruit, some nuts and seeds (soak them overnight before you eat them!), beans and pulses, and whole grains. White flour is POISON!!! Eat plenty of vegetables and leafy greens too, and maybe a little bit of seaweed. The more of your food is raw, the better.

Cookie_Monster

Lumen wrote: »

6 litres of water a day is a bit mad. Maybe you're tired from walking to the tap. :pac:

I try for at least 3l a day in work and 3 to 4 x 400ml coffees and then another litre or so at home. good habit to have. (and it's good exercise to the bathroom and back so frequently )

Op it could just be the all the miles tiring you out. Have you taken a break from it at all recently? a few days to a week off and get back to it you should feel the difference. Takes a lot of energy for your body to be constantly adding muscle, reducing fat to get used to all that exercise especially if only still getting used to it...

an hours cycling will burn about 700-1000 cal people reckon based on a previous thread so add that to your 2-2.5k a day if you want. say 3000kcal a day as a target maybe?

velo.2010

I'm lighter and eat more. Doing a fair bit at the moment though. Looks like you need more meals during the day to keep you going. Apart from the main meals, supplement your intake with a mid morning snack(energy bar/protein drink) and have a late tea/supper(another cereal).

20 miles a day might mean a couple of hours on the bike. Perhaps think of adding an energy drink/electrolyte mix to your water. I've started using the High-5 range and find them helpful with the warmer weather.

michael196

ccull123 wrote: »

Hi alll,

I cycle approx 20 miles per day. I am finding recently that i am very sluggish and feel drained. Think it may be my diet???

i am 5ft10 and weigh about 161 pounds. i eat a cereal in the morning, sandwich for lunch( ham and cheese) and some meat and pasta or rice and pasta for dinner. i usually drink about 4/6 litres of water a day. Over the course of the day i have a small bit of fruit.

Just wondering what my avg calorie intake should be etc?

any advice would be great.

so u are 11.5 stone.

No, I think u need intermittant breaks from the constant exercise effort.

Dosnt sound like u find it difficult and ur weight is not a factor.

do you ever take a break from ur 20 miles a day ? take it that is 5 days a week for work maybe? is it 7 days a week ?

you could be developing a fatigue in the background and ur body needs a break. try 3 to 3.5 weeks on, then 4 / 5 days off the routine, to prevent a chronic fatigue buidling up.

20 miles per day, so is that a work commute or a round trip ? i.e. 2 x 10 miles ?

either way that is consuming approx up to ( now I know others would not agree teh approx figure ) 1000 calories, which is not alot.


I would suggest break the routine and give urself a few days off at then end of maybe a 3 week on period. Suggest u take a break now alos.


sounds like u are begining to run urself into the ground if u continue. take a 4 day break now then restart.

ccull123

I do the commute about 5 days a week however some weeks i will do it seven days in a row. Most weeks however i trry to relax for two days...i have a bit of a gut and am trying to lose it by excercise and reducing my calorie intake.....is this a good idea?

kennyb3

how many hours a night are you sleeping? and how many hours are you working? being sluggish and drained might be nothing to do with cycling?

On the diet thing id suggest adding in some nuts - a source of good fat and you shouldnt have to worry too much about the calorie content. I have a handful in my cereal/porridge every morning!

ccull123

my commute is twenty miles a day in total....my sleeping patern is fine. i get a minimum of 8 hours a nite and i am definetly not stressed in work:D.

Just trying to find the right balance at the moment i guess......

dearg lady

Post in the nutrition and diet forum, they'll offer advice on what would be good to eat. From a laymans point of view it seems very carb heavy and veggie-light.

DirkVoodoo

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

an hours cycling will burn about 700-1000 cal people reckon based on a previous thread so add that to your 2-2.5k a day if you want. say 3000kcal a day as a target maybe?

Woah, where are you getting this from? I believe the energy required for a 75Kg rider to propel a 9Kg bike at 25km/hr is something around 400 calories an hour (flat terrain, no headwind).

Putting out 270W for an hour in the same conditions would bring you up over 600 calories an hour.

What thread was this?

Rojiblancos

Lentils are meant to be very good! Also grains and pasta.

Before cycling...apples,spaghetti, baked beans,bran.
After cycling...bananas, potatoes, even jelly beans
All to do with blood sugars and the glycaemic index I think

Lumen

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Putting out 270W for an hour in the same conditions would bring you up over 600 calories an hour.

My rule of thumb is:

30kph = 200W = 720 kJ/hr = ~ 720 cal/hr.

On flattish terrain, for someone who isn't very heavy.

But unless you spend all your eating time weighing stuff and doing maths instead, maths probably isn't a very useful tool for dieting.

michael196

ccull123 wrote: »

I do the commute about 5 days a week however some weeks i will do it seven days in a row. Most weeks however i trry to relax for two days...i have a bit of a gut and am trying to lose it by excercise and reducing my calorie intake.....is this a good idea?

if u have an alternaitive mode for a few days, like car or bus use that and try a 4 day break. just to see if it eliminates ur drained tiredness.

cycling ( and hills) will develop ur core (tummy + packs)


be careful of burning candle at both ends.

i lost 3 stone in the last year on a bike and nothing else. i find that short spins like 20 miles, do nothing for weight loss. it will maintain ur weight, but i found long 120 K spins particularily with adequate food before and during, with a reduced intake afterwards consistantly shifted 2 lbs per session , time after time of doing it, then a few 20 to 50 milers during the week maintained the loss untill the following weeks loss again.


what i have learned is fuel ur body for big efforts, then u can exercise to ur max and maximise ur calorie burn. dont starve and try exercise; recipie for disaster. cut ur food after the spin, for the most effective weight loss.


but cylists tummies will always be a littly loose / flabby. at 11.5 stone, u are already fairly light. i am currently 13stone

DirkVoodoo

Lumen wrote: »

My rule of thumb is:

30kph = 200W = 720 kJ/hr = ~ 720 cal/hr.

On flattish terrain, for someone who isn't very heavy.

But unless you spend all your eating time weighing stuff and doing maths instead, maths probably isn't a very useful tool for dieting.

Is 1kcal not ~ 4.18 kJ?

MagicMarker

michael196 wrote: »

i lost 3 stone in the last year on a bike and nothing else. i find that short spins like 20 miles, do nothing for weight loss. it will maintain ur weight, but i found long 120 K spins particularily with adequate food before and during, with a reduced intake afterwards consistantly shifted 2 lbs per session , time after time of doing it, then a few 20 to 50 milers during the week maintained the loss untill the following weeks loss again.


what i have learned is fuel ur body for big efforts, then u can exercise to ur max and maximise ur calorie burn. dont starve and try exercise; recipie for disaster. cut ur food after the spin, for the most effective weight loss.


but cylists tummies will always be a littly loose / flabby. at 11.5 stone, u are already fairly light. i am currently 13stone

That 2lbs you lost per session was water. No way you would have lost 2lbs of fat per session.

Lumen

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Is 1kcal not ~ 4.18 kJ?

I dunno. Triathletes care about this sort of stuff.

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Kj_to_cal,_conversion%3E_P2308353/

High efficiency = Kcals = 1.05 x Kjoules
Normal efficiency = Kcals = 1.1 x Kjoules
Low efficiency = Kcals = 1.15 x Kjoules

edit: I do understand the different units, obviously, it's just the unknowable metabolic efficiency factor that requires the fudge. Or not, if you don't like fudge.

Diarmuid

Lumen wrote: »

I dunno. Triathletes care about this sort of stuff.

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Kj_to_cal,_conversion%3E_P2308353/

High efficiency = Kcals = 1.05 x Kjoules
Normal efficiency = Kcals = 1.1 x Kjoules
Low efficiency = Kcals = 1.15 x Kjoules

edit: I do understand the different units, obviously, it's just the unknowable metabolic efficiency factor that requires the fudge. Or not, if you don't like fudge.

I think you are confusing things a lot here.
Kcals and Kjoules measure the same things just different units.

What they are probably getting at is (without reading the link ) , if you eat x calories, how much work do you need to do to burn that x calories. Assuming about 20% efficiency then that's where the conversion comes in.

Lumen

Diarmuid wrote: »

I think you are confusing things a lot here.
Kcals and Kjoules measure the same things just different units.

What they are probably getting at is (without reading the link ) , if you eat x calories, how much work do you need to do to burn that x calories. Assuming about 20% efficiency then that's where the conversion comes in.

This is why we have rules of thumb, so people don't get confused. :pac:

ccull123

What have i started!!!!!totally confused now

Cookie_Monster

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Woah, where are you getting this from? I believe the energy required for a 75Kg rider to propel a 9Kg bike at 25km/hr is something around 400 calories an hour (flat terrain, no headwind).

Putting out 270W for an hour in the same conditions would bring you up over 600 calories an hour.

What thread was this?

was in health and fitness.

I clock about 750-900 an hour on Dublin/Wicklow roads (85kg + 9kg bike) @ average 22-23pkh or so. That on a garmin 500 with a HRM based on last 5 or so activities

here we go: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=71074566

Diarmuid

ccull123 wrote: »

What have i started!!!!!totally confused now

Just ignore those last few posts.

IMHO, you diet is very carb heavy and simple carbs at that (pasta, rice, white bread, cereal) etc.

Start eating more complex carbs and way more fruit and veg. Try cutting down on white bread. Change the cereal for porridge. Eat brown pasta and rice every now and then, it's hard to do it all the time even if they are better for you.

Vary the meat in your diet (if you are not already doing that) and even try some vegetarian recipes once or twice a week

6 litres of water is over the top but won't kill you I guess.

captain P

ccull123 wrote: »

What have i started!!!!!totally confused now

This should help you work out your calorie requirement: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=50956807&postcount=12

(from this thread which has a lot of useful info on nutrition).

There is also some really useful stuff here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055157091

Hope it helps

MagicMarker

Have you always drank so much water or is that a recent thing?

Paul Kiernan

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Woah, where are you getting this from? I believe the energy required for a 75Kg rider to propel a 9Kg bike at 25km/hr is something around 400 calories an hour (flat terrain, no headwind).

Putting out 270W for an hour in the same conditions would bring you up over 600 calories an hour.

What thread was this?

When I put my personal data into this formula I come up with between 800 and 1000 calories per hour. It seems well researched and reliable.

@OP, you're getting three good meals a day and plenty of exercise, the worst that'll happen is that you'll lose a bit of weight. I wouldn't worry about it and I certainly wouldn't make a specific effort to eat more.

Paul Kiernan

Rew wrote: »

Try porridge instead of cereal, most cereals are pretty crap

Weetabix has half the fat and twice the fibre of porridge, also more protein but yes, I agree, most cereals are pretty crap.

godihatedehills

Paul Kiernan wrote: »

Weetabix has half the fat and twice the fibre of porridge, also more protein but yes, I agree, most cereals are pretty crap.

Low gi diets also measure the sateity of foods. And the big plus of porridge is it fills you up. Weetabix not so much (just imo)

DirkVoodoo

godihatedehills wrote: »

Low gi diets also measure the sateity of foods. And the big plus of porridge is it fills you up. Weetabix not so much (just imo)

Well, weetabix had the better ads:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oozGotV-Xcs

Schmaik

Chief,

You shouldnt be tired at all for the 'amount' of 'food' you are eating, so it is likely that the way you are eating and the quality of the food are not as good as they could be.

Here are some tips that are a no brainer for increasing your energy levels. I list them in order of importance. Trust me that they will work, regardless of who you are.

1. Never drink and eat at the same time. This dilutes the PH in your stomach and you wont digest efficiently. Drink 30 min before and 2 hrs after meals.

2. Stop eating at 7pm if possible. Thus gives the stomach a break to digest your food until you break fast.

3. Train yourself to notice if you are thirsty or hungry by drinking when you feel or think you are hungry. This way you wont over eat and will get in touch with authentic thirst / hunger.

4. Food combination. Judging by what you eat, you probably have a dodgy stomach because of bad trophology (mixing of food groups that dont digest well together - ie meat and potatoes or grains). Try having meat and vegetables, or grains and vegetables for one month. The difference will be so marked you cant miss it.

5. Skip the odd meal and drink juices / liquids if you are not really hungry.

6. Increase the proportion of raw food in the diet very gradually. Always start with salads or raw veg in the meal first, then progress to the meat or grains. The roughage will stimulate your colon and the sun stored energy you assimilate will provide you with more vitality by putting in what digests quickest first in line.

7. If you want to go further in health improvement after sticking to the above 6 great methods of improving your digestion, try fasting.

Years ago I used to nod off at 3pm because of eating sandwiches with cheese and meat in them. Once I stopped and changed as per food mixing, the lethargy from 2.30pm to 4pm vanished. Gone and has not returned, nigh on 15 years now.

Approaching 40, I work out about 4 days a week, sometimes twice a day. For example, I went out for a cycle to Drogheda from Dublin on Sunday morning to try out my new bike and was back in Baldoyle for 12pm. I was pumping iron on Monday morning after interval run training and had one hour of swim training (3200m) today. I have buckets of energy all day, sleep like a tired kid and it is due 100% to being able to digest good food well. And I dont generally eat pasta, milk, cereal or meat. if you go wholefood, it is cheaper and you feel better.

If you dont feel better after 3 weeks of trying the above even 30% of the time...........well, it is just not possible that you wont. The laws of nature dont lie or vary with people.

PS: Take daily supplements of vitamin B17.

Chartsengrafs

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

was in health and fitness.

I clock about 750-900 an hour on Dublin/Wicklow roads (85kg + 9kg bike) @ average 22-23pkh or so. That on a garmin 500 with a HRM based on last 5 or so activities

here we go: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=71074566

That may be so but a Cookie Monster is the last person I would listen to for nutritional advice. :P

andy69

excellent post schmaik - food combining is very important (read a book about it recently, fascinating stuff!).

Just a note to the OP there, I remember a nutritionist telling me a simple rule to remember:

- Breakfast like a king,
- lunch like a prince,
- dinner like a begger.

(oh, and don't eat your last meal within 3-4hrs (if possible) before going to bed, and that way you will be nice-n-hungry next moring for your big feast ).

Joeyde

1. Never drink and eat at the same time. This dilutes the PH in your stomach and you wont digest efficiently. Drink 30 min before and 2 hrs after meals.

I work out about 4 days a week, sometimes twice a day.


Schmaik,

Thanks for the post. Im giving this a go because Im training 5 days a week but I can get indigestion quite a bit. I need to find whats right for me as Ive been changing my foods and nothing is quite right yet. Im eating well, mainly fish and raw veg/salad and wholewheat foods, but Im just curious how you work this regime? I suppose the main question is do you have just 3 main meals a day and snack? I usually have 5 small meals, usually after training as well. Obviously I drink through out training but do you then eat and stop taking on water...and then train again? Could you just give a rough lay out of a typical trianing day? sorry... big ask, just want to give this a go.