My favorite diet plan

[Helen]

As long as you still ride your bike ... you cannot call yourself a sedentary person Cristina. Eat as much as your body needs ... and don't forget to take your vitamins

[mtnmunch]

There is no set caloric intake for everyone, even if they are the same weight. Lifestyle plays a large role, age, and your own body.

One person maybe able to eat 1200 calories and not feel deprived and lose weight.

Another person that may not work for them.

I use a software called Diet & Exercise Assistant. It uses basic math, you make up how what percentage of carbs, proteins and fats you want to have each day, along with how much weight you want to lose and by when. It will do the math and also warn you when your goals are unrealistic (i.e. I want to lose 12lbs in 5 days).

I've found it to be very helpful, and it's up to the end user what they choose to eat or enter in.

[SadieKate]

Check out: http://www.ediets.com

I think it did all that.

[caligurl]

i start my day with 1220 calories... however... i then get to add calories depending on my morningn workout and my bike ride! so generally i can get up to the 1600 to even 2000 range! (thank goodness cuz i LOVE food!) and for longer rides, of course, i can eat more calories... considering i can burn 3000-4000 calories.... i need to replenish!

as for what i eat... i try to eat "clean".... so that includes bread, if i want it, as long as it's whole wheat and not processed! brown rice, whole wheat pasta... a LOT of veggies, fruit lean meat, chicken... i even eat fish (which i always swore i hated! go figure!)

i allow myself "bad" treats... like when i do a long bike ride.. and we go out shopping after... i get to eat "bad" junk food or yummy "bad" sugary desserts!

i've found out if i'm too lenient on the "bad" foods... i gain weight.. and on someone my size... even 3 or 4 pounds makes a LOT of difference!

technically... i eat the "south beach" way.. cuz i've found it to be clean and healthy! i don't do low carb... ick! we NEED carbs.. but they need to be clean! low fat... protein! all good! i never bought into the no carbs lots of fat diet even before i took up cycling! (i.e. atkins)

[caligurl]

i take fish oil capsules too!

i'm still picky about my fish... here's a good talapia recipe

talapia is a mild tasting fish.. so maybe you'll like it too?

[traveller_62]

Diet Power is a decent software tool for tracking how much nutrition you get out of the calories you do take on board. I use it from time to time to make sure I'm getting all of the right amounts of micronutrients in my diet. I used it initially to get a sense of what I needed to eat to get the right balance of fat, protein, and carbohydrates.

I highly recommend a book called "Sports Nutrition" by Monique Ryan. She also writes a column for VeloNews. This woman knows nutrition and she also knows cycling. I've used a lot of her advice for fine tuning pre-ride and post-ride meals.

With respect to the 1200 calorie issue, it seems low to me. Even for a sedentary person. But my real concern is whether one can get decent nutrition in a 1200 calorie diet.

traveller

[mtnmunch]

As SadieKate said, eDiets does just that, recipes, grocery list, even exercise with instructions.

For fish, there are lots of options. I personally really like Salmon. It is the filet mignon of the sea. So many ways to cook it. Here are just a few I like.

- Salmon in Parchment (bed of pasta (any kind), a little olive oil, all the veggies you'd like, place on a sheet of parchment paper, top with a piece of salmon about the size of a deck of cards, spread some dijon mustard on top, fold up into a pouch and bake)

- Salmon wrapped in aluminum foil, with lemon juice and capers on the grille

- Salmon in a steamer with brown rice and asparagus with a light version of hollandaise sauce

So many possibilities

[caligurl]

yep... salmon is another fish i have discovered i like... it's good with just lemon pepper or lime pepper sprinkled on it... so i'm sure it would be good with some extra fancy stuff on it, too!

[Pedal Wench]

Salmon with a splash of teriyaki and good sprinkling of sesame seeds - ten minutes in the toaster oven and done. Yum!!!

An interesting aside -- I've been eating uber-clean for the past two weeks. I made two huge pots of soups - one for lunches, and one for dinners, loaded with tons and tons of veggies and beans for protein. Oatmeal for breakfast. Well, today, the chef at work (I KNOW! Torture!) made some of my favorites, so I did a cheat day. I could barely eat it. Turkey was too salty, spinach has some kind of sauce and was too rich, and the sweet potatoes had been oversweetened. I'm sure to the normal palate, it was fine, but after backing away from salt, fats and sugars (I have been eating lots of fruit though) this was all just too much. I can't wait for my soup for dinner!

[DirtDiva]

I know what you mean. Since May I've been in a flat where we all do our own shopping and cooking, so I figured it would be a good opportunity to eat a little better. And I've been trying not to spend too much money. Lots of veg, less meat (can't get good stuff for a nice price here) and I never buy sodas and cookies (Argh - I'm talking American! ) and other junk at the supermarket. I find now that I have to really want that can of Coke or whatever to be able to finish it.

As for the salmon, you all forgot the best way there is! Throw her on the barbie, mate!