proper times to eat, for maximum calorie/protien absorption

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Adam-from-SLO
Just wondering what everyone out there has found to work best for themselves.

Seems for me, on a ride day.... eat a smalll breakfast(small bowl of cerial, or begal, etc) ....... then do a ride , then EAT BIG for lunch.. say 1-2pm ......., then maybe eat again around 6pm just to top off the tank.

Yes, eat with in 1 hour of a ride... for max. absorption...... Does anyone here add an additional nutritional supplement that has been found to be definitly/significantly benifical ?????

I usually prefer to eat a light carbohydrate based meal 45 minutes to an hour before getting on the bike. My schedule rarely leaves me time for more than 2 hours on the bike so I grab something very light, like a fruit-filled snack bar mid-ride and rarely feel terribly hungry right off the bike.

Usually within an hour of finishing the ride I'll start to feel hungry and will grab something, often including whole grain bread and beans or some kind of pasta. At night I usually go with pasta, potatoes or rice as a carbohydrate store for the next day.

I have to say that I'm not one to stick to the 3-meals a day idea. To me that seems to have been developed more to accomodate the 8-hour work day and 8-hours of sleep than for optimal health and nutrition. It's my opinion that humans were designed more like grazers - nibbling throughout the day than as gorgers - animals which stuff themselves then go a long time between meals. Unfortunately, most people seem to stuff themselves 3-times a day and nibble (graze) between meals and end up with weight problems. I usually try to avoid fat-laiden foods or foods overly heavy in protein though I do allow myself to eat garbage more often than I should.

Yike!

complex carbs like oatmeal and 25g whey 1/2 hour before a ride. If you eat much longer before you will start to get an insulin rise.

25g protein during the ride and maybe 100-200 cal in carbs.

25-50grams protein and another 100-400 cal carbs IMMEDIATELY after the workout and what is even better is if you can do that during the cool down.

2 hours or so after that you will be hungry again and eat a normal style meal.

Another 25g of protein before bed and you are set.

It might be interesting for you to do a little research across a wide variety of resources to find out what the body does with protein. It gets pushed a lot by those who profit when you buy it but since most people seem to eat far more than their bodies can use and since no resource material I've found yet claims that anything more than 10% of your energy comes from protein, (some claim 0% unless you're starving), it may be prudent to be as concerned about consuming too much as consuming enough.

I try to do a diet that anticipates my riding efforts.
The day before a long ride, I will eat more carbs. After the ride I will consume carbs and some protein for a recovery meal.
Before a light day, I will eat less of everything, particularly the carbs. I aim to have a low carb dinner before a rest day.
Agree that we would be better off grazing rather than gorging three times a day.