[Closed] Post ride energy low and the munchies

No expert but I do basically the same thing. I have a bowl of museli mixed with fruit n fibre for breakfast when I get home and that keeps me going until about 12 when it's lunch time. It's pretty big bowl I must add lol.

Maybe try something different for breakfast when you get home? Museli, porridge etc.

I find smoothies do not really energise you that much and the banana in yours has some carbs but the breakfast is mainly protein. Good if you are trying to lose weight. Sounds like you need more carbs for breakfast as well as the protein the shake gives you.this should curb the need for munchies.

Do you eat before you go? not clear from your post. For a ride of that length, I'll happily ride fasted, then have a good big healthy brekkie after I've showered and clothes on etc, delays it a wee bit, making the jump to lunch shorter.

Also, I sometimes crave food when I'm actually thirsty, make sure you're drinking enough.

Thanks all. Not eating preride and water on ride. Losing weight would be nice but will up the breakfast carbs. And the drinking more advice a good plan.

Don't up the carbs, that will just send your blood sugar back up again only for it to then drop back down again.

Up the fat and protein + veg. E.g. for breakfast I ate an omelet with bacon and cheese + broccoli, cabbage, tomato and some nuts. Usually I would have some toast too but we aint got no bread! I ate this at 10 and won't eat again until after 5. Will probably get hungry at 3ish but will ignore until tea time. A high fat breakfast will set you up for the whole day. If you want to be more traditional you could eat a smaller but still high fat breakfast earlier and then a lunch and dinner.

Don’t up the carbs, that will just send your blood sugar back up again only for it to then drop back down again.

That's general advice, but it's not ideal when you've just ridden.

If you ride without eating then you'll be using up some muscle glycogen or 'carb stores'. So you want to replenish those as quickly as you can so that you aren't snacky the rest of the day. Your ride is short so you probably don't need to fuel on the ride (although this helps) but a recovery drink is the ideal way to see off munchies.

Buying recovery drink is expensive, disgusting or both, but it's easy to make your own. Go onto bulkpowders.com and buy maltodextrin and protein powder, then mix them 3:1 and have 40g or so after you ride - but vary the amount to see what works. You should find it helps. The protein makes it really satisfying and you should be able to manage the snacking.

I'm sure TJ will be along shortly moaning about sugar, but you can disregard him as he has no idea about managing fuel for exercise as opposed to general dietary advice from the NHS. Maltodextrin is not sucrose, it doesn't taste of anything and it doesn't make your brain crave more so it's easy to calculate and drink what you need and no more. Biscuits on the other hand are delicious and moorish.

A bowl of apples to hand. Eating after excercise is a good idea, if you eat within about half an hour of exercise your body will favour replacing the glycogen you've used rather than making fat reserves. So that's where most of the energy in your post-ride breakfast ends up.

Feeling a bit pekish later is normal, eat an apple.

Pint of water and an espresso before you leave.
Another pint of water when you return (albeit this is for running, ignore if you're drinking whilst on the ride).
Shower and dressed.
Muesli or an omelette, a coffee and I sip water all morning.
Occasionally I feel hungry or tired before lunch but another coffee and perhaps more water generally sorts it.
That's for an 8 mile (an hour ish) run at a good pace.

I also think that an acceptance that it's OK to feel hungry and an awareness of what it does to your mood is useful. If you know it coming you can manage it more easily.
Or just don't have snacks and biscuits in the house, another of my tactics. If there is no naughty food in the house then I can't eat it.

How hard and long is your ride? If you are going flat out you might close to bonking by the time you get home which would lead to the biscuit cravings.

I've had similar after really long rides where basically I think I haven't eaten enough. I might feel fine on the ride even if I haven't eaten, but have in the past become a grump later in the day for no obvious reason.

I can usually do 1-1.5hr fasted, but also taking it very easily (which on the road bike around here is usually 22km/h - 24km/h). If I want to go longer in the morning or put in an effort I'll at least have a slice of toast or two or take a banana with me.

I'd guess if you've depleted glycogen stores you've either gone too hard or too long, so either take it even easier on the morning rides, or eat!

edit: ballsofcottonwool basically beat me to it.

Eating beforehand may help, also simple carbs immediately after apparently will replace the stores best.

This is all bollocks.

The problem is biscuits.

If you have biscuits you will eat biscuits. Try swapping them out for crisps and wine gums. Breakfast of champs.

Up the fat and protein + veg. E.g. for breakfast I ate an omelet with bacon and cheese + broccoli, cabbage, tomato and some nuts.

Sounds suspicously Keto! 😀

I don't actually have anything against it, and that looks like a good and tasty breakfast, I just still don't have the inclination or time to be making what looks like a big cooked breakfast every morning.

Skyr + chopped nuts + microwaved frozen berries + some chopped banana. 3 minutes tops and usually devoured before I'm up the stairs and at my desk. Leaves me more time for riding + shower + all the endless physio tedium that being 37 years old apparently requires every morning... 🙁

Or just don’t have snacks and biscuits in the house, another of my tactics. If there is no naughty food in the house then I can’t eat it.

This. If didn’t have access to bread and biscuits I’d have the body of Adonis and the mind of Buddha instead of vice versa

Get up have breakfast, go for a ride have some fruit or something and stop buying biscuits!

From my experience, you are riding too hard and/or not eating enough during the ride, so you empty the fridge and cupboards when you get home.

Something like a jelly baby every 5-10mins during the ride should help. Or maybe try having a banana ~30mins before you head off and then think about jelly babies after you've been riding ~60mins.

A glass of home made milkshake as soon as you get in might help, close to 3:1 carbs/protein ratio, doing this ASAP is supposed to help your body rapidly refill the glycgen stores used while exercising.

As ever thanks all - taken this long to reply and interesting conversation. Randomly:
- nice mention of ‘breakfast of champions’ which I always thought was Jack Daniels and a wacky Kurt Vonnegut Nobel.
- not exactly doing ‘fasting’ rides by design the 0 in 0600 stands for ‘oh my gods it’s...’. Just trying to get out door without waking everyone and going elephant in the kitchen not a great strategic move.
- like idea of espresso pre ride (have made one this evening which is getting slugged cold first thing) - last ride was in the pouring rain. RVed at 604 to be asked where is your helmet? Wearing stupid buff thing and no helmet. Some strange looks from odd dog walker. Not to compute mentis early.
- yes biscuits evil - and to be banished - but my state of mind key here. I’m morphing into Walter from Big Lebowski - ‘just enjoying my coffee...’
- thanks for ideas, including the broccoli

I'd have a big bowl of muesli after that, plus some toast. Then have fruit tray through the morning for snacks.

Whenever I've tried low carbs and exercise it has been an absolute disaster. If you're riding every day, just eat a sensible balanced "normal" diet.

not exactly doing ‘fasting’ rides by design the 0 in 0600 stands for ‘oh my gods it’s…’. Just trying to get out door without waking everyone and going elephant in the kitchen not a great strategic move.

I hear this! Best thing about fasted rides is being able to fall out of bed, stick Bialetti on, get dressed, slug espresso, go.