What's the score with eating before and after rides?

If I was going to go out on a ride I'd eat something like Beans on toast, oats or similar to give me some prolonged energy. But if I burn say 1500 cals does this mean when I get back I have a deficit of energy of 1500 above and beyond my normal daily energy requirements that needs replacing or is this taken from the energy I've already consumed?

Basically if I stuff my face with beer and kebabs after a ride will it be burnt off from the work I've done or am I gonna end up a lard ass?

"if I stuff my face with beer and kebabs after a ride"

lard assdom beckons…

reckon on 700-1000cals an hour riding mtb. doesn't really matter if you eat before or after, just that the beer/kebab intake doesn't exceed the calories burned durign the ride.

All you need to know about nutrition for mountain biking:

So if I on average burn 2000cals per day with no riding, step in a ride of 1500cals, then can I eat my normal meals and a 1500cal beer and kebab session even if its is say an hour or two after the ride has finished?

This sounds like a really daft basic question – What happens if I don't eat the extra 1500cals (Kebab or not)?

What happens if I don't eat the extra 1500cals (Kebab or not)?

Your body will retrieve it from it's carb/muscle/fat stores

energy in = energy burnt + energy stored

or to put it another way

energy stored = energy in – energy burnt

It's really that simple

So will that burn muscle or fat? or a better question is how do I get the body to burn up the fat stores rather than the muscle?

Low intensity exercise burns fat. ie long distance / time, slowly.

Long duration, low/medium intensity exercise and a low fat diet of slightly less calories than you're burning. If you drop the energy intake too drastically then the body goes into famine mode and burns muscle rather than fat.

I am of course the living embodiment of this advice, ahem…

IHN – FACT 😉