Energy Foods

Hi all:

Need some advice/thoughts on eating. I've been bicycling regulary as
an adult for the last 15 years or so. By that I mean, daily (or at
least 5 times a week) with 18, 24, or 28 miles being my normal trip
length. Some winters I'll bicycle through the winter, other winters
not--I'll either take walks or cross-country ski if we have enough
snow. I consider myself a heavy recreational cyclist. Situation is:

Every now and then (2 or 3 times a year), I'll be full of 'extra'
energy one day while cycling and feel like I can take on the world and
then the next day I'm just, well....blah. I don't seem to have any
energy and mentally wish I would have just stayed home and relaxed
instead. I'll find halfway through my ride--I'm just not motivated.
Maybe it's because of my 'high' the day before; maybe I'm being beaten
down by headwinds on the second day (I'll have to take note the next
time); but I wonder if not eating the proper energy-type foods might
be the problem.

I normally have oatmeal, OJ and coffee for a breakfast (and that's
before I go cycling). For a late lunch some kind of soup with maybe a
salad. For supper (at work), I'll have a hearty homemade salad and
either bean or chicken soup, or a sub sandwich; and for snacks, a
banana, maybe a fig or two, or microwave popcorn. When I get back home
early morning hours, I'll simply have a bowl of oatmeal or a baked
potato. On the weekends I really go crazy and have spaghetti and
meatballs for supper, big salads, possibly ice cream for desert. I
don't drink sodas....mostly carbonated water. Once a week I'll treat
myself to a Coke and man--what a rush!

Anyways, to get to the bottom line: Is there any types of foods I
should eat on a regular basis to keep my energy levels 'up' on an even
scale? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

"joekhul" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi all:

Need some advice/thoughts on eating. I've been bicycling regulary as
an adult for the last 15 years or so. By that I mean, daily (or at
least 5 times a week) with 18, 24, or 28 miles being my normal trip
length. Some winters I'll bicycle through the winter, other winters
not--I'll either take walks or cross-country ski if we have enough
snow. I consider myself a heavy recreational cyclist. Situation is:

Every now and then (2 or 3 times a year), I'll be full of 'extra'
energy one day while cycling and feel like I can take on the world and
then the next day I'm just, well....blah. I don't seem to have any
energy and mentally wish I would have just stayed home and relaxed
instead. I'll find halfway through my ride--I'm just not motivated.
Maybe it's because of my 'high' the day before; maybe I'm being beaten
down by headwinds on the second day (I'll have to take note the next
time); but I wonder if not eating the proper energy-type foods might
be the problem.

I normally have oatmeal, OJ and coffee for a breakfast (and that's
before I go cycling). For a late lunch some kind of soup with maybe a
salad. For supper (at work), I'll have a hearty homemade salad and
either bean or chicken soup, or a sub sandwich; and for snacks, a
banana, maybe a fig or two, or microwave popcorn. When I get back home
early morning hours, I'll simply have a bowl of oatmeal or a baked
potato. On the weekends I really go crazy and have spaghetti and
meatballs for supper, big salads, possibly ice cream for desert. I
don't drink sodas....mostly carbonated water. Once a week I'll treat
myself to a Coke and man--what a rush!

Anyways, to get to the bottom line: Is there any types of foods I
should eat on a regular basis to keep my energy levels 'up' on an even
scale? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

I think you are low on iron. Fe iron tabs or more red meat. Your protein
does not look good either compared to mine.
eggs, cheese, yogurt, even ice cream, fish, chicken, sausage
Course I never eat salads per say so I could change too.

joekhul wrote:
:: Hi all:
::
:: Need some advice/thoughts on eating. I've been bicycling regulary as
:: an adult for the last 15 years or so. By that I mean, daily (or at
:: least 5 times a week) with 18, 24, or 28 miles being my normal trip
:: length. Some winters I'll bicycle through the winter, other winters
:: not--I'll either take walks or cross-country ski if we have enough
:: snow. I consider myself a heavy recreational cyclist. Situation is:
::
:: Every now and then (2 or 3 times a year), I'll be full of 'extra'
:: energy one day while cycling and feel like I can take on the world
:: and then the next day I'm just, well....blah. I don't seem to have
:: any energy and mentally wish I would have just stayed home and
:: relaxed instead. I'll find halfway through my ride--I'm just not
:: motivated. Maybe it's because of my 'high' the day before; maybe I'm
:: being beaten down by headwinds on the second day (I'll have to take
:: note the next time); but I wonder if not eating the proper
:: energy-type foods might be the problem.
::
:: I normally have oatmeal, OJ and coffee for a breakfast (and that's
:: before I go cycling). For a late lunch some kind of soup with maybe a
:: salad. For supper (at work), I'll have a hearty homemade salad and
:: either bean or chicken soup, or a sub sandwich; and for snacks, a
:: banana, maybe a fig or two, or microwave popcorn. When I get back
:: home early morning hours, I'll simply have a bowl of oatmeal or a
:: baked potato. On the weekends I really go crazy and have spaghetti
:: and meatballs for supper, big salads, possibly ice cream for desert.
:: I don't drink sodas....mostly carbonated water. Once a week I'll
:: treat myself to a Coke and man--what a rush!
::
:: Anyways, to get to the bottom line: Is there any types of foods I
:: should eat on a regular basis to keep my energy levels 'up' on an
:: even scale? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

It seems as if you're eating a very high carb diet and yet having energy
problems. Not good. Ever heard of metabolic syndrome? You might want to
google that.

Frankly, your solution might be to cut out some of the starchy/sugary foods
like OJ, bread, pasta, etc. You could simply be eating too much of it for
your age and your activity level (in sprite of your cycling, depending on
your weight, it may not be that strenuous for you).

Are you paying any attention to the types of fat you eat? You need to get
your essential fatty acids in....fish like salmon are good for that...some
nuts (walnuts, almonds), and oils such as olive oils. Are you supplementing
with fish-oil or flax-oil capsules?

And what about quality protein? Meat is a good thing, don't be afraid of
it.

What supplements are you taking? What green veggies do you eat? What
veggies do you eat?

time); but I wonder if not eating the proper energy-type foods might
be the problem.

A common suggestion for athletes is to have a bowl of cereal before
going to bed; having too large a gap between evening and morning meals
guarantees some let-down.

Also, after noticing several 10lb-in-8hour weight losses myself during
extended biking/running sessions, I'm now very big on drinking large amounts
of water before and during exercise. Before a 2-4hr ride I'll drink 2
quarts of water/gatorade, and carry another 3 quarts for longer sessions,
plus energy bars (Clif bars are great) and a sandwich.

Drinking gatorade right before starting provides quick energy, and I
feel drinking a lot helps reduce muscle aches and joint pains over longer
periods.

rms

On Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:01:07 -0600, "rms"
wrote:

[---]

Before a 2-4hr ride I'll drink 2
quarts of water/gatorade, and carry another 3 quarts for longer sessions

That's fine, as long as it doesn't induce the need for extra "pit
stops", which aren't always practical if riding in a built up area...

In article .com,
joekhul writes:

Anyways, to get to the bottom line: Is there any types of foods I
should eat on a regular basis to keep my energy levels 'up' on an even
scale? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

I don't think those wonderfully "up" days are entirely
dependent on what one has been eating. There are other
factors, such as quality of sleep, general mood, and stress.
Those things can be beyond our control, so I guess we
have to live with some not-so-up days too.

Some foods might not be so nutritional but nevertheless
give a morale boost because you simply enjoy them.

The human body is pretty smart, and able to inform
its owner of what it needs. Perhaps pregnant women
are most keenly aware of that.

Personally I find stuff with B-complex vitamins can
give me an extra boost. And having performed physical
activities or work other than riding often enhances my
cycling experience later. Alternatively, going from
relative sedentarism straight to riding can leave me
feeling rather "blah".

Now I'm gonna enjoy a tomato sandwich.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Andrew Price wrote:
On Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:01:07 -0600, "rms"
wrote:

[---]

Before a 2-4hr ride I'll drink 2
quarts of water/gatorade, and carry another 3 quarts for longer sessions

That's fine, as long as it doesn't induce the need for extra "pit
stops", which aren't always practical if riding in a built up area...

I drink a lot of Orange juice before a ride so I have the sugar calories
getting into my blood as I ride. The strange thing is that even if I am
drinking nearly continuously and riding hard, sweat and all, I never
have to make a pit stop. I have moderate High BP so sweating out the
sodium is good for me but the lack of having to water a tree
occasionally makes me wonder if it is a kidneys taking time off for
riding or I may be dehydrating without knowing it.
As for food, eat a relatively big breakfast if you know you are going to
burn off the calories, then a reasonable lunch. A big dinner before
bedtime seems to be counter-productive since at that time your body is
probably in the fat making mode and not in the 'use the protein' mode.
Do we have any real sports nutritionists in this gaggle, er group?
Bill Baka

On 21 Apr 2007 09:40:23 -0700, joekhul wrote:

Anyways, to get to the bottom line: Is there any types of foods I
should eat on a regular basis to keep my energy levels 'up' on an even
scale? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Replace the simple carbs with complex ones as found in whole grains,
beans and legumes instead of bleached flour and rice.

Tabbouleh or a rice salad would give you more carbs and protein than
the green salad. Those carbs are available to your body longer
because they take longer to turn to sugars.

Quinwa and bulghar are good grains to know.
--
zk

On Apr 21, 12:40 pm, joekhul wrote:
Hi all:

Need some advice/thoughts on eating. I've been bicycling regulary as
an adult for the last 15 years or so. By that I mean, daily (or at
least 5 times a week) with 18, 24, or 28 miles being my normal trip
length. Some winters I'll bicycle through the winter, other winters
not--I'll either take walks or cross-country ski if we have enough
snow. I consider myself a heavy recreational cyclist. Situation is:

Every now and then (2 or 3 times a year), I'll be full of 'extra'
energy one day while cycling and feel like I can take on the world and
then the next day I'm just, well....blah. I don't seem to have any
energy and mentally wish I would have just stayed home and relaxed
instead. I'll find halfway through my ride--I'm just not motivated.
Maybe it's because of my 'high' the day before; maybe I'm being beaten
down by headwinds on the second day (I'll have to take note the next
time); but I wonder if not eating the proper energy-type foods might
be the problem.

I normally have oatmeal, OJ and coffee for a breakfast (and that's
before I go cycling). For a late lunch some kind of soup with maybe a
salad. For supper (at work), I'll have a hearty homemade salad and
either bean or chicken soup, or a sub sandwich; and for snacks, a
banana, maybe a fig or two, or microwave popcorn. When I get back home
early morning hours, I'll simply have a bowl of oatmeal or a baked
potato. On the weekends I really go crazy and have spaghetti and
meatballs for supper, big salads, possibly ice cream for desert. I
don't drink sodas....mostly carbonated water. Once a week I'll treat
myself to a Coke and man--what a rush!

Anyways, to get to the bottom line: Is there any types of foods I
should eat on a regular basis to keep my energy levels 'up' on an even
scale? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks for all the replies so far. All good points and I will take the
suggestions and try them out. And again, it may not be related to
food; it might be being mentally unmotivated that particular day, not
getting enough rest for that period of time, or whatever. Again,
thanks.

"Quinwa and bulghar are good grains to know"


Quinoa is actually very high in protein too compared to any other grain.

Carbos before bed is a good idea just in general. It makes you sleepy. Any
sports teams I was on that needed endurance usually had carbo nights before
a big event.

"lack of having to water a tree
occasionally makes me wonder if it is a kidneys taking time off for
riding or I may be dehydrating without knowing it."


That is just the blood servicing your muscles instead of your kidneys.
Your stomach and kidneys need blood to carry on their work so they come
second to the muscles. To be sure you should figure out how much to drink
during according to weight and intensity. If you are extremely thirsty
after the ride you should drink before you need it is the rule. I freeze
half a bottle of water and add filtered water before the ride. It stays
cold for 3 hours or more.