Ask HN: What does your diet look like?

I do daily 16:8 fasting (only eat from noon-8pm) and keep things paleo/low carb when eating. Recently I've tried some extended 72-hour fasts and really like them too. The big thing for me is that I love exercising in a fasted state--I'll do 30 mins. of cardio and about 10 mins of bodyweight strength training each day in the most fasted state (right before noon when I break the fast). The combo of eating low carb, intermittent fasting, and fasted exercise is pretty incredible--I'm in the best shape of my life and still getting better. Two years ago I was 300+ lbs and now I'm a lean 155 lbs. and running half marathons--it's wild.

Just a multivitamin and magnesium supplement are all I take.

Whatever I want to eat that day. I don't overthink it. I wouldn't bat an eyelid at eating a pizza but I do try to avoid obviously unhealthy food in general. Generally the more colours in the food the better.

No supplements, completely healthy BMI. The key is to just not eat too much of whatever you do eat - portion control is everything.

Disclaimer - I do live in Spain, obviously food generally available in supermarkets and restaurants is probably quite different to what you'd find in the US.

Whatever looks tasty at the time. Life's too short to obsess over it, and eating is one of life's great pleasures.

I tend to eat good quality meats and veg, lots of salads with avocado and falafel... but also burgers and pizza and beer.

Avocado for Breakfast

Large Kale Salad for Lunch

Medium Kale Salad + meat for dinner

High Fiber small tortilla (8net carb) + peanut butter for desert.

Coffee liberally spread out over the morning to mid-afternoon (cream+splenda)

I take diabetes medication (Janumet XR- Slow release Metformin based medication).

I consume approx 40 net carbohydrates a day, and 2000 total calories a day. My fitbit says I get 500-700 calories of exercise a day.

I've lowered my HbA1C from 9.3 in december to 5.0 in March. I've lost 37lbs since december.

Not particularly good, though that's more because I have a sweet tooth than because of anything I eat in a meal. So I'd eat perfectly healthy for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but end up ruining it by eating a chocolate cake or muffin afterwards. Or going through half a pack of biscuits later.

On another note, am I the only one somewhat surprised about how healthy the diets of people here seem to be?

Is that typical of Silicon Valley and the startup scene? Do people there just eat more healthily than the average person in the country?

Where's the startup CEO who's just come back from McDonalds, eats a lot of processed food, barely exercises and spends most of their free time on the internet or watching TV?

Eh, it's fine.

I eat a premier protein shake for lunch/dinner.. if hungry between meals I eat Cheese or Greek Yogurt, and for dinner I eat a normal dinner, but small portion.. like I might eat a pupusa with some beans/cheese. I've had gastric sleeve surgery so my stomach only holds 6-10 ounces at a time.

I recently cut out all sugary drinks, as that was my downfall.

I currently weigh : 498, I've lost 15 pounds in May, and I've lost 190 pounds since 2012 highest weight was 690.

I've also started run/walking 2-3 miles per day, with a minimum of 10k steps per day on my fitbit.

I tend to err on the side of keto, although I don't try to be a mad scientist and substitute out parts of a dish that have carbs (Like, if I'm eating a taco I'm not going to try to figure out how to have carb free tacos or whatever. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I think people avoid high-fat diets just because it makes eating so much more complicated.) Mostly to stay in a state of ketosis I just do fasting in a pretty haphazard way. I skip breakfast almost every day, and I skip lunch maybe 2-3 times a week, and I skip dinner about once or twice a week, mostly just based on if I feel hungry or not. I also tend to excercise in a fasted state, not for any particular health reason, but just because I find it to be a lot easier. (I tend to be higher endurance when fasting, whereas if I eat carbohydrates before I exercise I have a small initial boost but I also tend to hit a ceiling quicker).

I also track my weight daily, which I think is important. This is probably OCD/way too much info, but maybe someone finds this useful, I also have been charting my weight loss just to keep an eye on trends: https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=4545EACF9C7890C6!3... . It's a lot easier to adjust things if you notice your weight going up the week it happens, instead of like a month later and you added 10 pounds on accident.

50/50 good food and junk. I don't overthink it and I try to avoid extremes. Half of my friends think I eat "like shit", the other half think I'm a health nut.

Half home cooked (or healthy restaurant) meals and half fast food (as in, literally McDonalds.) I eat a fair amount of red meat (I'm a hamburger junkie) a moderate amount of fish and vegetables (lots of crucifers), and get my healthy carbs from rice (brown and white) and oats. I eat a ton of whole eggs - sometimes a couple dozen a week. Not a big dessert eater, but I will binge on sweets now and then. Unless I'm dieting, I will plow through a box of oreos a week.

I default to a Mediterranean diet (because I was raised on it) and probably eat that way at least a 1/3 of the time and sometimes more, time permitting. Bottle or two of wine a week. I almost always skip breakfast because it tends to upset my stomach.

Protein: If I'm exercising and/or trying to gain weight, I shoot for 1g protein per pound of bodyweight. Otherwise, I try for 0.5g/lb.

Calories: If I'm trying to lose weight, I shoot for 1000-1500 calories a day. Slightly more if I'm trying to maintain. 2500-3500 if I'm trying to gain.

Supplements: magnesium, vitamin D, creatine.

38 years old, 5'7", weight fluctuates between 150-180 lbs, body fat fluctuates between 8-18% but has definitely been over 20% for short periods, total cholesterol usually around 150.

No supplements. No weird diets, no "clean" eating or gluten free.

My big thing now is to make sure my gut microbiome is doing well and the little buggers have food, mainly fiber.

Other than that I try to eat a balanced diet which has meat but just nowhere near what most people seem to eat. 90% vegetables, fruit, grains.

I also try to skip meals when possible if I know I'm not going to pig out later on junk food.

tl;dr concentrate on nutrients and low calorie when possible

edit: I should also note I drink water for all meals no pop or juices I treat those as a dessert

Fried egg, oatmeal, slice of an apple, one banana, and a glass of lactiad for breakfast.

2 PB&Js for lunch with extra pecans on the side.

Tomata pasta with steamed carrots, broccoli, onions, and pan fried chicken thighs for dinner.

Every single day. No variations which allows me to monitor my diet like it's 1984.

No supplements b/c I never really thought of them as being necessary.

I try to stick to 40/40/10. That is, 40% protein, 40% carbs, 10% fat. I eat about 5 small meals a day about 3.5 hours between.

Usual protein is eggs, chicken, sometimes pork/beef, and supplemented with whey. Carbs are usually multi-grain breads, brown rice, or sweet potatoes. Fats usually nuts and cheeses. I'll throw green veggies into a few of my daily meals. I avoid all refined foods and sugars.

I try to stick to that breakdown about 90% of the week. I'm not super strict as I do enjoy unhealthy food (McDonald's, Kettle chips, mmm) every so often.

I have one basic rule: Everything in moderation. Any time I eat a meal of shitty/unhealthy food, I usually ensure the rest of my day's meals have reduced carb and fat content.

Being healthy is really easy, it's developing the habit that is hard. I've been doing this for 10+ years so it's normal to me now.

You probably should be asking people's age too. With young people you're going to get a lot of "Oh I just eat whatever the heck I want and it's fine." As you age and your metabolism slows, that shit won't fly.

In the morning I eat a banana just before hitting gym. After workout I consume a scoop of whey protein. Later in the breakfast I eat three egg whites, one whole egg, sweet potato/oatmeal and a glass of milk with biscuits. After two and half hours I eat two egg whites, one whole egg and some sweet potato. After another interval of two and half hours I go for my lunch which is usually two chappatis with some vegetable(s). In the evening I drink a glass of milk and after sometime I eat an apple. My dinner is usually light stuff like fruits or porridge.

Typically I eat 3 meals during the day plus some snacking. My diet consists of 70% plants, 10% diary, 10% bread and 10% meat. This year I started making a vegetable-based smoothies every day to help with snacking and staying hydrated. I also add some Huel to the smoothie and so far I can say it has had a positive effect. I do not eat sweets (almost never) and I drink 2-3 coffees per day. I drink bear/wine occasionally and don't smoke.

Ever since I read David Agus's "A Short Guide to a Long Life":

-10 portions of fruit and veggies a day (1 portion: ~ 80g)

-No processed foods.

-Wild caught fish at least twice a week

-Red meat twice a week, at most.

-Anything else is fair game, as long as I make it myself so I know what it contains. Pizzas, pasta, burgers, steak, cakes (with stevia instead of sugar).

-No supplements of any kind.

-No trans fats, additives, fruit juices, smoothies, corn syrups, "natural flavourings" or "concentrated" juices

-As little stuff that I can't pronounce as possible.

I eat out only during social occasions (at least once a week), almost never on my own.

I have been doing this for a year now, although I have been eating healthily for at least five years now.

Results?

- I look five years younger (I am 33). Not my own assessment, but that of other people, mostly females.

- My gut flora changed to the point where I never get diarrhea anymore, a problem I have had since I was very young.

- Blood results could not be better.

- I rarely feel down or moody.

A number of other factors contributed to the above, so diet alone does not fix everything. But I had really underestimated its importance. In retrospect, I shouldn't have been surprised, it is simply paying attention to what goes inside my body.

Breakfast: Oatabix or porridge with milk

Lunch: Salad of, Spinach, cooked meat, pickled onions, balsamic dressing, rapeseed oil (maybe some cheese)

Dinner: Meat (usually chicken, sometimes Salmon) with spices cooked in George Foreman grill + Broccoli and / or spinach, kidney beans, buckwheat.

Snacks / Ancillary: Oranges, Bananas, dark chocolate, 'Barley cup' to drink (a caffeine free coffee substitute)

I've developed this over the years based on that following criteria.

What they sell in my local supermarket cheap

What foods keep the longest

Nutritional content.

What is fastest to cook.

What I'm not allergic too (I have a major nut allergy + mustard, eggs,few other things in a minor way)

What I like (or am ok with)

When my routine is good I will not throw any food out.

I have a few other habits I've developed. Eg, for chicken breasts I buy big cheap packs of them from the 'about to go off' section of the supermarket. Then squish them flat (about 1cm or less) and freeze them seperated by layers of clingflim. The clingfilm stops them from sticking together and making them flat means they will defrost in the microwave ina bowl of water in 10 mins, and also cook on the george foreman grill in 2 or 3 minutes.

Also when I buy spinach I immediately take it out of its plastic bag and put in in a big bowl with some paper towels. If you keep it in the plastic bag, when the leaves sweat water builds up in the bag and when they are damp they go-off very quickly.

I take iron tablets and vitamin D tablets as my doctor told me to. Blood tests revealed I had low levels of those.

Proviso : I do Judo, rockclimb and mountain bike, so I have both a large volume of daily work built in to my lifestyle, and a vested interest in maintaining a specific weight (80kg@186cm w/approx 10% BF). I am not elite in any of these pursuits. I work out in the morning for about an hour 6 days a week and in the evenings 2 or 3 days a week.

I have been doing intermittent fasting for 3 years or so. Just the bog-standard 16h fast/8h eating window version

Fast is broken around 10am with 3 eggs with sea-salt and 4 small homemade cookies

Lunch is usually a regular cerealbowl sized bowl of veggie soup w/olive oil, a handful of salad, one glass of milk (small tumbler size), a 5g square of dark chocolate [1] and a handful of nuts (walnuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans and Brazil nuts). On days where I have extra training in the evening I'll also have a small bowl of 6% fat yogurt with some granola and jam.

Dinner is eaten around 5pm, is home-made, and is as much as I can comfortably eat while being active within a half hour of finishing. I also have a tall mug of 2% milk with it. There is a meat component about 80% of the time, but by volume it is about 80% veggies and rice/potato/bread. After dinner I have a 2nd square of chocolate and some walnuts. I do not eat anything after dinner until breaking the fast the next day.

I carbo-load once a week with a Sunday brunch of pancakes, waffles or crepes (rotating), eating until I am satiated

I supplement with BCAAs, creatine, maca, coffee (2 cups on workout mornings) and green tea (2l/day)

This keeps me within 2kg of my target weight and 2% of my target BF all year round.

The most important thing for maintaining a steady weight is volume of food. Once you get a consistent volume of food day-to-day and can go by feel, you can ramp it up or down and control your weight as if you are turning a dial.

If you are interested in body composition (ie. body fat/muscle) and not just weight, then you have to add in an exercise component

I also do a ~5 day water-only fast every 6 months, as the practice seems to help with healing any persistent injuries I have accumulated in the meantime.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Swiss-Delice-Dark-Chocolate-72

I do a 20:4 fasting regimen (actally it is one long dinner in the late evening). I take protein and vitamin supplements. I hit the gym 3-4 times a week in the very early hours for weight training. I either rest on the other days or do 3-5 mile morning run, depending on my energy level. I cycle to work 4-5 times a week, around 20km daily. I maintain my weight around 80kg.

Breakfast: cortado with no added sugar, oatmeal with some honey

Lunch: usually a salad with a small amount of grain or a veggie / protein mixture at the whole foods hot bar. Stroopwafel (sp?) + espresso afterwards.

Dinner: meat /fish + a vegetable. Big servings. Sometimes a glass of wine or a beer. Sometimes a bit of ice cream for dessert.

I've never been overweight, but as I get older, I find that this paleo-ish diet helps me maintain my weight and feel good / healthy. Also, as part of my job, I counsel young people on losing weight and have seen a number of my motivated patients have good success with a similar low-carb, low-sugar approach. Finally I'll say that striving to eat this way most of the time allows me to eat a burger or brunch on occasion and never worry about the effects on my health / weight.

Note: I have been on a 5x5 weight-lifting program recently and may increase my whole grain carbohydrate to ensure that I maintain proper glycogen stores.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with eggwhites, low fat milk and fruits (banana, apple or frozen berries)

Pre-workout snack: Pineapple chunks + apple or banana

Post-Workout Snack: Low fat chocolate milk

Lunch: leftovers from last nights supper

Afternoon snack: low fat greek yogurt with frozen berries

Supper: Usually a combination of carbs (quinoa, brown rice or whole wheat noodles), meat (chicken, pork loin, fish, beef) and some veggies (avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, zuchini, peppers, carrots, onions)

Mid night snack: Bowl of cereal with low fat milk and frozen berries or apple with almond butter

Late night snack (if required): Banana

I sometimes supplement with almonds or dark chocolate at various times during the day when I feel hungry and I drink a lot of coffee and water.

I play hockey once a week and workout 3-4 times a week @ 45 mins a pop. Went from 167 lbs and 18.5 body fat % to 155 lbs and 12.4 body fat % in 2 months. I have ~1 cheat meal a week and drink some wine on Fridays and Saturdays as well as 1-2 post hockey game beers.

I am on a low carbs diet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-carbohydrate_diet

I take one pill of vitamin every day and I enjoy occasional protein shake (2-3 per weeks.)

I try to reduce my meat consumption, but I find it very hard.

Keto (maximum 20gr carbs a day).

Lost 52 kgs (115 lbs) so far since October.

Full disclosure I'm a competitive bodybuilder and powerlifter, so realize I might be an extreme data point. That said, I still very much care about longevity and maximal health.

I do intermittent fasting in roughly 14-16 fasted and 8-10 hrs eating. In that I eat roughly 4-5 meals, each trying to include a protein and a fruit/vegetable, with a focus on fish for the protein to maximize omega 3 and vitamin D intake:

1) Some sort of salad w/ a whole grain and protein (e.g. kale + mesclun w/ quinoa, tomatoes and salmon + olive oil vinagrette)

2) steel cut oats + berries w/ pea protein

3) some sort of workout drink on the days I workout (usually gatorade powder + pea protein + creatine)

4) chicken + rice + stir fry veggies

5) sardines + kimchi

I only eat two meals a day, but I cook all my meals (bring lunch to work). The staples are boiled leafy greens with hoisin sauce, a meat dish (stir-fry), and steamed rice (30-30-40). Whenever I make food, I try to make enough that lasts 2-3 meals. I am partial to pork.

When I am really lazy at home, I'll make ramen + egg + leafy green + a piece of processed cheese (it dissolves to make the broth thicker).

I don't really eat snack too often, but I'll take those raw almonds packet from work sometimes. I buy fruits when I can, especially strawberries or grapefruits.

When I cook all my food, I feel healthier, and it also saves money. I don't take any supplement.

Ketogenic diet for 2.5 years now. High fat, moderate protein, very low carb. Weight loss was not the goal, not snoring at night was the goal. Still weight the same as I have for the last 15 years but I've put on more muscle.

I track calories with my fitbit app and i eat well, within reason. That is - i stay away from most crap food, but don't obsess over every thing i eat. i use things like high protein bars, a v8, or a soylent to fill in gaps when i'm pressed for time. some days i eat a perfect balance of fruit, veggies and high quality protein. other days i'll have 8 beers, half a bottle of wine, and rail some yayo. i get exercise in some form 6/7 days per week. sometimes it a simple mid day walk and some flights of stairs, some times it's yoga or a run, but most of the time it's the gym.

I don't over-think about it but here is the "usual":

- Breakfast : Either black coffee, or I add cereal (+ milk) when I have time. I do scrambled eggs if I really have lots of time to sit and eat.

-Lunch: Whatever is the "dish of the day" in the nearby restaurant. Usually steak, or some form of meat. Sometimes I order salad to feel a bit more "healthy".

-Dinner: Pasta or rice, whatever is easier to cook after getting home.

I have to say that this is not working very well for me, and I'm gaining weight.

I'm thinking about doing Soylent (or a variant of it) that would save me the 2 hours lunch so I can get out of the office sooner.

I pretty much do iifym (220p, 250c, 155f - 94kg, 181cm). In the past I tried slow carb, intermittent fasting, low carb and a couple other trendy methods... turns out they all work: caloric surplus and you gain weight, restriction and you lose weight. Use sport and macro partitioning to control what body composition (lean vs. fat mass) you would like to have. Simple as that.

Only hard part is sticking to it :)

>What does your diet look like?

Previous:

Basically, whatever I felt like and a bit more. Usually high sugars, high fats, etc, etc.

Outcome: Obesity and decreased productivity.

Current:

Fruit, cereal bars, yogurts, vegetables, with the occasional high protein, lowish carbohydrates treat.

Outcome: Reduced weight, higher concentration and increased productivity.

>On top of that, do you take any supplements?

I do now, I was exceptionally anemic - so I take iron supplements to boost iron levels.

How do people handle work lunch? I find it very hard to enjoy and eat healthy. There are like 10 food places close to the office, and half of them don't have the nicest food. And I end up rotating between the rest 3-4 places every day. It gets boring. And it's not the healthiest food either, when it's fast food.

What are your thoughts on that?

Paleo AIP for health reasons, primer here: https://aiplifestyle.com/what-is-autoimmune-protocol-diet/

Been doing it for a year solid, good stuff. It is tough though.

I eat my daily food between 10 pm and 1 am - just because it's convenient for me.

EAT: The blood of my enemies. Small amounts of leafy greens. Lots of nuts. MEAT.

NOT EAT: Fluffy puppies Anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) More than one drink that contains calories on weekdays

I drink lots of water and eat whatever, but only between 7pm and 11pm.

Sometimes I cut corners on the weekends. :)

3 Soylents in the morning and afternoon then cook a real meal for dinner

This is my bodybuilding diet, I’ve been on it for 15-20 years and people often mistake me for being 10 years younger than I am. I fluctuate between 225 and 265, benched 300 once, squatted maybe 400 for 10. I regret not doing deadlifts (and associated weighted back extensions, good morning, etc for hamstring strength) because I never got the 300-400-500 trifecta.

I tell people I’m a cheeseburgertarian, trying to stick to vegetarian with the bare minimum of fish or fowl, but a cheeseburger every week or two when I just can’t take it anymore. Meat eating is an addiction that’s difficult to break, and getting strong by eating meat is glorified by many societies, which I find troubling. The biggest struggle with a low-meat diet is getting a complete protein like beans and rice in one meal and finding beans with a low phytoestrogen content (this is the reason I’m wary of Soylent - they should be using garbanzo beans).

This is a base diet, so when cutting it’s ok to skip snacks occasionally, and when gaining there is no limit on additional meals like stir fry or spaghetti to stay in ketosis.

workout:

4 day split: legs on weekend, chest and bis, back and tris, shoulders usually MWF. 3-4 sets of each set 75% of the following set, or 50 lbs each set like 135-185-225 etc. as I’m getting older, trying more push/pull of same angle on same day for joints

1 hour walking on the treadmill is the best weight loss workout when cutting

5x5 is the best strength gain workout (except legs, always push for 8-20 reps on squat and 5-8 reps on deadlift) when gaining

supplements:

1500/1200 mg glucosamine and chondroitin, MSM, multivitamin, B 100 complex once a week, 2 cups coffee, 1-2 beers before bed on weeknights

breakfast: (alternate a and b each day depending on craving):

a) 4 scrambled or fried eggs (including yolks for hormone and joint support), 2 cups instant oatmeal with 1/2 cup of blueberries and a little milk on top, 6 oz orange juice

b) 1 bowl of cereal with milk, 6 oz orange juice

morning snack (a or b):

1 handful of dried nuts and fruit when cutting

1 can of beans and 1 yogurt when gaining

lunch:

turkey, tuna or pb&j sandwich, handful of baby carrots, 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 dill pickle, 6 oz 2% milk

afternoon snack:

similar to morning snack

dinner (a or b):

a) 1 can garbanzo beans, 1/2 onion, 1/2 green pepper, sprinkle of cheese, 6 oz 2% milk. 1 head romain heart and 0-2 pieces of whole wheat bread when cutting

a) 1 can garbanzo, 1 can chili beans (optional), olives or avocado, 1/2 onion, 1/2 green pepper, sprinkle of cheese, 6 oz 2% milk. 2 flower tortillas when gaining

before bed (a or b):

a) 1 whey protein shake when cutting

b) 1 casein protein shake when gaining

soylent + coffee, later beer

Daily 12 hours fast, then eat home made food.