Vegan here too, 52 year old mountain biker, still experimenting with macros. What do you typically eat in a day (if you don’t mind sharing)?
I really like salted potatoes for an in-ride snack!
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How many potatoes do you try to eat, Stacy Sims says 40-50g or carbs per hour which I assume refers to the carbohydrate content not the actual amount of food. That works out at 300g of boiled potato! I’m pretty sure I could not eat all of that in an hour (although off the bike I could do this all day…)
Yes, i listen to Sonya. She is Awesome as an athlete and a person
I would be really interested to read research on how some people can take more high intensity work than others. I do really well if i keep most of my training really low and then go really hard twice a week. is it genetics? diet? training?
I came to mtb late - 46 and began with “ultra” events - 12 and 24 hour solo, with good results.
Is it our environments? I work in a special needs school and there are loads of bugs going round. if my immune system is depleted from a high intensity session i can easily pick up mild forms of what is going round, which can put me at a low ebb for subsequent weeks.
It does seem to be that alot of vegan athletes attribute their success to their diet and people seem to be implying that they can take more TSS/.higher intensity because they are vegan…
I’m not being antagonistic here, just interested.
I had eating disorders when i was younger, which means veganism might not be such a healthy option for me
My fave too! Also easy to get hold of if racing / training abroad!
Good points Bullseye. I wonder if changing to a vegan diet from the more Standard American Diet results in fitness gains because overall diet quality improves. I’ve personally felt that I’d probably be healthier if I ate animal protein but it’s an ethical choice
for me so even if I was promised 10 extra watts, I couldn’t do it lol. I’m sorry you struggled with an eating disorder and for sure eliminating lots of foods probably isn’t a good idea.
Like you, I have been focusing on endurance mtb events, I did Leadville last month. For me I think it’s genetic, even when I was younger I was never a sprinter, I’ve always done better at long distance running, cycling, triathlon. It’s also what I like so I
know that is a big part of it, I don’t enjoy short interval work so I don’t do it much. I’m 45 years old so I’m not sure how much is trainable at this point. I was a teacher for 15 years and noticed a big improvement in overall health when I got out of the
classroom a few years ago, away from the germs and not on my feet all day so I think you are definitely onto something!
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Honestly, I am not as good as I should be about eating. I bring food and just try to remember to eat it on a regular basis. I don’t bring that many potatoes, most definitely. When I have potatoes I usually just bring a couple, but for long rides, they are certainly not the only thing. They’re great as a break from the sweet stuff.
And @trackingtracey, totally true–they are universal! I’ve never raced/trained abroad, but totally can see this.
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Sure! Today is pretty typical:
Pre ride breakfast: toast w/pbj
Post (3 hour) ride: steel cut oats with almond milk, berries
Lunch: avocado, tomato & hummus on toasted French bread
Snack: smoothie made with Vega, spinach, berries & almond milk
Dinner: sweet potato & roast veggies w/tofu
I’ll probably have some chocolate or a cookie after dinner
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This made me laugh out loud - almost my day’s food today 
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Great thread all!
I seem to eat more than is typical, but I am a fidgetter and always leaping up and down to do things so maybe that extra energy gets burned off. My typical day would be:
Breakfast: Protein shake w BCAAs and ground flaxseeds, oatmeal with fruit and walnuts, black coffee with MCT oil and tsp almond butter
Mid morning: e.g. apple
Lunch: Buddha bowl, as many veggies / sald things as I can find, protein (tofu / tempeh) plus some form of carbs (rice, cous cous, quinoa), sauerkraut, more MCT oil,
Afternoon / pretraining: 2 slices sourdough w banana, maple syrup and almond butter
Dinner: more veggies, small serve of carbs and protein (tempeh / tofu)
This month I am experimenting with an extra protein shake before bed as I often get quite hungry.
I’m 5’7" (171cm), 61kg, almost 53 and mainly ride MTB, train 2-3 time per week indoors and ride a couple of times outdoors on the weekend.
Some days it feels like I am eating all day long, but my weight never seems to fluctuate unless I eat crappy food.
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I understand your ethics. I was an animal activist at the age of 16. unfortunately my eating disorder thinking got mixed up with it. I tried veganism a few months back, but felt those old thoughts/feelings begin to emerge again. I try to eat as ethically as possible - I figure if it is organic, the animal has been better cared for, although I realise I am turning a blind eye to some extent.
It might be that animal sources of protein would be useful for you and even give you a higher FTP 
but it might also be that you are escaping the inflammation associated with animal products.
Dr Sims recommends some adaptogens. I’m doing some reading around that. just because they are natural doesn’t make them safe…
Has anyone had experience of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) ?
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I’m finding some of Dr Sims advice contradictory.
She advises avoiding fructose and yet at other times advocates the use of Honey Stinger products, which contain fructose.
Can anyone throw some light on this?
I got lucky and found a quote!
Dr. Stacy Sims, founder of Osmo Nutrition, echoes his sentiment. “Honey is good when it is in something, but its higher fructose content can cause gastrointestinal issues if used straight-up. Raw honey is the best, as it has a lower (Glycemic Index) hit, which allows for more sustained energy,” and less likelihood of drastic blood sugar swings.
via this bicycling.com article from 2015. Honey is basically glucose + fructose + water, so maybe it’s not great as a gel replacement on its own, but it’s fine if you stuff it in with other foods?
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Sounds plausible to me! I think this is true for other things too… eat it in balance with other items and you end up with a better result. I think this is even true for water–if you drink it with other food you’re more likely for it to hydrate you, but if it’s by itself, you might be better off adding electrolytes for real hydration/absorption.
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This is a great podcast, lot’s of info.
She recommends maples syrup rather than honey. We don’t get that so easily in the UK, especially not in little packets.
I think for training I’m going to try this combo:
Nuun for hydration (expensive, but works well for me)
Peanut butter and jam(jelly) on white bread
Cliff bars
And glucose tablets when I need a hit.
My gut is much more healthy now I’ve given up fructose whilst training and in recovery shakes.
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If you want to use maple syrup as a gel, you don’t need to buy it in the little packets. Hydrapak makes these nice little flasks that hold maple syrup without leaking–I’ve had a lot of success with it.
https://hydrapak.com/shop/accessories/softflask-28mm-cap
https://hydrapak.com/shop/soft-flasks/softflask-250-ml
(I think someone found a two-pack of both sizes on Amazon somewhere…)
The 150ml flask doesn’t seem to come with a bite valve any more, but you can buy a separate one, which I highly recommend.
https://hydrapak.com/shop/accessories/softflask-28mm-cap
A bonus of just filling the flask yourself is that you are reducing your packaging footprint.
These flasks collapse into almost nothing when you’ve sucked all the stuff out of them.
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Oooooh I have a soft flask that I haven’t used yet…
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This Stacy Sims TedX video showed up on my youtube suggestions today: Women are Not Small Men: a paradigm shift in the science of nutrition | Stacy Sims | TEDxTauranga - YouTube
Posting the link here in case anyone is interested.
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