I often think we need less than we think we do. Food these days is pretty refined, and energy is plentiful and easy to extract. More often than not it is our pre-conceived idea of how much food we think we should have at each meal, not necessarily how much we actually need.
Our bodies are pretty good at making do
and efficient at extracting a lot of what you need if you train it right.
That's an interesting take/experience.
I'm on the other end of the spectrum. There isn't enough food to sustain me (at a race pace) on multi-day rides. I spent large amounts of time dealing with "bonk". Just total lack-of-calorie headache, fatigue, and exhaustion even on days when consuming 6,000, 7,000, 8,000+ calories.
I recognize and have a similar experience to your sentiment on "fun" multi-day rides where the distance is short, breaks are often, and laughing with friends is a part of the adventure.... But I still eat fairly large quantities of food. Just no bonk.
I can only figure, that since my metabolism is so fast, I'm at a further end of the spectrum? Maybe? Or, I totally consume the incorrect foods for the output? But when on a multi-day I sort of eat what is available/palatable at the gas station.... As an example of my metabolism, I'm in my 40's and have the same waist size as when I graduated High School. No dietary restrictions are self imposed, other than I avoid wheat day to day (on the bike it's a free-for-all and eat anything).
Anyone else having similar experiences?
This might be a thread hijack.... sorry.
