By "practical food", I'm talking about still eating things I like, but maybe adjusting what I eat the night before a ride (I start riding about 30-45 minutes after getting up) or possibly that morning in a hurry.

Eating stuff I don't like isn't fun - thus not "practical". I may later make adjustments to eat healthier, but not now (unless someone can demonstrate that eating a piece of broccoli will instantly increase my speed by at least 2 mph!).

So, here are the things I commonly eat at night, 2-3 hours before bed:

Subway sandwich (footlong tuna, roast beef, or meatball - I might consider some others).

Baby back ribs!

Lasagna (with meat)

Speghetti (with meat sauce)

Chili (canned - one of the few things I cook at home)

Steak (with salad, baked potato, bread - favorite is Outback steakhouse)

Soup (Tomato or chicken noodle)

Chicken - fried or some kind of chicken strips (McDonalds for example)

Cheese pizza

I sometimes fill in the corners with Cheerios, Wheat Chex or Corn Chex right out of the box.

So, would any of those things be particularly good the night before - particularly bad?

Next, what about the morning? I don't eat breakfast before I leave, partly because I'm going to eat breakfast at a beachfront restaurant in Waikiki after riding 12-40 miles.

Sometimes I do the cereal thing though - a few handfuls right from the box - just in case it might help me from wearing out. I also sometimes take a packet of GU for the same reason - and sometimes take one with me, but usually I don't use it.

Any comments on that?

Finally, I eat breakfast at a buffet so there are lots of options and I'd be interested in what would be good choices before I do the last 14 miles or so home - or possibly go on an even longer ride. Of course, also good to know if certain things are good for long-term benefit. Basic choices:

Omelets (I usually get two eggs over medium)

A couple types of bread (I usually get a couple slices of white bread if I get the eggs - I don't care for wheat bread usually)

Bacon and sausage (I usually get 2-3 strips of bacon with eggs)

Guava bread (really more like a cake - I get some of this)

Pancakes (If I don't do eggs, I'll eat this instead)

Bagels (I'll eat half of one if I get pancakes - I put cream cheese on it)

I also usually get sausage rather than bacon if I do pancakes.

Fruits (watermelon, pineable, cantaloupe, honeydew and sometimes grapes or other items). I usually eat a bout a half dozen bite-size (big bites) pieces of this assortment.

Dried bananas (haven't eaten these)

Cottage cheese

Rice (I haven't eaten this)

Some sort of seasoned potato dish (potatos cut up in little chunks - I eat a little of this sometimes)

Some cereals - don't recall what - I think corn flakes is one and maybe fruit loops for kids.

Lots of choices of juices - too many to remember. I actually get the passion-orange-guava. I know they have orange juice, tomato juice, guava juice, cranapple juice (maybe mixed with some other juices too like cran-apple), etc.

Coffee

That's all I can recall right now.

Bob