IM Training = How much MORE FOOD can I eat? (Page 2)

bryancd - 2008-08-14 3:03 PM OK, that dinner looks much better. The thing about cookies or the like vs. gels is that gels have a blend of sugar/carbohydrate that your body will use as fuel, cookies are just sugar. It's not about the calorie math. I would rather hear that you had a banana and an orange before a workout to give your glycogen a healthy spike.

How are whole grain fig newtons in that regard? Those are cheap per serving too. I'm trying to do more solids on the bike and save the gels for the run. My stomach does not tolerate well hours and hours of gels. It's hard to take 100 miles worth of bananas and oranges for my long rides, and I'm trying to mimick race day nutrition during all my training.

bryancd - 2008-08-14 3:09 PM

SuzanneS - 2008-08-14 2:07 PM

bryancd - 2008-08-14 3:03 PM OK, that dinner looks much better. The thing about cookies or the like vs. gels is that gels have a blend of sugar/carbohydrate that your body will use as fuel, cookies are just sugar. It's not about the calorie math. I would rather hear that you had a banana and an orange before a workout to give your glycogen a healthy spike.

How are whole grain fig newtons in that regard? Those are cheap per serving too. I'm trying to do more solids on the bike and save the gels for the run. My stomach does not tolerate well hours and hours of gels. It's hard to take 100 miles worth of bananas and oranges for my long rides, and I'm trying to mimick race day nutrition during all my training.

Fig Newtons are better. I'm not saying you should train with a produce stand attached to your bike, fresh produce just offers a much better calorie choice during the average day than what you are consuming.

Gotcha. Thanks for the tips/ advice!

I can't believe you're not all STARVING constantly.  I'm eating piles of pasta, cups of rice, heaps of veggies, sushi, sweet potatoes, waffles with peanutbutter and berries, oatmeal, yogurt, cottage cheese, chocolate milk, lots of chicken breasts and grilled salmon filets.

i'd keel over during a workout if i only ate 4 gummy bears and 1.25 saltines for fuel (yeah, i exaggerate a little! ).

food is FUEL, people.  you wouldn't put water in your gas tank, would you?  then don't eat like a bird and expect to perform like a BEAST!

after that rant, though, i have to admit i'd kill for an little debbie oatmeal creme cookie. no kidding!

~B

Is it bad that I know 10-13 gummi bears = 100 calories? *hangs head in shame* yes I've used gummi bears as fuel. I have drawn the line at chocolate, but only because it melts in my pockets. Typically I alternate bad food with good food. But it's still not good for me. I know this. I think I use the training rides as an excuse to eat processed sugars. No, I don't think, I know I use this as an excuse. I need to get past that. The only way I'm gonna be able to fuel my workouts and drop this last 10 lbs I've worked so hard for is to stop eating the junk.

KSH, sorry to hijack your thread.

We're discussing this in the iron distance forum so I asume you are all training for decent sized races so...

HOW CAN YOU PEOPLE POSSIBLY EAT SO MUCH CRAP FOOD DURING THE TRAINING SEASON?

I fall off the wagon a bit in the off season but once the training picks up I only crave good food. Yeah I have a "treat" every now and again (like a couple of times a week) but my body screams for healthy food the rest of the time. If I eat crap I feel like crap and train like crap.

Sure you have to be organised and spend time find the foods you like, but it is so worth it to train better, recover better, and feel good instead of fatigued all the time.

Gerrard

But imagine how much better you could train and race with decent food!

Why is crap food seen as a treat? All it does is add fat to your body, leave you feeling down, and contains who knows what substances that who knows what they will do to you in the long term? Why would you choose to do that to yourself?

Learn to love the cause (making better food choices) and the results will come. 

same here  i love those steamable frozen bags of veggies though.. some tuna and a bag of veggies is quick to make, eat, and clean up.

I'll grill about 3 days worth of chicken and just piece on it.. my issue is it's over 100 degrees in texas so I don't like to use the stove,   I'll use the slow cooker [mine has a timer] so it either cooks while i'm sleeping or working