What to eat before biking?

PhotographerOfNature

What are the best foods to eat BEFORE going out for a bike ride?

What are the best foods to eat AFTER you are done bike riding?

I only ride between 1 hour and 1 hour and 15 min. but sometimes, during the ride, I feel very out of energy. Thoughts???

PhotographerOfNature

What are the best foods to eat BEFORE going out for a bike ride?

What are the best foods to eat AFTER you are done bike riding?

I only ride between 1 hour and 1 hour and 15 min. but sometimes, during the ride, I feel very out of energy. Thoughts???

areay

I like to eat a banana and a cliff bar. That's when I go for about a two hour ride. Maybe cut that in half.

1harleygal

Eat like oatmeal or any good carb of some kind will give you more energy and keep you fuller longer. Plus eating your carbs before you excercise helps burn them off. Also a banana is really good for the potassium which helps you not get cramps in your legs!

PhotographerOfNature

I heard I should eat carbs before biking and a protein after?

Does anyone agree with that?

dothompson

Before my daily ride (1 hour) I have a banana. If I'm going on a longer one I have a protein shake too.

shorerider

If you're only going out for an hour or so, then just eat what you would normally eat really. Any carbs you eat the day of the ride, unless you wait several hours after eating, are not going to be "available" to your body for fuel.

So eat a regular type meal with some carbs in it but nothing overloaded prior to a short ride.

After, carbs are important, too. I like a banana smoothie or a PB sandwich.

During the ride, make sure you're drinking enough! Take a couple sips every 10 minutes or so. And, might want to use some kind of sport drink. I found a type that has no sugar, so it's great for me. It's a powder that I just mix right into my water. Hydration is just as important as food!

Try taking a small snack with you, too, and eating it about 40-45 minutes into the ride--something like a couple Fig Newtons or some PB crackers. You should have a snack about every hour you ride. If you're going out for 1 or just over that, then eat it about 40-45 minutes into the ride.

Just keep in mind that an 1 hour or so ride, while great exercise, doesn't really require any major change in preparation--think of it as like a trip to the gym for cardio.

Now, if you're going for 90 minutes or longer, then you need to be more careful with pre-ride and post-ride recovery. And, I'm talking 90 minutes of straight pedaling, not just 90 minutes including breaks, etc. but 90 minutes of pedal time.

How goes the weight loss? Plateau broken yet?

PhotographerOfNature

Nope! Still plateuing. I've been 175.5-177 for about 3 months now. Ugghh!!!