biking nutrition

[eneyman]

hey all, I am taking up road biking again and wanted some tips on what I should be eating pre and post to build up endurance, lose weight, as well as what supplements I should be taking. thx

[lennoxchi]

it's just cardio man, not rocket science. some will tell you to figure out your "maintenance" calories and eat 200 everyday below that as a starting point. as far as supplements go, diet comes first. hence the word, supplement, it's only going to "supplement" something thats already in place. it took me over a year to get my diet in check and to really know my body. and that's the thing man, we can ALL tell you what worked for us, but the fact is, it might not work for you. what i suggest is post your diet. what you eat and when you eat it. timing of food is very important, i'm no expert either, but i know that much (not saying you don't). the 2nd thing is, 5'11" 165lbs. your not really a fat a** or anything, just have a little fat you would like to burn? is that right?

[eneyman]

yea I got pretty soft since I havn't been doing any cardio lately and need to do some endurance exercise, anyways, I am currently taking multi's, fish oil, protein shakes and am working in creatine for the muscles so I can have better endurance. I just need to know what I should be eating pre and post biking that will help me the most without letting the ride which is several miles go to waste. My regular diet includes mainly meat, fish, and vegetables with oatmeal occasionally in the morning.

[lennoxchi]

personally, for me, the only thing i would do specifically is, do my cardio with a slow digesting carb in my stomach, just enough to keep myself from getting hungry. oatmeal i find is the best. and after the ride get 30-40 grams of fast acting carbs, i use quick carb in a protein shake, getting 40 grams of protein. now if your on a carb-restrictive diet then that obviously won't work, are you?

[Highlanda01602]

If you are gearing up for endurance training, say 30+ minute training sessions, a simple-carbohydrate is beneficial within 15 minutes of getting on the bike. Like mentioned, oats for breakfast works fine... but if there's a sizable gap inbetween breakfast and the training session, something like an apple fits well.