Originally Posted by
ScottCommutes
I'm 49. I figure I'm eating an extra 10,000 calories a week on top of normal human eating to fuel my bike commuting. I already lost weight last year so now I am balancing my lifestyle. I feel like I get most of my nutrition covered by normal eating, so I think I'm just looking for cheap calories to burn that taste good and are not bad for me. I look at it like a substitute for buying gas for the car.
I pound free food. I finish my kids' meals. I eat pounds of raisins/peanuts/chocolate chips mixed together. I also eat a lot of frozen pizzas. I deep fry french fries for lunch and fry potatoes/onions for breakfasts. Also a lot of cheese. I've also taken up baking (usually from mix) cake, brownies, bread, and cornbread. I do eat fruits and veggies.
Any thoughts or advice?
If you are looking for riding food, fig bars are a popular choice. If you are just talking general diet, then the standard advice that has been around for decades: plenty of colors on your plate, nuts and seeds, moderation on red meat and dairy. Regards your calorie estimate, that suggests you're riding about 250 miles per week (40 calories per mile vs. about 35 per mile for road riding). Even if you up the estimate to 50 calories per mile (really slow tires and a really heavy rider) you're still looking at 200 miles per week. Do you commute 40-50 miles round trip per day? I ask because there is a tendency to really overestimate calorie expenditure.