Viewing 17 posts - 1 through 17 (of 17 total)
  • Commuting food. what? when?
  • shortyj15
    Full Member

    Started commuted 3 days a week now to get some miles in on the bike to aid training and reduce car use.

    The commute usually consists of 32km with 600m of climbing offroad depending on route choice.

    I’m currently trying to lose a bit of weight and increase the fitness. My biggest issue is food at my desk job, what do people eat and when on commutes of similar scale? I usually have some toast before setting off, sandwiches for lunch and nothing in the afternoon.

    cb200
    Free Member

    My commute is not as long as yours, but have seen good weight loss results by combining the commute with a reduced carb diet:

    Porridge before setting off

    Fruit mid morning

    Salad with something proteiny eg tuna or boiled egg

    Normal tea.

    All I need to do now is stop raiding the cupboards and stuffing my face with sugary treats before bed!

    shortyj15
    Full Member

    I was thinking about nothing when I set off and something mid ride and then porridge just after I get in.

    Yeah I struggle without carbs as I always feel hungry with salad.

    I guess everyone is watching some football game 🙂

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    ryderredman
    Free Member

    I do 20 miles each way on the road, not as much as you but it’s harder than driving.

    Have tinned tuna at your desk, if you get hungry but aren’t willing to eat a tin of tuna you aren’t hungry.

    Lunches – fresh salads with smoked salmon fillets from lidl.

    Take a bar or something you can eat half way through your commute.

    stevious
    Full Member

    Something with protein in it straight away after the ride (eg chocolate milk) helps keep cravings at bay for me. I commute on an empty stomach, then have a small choc milk when I get in and a bowl of cereal after the shower.

    scruff
    Free Member

    Thats a good amount of calories burnt on your commute.

    I have rivita  or krispbread with posh peanut butter and honey. Its a bugger to clean off your keyboard when you drop one.

    orangeboy
    Free Member

    It’s 22miles each way on the road bike for me.

    I have some fruit when I get to work and kind of snack my way through till lunchtime. Then mostly salad or ham and cheese rolls.

    When i I was trying to loose weight. Small portage at work for breakfast  then tuna or bean salad lunchtime very little snacking.

    Riding while losing weight led to much bonking while on the bike.

    Running was the best thing for me to loose a few kgs

    Mister-P
    Free Member

    Lose weight.

    Loose is the opposite of tight.

    My morning commute is always fasted. Breakfast is granola, fruit and yoghurt once I get to work. Lunch is salad and dinner will be whatever my body tells me I need. I snack on dried fruit during the day and there’s always cheese and crackers in the evening. Listen to your body. If you crave something like a pint of milk then you probably need it.

    lordmerchant
    Free Member

    I’ve been commuting for about 7-8 years now, 125 miles autumn/winter a week, more in spring, peaking to approx 200 this time of year. Jam on toast every morning, couple of bananas mid-morning and a wrap for lunch. keeps me going MOST of the time.

    orangeboy
    Free Member

    Oops silly me I should proof read my post better. I’m not sure the beers helping

    shortyj15
    Full Member

    Thanks very much for the info people.

    I think it’ll be a bit of trial and error and see what works for me.

    k1100t
    Free Member

    Have a look at intermittent fasting, where you have a non-eating window of various length. There are options (not eating : eating), for example 12:12, 16:8, 20:4 or 23:1. I do 16:8, so I stop eating at 20:00 and don’t eat again till 12:00 the next day. You eat normally within your window and can obviously set your fasting window to start and stop for when suits, as longs as it’s consistent. I’ve seen a noticeable improvement in weight just from doing that any nothing else, giving up booze made another massive difference, even just for a month.

    You can cycle and do IF, it’s just a bit harder. Yesterday for example, I was out the door at 06:03 and cycled for 2h 13m and 46KM on bridleways, byways and roads to work. The cycle home was over 70KM again on bridleways, byways and roads, and took nearly four hours, powered by a couple of flapjacks. I ate when I got home, even though it was outside my window. I don’t normally go that long on the way in and the way back.

    When I used to cycle commute full time, I used to bonk regularly on the way home until I had a word with myself. Cycle to work, then have breakfast at 10:00, have lunch at 14:00, but then nothing till I got home at 20:00, which was rubbish. If you’re going hard enough, you’re burning enough calories for a 17:00 muffin. I used to bake a few batches, pop them in the freezer and take one into work each day. I also used to cary a few emergency gels in my panniers.

    Try a few things, see what works. My wife likes the 5:2, for example, but I couldn’t get on with it. She doesn’t like IF, etc, etc…

    joshvegas
    Free Member

    I do a 48mile round trip once a week at the moment.

    Toast when i get up.

    Porridge and protein shake when i arrive.

    Half a quiche, salad and colslaw and half a sachet of rice for lunch. Couple of bananas etc.

    Averaged 17mph this week and i think i’ve under eaten.

    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    Everyone is different.

    For me when I’ve done 22me each way, 2,000ft climbing, it’s been porridge before, sometimes I would just need a gel too in the ride I’m almost to wake me up, banana when getting to work, normal lunch normal tea.

    Still lost weight doing that.

    DezB
    Free Member

    I like these Porridge to Go bars for when I arrive –

    https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/296977623

    thepurist
    Full Member

    At the moment I’m doing 40-50 mile round trip twice a week.  Cereal & coffee for breakfast before leaving, sandwich & crisps of some sort for lunch, no snacks, biscuits, cake etc at work.  Normal meal in the evening.  Seems to be fine for me.

    hubamonster
    Free Member

    I’ve recently started doing 40 mile round trip 2-3 times a week (4 at mo as is sunny).  My tip is the evening meal the night before fuels the morning ride, I have loads of veg and some carbs.  In morning I have a thing of blended veg / fruit.  In day time have a box of granola / nuts / dried fruit (that my colleagues call my box of gravel) that I snack on at my desk, making sure I have some an hour before I set off.  I do it that way as a box of granola mix is easy to prepare the night before and carry on bike.

    I burn ~4k calories a day when biking, which is hard to replace, and do find I’m eating a lot.  Still cheaper than diesel though

Viewing 17 posts - 1 through 17 (of 17 total)

The topic ‘Commuting food. what? when?’ is closed to new replies.