Seriously, I don’t know how to do this. I’m fortunate that I can pretty much eat what I want and not blow up like a balloon (I’m 29, so I’m sure that will change soon), but I’m not sure how to eat right to really boost performance. I know it’s good to eat fruits, veggies, and whole wheat/grain bread instead of white…that’s about the extent of my knowledge. I just got married and we’re trying to make an effort to eat a healthy diet. I’m just looking for general suggestions or examples if you have any…thanks!
“Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes”, Monique Ryan.
Add that to what you already think you know and stop worrying about it.
For me, it all came down to repetition. I would say 6 days a week my diet does not change at all, other than “extra” calories I take in (on long runs / rides, stuff like that)
I realize not everyone could handle that kind of diet, but it has never bothered me, and it makes my trip to the grocery store very fast and auto pilot.
Quickly and probably over-simplified… Find out how many calories you need per day to sustain yourself… build 5-6 meals a day around those caloric needs (with a solid ratio of pro/carb/fats) and then add extra calories to the days you have long/hard workouts. (usually in the form of gels / recovery drinks for me)
Saturday I have a cheat meal of whatever I want. (Usually right after my long bike) NOT A CHEAT DAY.
It’s easy once you start eating for fuel and not for fun.
Seriously, I don’t know how to do this. I’m fortunate that I can pretty much eat what I want and not blow up like a balloon (I’m 29, so I’m sure that will change soon), but I’m not sure how to eat right to really boost performance. I know it’s good to eat fruits, veggies, and whole wheat/grain bread instead of white…that’s about the extent of my knowledge. I just got married and we’re trying to make an effort to eat a healthy diet. I’m just looking for general suggestions or examples if you have any…thanks!
One of the best things you can do is to keep a food journal. Build an Excel spreadsheet and keep track of everything you eat along with the time. Keep track of calories, carbs, protein and fat. Doing this will force you to think about what you are eating and show you the gaps you need to fill in your diet.
My wife and I both work full time. With so little time in the evening, it was impossible to have the time to eat healthy every day. I’d get my workouts in so pounds would come off here and there but I struggled with consistency. The groceries, planning for meals and making sure you have the proper ingredients, cooking, eating, clean up etc…all after putting in a fulls days work and possibly 2 training sessions?!
We were picking up take out an average of 3 times a week and eating moderately healthy the other days. The food was OK and we ended up throwing a lot of the left overs away because we didn’t budget the meals correctly. I’d cook way to much of one thing trying to be economical and end up wasting a lot.
It’s worth the money to hire someone to take care of the cooking for you. I can pick healthy meals out of recipe books and our nanny will prepare them. She then puts the food in plastic containers ready for storage. All we do is plate our food and put the containers in the fridge. Dinner takes 30 minutes total (we chit-chat a little) where it used to take an hour and a half(+) to do all that miserable prep, planning and cooking.
Breakfast, Lunch and snacking during the day are moderate meals for me so dinner is where I get a lot of nutrition and its the foundation of my healthy diet. Balance is the best way to have a healthy diet. Seems like you know what to eat. You just need help with portion control and having the right food to eat. The best way to “have the right food to eat” is to cook it yourself.
Maybe it just that cooking isn’t my thing but I’d much rather spend my extra precious time in the evening with family or relaxing. A part-time cook in a suburban area should run your $5-800 a month; prioritize. Plan your meals for the week and provide a shopping list.
The pounds will start dropping you’ll feel FANTASTIC!
We used Care.com. They handle all the background checks etc. It took us (my wife mostly) about 6 weeks to find someone after 20 or so interviews. It’s a good place to start. After that, Google is your friend.
Cook a lot of food on the weekends and package it up for the week. That way you can plan your meals ahead of time and have it ready to go during the week.
Look to the right and eat. Thats about it. Duh.
Just make sure you get 5-8 servings of fruits and Veggies (definitely helpful in recovery and fighting against possible colds). Eat when you are hungry (not when you are bored). Try to cook more, eat out less, also less microwavable food (Arnold - “I Like Nuke food”). Watch out for things with fake man made ingredients with like 30 Syllables. Stay away from sugarless diet crap - Aspartame, Sucralose, etc. These companies have their wallet and not your health in their best interest. Stay away from stuff with High-Fructose Corn Syrup (these are highly glycemic, and will make you crave more unnecessary food, especially sugary foods).
Also, read up. And, don’t ever do anything radically, as you are entitled to treats every now and again.
Chris
Start by getting rid of all the temptations in your fridge, pantry, and office drawer.
The wife and I just started the paleo diet. We make trips to Trader Joe’s and the farmer’s market (she has one in her building every week) about once a week. We basically shop on the left side of our TJ’s. Fruits, veggies and meat.
BTW, not saying paleo is the way to go… it’s just what we have chosen.
Any suggestions on good recipe books? There’s a lot of great advice on here. I actually don’t mind the cooking part, it’s the “what to cook?” part that gets me. The fact that I hate most vegetables makes this a little more difficult. My favorite vegetable is broccoli, but only when it’s covered with melted cheese 
(edit: I’m doing my best to eat as many veggies as possible, eventhough they’re not my favorite.)
For recipes, check out marksdailyapple.com and Brendan Brazier’s Thrive Diet. Philosophically, these guys are quite different (Mark Sisson is a paleo/primal advocate; Brazier is vegan) but between them is a wealth of info and some fine eating.
I’d check out the Eat Clean Diet cookbooks. they have some simpler options. It helps to keep trying new fruits & veggies as they come in season or go on sale. just google recipes if you have to. you’ll discover ones you like. Also, as your palate becomes less screwed up from consuming lots of
processed foods, real foods (i.e. meat, fruit, veggies) all starts
tasting better.
“Protect your workouts” - calories before and after. Specifically, carbs around those times. The rest of the day, fruits veggies proteins good fats (nuts, seeds, olives, olive oil, avocado).
I hired a personal chef. I looked at what I was spending we discussed my needs and in the end spending about the same. I go to her house once a week with my coolers and bring back empty containers.
She cut out gluten, and when I crave it (not yet) then I pick something up. Eveything (she buys) is from the farmersarket and then she cleans everything in white vinegar and food grade FDA approved hydrogen peroxide. Everything is organic and free range. Little spoiled when she boiled my eggs, I’m not THAT busy.
She added in a whole raw container I’m required to dive into every couple hours. Check where you live as there are tons of raw services where I live that make containers up for you.
Freash fruit, but nothing too late. Lots of water. No idea why she made these - but she took tea bags of cranberry tea and made the tea extra potent froze them into icecubes. I take a pitcher and drop the cube in there or place a cube in my water container and sip from all day. It’s how I’m being weined off of soda.
She snuck spinach into everything as iron stores have been low. Anything outside of her food I record and we adjust the calorie intake accordingly. I’m still not eating enough, but the metabolism is finally working. Like u I really have no clue what I’m supposed to be eating as I only eat when I’m hungry. Now I’m trying to get in something every 3 hrs. Since I’ve been doing this (week 2) I’ve already dropped my final pant size, I attribute it to both hard training and freaky clean food.
Getting into a routine - packing your cooler the night before, leaving stuff in a refrig at work, and as a backup larabars (sp?). Look at the ratio of protein and carbs, and keep an eye to get the good fats in.
I’ve never eaten this clean, had this much energy and felt this healthy. Totally clueless as how sluggish I was eating the crap in processed foods.
I know my girl teaches at the cooks warehouse in Atlanta, maybe take some nutritional cooking classes with your wife?
Congratulations on the marriage and a desire to get your food habits clean.
2 words - chocolate milk
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No idea why she made these - but she took tea bags of cranberry tea and made the tea extra potent froze them into icecubes. I take a pitcher and drop the cube in there or place a cube in my water container and sip from all day. It’s how I’m being weined off of soda.
That is such an amazingly brilliant idea I think I’m going to pass out!
the Internet does not provide me the opportunity to see your expressions, do I get to say listen hear smartass, or my thoughts exactly. Either way I’m being spoiled and I’d never of thought of freezing that’s one too many steps for me.
this is key–eat a ton to support your LONG workouts. Otherwise, don’t eat alot and eat real foods!
No smartass stuff here, that is brilliant. See, I would like ice tea in my office but the little refrig will only take small containers so the cubes or just bringing a small container of concentrate caused a bulb to go on over my head. We also don’t have ice so that is just an amazing idea. Then I can custom mix my potions at home and have ice tea all day. Brilliant I tell ya!
the gorgeous Italian chef simply asked me when and how I’m eating - anything we could get into plastic grab and go bags - I line em up in the fridge and grab a bit -roasted asparagus, carrots, turkey sausage (yum), quinoa (sp?), sweet potatoe slivers, pumpkin crushed something, roasted veggies. She is very brilliant I love all her little tricks.
I didn’t think u were being a smartass, but maybe it was something just obvious, just not obvious to me. I see her tomm can’t wait for her next set of dishes, heard she was cooking up some bison for me.
Dr. Andrew Weil’s Anti-Inflammation Diet