i have been monitoring my intake and output on fitday.com it has been really helpful. but i just don't understand what ratio of carbs-prot-fats i should be intaking.

i have already lost 15lbs. i am heading in the right direction.

I also recommend reading Chris Carmichael's "Food for Fitness". It provides different ratios of carbs to protein to fat for the different phases of your training. I am 6' 2" and weighed 205. I am now at 169. And the increase in endurance and speed is really great. The best advice I have followed is that there are no bad foods just bad portions. Okay that is not quite true, the best thing is to eat healthy and provide your body with the right types of fuel. But snacking on a treat once in a while is also not a bad thing - just limit the portion size.

Certainly on recovery or rest days you need to reduce your overall intake. Even on heavy training days you want to stay slightly in a calorie deficit - if trying to lose - the key here is slight.

That seems high - I am doing 3600 - 4000 on normal training days (usually 2 workouts) and then on heavy training days (i.e 5 hour rides plus 30 - 60 minute transition run) I will do over 5000. This works for me to maintain my weight and recover sufficiently for the next. Use charts and recommendations as starting points - everyone burns calories at different rates based upon fitness levels and metabolism etc. You have to edge it up or down as it pertains to you. Experimentation.

I think it's highly personal so there's no one way to approach this. And we all know there's a million schools of thought on which is the 'right' diet.

Some people crave/need more protein and others can get by with a little less. The key is to experiment and find what works for you. How do you feel? Is your energy consistent? Or are you having energy highs and lows? How do you feel during your workouts?

I'm not really into picking my diet apart to the last detail but I shoot for about 60-20-20. This works well for me. But I am of the mindset that whatever ratio you choose, what matters most is what types of foods you consume. I've seen numerous debates on a calorie is a calorie. But I personally believe the density/composition of the foods you eat impacts you.

I mean if you ate 60-20-20 (or whatever ratio) composed of chips, candy, sugary cookies, soda, bacon you would likely look (body fat) and feel much different than someone who follows the same ratio by eating whole grains, veggies, fruit, good fats, lean proteins and dairy.

Just my $.02. There's a great discussion of diet/nutrition going on in the 'Running' forum.

Good luck and congrats on the weight loss!

First off Congradulations to all you guys and your weightloss stories, it is great to hear success stories of other athletes. All the advice up to now I have seen is good. I to had one of those stories, 240-170, and still look in the mirror every day expecting to see that fat kid!

here are my tricks to succes. Eat clean, stay away from as much processed foods as you can, preservatives are bad. Cook as much as you can, or find a reliable restaraunt that you know what they put in. Water, Water, Water. Drink tons of it I drink 150 oz a day, not including training. i cut out sugar, no sweets. (once a week I get to cheat) I also eat some kind of animal protein at every meal 8-10 oz. Carbs are good, I find that during training rice is my baby. Brown for hearty meals, and jasmine for readily usable energy.

If you are training a lot, watch out for the calorie deficit thing, it can be pretty hard to manage. Don't go more than 500 (if that). And if you feel like you are groggy or beat, forget it for that day. If you go into a hole it will end up being worse for you in the end, usually ends in a binge. I find that a good ol glass of OJ usually will bring me out of it.

I also eat what your mom always said to do, a huge breakfast. I find it really jumps my metabolism, especially with a lot of protein. I usually eat 5-6 eggs 1 yolk, 2-3 servings of oatmeal, and if i have it some almond buttterand toast. This really gets me going, and usually makes me more hungry as the day goes on, but with small meals spaced throughout the day, helps out a ton. it is all about stoking the fire.

i could go on all day, but i gotta go swim, if you have any questions email me, id'e be happy to help. Mainly find what works for you, every one is different, a nutrtionist can help out to find what works for you. Remember, the beauty of this sport is the amount of calories we burn. I eat twice what I did when i was overweight, and I love it, good luck, and have fun- bigmatt
:D

Thats what I find interesting when everyone shares what works for them. Thanks BigMatt. I find what you said very useful. I eat regularly throughout the day (nibbling a lot) but tend to be hungrier towards the eve, do you guys find that your hungier at the end of the day?

fitday.com is a pretty neat website. I just signed up for it. And it says that I burn over 3600 cal/day before I work out...but the bad news is that I'm "severly overweight". I weigh 244 pounds @6'1" and the chart only goes to 250 :( But before I started working out I was off the chart at 260 pounds!

So did I understand it right that for every 3500 calories LESS than my required calories, then I'll loose one pound? I'm trying to bump my weight loss up from 1.2 lbs/week to ~ 2.2 lbs/week. So I'd have to eat 3500*2.2 = 7,700 calories less per week. Which is 1,100 calories less per day. Is this correct?