Since august I skipped artificial/added sugars from my diet. Allready lost 9kgs(104 to 95, 198cm) since then so I’m very proud and feeling much better.
I’m now in my second week of the Sweet Spot Base low vol 2 training plan. After the workout I’ll eat a bowl of Greek yogurt and a peanut butter sandwich before I take a shower.
I now notice that I get a lot of hunger the day after the training. How can I prevent me from grabbing sugar-rich food and what can I eat the best at what time of the day?
Sweet spot training (for me) was always super carb depleting, and the only way I found to not be sugar ravenous was to have a high quality and high volume carb meal after the ride, e.g. a bunch of potatoes, oatmeal, etc. Use fat and protein to balance the blood sugar response if you want but definitely make sure you’re getting a good carb dose in, for me that was key to rest of the day hunger and not sure if you’re getting enough enough from yogurt + sandwich. I then go more reasonable carb throughout the day but definitely get them in post strenuous workout.
No problem - I usually do overnight oats pre-ride (easy to prepare the night before + sits well in my stomach during high intensity rides) which as helped with both the ride itself and then not being so hungry post ride that I eat everything in the pantry.
Slow carbs and low caloric density foods are what I use to keep my appetite at bay. I also recognize that I do better with impulse control by eating often - if I let the hunger get ahead of me I am more likely to grab something unhealthy whereas if I eat earlier I can get by with something healthy.
Fresh fruit, sweet potatoes, greek yogurt, oatmeal - these are my go to items to get me through between meals
I worked with a PT a few years back and actually struggled to follow his diet plan as too full.
He supplemented my diet with things like turkey breasts. Cook a few at weekend then when hungry have one of them and if still hungry some colourful vegetables.
Other tip was a handful of walnuts or pistascios, only 2 or 3 times a week though
Fat will gum up the works though and slow absorption, so consider keeping your post-workout/pre-bedtime meal low-fat or even no-fat.
Exactly what I found. You might have to up your protein intake, and by much more than you think. Remember, carbs turn to sugar in the body and sugar is a quick burn; sugar isn’t designed to keep you satiated. On your day after/rest days you might also up your fibre intake (i.e. veggies, veggies, veggies) to keep you full.
@Boombang mentioned walnuts. +1! They’re great for you and fill you up fast. But yes, be careful. Calorie bomb. But I love ‘em. Any good overnight oats recipes? Never tried that. I also find oatmeal makes me sleepy. Weird?
I mix non-fat greek plain yogurt, some oats, a bit of almond milk, and whatever fresh fruit I’ve got on hand. Let sit in the fridge overnight and it makes a quick, filling breakfast that is protein heavy
Eat more carbs after the workout and less fat, that will make a difference.
As others have said, sweetspot training is using a lot of carbs, so you need to put those carbs back into the body.
Also, make sure you’re fully hydrated.
I actually keep it SUPER simple pre-ride, just oats + unsweetened almond milk. For me that keeps it about “fueling” and I found when I made it even a bit sweet I was getting weird blood sugar spikes / light headedness mid ride.
I feel like I am the least experienced so I am reluctant to engage in the discussion. Furthermore I only just started to experiment.
Some background: I usually train in a fastened or semi-fastened state. My rides happen during lunchtime and since I often skip breakfast, I only eat after training. Symptoms I have seen before are that I will go on a feeding frenzy in the afternoons after training and also get an unbearable hunger for chocolate in the second half of the day, especially at night. I would mostly continue to stuff myself in days between trainings.
I have started drinking whey protein shakes after the training and then sometimes in the evenings when my hunger for chocolate really kicks in. The days between training I have started eating salad (with some fried bacon for the taste) but otherwise don’t control the type of food that I am eating.
Last but not least I really try to listen to my stomach and will stop eating when I feel that I had enough instead of emptying the plate.
Interestingly my hunger for chocolate has decreased a lot. Instead I am now hungry for the protein shake but that is easier to control. I am overall now losing weight slowly but steadily while at the same time making training progress, so fat seems to be reduced while muscle mass is added.
TL;DR: Protein shake helps controlling a feeding frenzy, stopping to eat when full and replacing part of your meals with salad helps to reduce overall intake without suffering from hunger.
This is more along the philosophy of controlling overall intake rather than going by the admirable scientific knowledge that so many participants have here, but it works well for me.
Ditto on the chocolate and icecream, in moderation Daily staples for me, with around up to 20% of my caloric intake from ‘fun’ foods.
Presumably you meant 30-50g a day (150-250 calories), as otherwise that’s the best part of 1,500-2,500 calories purely from chocolate each & every day, so unless you’ve a monster commute and/or metabolism something’s a drift there!
Not weird at all if your oats are ‘quick’ ones (and even if they’re not). In order to make them cook more quickly, e.g., 1-minute oats, 5-minute oats, steel cut vs rolled, etc., they undergo processing you won’t find in oats that take longer to cook, i.e., overnight oats! Not to mention, if your oats are flavored à la Quaker’s instant oats, they’re packed with added sugar. Yummy, but not advised, at least not by me.
The more processed the oats, the more quickly they’ll metabolize and raise your blood sugar. A bump in blood sugar is met with a proportionate rise in insulin release (assuming you’re not afflicted with some form of metabolic disorder) since its job is to get the fuel packed away and restore your blood sugar to safer, usual levels. Insulin release, in turn, increases serotonin levels since they’re packaged together in the pancreas’ beta cells, and I’m betting you can guess where I’m going with this now.
Serotonin is a mild sedative (and there’s something to do with tryptophan as a precursor, but I my understanding of the matter needs some refreshing) and your intake timing can make you nappy when you don’t want to be.
Anyway, pack a little protein with your oats and it will reduce the amount of serotonin release, even more so if you precede your oats consumption with the protein.
Daily staples for me, with around up to 20% of my caloric intake from ‘fun’ foods.
Thanks! Gonna try overnight oats this week.