Lean & Mean

Suggestions from USAT to get leaner...  It's not rocket science, but a good reminder!

To eat a nutrient-dense diet:

1. Eat meat (see above). Meat is particularly rich in iron, zinc, and other minerals. If you don’t eat meat, make sure you are working with a nutritionist to make sure you are not missing elements key to your diet.
2. Load up on non-starchy vegetables (cucumbers, kale, radishes, bell peppers, broccoli, etc.). Make non-starchy vegetables part of every meal. Have big salads. Have steamed, grilled, roasted vegetables.
3. Get some of your carbohydrate from fruit. Many people hear carbohydrate and immediately think bread and pasta. Fruit (berries, melons, apples, etc.) is a great source of carbohydrate. Fruit is also loaded with micronutrients, much more than is found in bagels and rice, so it contributes nicely to nutrient-dense diet.
4. Eat avocados, nuts, and seeds. These fat-rich foods are also good sources of micronutrients.
5. Make water your primary beverage. Most other drinks are high in calories, but devoid of nutrients.
6. Eat mostly food (not altered by humans), not food products (made in a factory). Food (salmon, apples, cashews, etc.) beats food products (granola bars, breakfast cereals, frozen burritos, etc.) every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

And this portion that came through from USAT makes me very happy!  Since I've recently lost about 6#, it makes me happy to receive any time "savings" I can!!

1. Losing five pounds of body fat, assuming that all other factors remain the same, will improve your bike split by 1-3 minutes in an Olympic-distance triathlon, 2-6 minutes in a half-iron-distance triathlon, and 4-12 minutes in an iron-distance triathlon. (The hillier the course, the greater the time savings will be.)
2. For every pound of body fat you lose, you will take two seconds per mile off your running pace, assuming that all other factors remain the same. Five pounds gets you 10 seconds per mile. Ten pounds gets you 20 seconds per mile. That’s over two minutes in an Olympic-distance triathlon, four minutes in a half-iron-distance triathlon, and eight minutes in an iron-distance triathlon.