| Re: Riding on an empty stomach
Roger Zoul wrote:
> Ken C. M. wrote:
> :: Marz wrote:
> ::: Ken C. M. wrote:
> :::: I have come to the certain conclusion that this is a bad thing. I
> :::: have done it a couple of times now, and have not had a very good
> :::: experience with it. This morning I had time. I got up made a cup
> :::: of coffee, checked email and such, and the weather wasn't perfect
> :::: but not raining and not to chilly. So I headed out for a /fast/
> :::: ride. I have a route that is not too long, long enough where I can
> :::: get a decent workout. Its about 12 miles and I can usually average
> :::: 15.5 mph or so. Today managed
> :::: 16.0 mph but when I got home my stomach was not liking the ride,
> :::: or more correctly stated not like the ride on an empty stomach.
> ::::
> :::: Ken
> :::: --
> :::: The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it
> :::: gets old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one
> :::: without shocking the entire community. ~Ann Strong
> :::
> :::
> ::: You bonked out. You stomach ran out of food to metabolize and your
> ::: body had to switch to stored fat to fuel your cycling. Sometimes
> ::: your body will continue to attempt to metabolize food you don't
> ::: have which can lead to a slight feeling of nausea. Some people bonk
> ::: train on purpose, I do sometimes, to burn more fat and improve
> ::: endurance. The idea is to head out on an empty stomach, cycling at
> ::: 60% max for about an hour (never more than 90mins, or so I've
> ::: read). In theory your body will be burning stored fat while you
> ::: ride.
> :::
> :: Yeah that /slight feeling of nausea/ is sort of how I would describe
> :: it. That and a hungry feeling combined. I have heard that term
> :: /bonked out/ before but never really understood what was meant by it.
>
> Bonked out is what happens when you deplete glycogen stores from the muscles
> and liver. It's not just that you're hungry or out of energy, because you
> body has plenty of energy stored. Simply eating the wrong foods (like on a
> low-carb diet) or starting in a glycogen-depeted state can lead to bonking
> out quickly if you do the right kind of activity. Frankly, I don't think you
> bonked out, as when you do you're so lacking in energy that it's even hard
> to pedal.
>
> ::
> ::: It's a training program that must be approached with caution as it
> ::: can have negative side effects, like your body will begin to burn
> ::: muscle mass if you ride for too long without food.
> :::
> :: Which is why after a moderate to intense ride, usually have a whey
> :: protein shake. I have heard that protein is very important to build
> :: and maintaining muscle mass.
>
> For recovery, a 4-to-1 ratio of carbs to protein is claimed to be good.
>
> ::
> ::: If you do want to bonk train always eat something as soon as you get
> ::: home, preferably something with protein.
> :::
> :: See above.
> ::
> :: Thats pretty interesting info. I clearly did not like the feeling. I
> :: have experienced it before, and it's not a very good feeling.
>
> You can store about 2000 kcals of glycogen in your muscles, so it is
> possible to ride a good long way and hard before bonking. However, it
> really does depend on your daily diet and the type of activity you do. A
> good carby meal the night before can prevent bonking provided you don't ride
> too hard for too long. Intensity and duration both play a part in the
> equation. Ride easy and you're tend not to use much glycogen (and you can
> go longer without bonking). Ride hard and you use more (which brings on the
> bonk quicker). Ride easy and you tend to use more fat for fuel. Ride hard
> and you tend to use less fat for fuel. The body sort of has a sliding
> scale - hard <--> glycogen, easy <--> fat, while engaged in exercise.
>
> Eating something carby during your ride can help, too. That Gu stuff comes
> to mind.
>
>
> ::
> :: Ken
> :: --
> :: The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it
> :: gets old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one
> :: without shocking the entire community. ~Ann Strong
>
>
Well I guess without a medical exam by a medical professional, its hard
to say exactly what the feeling was, but in my experience, I don't ride
very well on an empty stomach, although thats not quite true, as 16mph
average on that route is one of my fastest recorded times for that ride.
But it was a nasty sort of feeling when I got home, and was definitely
glad when I had my protein shake and the morning bagel.
Ken
--
The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets
old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without
shocking the entire community. ~Ann Strong
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