Take-Home Messages
- Learn how to eat healthfully and appropriately.
- Pre-hydration and eating carbohydrate rich foods the day before a big ride is an important strategy.
- A substantial breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day.
- If exercising in very hot conditions, sprinkle additional salt on meals throughout the day before.
- Hydrate frequently while exercising, and consume plenty of carbohydrate along with smaller amounts of protein and fat.
- Eat while riding and start recovery nutrition immediately after a workout so that energy stores will be back up to full level before the next one.
- Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the day with meals and as snacks.
- One size does not fit all for losing weight.
- A reasonable weight-loss target is one half to one pound per week for a person who weighs less than 150 pounds; one to two pounds per week is reasonable for heavier bodies.
- Calculating calories based on heart rate are rough estimates; a power meter for cycling is a more accurate method.
- The fat burning-zone myth: remember that total fat loss is a function of total calories burned.
- Enjoy 10 percent of daily calories with “fun” foods.
Special thanks: Jeffrey Krebs, MD, FACP for helping edit this paper and Giovanni Palatucci for his constant support and guidance.