Difficulty eating during ride

[jpwkeeper]

I think it's either your not hungry or you don't like what your eating. In my experience whenever I ride even for an hour, I get hungry and very thirsty at times so 2 liters of lemon water takes me only 3-4 hours to consume. And I must eat a good meal every 3 hours of biking if not I won't have any power to pedal anymore. Cycling expels a lot of energy, I just don't know the situation in your place, because I live in a tropical country, it's easy to get dehydrated here, and you use more energy when it's hot.

I'm not hungry at all. I have to force myself to eat. I like what I'm eating just fine, but it's literally hard to get it down the hatch.

 

[jpwkeeper]

I see that there are concerns regarding hypoglycemia, but it's really only a concern when you are a diagnosed diabetic or if you literally haven't eaten the day when you are riding or the day before. As long as you have eaten enough before you start your long ride, you don't have to force yourself to eat. Of course, it's important to bring something to eat with you that you like just in case, but most of the time, fluids is enough. Your body will definitely feel it when you need to eat, not just your stomach, but you also feel a different feeling like light-headedness or numbness of your extremities, for example, which is different than the normal feeling you get when you are tired.

This is the type of thinking and advice that got me into trouble in the first place.

A long ride spent purely in zone 2 might work for not eating, but that's about it. And no, there was no light-headedness nor numbness in the extremities. It was like someone turned the power switch off halfway up a hill, accompanied by extreme anxiety (I literally HAD to get off that bike and I couldn't bring myself to get back on). Looking back, I wasn't actually tired (read my earlier posts for details on that). I'd literally run out of one type of fuel.

 

[Kakashi]

Why are you forcing yourself to eat? If your not hungry then it would really be hard for you to eat anything. I always believe in the saying "Eat when your hungry, Drink when your thirsty". Sometimes I bring along some high protein chocolate flavored drinks and I drink it alternately with plain water, doing this keeps me full and energized without getting hungry.

 

[ballyhara]

Unlike you, I don't do longer rides, so I don't need to eat while biking. However, based on what you say, more than food you need softer supplies, like jelly energy shots, or gummies, rather than solid. What about some kind of jelly Gatorade shots? You can find tutorials on YouTube for those. Or if you really need to eat, you can try to stop for a while, have some snack, and then go back to riding.

 

[DenisP]

I feel like this is a fairly common thing. I personally can't eat during or after intensive exercise. It's like my body puts all of its focus onto getting blood flowing to my arms and legs, and totally ignores whatever is happening in my stomach.

Eating while riding or exercising in general is a total no-go for me, and I usually have to wait at least an hour after exercising in order to eat anything. If I happen to eat anything earlier, I'll get instant heart burn and indigestion. I guess it's just my body prioritizing certain bodily functions over others.

 

[jennyfermanuel]

Why not bring only a drinking water. And why eat while riding? It'll be dangerous for you actually, it is a long ride and you'll gasp, you'll get tired after. I can imagine how difficult it is eating after a long ride. I suggest you bring water instead.

 

[UrbanRiderX]

Hey there! I understand your concern about eating while riding. However, staying hydrated and fueling properly during a long ride is crucial to maintain energy levels. It's actually safer to eat small snacks during breaks rather than wait until after the ride when fatigue can set in. Water alone may not provide enough sustenance. Stay safe and happy cycling!