Bike and Food Nutrition

[PotomacCyclist]

Another issue is inflammation in the body. Sugar and saturated fats have an inflammatory effect on the body while fruits and vegetables help to lower inflammation. This is important for everyone but perhaps more so for a high-volume athlete. If you are pushing your body on a regular basis, recovery becomes a vital consideration. Diet can play a significant role in helping the body to recover from individual workouts and from extended training phases. It’s not the only factor, of course, but a health diet puts another point on your side.

Good nutrition may not make you faster, but it can help you to recover more quickly and it can help to avoid injuries, thereby allowing you to train more, train harder or both. And that extra training or the higher quality training will make you faster and lead to increased endurance.

[Amalitza]

It is very very easy to take in a lot of calories without realizing it by eating high-fat foods. I have done calorie counting at times in the past– not estimating portion sizes, but weighing every piece of food that went into my mouth. I used a program that also counted carbs, fat, and protein. It’s not something I would do long-term unless absolutely necessary for health, but it was quite educational to do it for a couple months. I found it very hard to get enough protein without going overboard on calories. Lots of fish and eggs were about the only way I could do it. (Eggs are high in cholesterol, but from what I’ve read, it’s uncertain how much dietary cholesterol–as opposed to dietary fat– is actually responsible for high cholesterol levels in people).

I don’t eat a lot of high-fat meat, but my downfall was (is, who am I kidding) cheese. Cheese is a natural and healthy food to snack on, yes? And a good source of protein?

I should eat 1500-1800 calories and maybe 45 grams minimum of protein daily. Four ounces (not as much as you might think it is) of cheese is about half of my daily protein needs (yay!, right?) but a third of my daily calories. (bacon has similar ratios, btw). If I got all or most of my protein that way, I wouldn’t have many calories left over for anything else. There’s no way I could get enough protein without going overboard on calories by eating primarily high-fat-content protein while still getting other nutritional needs met. If you are not concerned with calorie intake and weight loss/maintenance, and not going overboard with *saturated* fat (bad for your arteries/cholesterol levels), eating high-fat protein sources I would think is not necessarily a problem. For those of us who do have to watch our calorie intake, though, they’re like cake and ice cream– small amounts as a treat is fine, but thinking they’re going to be useful in providing nutrition is going to be counterproductive.

[KLizotte]

Just to put in a plug for Weight Watchers. I haven’t done the program myself but my sister easily lost 70 lbs on it and some of my co-workers have been very successful with the program. They focus on teaching you how to eat properly at your desired caloric intake level; meaning, that if you are eating “correctly” the lbs will drop off automatically and you will be able to maintain a healthy weigh level in the long term. My sister and co-workers have all said they were not hungry while losing the excess weight.

It sounds like you have a great attitude and the willpower to see you through this. Keep in mind that weight lifting will be adding on muscle so a better measurement of how much fat you are losing is a tape measure, not a scale. Years ago when I was working out a lot, my weight stayed exactly the same but I dropped two dress sizes because muscle had replaced fat.

[krazygl00]

@KLizotte 28679 wrote:

Just to put in a plug for Weight Watchers. I haven’t done the program myself but my sister easily lost 70 lbs on it and some of my co-workers have been very successful with the program. They focus on teaching you how to eat properly at your desired caloric intake level; meaning, that if you are eating “correctly” the lbs will drop off automatically and you will be able to maintain a healthy diet in the long term. My sister and co-workers have all said they were not hungry while losing the weight.

It sounds like you have a great attitude and the willpower to see you through this. Keep in mind that weight lifting will be adding on muscle so a better measurement of how much fat you are losing is a tape measure, not a scale. Years ago when I was working out a lot, my weight stayed exactly the same but I dropped two dress sizes because muscle had replaced fat.

I’ve heard good things about WW too; I used to have the impression of them back a long time ago that they used peer pressure and negativity to motivate. I’m not sure if that was ever true, but from what I’ve heard of them today, it seems they’ve adopted some effective, current techniques.

I’ve heard it said, “Any plan works if you stick to it”, and I believe that, providing the plan is sound. I would steer clear of any plan that 1. relies on an unbalanced diet (You can only eat onions! But you can have as many as you want!) or 2. doesn’t give you enough intake and insists you just use willpower to defeat the hunger (this NEVER works).

[NicDiesel]

The main reason I do weight training is to strengthen up my lower body and core which got trashed a few years ago when I wound up in a coma and bedridden for over a month. A secondary reason is that I really, really like lifting weights. Much like with cycling, I can easily see progress from one week to the next and I love the way I feel the days after I have a serious workout.

In regard to Muscle Milk – that’s something one of my physical therapists suggested I try to get in after a serious workout. For 310 calories I get a pretty solid slug of protein (32g) and some things that may or may not be helpful. If I could drink straight milk I’d do it instead but I’m lactose intolerant.

[Tim Kelley]

@PotomacCyclist 28671 wrote:

Depends on the individual. But if you are relying on those sources for protein, you will be consuming large amounts of saturated fat. Most health researchers recommend everyone to limit their consumption of saturated fat.

http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/fat/saturatedfat.html

A high-volume athlete can get away with a bit more. But it’s still not a good habit to have, to be used to consuming high quantities of saturated fats. Even many pro athletes struggle with diet after their playing days are over, because they are so used to being able to eat what they want and not having to think too carefully about what they eat.

Another problem with highly processed meats like bacon and sausage is the sodium nitrate used as a preservative.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium-nitrate/AN02119/

While not all of the research is conclusive, it does tend to show problems when consuming too much saturated fat and too many preservatives. In general, it’s a good idea to limit the intake of preservatives and artificial chemicals.

Going back to the saturated fat issue, it’s wise to be more careful with high-fat foods because of the high calorie content and the high percentage of fat and fat calories. Some fat is necessary but most of it should be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat (fish, nuts, avocados, olive oil, etc.). Again, a high-volume training athlete has more leeway, but it’s still not a good idea to eat large quantities of bacon and hot dogs day after day. Whereas with vegetables, it’s really difficult to overdo it on the calories. People need to pay more close attention to when they eat high-fat foods and how much. Such foods are popular and a part of the traditional U.S. culture. Combine that with a sedentary lifestyle or just occasional casual bike rides, and you have a recipe for obesity and all the related health concerns.

Your first link doesn’t actually say much about WHY it’s bad–other that the small purple box saying it’s been linked to heart disease.

I’ve come to understand that a lot of the saturated fats/heart disease hysteria may not be correct. Here’s some light reading for you:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20071648

http://canceranddiet.nl/cardiovascular_disease/saturated-fat-DGAC-report-2010.html

Like I said, I don’t think saturated fats are a problem as long as you are burning the calories associated with it and getting a good variety of nutrients from other foods.

I do very much agree with your nitrates and preservatives point of view. Shopping at Whole Foods or Traders Joes, you can easily find nitrate free foods. At other grocery stores it’s more difficult, but you can often find nitrate free items with a little diligence in paying attention to labels.

[PotomacCyclist]

Don’t forget about the issues with inflammation. That’s also a general health consideration, for athletes and non-athletes.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/06/13/saturated-fats-change-gut-bacteria-and-may-raise-risk-for-inflammatory-bowel-disease/

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v472/n7342/full/472139b.html

My personal experience is that I tend to get stomach aches after eating greasy, fatty and fried foods, especially in the absence of fiber-rich foods. If I see a plate of fried chicken, fries and a soda, I know that my stomach will be in a world of hurt an hour later. So I tend to avoid those types of meals. If it would be rude to refuse the food (at a social occasion, for example), I try to balance out the assault on my stomach by loading up on as many vegetables and whole grains as I can.

But I do think that processed sugars are probably the worst part of the modern American diet. Even for athletes, I don’t think it’s great to consume large quantities of sugars other than during long workouts or recovery immediately after tough workouts.

[jrenaut]

You all may be more serious about this than me, but half the reason I bike is to balance out some of the extra calories from imperial IPAs.

[KelOnWheels]

If I didn’t eat bacon & eggs I think I’d starve. I’m allergic to everything else

[Tim Kelley]

@PotomacCyclist 28839 wrote:

Don’t forget about the issues with inflammation. That’s also a general health consideration, for athletes and non-athletes.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/06/13/saturated-fats-change-gut-bacteria-and-may-raise-risk-for-inflammatory-bowel-disease/

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v472/n7342/full/472139b.html

My personal experience is that I tend to get stomach aches after eating greasy, fatty and fried foods, especially in the absence of fiber-rich foods. If I see a plate of fried chicken, fries and a soda, I know that my stomach will be in a world of hurt an hour later. So I tend to avoid those types of meals. If it would be rude to refuse the food (at a social occasion, for example), I try to balance out the assault on my stomach by loading up on as many vegetables and whole grains as I can.

But I do think that processed sugars are probably the worst part of the modern American diet. Even for athletes, I don’t think it’s great to consume large quantities of sugars other than during long workouts or recovery immediately after tough workouts.

Yeah, I don’t think greasy fried chicken and french fries would make anyone feel good. Bacon and eggs or a large ribeye steak on the other hand are delicious! I don’t drink soda either (or coffee for that matter). Soda has empty calories and I find that I am now quite sensitive to caffeine–which plays a large part in my race nutrition planning. Taking a GU or blocks that have caffeine in them really perks me up.

As for inflammation, make sure to take your fish oil! Based on this Lean Gains article, I take 2 grams of EPA and 1.5 grams of DHA daily.

[PotomacCyclist]

Already take fish oil daily. Lots of research in support of the health benefits of fish oil (except for those with hemophilia or similar conditions).

I like the occasional steak, eggs and even bacon. Just not on a regular basis. I can’t tolerate caffeine. At various times in my life, I’ve tried to follow the usual routine of a morning cup of coffee, although I’ve never been able to drink a full cup, ever. Even half a cup tends to lead to problems after a couple weeks, mostly with my stomach.

In 2010, when I started my first attempted Half Ironman, I decided to have a cup of the hotel coffee the morning of the race. Very bad idea. (Yeah, I know, nothing new on race day.) I didn’t feel bad at first. But while standing near the water before the start, I felt the first grumblings in my stomach. (My goggles were also completely fogged up before I got into the water. I couldn’t see 5 feet in front of me even on shore. But that’s a separate issue.)

As I got onto the bike leg, the stomach pains became more noticeable, until it became a desperate situation. I skipped the first rest stop or two because I didn’t think it would be a major problem. But by the next one, it was an emergency situation. I had to take a long… break in there. After I got that out of my system, I didn’t have any more stomach problems.

However, once I finished the bike, I found a piece of duct tape on the bike rack, informing me that… I had been DQ’d! Apparently I had missed the swim cutoff time. Because of the goggle issue, I was swimming all over the place. I already knew that. I was kind of worried that I wouldn’t make the cutoff, even though I felt fine during the swim itself. They didn’t stop me at the swim finish so I figured that I had just snuck in. Not the case. I learned that I had missed the cutoff by about a minute or so. I also learned later on that the entire field had much slower times than usual, even the pros at the race. Either there was a strong current (which I didn’t really notice) or the course was marked long, or both. At least I wish they would have told me before I started the bike. I ended up with a deep sunburn on my lower back, and I didn’t even have an official race result to show for it. Based on previous swim results, I should have easily made the swim cutoff with 15 minutes to spare. But the goggle issue and the possible long course got me.

(I did manage to get through an Olympic tri the following week, and then a near-HIM 70.0 race that fall. I haven’t tried another HIM since then. I was planning on the National Harbor race this summer, but as you know, that was canceled. I can’t say that I’ve officially completed a HIM, but I figure that if I can finish 70.0 miles, I’m capable of 70.3 miles. The only difference was the swim, which was an Olympic-distance swim while the bike and run were the standard HIM distances.)

[Terpfan]

@PotomacCyclist 28667 wrote:

All the saturated fat. In addition, foods like hot dogs are primarily fat, even though some people may see them as protein sources. They are more like fat sticks with a little bit of protein.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sausages-and-luncheon-meats/1338/2

Similar nutrition profile for bacon:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/pork-products/7676/2

Almost all of the calories are from fat. The occasional slice of bacon won’t destroy a healthy diet. But too much can cause problems for those looking to control their weight.

The question is how many extra miles do you have to bike per slice of bacon. That’s what we need, a bacon-alulator. It would probably encourage some of us to do half centuries on weekday mornings if we got to eat a plate of bacon. Now I’m hungry.

[Certifried]

@Terpfan 28997 wrote:

The question is how many extra miles do you have to bike per slice of bacon. That’s what we need, a bacon-alulator. It would probably encourage some of us to do half centuries on weekday mornings if we got to eat a plate of bacon. Now I’m hungry.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1568[/ATTACH]

[PotomacCyclist]

If you eat the bike frame, then how will you ride home?

[KelOnWheels]

@PotomacCyclist 29002 wrote:

If you eat the bike frame, then how will you ride home?

Pack extra bacon!

[Author]

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