[Closed] Legs feeling tired, help with nutrition - protein powder or recovery drink?

[url] https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2014/07/why-juicing-is-bad/ ][/url]

You really do need to try my "special" cold blended porridge 🙂

I like how the interpretation of the general recommendation of needing a more balanced diet and eating proper food is taken as eating a flapjack or chucking more crap in a blender...

Good isn't it 😀

In seriousness though, we all have our different habits with everything in life including food. Some folk find it easier to eat a good balanced diet than others. A scoop of whey protein and a scoop of oat flour into the blender is at least a significant improvement without having any impact on the OP's lifestyle.

https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2014/07/why-juicing-is-bad/

He’s also managed to get himself to under 7% body fat

OK. Given I have lower BFP, I'm going to claim that I'm a bigger expert on juicing. 🙄

Yes. Eating the sugar from 20 portions of fruit in one go isn't a great idea.

I think people have the impression that fibre is those strands that Shredded Wheat are made from. Yes, blending may chop up the solid fibre chunks, but it's not destroying the molecular structure. And your body is using it for it's molecular properties.

I've just looked up this Nutribullet thing; it looks as if somebody has dressed up a food blender and made it into a serious piece of quackery. One of the links posted above led me to this:

[i]"2. Almost all juices do not include any protein or fats

This is another big performance drain for athletes. A diet lacking in protein causes lean muscle tissue breakdown during exercise and low levels of blood amino acids during exercise, which leads to muscle fatigue, central nervous system fatigue, metabolic slowdown, fat tissue accumulation, decreased performance and lengthened recovery time."

Read more https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2014/07/why-juicing-is-bad/ [/i]

😀

I realise I'm being quite obtuse about not trying to change too much, but I've learnt the way that I work best is to make smaller changes that are sustainable than bigger ones that aren't

Hence me keeping the nutribullet thing as it works well with my work/lifestyle, but it's pretty easy to change what goes into it. It's the only thing that isn't really proper, everything else I eat is fairly standard fare

I suppose I could scramble a couple of eggs in the microwave at work and have those as well as the nutribullet

I don't [i]feel[/i] like my diet is low in protein or fat (dinner last night included 5 spare ribs and 1/2 a chicken breast)

But I completely agree that proportionately, it feels too sugary in the morning compared with other parts of the day. And I think I need more regular intakes of protein

I tried to deal with it this morning... I had 3 scrambled eggs, mushrooms, and 3 sausage rolls for breakfast. But it's my work at home day so it's an easy one to sort

There's no question that the nutribullet is just a poncy blender, I already have a separately mini blender and a proper big food processor.

The main draw for me is the nutribullet is really easy to clean, that's the reason it's easy to use. As a product, I'm not advocating it being better than any other blender, it's just easy to use on a regular basis

Can you make porridge in the microwave when you get to work? Do that and throw some of your chopped fruit in it. Can you use your putrinugget before you leave work and drink it on the bike on the way home. Go to Greggs for lunch for some pastry goodness.

[quote="fifeandy"]Can we skip 26 and go right for 30?might have to. OP seems to be unable to face up to the reality of the situation. Needs more sleep and more time for food.

Unless something else gives, he's going to need a longer day. Or he could invest in a load of double ended candles to burn.

Op you keeping referring to doing this that and the other at work. A fundamental point in this thread is that you need to eat BEFORE you get on the bike in the morning. You don't expect to start a car with an empty tank and fill it up later do you?

And stopping banging on about not enough time. Billions of people in his world have breakfast before they go to work, millions of those commute by bike also.

Hmm, you mentioned one thing that'd really help our issues on the previous page:

"I don't get enough sleep as it is".

Only really echoing other posters here now, but decent sleep is critical to recovery / rebuilding / repairs - it's like a free training session, get it right and you'll notice the difference.

Add a decent balanced mixed 'ancestral' diet (which is to say, from whole foods, primarily plant based, but feel free to add in whatever decent meat / diary / fish you like), exclude crappy processed sugary / salty junk and you'll be fine.

😉

Quick update on this

since posting this thread I've stopped the Nutribullets. Breakfast is now 2 eggs, sometimes 3, and a monster bowl of porridge (c.3-4 bags of those quaker instant porridge oats, it's not those, but I finished off some random ones and that's how much I eat). Still in the office when I get to work though

Not eating anything at home beforehand, unless there's something gluttonous (sp?) sitting out like a biscuit or a bit of flapjack, only eaten because I'm a pig

Everything else is the same, though I'm eating very slightly more carbs at lunch, just a touch more pasta/rice/potato in my salad

Cycling mileage hasn't changed massively, but I think my legs feel slightly better for it

WOrk out how many calories a day you should be eating , split this into proper ratio of carbs, fat and protein and then keep a diary to stay on top of it. Eat wholefood where possible.

That whole nutri-bullet thing is nonsense (sorry to be so blunt) and no use to you.

Oh, just read you've made some changes already. Sounds better.

http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/living-with-phytic-acid/

Thoroughly cooked porrage is better than raw oats.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/recreational-cycling/how-to-eat-like-a-tour-de-france-cyclist/

Don't worry about eating too much carbs or getting fat(er if applicable) or over eating.

Snack on bread and cheese and random handfuls of nuts etc if it takes your fancy...

I'm wondering how many times you need to say you CAN'T eat breakfast before riding before it sinks in!?!?!?
I have the same issue, I get severe cramps and bad indigestion if I do so, to the point of having to walk for about an hour or so before I can get back on the bike(regardless of what i eat)
Do you think maybe the answer is to have breakfast before riding? 🙄

I have the same issue, I get severe cramps and bad indigestion if I do so, to the point of having to walk for about an hour or so before I can get back on the bike(regardless of what i eat)
Do you think maybe the answer is to have breakfast before riding?

In that situation the answer is probably to go see a doctor 🙄

I find that even a small bowl of cereal before I set off helps a bit.

That said, if I don't get enough sleep and ride hard all week (typical mileage is 120, usually rest a bit when I'm on holiday) my legs suffer. Other than that, I stuff my face constantly, but try and avoid sugary/nutrition free things (i.e. refined stuff).

So, easier said than done, but get sleep and eat lots of a variety of real food.

That whole nutri-bullet thing is nonsense (sorry to be so blunt) and no use to you.

A great source of protein and good fats are nuts and seeds. Eat a 100g / day of those during the day whilst at work and you'll be getting ~ 30g protein and plenty of energy through good fats and they won't give you an insulin spike.

What exactly is the problem with fresh fruit, veg, protein, healthy fats, etc, all mashed up & easily digestible?

The structure of food itself impacts on it's nutritional value. Eating sugar in the form of fruit is better than sucking on a sugar cube because the sugars are more complex and built into the fruit's cellular structure (fibre etc) which takes time to digest, which then delays the release into the blood stream and lessens the sugar spike.

It's part of the whole refined/processed food argument. Eg porridge from whole oats are 'better' for you (but perhaps less convenient!) than the 2min porridge for similar reasons.

Also, in terms of 'hunger' your body 'sees' calories in food and drink differently, with liquid calories being less effective at eliciting a 'hunger satisfied' response than food, despite it having the same calories.

The structure of food itself impacts on it's nutritional value. Eating sugar in the form of fruit is better than sucking on a sugar cube because the sugars are more complex and built into the fruit's cellular structure (fibre etc) which takes time to digest, which then delays the release into the blood stream and lessens the sugar spike.

Also, in terms of 'hunger' your body 'sees' calories in food and drink differently, with liquid calories being less effective at eliciting a 'hunger satisfied' response than food, despite it having the same calories.

I seem to remember that even blending does increase the GI, can't remember where I heard/read it though.

I would think the main issue with refined food is the loss of vitamins/essential amino acids that the processing may cause, at least for a ravenous cyclist post ride. I still struggle to avoid "empty" calories, but I've at least lost a bit of weight (without my usual getting ill reaction to this) just by cutting down on sugary highly processed things

Good stuff, glad that you are still going now that winter is here.

Drink plenty of water. No, more than that.

Get an HRM and learn about heart rate zones. Don't mash big gears all the time, spin faster in higher gears. Learn about recovery rides in zones 1 and 2.

Keep riding.

[url= https://roadcyclinguk.com/how-to/six-things-need-know-training-zones.html/4#pz1WHHPPUe57MTxc.97 ]Some interesting stuff about HR zones[/url]

Food is not liquid. Recovery drinks are fine to kick start the process of getting nutrient back into your body but they are a START. It's not a replacement for eating proper food.

It's very simple. Your body has evolved to digest food, and take up nutrients at a certain rate (classic case in point is the result of taking too many energy gels too quickly). By liquidizing food you are removing a fundamental part of that process, and are speeding everything up. Faster is not better. Flooding your blood system with nutrients when your body prefers a steady stream means that you are operating 'sub-optimally'.

for a ravenous cyclist post ride