2 Month Bike Trip

[Erin Arno]

Hey folks,

I got serious about paleo in September and have lost 45 pounds since. I've always wanted to do a long distance bike trip I'm gearing up for a 2 month trip down the east coast. I feel like I can finally do it without dying.

I am going to be camping so I'll have my little stove with me. I'll be doing between 60-80 miles a day. I'm thinking about the food I'll be grabbing from the grocery stores along the way.

I would like some suggestions for breakfast/lunch/dinner and especially some snack options to keep things fueled. I've been eating paleo quite a while now, so I guess I'm looking for some tips on campy- traveling food. And I was trying to imagine what it would look like if I ate sweet potatoes everyday for two months. Would that turn my skin orange?

I would also love to hear any advice if anyone has done something similar (long distance riding/biking/etc for extended time), while staying paleo. Of course there will be some regional splurges (chowders, butter up to my ears on crabs, a whole key lime pie when I hit Florida), but for the majority of my trip, I want to stay clean.

Thanks all!

[Katherine Derbyshire]

Eat things with calories in them.

Unless you really really love sweet potatoes, you'll find it very difficult to get enough food if you stay paleo. Plan on 400-500 calories per cycling hour, on top of your BMR.

Katherine

[James Chu]

I agree with Katherine. Unless you're cycling from grocery store to grocery store or hauling tons of product around, you're going to find it difficult to to stay clean and get enough calories. On these trips, the less you haul, the better cycling experience you'll have.

Pemmican (http://www.grasslandbeef.com/Detail....d=89853&no=291) WFS is an option, but even at 320 calories each, you'll be finding it difficult to make up that 1500-2500 calorie daily deficit from cycling.

My suggestion is to enjoy the experience and eat what you're craving within reason. I think you'll find that your limiting factor for your enjoyment on your trip will be recovery more so than staying clean.

[Jason Hall]

I did a similar, although shorter (2 weeks) trip around Nova Scotia a few years back. At the time, I had never heard of the Paleo diet. Similar mileage - 60-80 mi/day. We ate everything we could get our hands on, and still lost about 5 lbs. in 2 weeks.

My suggestion would be to find the most calorie dense things you can, Paleo be damned. If, however, you're not willing to let the Paleo slip a little, I'd suggest things like almond butter and trail mix (minus the chocolate).

[Daniel Sont]

Nuts have tons of calories. if you have 1lb of almonds, that will net you 2608 calories.

But I am not sure nuts are a valid dietary staple

[Katherine Derbyshire]

Originally Posted by Daniel Sont

Nuts have tons of calories. if you have 1lb of almonds, that will net you 2608 calories.

But I am not sure nuts are a valid dietary staple

I think someone who depended on nuts to fuel their cycling would spend a lot of time looking for restrooms along the way. But that's just me...

I also can't really imagine eating a pound of almonds *per day* for any length of time.

Nothing wrong with nuts -- or any other paleo food -- it's just that the calorie requirement we're talking about here is really huge.

Katherine

[Erin Arno]

Most of my trip will be store to store, thank goodness. I won't be carrying too much with me throughout the day except for snack foods. I did lots of digging through old posts and have tried Lara Bars out. Very tasty. Tried a sesame thing bar, not so tasty. Also, I've got some squeeze packets of almond and hazelnut butter that I'm trying out on my training rides. I'm just planning on eating as much clean food as I can.

I got into town last weekend and sat down at B&N and read The Paleo Diet for athletes. I still want to stay as paleo as possible throughout the trip. I feel gross and bloated when I eat sugars and grains (I get this red blotch down my neck the same as when I'm drinking), and I get sick when I eat dairy now.

I've been thinking of the analogy of a really high quality car. At home, you take care of it, put the best grade gas in it, keep it running smooth. When you take it on a long road trip, you don't suddenly put the crappiest sludge you can find, or diesel for that matter. You're putting it through more work for longer durations, you still want high quality gas, especially since you're going to be burning through so much of it.

That being said, I'll still eat a Key Lime pie in Florida, even if I have to take a rest day afterwards to deal with it.

Thanks everyone.

[Spencer James]

Originally Posted by Erin Arno

Most of my trip will be store to store, thank goodness. I won't be carrying too much with me throughout the day except for snack foods. I did lots of digging through old posts and have tried Lara Bars out. Very tasty. Tried a sesame thing bar, not so tasty. Also, I've got some squeeze packets of almond and hazelnut butter that I'm trying out on my training rides. I'm just planning on eating as much clean food as I can.

I got into town last weekend and sat down at B&N and read The Paleo Diet for athletes. I still want to stay as paleo as possible throughout the trip. I feel gross and bloated when I eat sugars and grains (I get this red blotch down my neck the same as when I'm drinking), and I get sick when I eat dairy now.

I've been thinking of the analogy of a really high quality car. At home, you take care of it, put the best grade gas in it, keep it running smooth. When you take it on a long road trip, you don't suddenly put the crappiest sludge you can find, or diesel for that matter. You're putting it through more work for longer durations, you still want high quality gas, especially since you're going to be burning through so much of it.

That being said, I'll still eat a Key Lime pie in Florida, even if I have to take a rest day afterwards to deal with it.

Thanks everyone.

What is it that causes you to have a bad reaction to grains? Is it the grains themselves, or do you get the reaction to gluten? Because if it is just the gluten, then you could try to aim for just getting as much gluten-free but non-paleo types of food as possible. I don't know how available these are in the kinds of grocery stores you'll have access to, but it might let you bridge the gap a little bit. I'm thinking of things like gluten-free bread, corn tortillas, rice, beans...

[Erin Arno]

I did have some corn tortilla chips last weekend and I didn't get that blotchy mark or the yuck feeling. I don't eat beans too often but I've never noticed a real reaction either. I've never tried any of those gluten free non-paleo things, but I might now just to experiment.

Thanks

[Jason Hall]

Originally Posted by Daniel Sont

Nuts have tons of calories. if you have 1lb of almonds, that will net you 2608 calories.

But I am not sure nuts are a valid dietary staple

Originally Posted by Katherine Derbyshire

I think someone who depended on nuts to fuel their cycling would spend a lot of time looking for restrooms along the way. But that's just me...

I also can't really imagine eating a pound of almonds *per day* for any length of time.

Nothing wrong with nuts -- or any other paleo food -- it's just that the calorie requirement we're talking about here is really huge.

Katherine

Seems like things get taken to the extreme a lot on the boards here. I'm not suggesting subsisting SOLELY on a blend of nuts for 2 months... but they are an excellent source of healthy fats and dense in calories. A good way to keep energy levels up between opportunities to shop and prepare real meals.

I found that lunches on the road are relatively easy (cafes, markets, etc.), but always carry an emergency stash of something for those days when it's noon and another 20 miles to the nearest food source. For breakfast and dinner you'll most likely be in camp and can get more creative. Really, anything you'd eat at home can be whipped up pretty easily if the ingredients are readily available.

Setting up the cooking gear on a trip like this can get to be a pain after novelty wears off (and after several 80 mi days in a row), so if you're a hardcore planner, allow yourself a few days on the menu where you're eating cold/quick meals.