New Cyclist to the forum, and protein

I wanted to send a message to introduce myself, but also see if there are any others out there to connect with. I'm a recreational cyclist, looking to step up my training, and maybe become competative again. I am mainly training to do ultra endurance events (150+ miles), but look to cross train with running events, duathlons, and other shorter (50-100 mile) cycling events.

I found this site through my boss, who happens to be a power lifter, with interests in personal training and nutrition. Another coworker is a runner, training for marathons. The boss has helped him with a lifting/stretching program, along with advice on protein, and has pretty much done the same with me.

I've known a little about nutrition in the past, but it was more for while I am on the bike, not pre/post workout. I am just starting to get into protein as part of my post ride recovery efforts after hard training sessions. I have also been working to incorporate more protein into my diet in general, and cut down on some of my carbs to help get back into my lean form. At 6', 195, my goal is to get down to 180 by July for a 12 hour event. Weight loss does take a concerted effort for me, but as long as I am training, and being mindful of my eating, the pounds slowly drop. So overall, my goals are to increase my endurance, increase power without gaining too much mass (more weight makes it harder to climb, and more bulk is less aerodynamic), and also looking to loss some weight through training and diet.

If anyone has any suggestions on the types of products to use from PF for what I described above, I would be more than happy to hear them. I am open minded to new training methods, suppliments, etc. While on the bike, I mainly use Hammer Nutrition products for nutrition, and Nuun for hydration.

One last thing. I was looking for a search feature that I commonly find on other forums I belong to, but couldn't seem to find it on here. Am I just not quite awake, or is there not one?

Thanks everyone!

Scott

welcome to the forums. to keep it simple u won't go wrong with a peptopro/oatmuscle combination. pepto for it's superior absorption and oatmuscle for it's low glycemic index (minimal fat gain). add some killer qc for it's incredible recovery potential and in my opinion u have the perfect simple formula. u may find it a wee bit bitter but the results make it all worthwhile. my 2 cents

Welcome to the forums. I am a cyclist too, so a lot of this comes from experience. First of all, while hammer products are quite good, they are a bit overpriced. I have found that alot of the protein/carb mixes can be reproduced here for a lot less money. HEED is really just stevia sweetened and flavored maltodextrin with endurolytes. While you'll have to still supplement the endurolytes, you can make your own version of "Heed" for less than $3/lb. Same goes for Recoverite (maltodextrin, glutamine + whey isolate), sustained energy (maltodextrin, soy isolate, and glutamine), and perpetuem. Just make sure that you ask for less sweetener and flavoring than normal when you order (something hammer does very well). For stuff on the bike either malto or rice syrup with electrolytes is pretty good along with whey or soy isolate. However, for post workout (taste is less important) try adding one of the hydrolyzed proteins along with some Rilose or Oatmuscle. If you have any questions for specific situations, let me know.

I had a great response written up, and didn't submit it last night. Then my computer shut down. Oh well.

Long story short, thanks for the suggestions djones and dsotm. I really appreciate the suggestions, especially the ideas about how to make my own Hammer Products. I am really looking forward to making my own versions and tweaking them to my needs and tastes. I'm sure I'll have more questions as I learn more about the products. Thanks again!

Scott

For my version of Heed and Hammer Gel, I'm going to try this...
Malto - 70%
Fructos - 10%
Rice Syrup - 15%
BCAA's 5%

One I'm adding Splenda and Vanilla to, the other I am leaving flavorless to make espresso (add a little coffee). For the gel, I'll put the desired amount into a bowl, and slowly add water while mixing until I get a little bit more liquidy consistance than Hammer Gel, and then put it into a flask. I can also use the mixtrue as a drink too, as Gel and Heed are pretty similar when you look at the ingredient statements.

I think I'll use the same mixture for Perpeteum and Sustained Energy. I am a little wary about adding protein into the mix. I had intestinal issues with Accelerade in the past.

One thing I was curious about. I was originally going to go with Stevia, but my boss cautioned me about a bitter taste. He only buys his protein from here, so he has a lot of experience with the products. Any feed back there? And also, I saw a note above about asking for less sweetner and flavor. Without that, does the mix tend to have a super strong flavor/sweetness? I'm going to try some Vanilla WPC a coworker has here to test the flavor strength.

For the recovery, I think I'll do the following...

WPI - 20%
WPC - 25%
Casine - 15%
Oatmuscle - 25%
Fructose - 15%

Hit that back, with some grape juice or cranberry juice, or eat some fruit, until I can get home for a proper meal, and see how that goes.

How does that sound?

Scott

What diet are you going to keep to loose the weight?

During the week is pretty easy, the weekends are what is hard.

Breakfast - 1-2 cups of frozen fruit (strawberry, pineapple, mango, peach, and blueberrys), 1 cup dry granola type cereal (try to find high protein, but low fat/calories), Kashi makes a few decent lean cereals with about 9 grams of protein per cup, Wegmans also has a decent one that I tried this AM.

Lunch - cup of brown rice, 1/2 cup black beans, 1/4 cup low fat shreaded cheese, 1/4 to 1/2 cup peas, tablespoon or so of nutritional yeast, some hot sause for flavor, and a packet of tuna in sunflower oil, or chicken breast (drained).

Snack - Low/No Fat yogurt or Greek Yogurt, sunflower seeds

Dinner - Usually some sort of stirfry type dish of grilled boneless/skinless chicken breast, marinated in a little bit of olive oil, herbs and spices, sauted veggies (little bit of olive oil with some herbs for flavor), with quinoa or a little bit of pasta/rice. Occasionally I will make some lean beef burgers on the grill, or a salad with tuna and fresh veggies. Dinner usually depends on how long of a post work ride I do, how late it is, and how tired I am. Some nights, it is a recovery protein shake, maybe some edamami, a little pasta, and some other veggies.

I am pretty good about sticking to the above during the week. The weekend gets a little harder when I am out of my work schedule, but I have been finding that I am able to keep myself away from a lot of the crap food. My wife is also trying to get back into shape (runner) and lose some weight, so that helps. I have also cut out soda, alcohol, most sweets, and unhealthy snacks. I do have some chips every now and then, plus chocolate and ice cream are big downfalls, but I treat myself to a small piece of chocolate, like a hershey kiss, when I really am feeling the cravings. Also, the ice cream I buy is a frozen yogurt that is relatively healthy, for ice cream at least, and I keep it to a small amout every few days as a treat.

So far, I am down to between 185-187, from 210. I think the change in diet has helped, but I am also riding much more than I have in the past few years. Put everything together, and it is working well, besides a little protein gas. Hopefully I can continue training, lifting, and eating well, and be down to 170-175 by the end of August for the 24 Hours of Booty!

very timely info as I am trying to lose weight before the holidays so that I can look my best when I visit my relatives. These tips are sure to come in hand.