When I arrived home I was spent and hungry (ran a few hills and rode hills then fought a headwind the whole way home).
I ate a banana and two bowls of Cocoa Pebbles. I drank 10 oz of water with some added sea salt. Within 15 minutes of eating I felt bloated and started having GI cramps. While on the bike I had a honey stinger gel, a maltodextrin drink, and water with caffeine (1 x 200 mg tablet).
I hate that feeling so much and it seems like it happens about 1/3 of the time after I finish a >3 hr ride.
Is the amount of sugar that I’m consuming too concentrated in relation to my water balance?
What should I be doing (or not doing) to avoid the bloating and GI cramps?
Hmmm maybe try oatmeal in place of cocoa pebbles (and even add brown sugar or honey) might be the starchy white flour white sugar processed part that’s hurting you.
Maybe you’re not having enough carbs during the workout. Are you following the gram/kg/hour rule??
Your ‘recovery’ meal sounds terrible. I’m not sure what the cereal is but I’m assuming it’'s just simple sugars with added processed sugars. Maybe a banana, peanut butter on wholemeal bread and a protein shake would be better.
Experiment with your recovery food. It’s not uncommon for some people to have an allergy or intolerance to bananas so I’d remove that first. Try some different carb/protein (4:1) combinations and see what works. Are you adding milk to the Cocoa Pebbles (I assume these are mostly sugar)? Try some chocolate milk.
Experiment with your recovery food. It’s not uncommon for some people to have an allergy or intolerance to bananas so I’d remove that first. Try some different carb/protein (4:1) combinations and see what works. Are you adding milk to the Cocoa Pebbles (I assume these are mostly sugar)? Try some chocolate milk.
Just so I’m reading this correctly…the OP is having (2) BOWLS of Cocoa Pebbles (among other things) & to improve this meal, you’re suggesting he eliminate the banana. The banana??
To the OP, this is the exact reason you will often not find a good answer on an internet forum…b/c you have to sort through so much bad advice, that it becomes increasingly difficult to find the diamond among the dirt.
I suggested he was experiment. Since he is having trouble it’s logical to eliminate both items and try other foods. I have problems with bananas so I suggested he start with the that. It really makes no difference in what order you experiment. This isn’t rocket science.
Usually when I get done with a workout like that, I’m craving protein as opposed to sugar. The protein would help more with your recovery too. Maybe give that a shot.
Well, I’m fairly new to this whole game… and I’m not a triathelete, but a general cyclist… but a couple of things jump out at me from your post,
First off you dont say how much you drank on the bike more liquid needed?, and also it sounds like you need to be putting in more fuel on the ride.
as mentioned I agree that milk could be the cause, I’m slightly lactose intolerant, but noit enough to cause an issue usually, but 2 big bows of cereal would probably do it! interestingly I seem to be able to build up a tollerance for milk, if I lay off of it for a while and then go back to it I’m back to square one with bloating… and flatulance that will clear a room…
Also I dont like to add salt to anything unless I’m doing a long ride, the reason being I dont have a specific diet, so I am likly to be getting enough salt through general food intake, unless I’m sweating for a long time and intaking a lot of fluid. in which case I will have a bottle of plain water on the bike, and a bottle with one of these electrolite tablets in, although more often I just use half a tablet as If I over do them I can end up feeling a little queasy.
Sugar wise I have been suprised that a lot of people refer to carbs as sugar, and this terminoligy can be a little confusing, as an example of this there was a BBC Horizon documentary here in the UK that, was a “Fat vs Sugar” “diet study”. but really they mean carb hydrate most of the time.
anyway the point I’m getting at is as already mentioned can the sugars and have somthing with a better GI index as recovery food, somthing I do if I’m not at home is have a wholemeal egg mayo sandwich, a bit fatty due to the mayo but normally easliy available, Tuna pasta would also be good, but I dont like to overdo tuna due to heavy metal contamination.
In all seriousness, did you have enough water on your ride? A “malto dextrin drink” and some water with caffeine doesn’t sound like nearly enough for a hard 4 hour workout.
In my “I’m an accountant giving nutrition advice” opinion, you were dehydrated, first and foremost.
Then…you shoveled 2 bowls of crap down your throat.
I get like that sometimes as well after a long training session. I usually go for a loaded protein shake with an almond milk base, banana, natural almond or peanut butter, soy protein powder, blueberries, organic granola, and some dark chocolate. It seems to do the trick.
Dump the cocoa pebbles and recover with real food instead. Bowl of old fashioned oats with the bananas mashed inside and some penut or almond butter will do you much better.
As a previous poster mentioned, experiment by eliminating one thing at a time. I’d start with the crap cereal, then the milk and finally the banana. If none of it works, then start experimenting with your on ride nutrition and hydration.
sounds like you just need more water, 10 ounces isnt much after 3 hour workout, all these replies about getting oatmeal and whole grains are wrong, you are looking for high glycemic carbs after a workout, whole grains are low glycemic, so yes while the cereal you are eating is junk food, its better than whole grains/oat meal which is junk food too, just low glycemic junk food
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The caffeine could be encouraging your gut to go into party mode. That’s about 2 cups of coffee worth…(not to mention - why are you ingesting that on a training ride?) Do you also have coffee when you get up? Also, how much added sea salt in your water, and why? I know it’s not exactly scientific but I can tell you when my pup inadvertently takes in salt water when fetching in the ocean, his next round of…output…is worthy of a superfund cleanup grant.