PowerGels and Breakfasts...and Dietary Stuff

[Liamsles]

Hi All,

So there's 3 sort of faces to my thread title.

I will lay out things before I ask my questions...

Firstly my diet is not fantastic. I home cook all my dinners and just have the usual boring sarnies for lunch at work and ever since my appendix was removed I've never really eaten breakfast. (No idea why. Ha) Secondly, without going into too much detail I have IBS and a temperamental stomach at times. Stress related but probably a bit to do with diet also. I plan on sorting my diet when the Easter chocolate has gone with the help of my girlfriend I've been a bit scared into it by family members being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and I also want to squeeze as much performance out of myself as possible.

So down to business...

PowerGels - I have these to supplement real food on rides. I'm just unsure whether they're doing anything or actually a placebo effect? Also how many would you feel is the right amount to consume on a 60 mile sportive? About 4000ft of climbing. I did a sportive similar in length and climbing last year and guessed with the gels and real foods. Didn't go hungry which was good but it was a bit hit and miss for me.

Breakfasts - Everyone says don't have eggs before a ride. I used to have porridge but it bloats my stomach so badly that I've decided to sack it off and go for scrambled eggs on toast before rides. It doesn't bloat me and I feel more comfortable on the bike. Are there any breakfasts that you recommend? Any I should avoid?

Dietary Stuff - I've got a demon of a sweet tooth and sorting my diet out is going to be difficult. Does anyone have any cheats to beat the sugar cravings?

Sorry for the vast amount of prose and if I've gone into too much detail.

Advice would be appreciated

Cheers.

 

[400bhp]

Power gels, they have a use but you don't need to spend money on such crap. Even worse they are in horrible packaging that gets left all around the place.

Just take something that provides energy, like a banana, flapjacks, even haribos or the like.

Who says don't have eggs? What nonesense.

Nothing wrong with sugar cravings, so long as it's balanced.

You need to eat breakfast.

For more effect...

YOU NEED TO EAT BREAKFAST

 

[Ian A]

Hi All,

So there's 3 sort of faces to my thread title.

I will lay out things before I ask my questions...

Firstly my diet is not fantastic. I home cook all my dinners and just have the usual boring sarnies for lunch at work and ever since my appendix was removed I've never really eaten breakfast. (No idea why. Ha) Secondly, without going into too much detail I have IBS and a temperamental stomach at times. Stress related but probably a bit to do with diet also. I plan on sorting my diet when the Easter chocolate has gone with the help of my girlfriend I've been a bit scared into it by family members being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and I also want to squeeze as much performance out of myself as possible.

So down to business...

PowerGels - I have these to supplement real food on rides. I'm just unsure whether they're doing anything or actually a placebo effect? Also how many would you feel is the right amount to consume on a 60 mile sportive? About 4000ft of climbing. I did a sportive similar in length and climbing last year and guessed with the gels and real foods. Didn't go hungry which was good but it was a bit hit and miss for me.

Breakfasts - Everyone says don't have eggs before a ride. I used to have porridge but it bloats my stomach so badly that I've decided to sack it off and go for scrambled eggs on toast before rides. It doesn't bloat me and I feel more comfortable on the bike. Are there any breakfasts that you recommend? Any I should avoid?

Dietary Stuff - I've got a demon of a sweet tooth and sorting my diet out is going to be difficult. Does anyone have any cheats to beat the sugar cravings?

Sorry for the vast amount of prose and if I've gone into too much detail.

Advice would be appreciated

Cheers.

Gels and energy bars can have their place especially on longer rides but real food is better. I go for the iso gels which are watered down and have less content if I have any. Real food is better if you can stomach it on a ride. I did a sportive a couple of years ago and they were giving out scotch eggs mid ride as well as malt loaf.

Sugar cravings are my nemesis. If I crack and binge then going cold turkey works for me, filling up on veg and none starchy/sugary food. No chocolate at easter for me again this year. I have a type 2 parent and grandparent and like to eat healthy and exercise to keep the weight down. In general avoid the processed sugary and fatty foods. Fresh food is best (especially vegetables) and don't worry about natural fats in quality fish and meat if you eat them.

 

[Joshua Plumtree]

Went to a nutrition 'talk' a couple of weeks ago. The combination of slow and fast release carbohydrates with minimal fat content, taken in the form of energy bars, gels and liquids made perfect sense. Trouble is, over a 100 mile ride, the quantities recommended would cost more than if I'd driven the route in the 4x4!

 

[albion]

There is also that high technology alternative.


Jam sarnies.

 

[Saluki]

I don't like to eat breakfast but I do have it, or I have a sugar crash at about 11 and crave chocolate. Even if I just have strangled eggs on toast or some cerial.
I used to have IBS but I took aloe vera drinking gel to help with my eczema and it accidentally sorted out my IBS. I still drink 2fl oz of Aloe of a morning, its not sold on its taste but it really helps the IBS and the eczema.

I don't bother with gels etc, they taste yukky anyway. I take flapjacks, bananas and jelly babies. Jam sarnies are epic. All so much cheaper than those gel things.