Training & Nutrition - What to eat to keep up engery

I've started riding 20-30mi a day to lose some weight. I'm 230 but I'm built like a linebacker....but I could stand to lose 20ish. (I'm an easy gainer, hard loser though) What foods should I be eating to give me a balance between weight loss and energy? I know you're supposed to take in a lot of carbs for energy but it can't be good for diet. Likewise, when I eat "diet" food, I'm exhausted. I'm hoping to do my first 100mi at the end of Aug....already taken off 10lbs this year.

For a ride less than 2-2.5 hours, I just eat a good breakfast before the ride. I don't need any calories on the ride itself. Your mileage may vary, I know some people whose reserves are gone within an hour, but that's unusual.

For rides longer than that, I take sport drink (I like unflavored HEED), some gel, and a bar. Or more if it's a long ride.

After rides I have a recovery drink of OJ with some protein powder. If you are trying to lose weigh you may not want to do that.

Carbs that you need to fuel cycling aren't bad. Just don't consume more than you need. Some people think that they need a large Gatorade for a 10 mile ride, then wonder why they don't lose weight.

For rides longer than 2-2.5 hours I aim to consume at least 200 calories an hour (up to 300 in races). You are burning more than that of course, but you can only absorb a certain amount. You should eat frequently, don't try to cram down an entire clif bar at a stop. Eat while riding.

As "real world" riders we should not take our diets from pro's who do daily 4-6 hour rides. We simply don't need and shouldnt eat that high a % of carbs.

I like this guy's ideas:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

You should track your food intake on a daily basis. There are sites which do this (like Fitday but there are others) and all you have to do is sign up.

Once you know what you're eating and how much energy you are expending, it is fairly easy to reduce your daily calorie intake by 500 calories. A 500 calories per day reduction is 1 lb per week weight loss.

You can also swap 1 meal per day with a protein drink for fewer calories but still get the protein you need. Plus this isn't "diet food" so you can control your nutrition needs to have a balanced diet. However, you should also be taking a multi vitamin daily anyway.

Eating while riding just means to take in 200 cals or so per hour. A banana or other fruit works for that on moderate length rides. On longer rides you will need drink mixes plus food.