I know my "racing weight" in that, at 145 pounds I am supporting decent muscle mass and have minimal body fat... 65 grams of protein a day corresponds to maintaining that weight.

With increased riding and activity I have bumped that protein intake a little for recovery and mass building and have seen some good gains in that muscle mass, especially in these legs and some decent increases in my upper body which is good for a guy who is nearing 50 and suffers from an injury that does not allow me to lift much and can also restrict activity.

Having ridden 500 km in the last 8 days I have also bumped the carb intake a little but having practiced a low carb diet for some years I find that my body adjusts well and it is easy for me to get back on track with my regularly scheduled way of eating.

I don't know anything about Paleo, in fact I just had to Google it to see what it was, but I do know about losing and keeping weight off. In my late 30's, and again in my early 50's I was significantly overweight. Except for a brief period of cycling in my early 40's, I generally lost the weight with diet, and little or no exercise.

For several years I maintained my weight at approximately 195 #'s, which wasn't terrible since I am pretty tall. I made a decision years ago to stop alcohol, for several reasons the predominant reason being calories, and in fact I rarely drink anything with calories. The exception is an occasional coffee with non-fat milk or a sports drink when on a 50+ mile ride. A year and a half ago I started riding my bike again and my weight began to drop rapidly. Riding 150-200 miles per week (with some running when away from my bike) I lost 20 pounds in just a couple months. I am 6' 2.3" tall and when my weight went below 170 I decided to come up with a diet that would give me "good" calories and maintain a weight of 170-175. I use my own common sense to determine what "good" means. I am a creature of habit, and I created my diet so I wouldn't have to count calories or even think about food very often. So here is what I eat:

Breakfast: a large bowl of Fage non-fat Greek yogurt (1/3 of a 3 pound container from Costco) with every fresh seasonal fruit I like mixed in. Additionally, I add steel cut oats for crunchiness, as well as sliced (Costco) almonds for flavor and texture. On days when I am doing a long morning ride, I eat a small bowl and then eat another larger bowl for lunch. I only eat lunch on days when I am going on long rides.

Dinner: 12-16 oz. serving of fresh grilled fish (usually salmon, tuna, or swordfish). A large bowl of salad consisting of iceberg lettuce, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. Balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons of olive oil as the dressing. Once or twice per month I will remember to buy an avocado and slice it on top of my fish, and occasionally I will buy fresh salsa to put on the fish. Once every week or two I eat a baked potato (half if they are large) with non-fat yogurt on top, just to change things up. I use lots of salt on everything at dinner since I sweat a lot when biking. This is my dinner 6 days a week, with the other day being 3 fish tacos in soft tortillas with a bowl of tuna chili at a local favorite restaurant or shrimp fajitas at another favorite restaurant (no rice and no beans, but a little guacamole).

When my weight drops below 170 I eat a little more yogurt and fruit. I usually don't snack, but if I do it is a large fuji or granny smith apple. In the last several weeks I've been doing a lot of climbing in preparation for 6 gap in north Georgia. I've allowed my weight to drop below 170 until after 6 gap in 2 1/2 weeks, figuring as long as I feel good the less weight I have to carry up the mountains the better. I "eat" gels on century rides, and make my own energy bars and use those as well on 80+ mile rides. I get plenty of sugar in the fruit I eat, but otherwise I eat no sugar, no bread (except the above mentioned flour tortillas), no pasta, no meat (other than fish), no chocolate and no processed foods (other than the yogurt). With my recent training, I've been getting some leg cramps, so I eat a dill pickle 2-3 times a week.

I have followed this diet with no cheating for a year and a half. I had my "yearly" physical (first one in 3 years) on August 8, and all of my numbers were good. Low BP (120/70), low hr (44), low cholesterol (150), and low normal BMI (approx. 20.something). I feel great cycling and running, and my doctor said that I was definitely a creature of habit, but that my habits were good ones.

I don't recommend my diet to anyone, but it works very well for me. My theory is that I know myself better than anyone else, and I can devise a plan that works for me as long as I get enough protein, carbohydrates, good fats, fiber, and natural sugars to fuel my cycling.