# What do you eat??



## jowwy (2 May 2012)

If your round trip commute is 30 miles........and when do you eat??


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## ianrauk (2 May 2012)

My round commute is 35 miles a day
Breakfast at 7am is Oatiflakes, a Banana & a cup of tea. Set's me up good for the commute.


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## jowwy (2 May 2012)

ianrauk said:


> My round commute is 35 miles a day
> Breakfast at 7am is Oatiflakes, a Banana & a cup of tea. Set's me up good for the commute.


but what about during the working day before you ride back home


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## ianrauk (2 May 2012)

jowwy said:


> but what about during the working day before you ride back home


 

11am Cup of tea
1pm, Lunch consisting of an Apple, Orange, Banana, sandwich of whatever takes my fancy, a kit kat and a cup of tea.
May have another cuppa about 4pm.

And that's it until evening dinner at 7.15-7.30pm


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## martint235 (2 May 2012)

Mine is now 24 miles. Don't particularly eat anything. I sometimes have muesli, I sometimes just have a cup of coffee for breakfast. I then have a sandwich for lunch at 12, leave work at around 4 - 4.30ish. I think for around 30 miles a day, you don't need anything specific, your body will let you know if you're not eating enough overall.


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## jowwy (2 May 2012)

martint235 said:


> Mine is now 24 miles. Don't particularly eat anything. I sometimes have muesli, I sometimes just have a cup of coffee for breakfast. I then have a sandwich for lunch at 12, leave work at around 4 - 4.30ish. I think for around 30 miles a day, you don't need anything specific, your body will let you know if you're not eating enough overall.


but what do you weigh?? im just over 15stone - i eat 2 toast and coffee, then set-off......during the day just a baguette and bag of crisps....and coffee's

leave for work at half 7 - head home at around 4ish


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## redcard (2 May 2012)

I leave the house around 630am, ride 8 miles, usually have a Snickers on the way to work, and sometimes toast around 10am, though hardly ever. Lunch consists of a pasta dish or whatever's in the canteen. Don't generally eat anything in the afternoon, but am drinking cordial or water throughout the day. My first couple of commutes home were horrendous, and I thought it was because I wasn't fuelling up in the afternoon, but I've come to realise that you don't really need fuelled up for a 30-60 minute ride home.

I think a mid-afternoon snack, fill up your drink bottle, and that's enough to get you home.


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## jowwy (2 May 2012)

ok........so whats your commute like........13 of 15 miles of my homeward journey is all uphill, climbing just over 1100ft so i'm costantly working the legs its a cycle track so no ups and downs, just a continuous climb, all be it a gradual one


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## martint235 (2 May 2012)

jowwy said:


> but what do you weigh?? im just over 15stone - i eat 2 toast and coffee, then set-off......during the day just a baguette and bag of crisps....and coffee's
> 
> leave for work at half 7 - head home at around 4ish


I weigh in at anything between 14 and 15 stone. I think what you have is fine.


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## ianrauk (2 May 2012)

jowwy said:


> ok........so whats your commute like........13 of 15 miles of my homeward journey is all uphill, climbing just over 1100ft so i'm costantly working the legs its a cycle track so no ups and downs, just a continuous climb, all be it a gradual one


 

Yup, my commute home of 15 miles is mainly uphill and always against a headwind. So am always having to work it.
For my morning commute it's downhill, (obviously) but that's the short door to door version of 12 miles which I never do. The longer route of 20 miles I do has 3 good hills. It's all good practice for stamina for longer weekend rides.


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## TheSandwichMonster (3 May 2012)

My round trip is 40-ish miles, with 1500ft climbing. I don't do it every day, but I normally manage 2-3 times a week around other training. If you have a Strava login, you can see the route here.

Before leaving, I have a cup of coffee, a banana and a pint of water.
On the bike I have a bottle with plain water in, though I rarely drink that much.
Once I get to work I keep some sachets of instant porridge oats for breakfast, and cup-a-soups for lunch. Through the day I drink as much tea as I like, and generally snack on fruit.


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## Rob Chandler (3 May 2012)

- Breakfast: quick shake + fruit + peanut butter + acai roots = lots of energy / protein
- mid-morning = protein bar x2
- Lunch is trickier b/c I'm on the go. I carry a shaker with me so I can quickly make my 'recovery' shake and also eat cooked Quinoa + hard-boiled eggs (I bring the cooked Quinoa and eggs in a ziploc bag).
- mid-afternoon = 2 hand-full of nuts (all kinds, unsalted)
- Dinner = usually a piece of chichen breast, pork, turkey or lamb with veggies and another shake for 'athletes' (from Herbalife) to be satisfied 

'Water' throughout the day, 8 to 10 glasses of this Guarana tea that I love (and gives you energy, etc)
Cheers,
Rob


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## Ih007 (8 May 2012)

I tend to have a light breakfast before i set off, maybe a banana or a little cereal. I aim to arrive early enough to then eat a normal breakfast at the office.


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## kevin_cambs_uk (10 May 2012)

At the moment, food goes like this.
Up at 6.45 cup of coffee and cycle to work
Breakfast at my desk while listening to music, generous bowl of Alpen and sugar and milk
Lunch is left over from previous evenings meal, so yesterday was pie and mash.
5 pm another bowl of Alpen with sugar and milk
Home for dinner, pork steak and chips !
Plus about 20 cups of tea.

Strangely I am not loosing any weight


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## ianrauk (10 May 2012)

kevin_cambs_uk said:


> At the moment, food goes like this.
> Up at 6.45 cup of coffee and cycle to work
> Breakfast at my desk while listening to music, generous bowl of Alpen and sugar and milk
> Lunch is left over from previous evenings meal, so yesterday was pie and mash.
> ...


 

I like yer style....


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## jowwy (12 May 2012)

kevin_cambs_uk said:


> At the moment, food goes like this.
> Up at 6.45 cup of coffee and cycle to work
> Breakfast at my desk while listening to music, generous bowl of Alpen and sugar and milk
> Lunch is left over from previous evenings meal, so yesterday was pie and mash.
> ...


 how far is the commute mile each way


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (13 May 2012)

kevin_cambs_uk said:


> At the moment, food goes like this.
> Up at 6.45 cup of coffee and cycle to work
> Breakfast at my desk while listening to music, generous bowl of Alpen and sugar and milk
> Lunch is left over from previous evenings meal, so yesterday was pie and mash.
> ...


You aren't eating enough.


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## kevin_cambs_uk (13 May 2012)

jowwy said:


> how far is the commute mile each way


 
15, but at the moment I am on my MTB with big tyres, road bike has a month off due to the bad weather and the need to be off road as part of my journey is flooded


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## fossyant (14 May 2012)

20-30 miles a day. Some days can be a 10 mile trip during the day to other sites.

Cereal and tea in the morning before setting off.
Fresh coffee on arrival (mmmm)
2 bananas 2 apples throughout morning
Sandwices at lunch
Maybe a packet of crisps or a choc bar in after noon
Evening meal about 6


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## novanino (20 May 2012)

What your body needs is going to be different for you...I learned that some years ago. A nutritionist told me I tend towards low blood sugar and should be eating "low GI" stuff and little and often rather than 2 big meals in a day. 
.it's gotten better since I started taking that advice. but If I skip breakfast I get shaky hands, go dizzy, fall over if I stand up too quick...So I always have a good breakfast. Either porridge with fruit, nuts, seeds, flax oil and soya milk; or steam-fried veg with tofu-based veggie sausages. I don't have a regular routine so there's no 'commute' but I cover anything from pottering around the locale (5 miles ish) to crossing the city (10-20-ish). 
I find that stuff like white bread stops me from feeling hungry for all of ten minutes...I was advised to steer clear of it anyway as it converts to sugar in the body really fast leading to a peak and a trough soon after. Each to their own though. One of my friends has coffee for breakfast, a baguette for lunch, and a massive evening meal. That'd do me in but he seem to go just fine on it and he commutes to work by bike too.


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## Monsieur Remings (23 May 2012)

I don't commute either but at the moment due to training, I'm out four to five times a week, covering normally between 200-250 miles per week.

In the morning I have muesli cereal with Goji berries and Omega-3 seed sprinkle, normally with soya milk but sometimes rice, almond or oat milk. I take chlorophyll in water and normally have a tea or coffee.

Lunchtime, I normally have bread and cheese, or sometimes tinned fish on toast.

Evening meal, is usually on a ride day, roasted vegetables or anti-pasti with pasta and fried fish or steak. 

In terms of supplements - the chlorophyll mentioned, 6ml daily of Neal's Yard Damiana and Wolfberry tincture during periods of training and Acai berry with juiced lime and spring water as an evening 'pint'. 

In terms of the ride itself, pre-ride the breakfast above if starting out first thing. If it's an evening ride, and I know that some people won't dig this, I eat when I get back and have some malt loaf or something before I leave. Occasionally I have a shot of Beetroot but it's very expensive stuff, or at least the concentrated shots are!

I use Zipvit zv7c Caffeine Gels and Torq powder for drink mixture on the go, averaging 40 miles per gel.

For recovery I have two level scoops of natural whey protein, a spoonful of Spirulina mixed with rice milk, and then eat within the hour.


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## black'n'yellow (23 May 2012)

On the way to my evening crit tonight I drank a Tesco's apple, blackcurrant and beetroot shot, a couple of Brace's Welsh cakes, a banana and about 650ml of grape flavour Nuun. 

On the way back, I had a Frij vanilla milkshake (limited edition, apparently, although I wished I'd bought the chocolate one), a packet of crisps (Walker's cheese n onion) and a couple more welsh cakes. Pretty good recovery food, I reckon. I think some of you lot are taking this nutrition stuff a bit seriously...


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## Becs (24 May 2012)

My new commute is 14 miles each way (400-500 feet climbing each way). For what it's worth I eat a light breakfast about an hour before I leave then a snack (cereal bar) after I've had a shower. So far I've tried weetabix + banana, unsweetened alpen + banana or scrambled eggs and they've all been ok ish but I often lack energy over the last mile or 2 and I'm starving on arrival. However the best thing I've found is a pack of belvita "breakfast biscuits" and a yoghurt! I know they sound like a complete gimmick but I thought I'd try them as I'm always running late. The 3 mornings I've eaten them before my ride I've felt good, all the way to work and I haven't even wanted my snack . . . so maybe there is something behind the marketing after all . ... or maybe not, but I'm going to pick up another box while they're on special offer!

As I'm dieting I don't really fuel my ride home, although because I often don't leave until 8pm I've taken to having dinner at work an hour or 2 before I leave. I basically aim for 1500 - 1800 calories per day, made up of healthy balanced stuff, including carbs!


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## Andrew_Culture (24 May 2012)

I got a bit obsessed with my diet (see thread elsewhere), I still don't eat 'bad' foods, but then I never have.

Now I eat what the hell I want and have more energy and feel better in myself.

I'm never going to shift my gut, and my wife seems to fancy me, so I'm just going to enjoy life


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## Michaelt (25 May 2012)

I don't think I really have anything to add to this thread but I have a question.

My commute is ten miles in and anything I like on the way back, but in the mornings I have recently started to not have food before I start as I had heard that your body will use up the stored energy, i.e fat, so I have been eating after, when I get to work. Strangely I haven't been feeling hungry through the morning where as before, when I would have food before the ride I would be hungry by 10am. When is the best time to eat in the mornings?


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## Andrew_P (25 May 2012)

Cup of tea before. Large latte and three toast once in. Lots of fresh lemon juice with iced water, eat a dinner at home. 16.5 miles each way 500ft climbing


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## Orange (25 May 2012)

25 miles round trip. Cereal before I leave, with milk. Coffee at work (X8 throughout the day), sandwiches at lunch, whatever we have for dinner when I get in.
In other words, exactly what I had when I used to drive to work.


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## Andrew_Culture (26 May 2012)

Michaelt said:


> I had heard that your body will use up the stored energy, i.e fat,



Instinct tells me this sounds a little bit hokey, I'll cheerfully be proved wrong though.


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## Andrew_P (26 May 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> Instinct tells me this sounds a little bit hokey, I'll cheerfully be proved wrong though.


The body stores and replenishes energy\Glycogen effectively 1500ish calories it is the secondary energy source coming after consumption, when people carb load before a big ride\run they are trying to add to this. When consumed energy, and Glycogen storage have been depleted the body will switch over to trying to convert Fat, this is a very toughtransition known as bonking/hitting the wall fat is the energy of last resort. My other understanding is that in emergency the body prefers to burn muscle as it is much easier than fat. No medical knowledge though just through reading a bit on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycogen#Glycogen_depletion_and_endurance_exercise


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