Eating before early morning rides

If you want a bit of science then read Barry Murray's articles, including this:

http://www.stickybottle.com/uncategorized/coaching-cyclists-nutrition-is...

via https://www.facebook.com/pages/OptimumNutrition4Sport/131822740956

FWIW on Sunday I usually leave for my 4-6 hour ride at 07:00, and before that I have a big bowl of porridge. Perfect.

I'd suggest getting your body used to at least starting a ride without food. Most people have enough glycogen for a couple of hours of steady riding so you shouldn't really need anything for 60-90mins. I usually have just a glass of warm water before leaving the house.

I think gels are a waste of money except for racing; normal food works perfectly well unless you're riding really hard but others like the convenience.

Why not try the early start and see how it feels? No harm in giving it a go, you might be surprised how well you go. Find a route that's quiet and enjoy the early morning.

Cereal, fruit juice and toast are high GI foods that will make you more prone to snacking. Adding protein to brekkie makes it more filling and don't bother going for 'low fat' options, they're packed with sugar. As neildmoss shows, positive changes can be made easily.

For me, I only tend to get out on weekends for 4-6 hours at a time. The main criteria for me is keeping my wife happy by going as early as possible, so I've gotten used to eating a lot early and then heading straight out.

My breakfast recommendation of choice is 3~ scoops of ground oats with 1 scoop of protein shake (I use www.myprotein.com, cheap stuff but have been using them for years with no complaints). Mixed up with milk it makes a substance that is somewhere between readybrek and porridge. It's what I eat every day and w/o exercise will tide me over until lunch - if I'm out on the bike I supplement it with a jam sandwich every ~1.5 hours. I read somewhere that a jam sandwich is just as effective as the gels you can buy - contains glucose in the jam for an instant hit, along with some long-chain carbs in the bread.

YMMV, and of course you can't easily eat a jam sandwich on the move

The real answer here is, no two people are the same, whatever works for you.

Eating early makes me feel Moby Dick, but I can tolerate iced gingerbread and coffee, took a while to find that out!

I would suggest you read "The Primal Blueprint" by Mark Sissons. It'll probably change the way you think about nutrition and exercise entirely.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Primal-Blueprint-Reprogramme-effortless-boundles...

Porridge is your friend! I like mine with peanut butter and golden syrup.
To be honest, with rides of 60-90 mins you don't really need to eat on the bike. Maybe take an emergency bar or gel, just in case you bonk on the way home but your body holds onto enough glycogen to power your muscles for at least 60 minutes of hard effort, so assuming your pace is somewhere below threshold, you should be ok - and presumably since you're a bit overweight you want to get into the fat burning zone anyway? A more effective strategy for that might be to have a slightly more protein-y breakfast, perhaps an egg or two, and minimise carbs. Go out more gently, and the protein will help your body to use the fat stores as an energy source. If you try any hard efforts it'll really hurt though with this tactic!