Timing what you put into your body is another key element in training and racing. The 3 elements of time frames are : Before / During / After workout.
Eating before your workout is two fold, it fuels your energy storages which in turn allow you to perform better and thus burns more fat and stores less calories. If you are short on time, less then 3 hours, look for something light and carb rich, a banana, toast or a gel / sports drink. Think about getting in at least 100-200 calories for best results.
Eating during, can be harder to. Doing a hard workout and eating do not work well for many reasons but there are many products that will fuel you right from your water bottle. In fact, studies show that having more than water will also increase your performance! See "what's in your water bottle blog" The calories you are taking in during exercise allow your muscles once again to do more work, remember food is your fuel, by giving a steady flow of fuel to your muscles during hard, you are in turn keeping your motor running just right. How much??? Once again think about the 100-200 calories per hour. Your body will tell you what is just right. If you can't feel the food in your stomach you are on the right track. Look for a sports drink that contains a 1:4 protein to carbohydrate ratio that provides about 150 calories per bottle and sip down one bottle per hour under normal conditions. Your body will now be properly fueled, allowing you to finish your workout or race on a strong note! No bonking.
Post workout fueling is VITAL. You have a 2 hour window to replenish your glycogen storage and protein synthesis. You replenish both by feeding yourself 1.2 grams of carbs per kilogram of body weight and once again using the 1:4 protein carb ratio. The carbohydrates will replenish your fuel tank for your next workout and the protein will repair your muscles. It seems now a days, there is another big protein fad going on and everyone is dumping crazy amounts of protein into their recovery drink thinking it will build all sorts of muscles. Most likely not, but that is another topic. For now concentrate on the math that works for your body size.
For 150 lbs cyclist you want 100-200 calories before you workout, 100-200 per hour during and about 86 grams of carbs and 22 grams of protein as soon as you stop exercising. Read your labels as you might be surprised how many grams of carbs you will need to take down to reach your 1.2 grams per kilo ratio. But you were hungry right?
