When do you eat breakfast?

[americancyclo]

at work always. burn the calories first, then refuel after the workout.

[KayakCyndi]

Liz and I were just discussing this while riding the other day. Science says that a routine of exercise then eat breakfast teaches the body to burn more fat. While I get the concept I’m dead if I don’t have a cup of coffee and something before I commute in. Lately I’ve taken to scaling back the at home breakfast to a piece of toast or some fruit and then having second breakfast at my office. Upside is I get to eat twice!

[jabberwocky]

I’m just not a breakfast person. I ride my 7 mile commute, get to work at 8:30 or so and generally eat an early lunch around 11 instead of any sort of breakfast.

[cyclingfool]

@americancyclo 88981 wrote:

at work always. burn the calories first, then refuel after the workout.

I heard a bike-related podcast recently where they discussed this question, among others, with two cycling trainers/physiologists. Both made it very clear that it’s better to eat at least a few bites of something before riding if you’re concerned about weight gain/loss/maintenance. Has to do with the body’s response to exercise, cortisol, and some other stuff. Can’t recall details at this point. If anyone’s curious, it was the KBOO Bike Show Podcast out of Portland, OR from about 3 months ago. Show Title: Our Bodies Our Bikes. All shows available for download.

As for me, I almost always eat breakfast before I get on the bike. I don’t really care about digesting it all before I ride. I’m just hungry when I wake up, as is cyclingfool, jr., and since I normally have breakfast duty for the little man, I find it easier just to eat at the same time as him before leaving for work or on a bike ride.

[dasgeh]

Honestly, when I eat has nothing to do with when I ride. I eat about 30 minutes after I wake up, because that’s when I’m hungry. My kids are my alarm clock, so it goes in phases. For a couple weeks, I’m getting up super early (so eating early), then doing some stuff before getting on the bike and coming to work. Then for a few weeks, the kids sleep a little later, so I end up eating, getting ready, and going pretty quickly.

[TwoWheelsDC]

I eat at work after I’ve changed/showered…usually a bagel with peanut butter to get carbs and protein. If I ate before I rode, I have no doubt that I’d just end up eating a second breakfast after riding. My understanding is that the body generally stores enough energy for about 2 hours of strenuous exercise, so I generally don’t eat prior to (or during) a ride if it’s going to be less than that.

[hozn]

I have the same basic (and perhaps flawed) understanding as TwoWheels that exercise < 2 hours doesn't really need nutritional intake. My body, anyway, doesn't clamor for food for a few hours after getting up. So I eat when I get to work; work stocks breakfast foods which is nice -- typically 600-700 calories worth of greek yogurt, dried fruit+nuts, nature valley peanut bars. I used to not eat breakfast; I have no idea how I survived, since I am really hungry by 8:30am these days.

[vern]

I eat after I get to work and have showered…and after coffee, except that I usually eat a piece of fresh fruit such as an apple or a banana as I walk to the gym to shower. After coffee, I almost always have a double serving of rolled oats (1 cup of uncooked oats) with walnuts and dried cheeries thrown in, with OJ to drink.

[Geoff]

I get up, get dressed, eat, ride to work.
Mid morning I have some fruit. Two breakfasts.

[Dickie]

I eat once I get to work. I normally wake up around 6:00, dress and get right on the bike. MY commute is rarely more than 20 miles, more often 12-15. I get to work, have a little glass of chocolate milk, put the coffee on (half caff) and have a bowl of Oats or shredded wheat w/rice milk. Of course that all goes out the window on Fridays when I consume a day’s worth of calories in Strudel at Javashack!

[sethpo]

@hozn 88997 wrote:

I have the same basic (and perhaps flawed) understanding as TwoWheels that exercise < 2 hours doesn't really need nutritional intake. My body, anyway, doesn't clamor for food for a few hours after getting up. So I eat when I get to work; work stocks breakfast foods which is nice -- typically 600-700 calories worth of greek yogurt, dried fruit+nuts, nature valley peanut bars. I used to not eat breakfast; I have no idea how I survived, since I am really hungry by 8:30am these days.

Same. On occasion, if I wake up hungry I’ll try and grab a quick something at home like a protein bar but that’s by far the exception. Generally, I just get up and do a bit of work, change into Cat 6 kit, pack up my stuff and roll out. Breakfast at the office is usually greek yogurt w/ granola but once or twice a week I’ll get eggs or a breakfast burrito from on the block.

I’m just not hungry or motivated enough to eat before I ride.

[culimerc]

It is my understanding that the body/metabolism will remain in “conservation mode” until it gets fresh fuel after sleep. So in order to jump start calorie consumption by the body, it needs to know that food is available. Or; eat early to get the motor started.

[jrenaut]

@culimerc 89002 wrote:

It is my understanding that the body/metabolism will remain in “conservation mode” until it gets fresh fuel after sleep. So in order to jump start calorie consumption by the body, it needs to know that food is available. Or; eat early to get the motor started.

It’s also my understanding that everything we know this week about eating will be wrong next week, so take everything with a grain of salt. But not too much salt, I think that’s still bad for you.

[Phatboing]

@TwoWheelsDC 88996 wrote:

If I ate before I rode, I have no doubt that I’d just end up eating a second breakfast after riding.

You say this like it’s a bad thing.

[sjclaeys]

@KayakCyndi 88988 wrote:

Liz and I were just discussing this while riding the other day. Science says that a routine of exercise then eat breakfast teaches the body to burn more fat. While I get the concept I’m dead if I don’t have a cup of coffee and something before I commute in. Lately I’ve taken to scaling back the at home breakfast to a piece of toast or some fruit and then having second breakfast at my office. Upside is I get to eat twice!

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