Let's talk diet
 

I've been looking to revamp my diet for a while now. Get some more energy, lose a tiny bit of fat, and build muscle.
I know hipsters will refer me to ramen, PBR, and vegan snacks, but I want serious answers. What are your favorite (healthy) things to include in your diet?

drink green tea. i usually eat half a cliff bar between meals. keeps the metabolism going.

Yeah I snack between meals too. Usually some carrots or an apple or something. I do love cliff bars too though.

My favorite anytime snack: apples, especially honeycrisps. They have a low glycemic index (GI), which means energy is supplied to the body evenly rather than in surges, which is what happens when you eat snacks loaded with sugar. Low GI snacks are great for losing fat because they keep your body's metabolism working more regularly. I stuck to a low GU diet when I was training several hours a day in muay thai and have never felt better.

green tea, hummus, banannas, sprouted wheat bread, plain yogurt, pbj's, omega-3 eggs, whey, honey (for long rides), baja fresh burritoes, coffee and guacamole are all staples in my diet... good stuff.

switch out your white bread for whole wheat, eat less processed foods, cut out all sugary beverages unless it's right after a workout and you're off to a good start.

oh yeah, no f:)cking trans fat! ever!

Apples, bananas and oranges. They're easy and cheap and healthy. Don't eat too many bananas though, unless you're burning a lot of calories... they're great for a snack on a long ride. An apple or an orange for a snack between meals keeps your metabolism up and helps you eat smaller portions of your main meal.

Water. Lots of water will help you lose fat.

Protein is essential for building muscle. I use regular old egg and whey protein from the grocery store after I ride or go to the gym. I don't know what vegans use.

Getting plenty of sleep and eating something for breakfast helps lose fat and build muscle.

Beer helps keeps you mentally and emotionally fit, just try not to overdo it more than once a week.

also, when you're off the bike, you can just have a lot of sex. it's good exercise and gets all them hormones and junk flowin (among other things, heh).

GoLean Crunch, Cliff bars and Guinness.

...and pedal like you're being chased by a bear.

As opposed to having sex ON the bike...

..or WITH the bike?

Egg White + 1 Egg omelets. wheat toast. natural peanut butter with the chunky goodness. rice and beans. entire cans of tuna smothered in franks hot sauce. bananas on the regular. raw cashews. arroz con habichuelos. chicken. and a few spoons out of my 10lb bag of whey protein.

this keeps me fed up from the feet up.

i already tried to pull this one with the girlie. she wasn't into it. :[

On rollers?

nah, while doin barspinz.

nothing but carbs.

don't forget poppin' wheelies.

Salads.

Fruit salads, salads with lettuce, pasta salad, chinese salad, bean salad, etc. You can't go wrong, ever.

(You don't win friends with salad!)

Bananas, granola bars, protein shakes and water.

You'll want protein to build muscle, and eat smaller portions but eat every 1.5/2 hours to keep that metabolism burning...

Enjoy!

I live by potatoes and eggs. Gives a ton of energy for very little money. I take mine with butter, hot sauce, and apple juice.

eggs with brown rice! steel cut oats. apples, bananas, but especially grapefruit! tuna. been digging on archer farms protein cereal (i think it's called cinnamon start).

Handful of mixed raw nuts, citrus fruits or berries, and water or coffee for snacks. For meals, always include a protein source. Minimize processed foods and refined sugar. Avoid fruit juices. Eat as much fruits and veggies as you can. Drink water often.

less beer.

fig newtons

Fruit, veggies, carbs for energy, protein to repair/build muscle and WATER! You need it. Becoming fluent in cooking will help a lot with a better diet.

Yes but how? Replace with Scotch?

It's really not hard...

Eat 6-8 small meals daily. Pre-cook all your meals so they are ready to go. Tupperware is your friend.

Rely on proteins like eggs, turkey, chicken, fish, salmon (good fats), some leaner cuts of beef. I try to get all my protein from real foods as opposed to expensive protein supplements.

All green carbohydrates are a go with all meals because they are very fibrous, and are not calorie dense. If you are still hungry and you know you've eaten adequate protein at the current meal, eat more greens. I eat lots of asparagus, brocolli, lettuce, etc.

Starchy Carbs: I eat them first thing in the morning, and center them before and after hard work outs and rides. For example I was in the gym tonight. So I had starches with my breakfast but did not eat any until before and after my upper/lower back routine. Stick to natural carbs like sweet potato, oatmeal (I prefer steel cut), and small portions of brown rice. I try to avoid too many grains and a sweet potato taste better anyway. I never eat bread or pasta. I try to stay away from carbs modified by man. I once read "if a caveman couldn't get to it don't eat it." That thought process got me really lean.

So I really only have starches with 3 of my 6-8 meals. Helps keep me lean and keeps the bloat down but I am heavily into weight training so other people might not care for it. I pretty much eat starchy carbs when I need them.

Simple carbs: Simple sugars like fruit I will try and limit again to my work outs or in the early morning hours. I don't eat too many bananas but stick to low fructose fruits like plums.

As said earlier, I tend to stay away from a ton of supplements because the industry is filled with hype, but I do take fish oil and CLA if I don't get my salmon or other fatty acids for the day through other foods like almonds and walnuts. Vitamins are good too but I really don't bother with them anymore.

Drink AT LEAST 1 gallon of water daily. If your urine is yellow, you aren't drinking enough (unless you've been drinking colored fluids). I drink about 25 oz of water with each of my 6-8 meals. One thing I learned was that many times when I swore I was hungry, I was thirsty. Then you'll find out what a true dehydration cramp is. Stomach twister is an understatement.

When I challenge myself and try to get super lean I cycle my carbs. On low intensity activity days, I eat no starches, moderate days I will eat half of my meals with carbs but centered around my riding and weight training (what I normally do), but then on something like a leg day with tons of squats and dead lifts I eat starches with every meal. This tricks your metabolism and keeps it burning like a furnace, thus helping to get you extremely lean if you stick with it.

How do I deal with this? If I go out with my girl friend or friends on fri or saturday night and I know I have followed my diet, 2 meals out of the 42 or so meals I have won't really do much damage. So I put my "reward" meals there and still follow my diet with about 90-95% compliance. This keeps me sane and willing to do it again next week.

I have kept my body fat between 4.5 and 9% for 2 years straight following what I outlined above.
I understand not everyone has the same goals so this isn't for everyone, but it may be beneficial for someone out there trying to get lean and stay lean. NEVER neglect your legs in the gym. So many guys have this complex like "my legs are already big enough, I'm gonna do some curls instead."

Read the nutrition articles at www.t-nation.com and also read up on a dude called John Berardi. He has good articles on eating healthy without it tasting like cardboard.

Good luck to all of you eating correctly. It is rewarding.

im poor.

carbs, rice and soy sauce, pasta and pasta sauce from a can. fried rice with spam. on the weekends i go to resturants.

i need a job.

i think hot sauce is key, if you dont eat some with every meal, you arent taking advantage.

I am nearly 43 and at a stage of life where many people really have to battle to maintain a healthy weight...

Besides being blessed with good genes I ride enough that at this time last year I was consuming nearly 5000 calories a day to maintain a very lean 145 pounds.

I am riding less now and will probably only ride 6000-7000 miles in '08 as compared to just over 10,000 miles last year so have adjusted my diet to reflect that as I discovered that I can actually gain unhealthy weight.

My physician has told me that he wishes all his patients were in as good a shape as me (aside from the sciatica) and as far as diet goes I eat pretty much anything I want... in moderation.

I eat chicken and fish and on occasion will eat red meat, consume a lot of whole wheat pasta, brown rice, lentils, and oatmeal. I have at least 2 bananas a day and eat an abundance of fruit and vegetables.

I break up my days meals into 5-6 smaller meals as I find I maintain a consistent energy level this way and have been doing this for so long I can't eat huge meals

I have cut back on coffee and now drink mostly tea, rarely buy soft drinks or junk food, and consume alcohol on an infrequent basis.

I will start work as a messenger next month so will have to up the caloric intake accordingly.

Thanks for the responses dudes.
I especially liked nickatina and jaeone's responses. I'm gonna go grocery shopping tomorrow.
I ate a 3 egg (3 white, 1 yolk) omlet this morning with green peppers in it... **** it was good.

Anybody heard of Odwalla bars? I eat those on occasion between meals.