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Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides?
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I was shopping around the nutritional products today and noticed Ensure. If you filled a 24oz bottle with this stuff you would have 1050 cals, 150g carb., 1320mg K, 720mg Na, 33g fat and 39g protein. Not to mention all the vitamins (B complex might help).

That is a lot of nutrition in a small package. I like that maltodextrin is one of the main ingredients too. Just curious if anyone has tried it on a long ride as your energy/electrolyte source. Pros/cons?

thanks,
dave "shake it" judice
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [judiced] [ In reply to ]
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Back in the late 80's early 90's Mark Allen was using an Exceed meal replacement beverage very similar to Boost and Ensure; the Exceed product was not specifically developed for athletes but for patients with nutrional or digestive tract problems. I used a Metabolol product which mixed up like a chocolate shake and contained some fatty acids as well as carbs and protein and was quite easy to digest and tasted great. The Ensure/boost line will work well from a nutrient perspective and may be easier to handle for your GI tract. Of course, you will have to experiment in training esp if you are doing longer events. Best time to run thru your nutrional stuff is on bricks done at or above goal race pace; if it works well then, it will work on race day unless climactic conditions are dramatically different (ie hotter)
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [judiced] [ In reply to ]
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I have a cast iron stomach. Nothing has escaped from it in the wrong direction in over 20 years. However, I tried drinking one can of Boost during the '99 Leadville 100 bike race. I took a drink, stomach said "NO", and tossed the can in the trash. If I weren't racing, it might have been okay.
Last edited by: Todd Scott: Jan 29, 03 11:07
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [judiced] [ In reply to ]
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I have not had Boost on a ride, per se, but I have used it at transition points during ultra-distance adventure races (primarily swim, bike, run events) and it works great, sits well in my belly, and gives great sustained energy

Ray
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [judiced] [ In reply to ]
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Never tried it myself but I do think that riders in the grand tours (TdF, Giro, etc) drink it during the stage. I remember hearing on OLN last year that they can burn up to 8000 cals on the long mountain stages and need all the help they can get to keep energy up. I was thinking of trying it this year but it might be a little thick or heavy.

A
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [judiced] [ In reply to ]
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2 cans of ensure is part of my pre IM meal. Works great! Tried Boost once, in training, and it messed up my stomach.

David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [judiced] [ In reply to ]
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yep. used it. love it. will use it again.

I had the "ensure" stuff.

it IS a little thick though.
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [judiced] [ In reply to ]
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Never tried it, but Ensure is the preferred energy beverage for the Detroit Red Wings, especially during those triple overtime playoff games.
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [FLA Jill] [ In reply to ]
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well idon't know about the redwings, but i used to work in a nursing home, and they went thru gallons of ensure. ensure for breakfast, ensure for nap time, ensure for a bedtime snack, and bags full of the stuff hanging on pumps running down people's noses and straight thru ports sewn into in their bellies. eeeeeee-friggin-uuuuwww. not exactly the imagery and taste/smell mental picture i associate with speed and strength and stamina, if ya know what i mean. pass the gatorade and gu. :)
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [david] [ In reply to ]
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[reply]2 cans of ensure is part of my pre IM meal. Works great! Tried Boost once, in training, and it messed up my stomach.[/reply]

I noticed the Boost had more simple sugars than Ensure brand which may have been the problem. If I remember right unlike Ensure, Boost had no maltodextrin in it, which according to the e-caps people passes through the GI tract easier or something. Anyway, I have had success with e-caps products (Sustained Energy and Hammer Gel) and they are high on the maltodextrin.

I am going to try Ensure since it is more readily available than Sustained Energy and has the added benefits of higher calorie concentration and eletrolytes.

dave
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [judiced] [ In reply to ]
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Well, my Computrainer is next to my basement refrigerator, so I eat all sorts of things during my long indoor rides. I had my roommate's slimfast bananna shake yesterday in the middle of a ride and liked it. It was 4:1 carbs to protein so I figured I was in good shape. On outdoor endurance rides I am known eat pizza, tuna sandwiches, grape soda, beef jerkey and Red Bull combos. I find I can eat anything when I am training in HR zones 1 and 2 and there is not as much of a difference as you think between Gatorade and grape soda. The high point of the winter was finishing half of a chocolate bundt cake 2 hours into a 3 hour session. Nothing like being able to just grab a whole cake to stave off a bonk.

This may cost me some places next season, but I'll give away a great racing secret. . .

Carbopro is a drink mix by a company called sportquestdirect that is basically pure maltodextrin. You can get as many calories you want to in a water bottle. . . I've had up to 2000 calories in one bottle. It is quite digestible although you do have to alternate squirts of carbopro with gulps of water if you concentrate it as much as I do.

-MK
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [judiced] [ In reply to ]
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So coincidental that you mention Ensure as I have just been doing some research on what the RAAM (Race Across Ameria) bike guys use. It turns out some of them use Ensure. You gotta figure these guys have to know their nutritation, cycling non-stop across the country for 10 days.

I use Carbo Pro now (same as the last post) and love it. Nearly tasteless and super easy on the guts. You don't even know you are drinking if you mix it right. I usually mix 500 -600 calories in a cycling drink bottle with water and a little sport drink just for taste.
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [judiced] [ In reply to ]
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Know plenty of people who use ensure as a pre race meal (like many above) but have never heard of anyone using it mid race.
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [judiced] [ In reply to ]
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I use the ENSURE Plus for IM before and during.

Check out the ULTRA Runner page; the have a ton of info on Ensure

http://www.ultrarunning.com/
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Re: Anybody ever drink Ensure or Boost on long rides? [judiced] [ In reply to ]
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I've had great success with Boost. I had 2 cans during my recent Brevet Series 200km ride.

-Robert

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank
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