I’ve been trying to lose some weight while still being cognizant about fueling my rides. I typically eat a bigger breakfast beforehand (750-1000 cals of oatmeal, pancakes, etc) and then fig bars/bananas/Cliff bars periodically on the bike. Today’s ride was 3.5 hours in zone 2.
I’ve been aiming for 1 g protein/lb and I know I’m short of that.
Sometimes (like today) I have no appetite whatsoever afterward. Has anyone else run into this? Is it OK to have days like this once in a while or should I force some food down? Maybe it’s a good time for a donut
I struggle to eat after long hard rides, which is pretty much every Saturday. These rides are 3-4k Kj’s and often ~300+ tss. Not only am I not hungry, but the thought of food is pretty nauseating. I’ll put down a protein shake or some chocolate milk and lay down for a bit watching football and/or nap. Usually ready for a meal within a couple hours post ride. I try to fuel well while riding and I don’t typically ride on sundays, so I’m not too concerned about quick recovery for next day.
When you’re spending hours in Z2, a lot of your energy comes from fat stores. So if you fuel with carbs, you’re replenishing spent glycogen while still creating a sizable caloric deficit.
I aim to fuel 50% of what I expend. My appetite is “normal” after these Z2 rides anywhere from 4-6 hours.
Yeah, you’re definitely not alone there! I’m even worse after long runs, haha.
Not being super hungry after long rides is probably a good thing- generally means you’re in a good place with regard to eating before and during the ride, and you’re more likely to eat well if you’re not in “raid the fridge” mode post-ride.
With that said though, it’s probably worth keeping recovery at the forefront of your mind as post-ride nutrition can definitely have an impact on the rest of your week- if it’s a big ride in terms of TSS/KJ’s, or if you’re in a really big calorie deficit for the day, it might pay to eat/drink something small. Part of that is just exercising some discretion and noticing how your body responds- I personally find that it’s not as big a deal when I’m training less frequently, but higher-volume and two-a-days have definitely made me a bit more proactive when it comes to that sort of thing.
I’m usually not hungry later in the day following a big ride (let’s say 2000 kj or more), but I often get headaches that go away as soon as I eat. Other than forcing myself to eat throughout the day, what have others done to combat this?
Background. My long rides at this time of the year are around 2000-2250 kj. I usually consume 800-900 cal worth of carbs while on the bike (90-120 g carbs / hour in 0.75-1 L water / hour). Breakfast was nearly 1000 cal. That still left me in a deficit from the ride but I haven’t felt hungry all day. However, the headache started coming on this afternoon, even though I drank plenty of water. After a quick bite it went away. Just looking for causes for the suppressed appetite following a big ride, and any tips (other than forcing myself to eat and setting an alarm). Thanks!!
1500-2000kJ is a pretty standard ride for me mid week. Bigger rides are 3000-4000kJ.
You are definitely taking in enough carbs during the ride (I personally do 60-70 / hr on easier rides and up to 100g / hr on rides where I’m pushing 250-300watts on average), but you may be neglecting the carbs once you get off the bike? Something like 8oz milk with 80g sugar and 25g whey protein immediately post ride will absorb quickly and start to replenish muscle and liver glycogen. If you go for whole foods, you won’t have the hunger to eat what you need, and I think the body is just slower to process it after a hard ride. Something easy to break down like pure sugar and whey protein works really well for recovery and keeping the headaches and fatigue away later in the day.
