yes, I do this. Probably weekly. I’m good through the week and then on the weekend do some stupid things, like eat a huge fritter. It’s a tough because it’s easier to put it on than take it off.
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Don’t let it get you down! This was me pretty much every time I went on vacation.
I recently read a book called “Never binge again” because it was free on Amazon. It has definitely helped me to reduce the unnecessary intake, and I would recommend reading it. The author acknowledges some of the criticism that has been leveled at the book in the early chapters and I suggest you heed his advice if you think it may perpetuate any eating disorders or negative self talk. It certainly didn’t do that for me and dramatically improved my ability to avoid excess. Even if you don’t read the whole book Chapter 7 discusses deprivation, and I found that particularly helpful/motivating as a cyclist who desires to improve.
I’m down about 20# this year and have done that slowly over the last 8 months and dramatically increased power during this time (2.9w/kg->4.0w/kg) mostly through a carb centric diet very similar to what Nate described in last week’s podcast. The key for me was to avoid much of a deficit. No more than 500 k/cal per day and to time that deficit at opposite ends of the day from my workouts.
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When I spent 1 week in Tahiti I went from 145 to 159, and that was riding 2-3 hours a day.
At McDonald’s I accidentally ordered 3 Big Mac meals (since the lady only spoke French) and I thought, ‘Welp, guess I gotta eat these…’ Even though I’m light I have this weird expandable stomach and can outeat people double my weight.
2 weeks later I was back down to 145. Your body can hold a lot of food, so once you ‘expel’ it usually most of that binge weight goes down.
On leap year / my birthday I’m going to Thailand for 8 days and since its mid race season I’m really really concerned about how to enjoy the food and almost stay race weight.
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Mmm you will love thailand. Spent 2 weeks there on my honeymoon.
Its not hard to eat very well, and very healthy at tge same time. Som Tum is one of my favorites, and a dish you dont always see in thai places in the U.S.
Shreadded green papaya (kinda like a slightly chewy jicama), with a soury, limey dressing with shrimp. Super spicey too. Probably my favorite thai dish, and super light.
Other than that…even the heavier stuff isnt going to kill you. All the curries are basically a stir fry with a bit of coconut milk. Still healthier than what most people eat here.
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I struggle somewhat with binging, normally after drinking. My approach has been to log it, move on and get back on plan. Day to day, I’m a firm believer in not excluding any foods or food groups from your diet, and only make incremental and sustainable changes. Notwithstanding for fueling, I don’t think I could ever go low carb, but dieting is very individual so whatever works for an individual.
Down over 8 stone from my starting weight (and settled now), over probably 7 years at this stage (through various target weights, a few months maintenance, and then focus again). I never stopped eating bread or other carbs, and kept up my weekly beer and crisps night.
It was confirmation bias by the time I found him, but Scott Baptie/ foodforfitness.co.uk is very good I think. One of his big things is that the only reason not to eat some food or food group is because you don’t like it!
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We all fall down man, it’s how you pick yourself back up that really matters.
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Always have trouble with mine. One day, I’m dieting and working out - next thing I know I’m eating a lot - and eating means eating all the chocolates I can get. My nutritionist from Nutritionist Buffalo NY has been helping me out on that though. We’re trying to balance out my stress body and my food intake (healthy meals).
Just another side to this, do you think as cyclists we give ourselves an excuse/permission to eat what ever we want - which ends up developing unhealthy eating habits?
For example, all of those coffee (and cake) rides or stuffing our faces with chocolate milk, pizza etc to replenish our glycogen stores…we call this recovery…
I am almost certain I would have type 2 diabetes if it wasn’t for cycling and ate like Nate?
I think back to Chris Froome’s eating/fueling plan for stage 19 at the Vuelta that was released by team Sky. He ate according the the work that he was going to do. I am sure he would not eat this way on recovery day.
Thoughts
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No. Most real-life cyclists I know eat actually very reasonably and healthy. And most don’t fuel their rides with just gels and either, it’s far too expensive. It’s usually bananas, malt loaf, fruit and nut mixes, all sorts of bars. And the most common order on cafe stops is beans on toast.
I do think that cycling promotes an unhealthy obsession with weight though.
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I’d say the food at the coffee stop is a mixed bag to be honest. In my group in my club, which would be one below the race group but except for pre-season has the racers in it if they’re out, scone (or cake) is the usual. But often it is a lunch (a wrap or sandwich).
I’d agree with that to a degree. It’s all power to weight, but in most races I’ve been in or at here in Ireland, power is really more important except for a handful.
However, I think it’s all endurance sports, particularly long distance though. Dropping weight has probably improved my running more than my cycling more, except in the hills! And seems to have made me a touch less injury prone.
Hey everyone, love this forum and have always been browsing through it daily but have never posted anything.
The topic of self-sabotage/binge eating has been a big issue for me this year so I wanted to chuck in some sympathy for the OP.
End of last year I went low-carb/near-keto in my base phase and lost over a stone (8kg), lightest I’ve ever been since high school. In my mind I felt great, invincible, but the reality was quite different. My FTP steadily dropped, I became obsessed with food that I could/couldn’t have, was easily angered by life stresses (kids, work, kids), and my friends said I looked ill. The binge-eating started slowly, maybe once a month, then we had a death in the family (mother-in-law) and the bingeing spiralled out of control to a weekly and eventually near daily occurrence.
I made up for the binging by training my ass off which kept the weight down but wrecked me. Still proud that I did Mallorca 70.3 in May (5hrs20) and another 70.3 a few weeks later (4hrs55). After working so hard for those events my mind just caved in, slowly trained less and less, but kept on pigging out more and more.
After being 63kg in January this year, I’m now touching on 76kg and trying to get a grip. Doctor’s have referred me to an eating disorder clinic for B.E.D. and “exercise addiction” - initially I thought they were nuts, but maybe they’re right.
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Exercise Addiction. May have to look that up, as I definitely feel I want to exercise to give me wriggle room on food (more volume than “bad” choices).
Yes. I absolutely do this, especially when I do very long rides in the 5+ hour range.
I can’t say it’s an obsession with me, though I do want to increase my power to weight ratio for climbing the mountains here in California.
I do get a attitude of being able to eat almost anything I want when I ride for really long periods (5 hours). This comes from burning lots of calories and being ravenous after those rides and not fueling enough on the rides. Most of these longer rides I fuel with a banana, 5 gels, and a Clif bar.
On the positive side of this topic, I do try and eat sensibly and watch my caloric intake. As of this morning I am now at 172.4 lbs which is positive. I just did a small caloric deficit and have been doing some Zone 2 endurance trainer rides of 1.5 hours. Coupled with my very active job which has me constantly moving and lifting parcels. I’m quite sure the extra fat/weight will come off in a couple of weeks and I should be back to the original 170 lbs. I know how to lose it, and I know how to put it on. The putting it on is so easy to do, it’s the taking it off that seems so hard and actually cost time, energy, and a bit of discipline.
I sympathize with all who have issues like myself, it can be difficult at times. The good thing is we can all get back on the horse if we happen to fall off so to speak, we can and will continue with healthy eating habits once again. I applaud all of you who have made healthy eating a life style. I will try to adopt this as a life style.
Thanks for all the feed back and support. Even though I don’t know any of you online peeps on a personal level, it still helps.
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@Benjamin_Sandoval : easy solution. Come hang out with me for 10 minutes. I have a brutal summer cold, can’t taste anything, and have zero appetite.
I’ll cough on you just once, and voila, you’ll embark on a journey of 7 days weight loss.
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LOL, I take a pass on that one. The heat wave here in SoCal the last two weeks has been brutal, if I couple that with a cold that is just pure misery. Hope you feel better!
@goaudiojoe Thanks so much for sharing your experience and story. I’m glad you are getting help.
@Macy There is a really good chapter in the book “The Brave Athlete” about exercise addiction and possibilities of eating disorder.
https://www.amazon.com/Brave-Athlete-Calm-Down-Occasion/dp/1937715736/
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Absolutely having the same battle but the other way round.
I’ve been super de-motivated and tired for around a year now, lots of skipped workouts culminating in the past 2 months totally off the bike. I’d put it down to having a new baby in the house (our first) 15 months old now.
This week I sat down, worked out what my needs probably are based on having a physical job, 6 hours sleep per night (if I’m lucky) and training on top.
Then I spent a couple of days tracking my intake with myfitnesspal as recommended on the podcast.
Have come to the realisation that I have been chronically undereating to the tune of around 2000 calories per day!
So watch you don’t slip too far the other way!
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I skimmed the thread, but didn’t read them all word for word. So someone else may have posted this. I highly recommend listening to TR Pocast 193 with Amber Pierce. It really helped me realize that I was starting to flirt with an eating disorder. My mental health about food was trending towards a very unhealthy place. It really helped me get back on-track and helps me enjoy the times I allow myself to indulge, and be steadfast when I’m holding to a healthy regimen. The key for me was maintaining control. Make a plan. Decide how much you will allow yourself to indulge. But we are not victims of food. We are free and independent beings that can make our own choices and not be ruled by our mouths or taste buds. I highly recommend listening to what Amber has to say!!
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Thanks, just started listening/watching the podcast 
In solidarity of your stuggle, I gained 5 pounds last week. You’re welcome.
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