Don't load up every six hours when you pass a restaurant, but regularly eat snacks instead. If your appetite disappears from fatigue or sleep deprivation, eat by wristwatch. Don't eat anything difficult or large within 2-4 hours of a big ride. Further, as our article on Pre-Ride Performance Eating describes, eating something sugary within an hour of so of a ride will create an insulin reaction that depletes your body of blood sugar, just when it needs it most. Time yourself to avoid the rush at checkpoint restaurants, and keep food around to use as a temporary meal replacement while you ride to the next, less crowded, checkpoint diner or to an eatery that isn't on the sheet.
Timing is an often overlooked aspect of eating.
Your body is not prepared to deal with large amounts of food until about noon. While it is important to eat steadily and frequently, also try to time your larger meals to be about 20 minutes before a stop. Aside from the pause allowing digestion to proceed more normally, eating sends the signal for your bowels to move, and it is best to time your stops to coincide with urges to use the rest room. To rebuild your muscle glycogen after a ride, try to eat at least 400 calories of carbohydrates soon after you stop. After several hours, eat about another 400 calories.