I made the most of the recent Black Friday sales and ordered a heap of Surf Meal Co. powder sachets, keen to give them a go to see how they go before and after a surf for energy and recovery.

www.surfmeal.com.au

There is a lot of info out there on what is best and what works/doesn't work and I figure the only way to find out is to give it a red hot crack!

As a side note I really like the 'Why' behind this local brand so have decided to give it a go and see what happens, going to have a shake before and after a surf for 10 surfs.

There is also an interesting procedure they have that sees them take accountability for the packets that the products come in, would be interested to see what happens once you get the packaging back to them (the stuff that is not recycled that is)

Also hoping this will stop me from ordering those delicious bacon and egg roll after every surf, all good things in moderation right

Up until recently my pre-surf feed has been a Banana and a cup of black coffee, keen to hear what works/doesn't for others out there, I don't feel there is a solution for everyones everyones make up is different so would be good to share info so fellow peeps can see what is out there.

My pre-SUP breakfeast:

A mix of:
- dairy (yogurt, cottage cheese, curd,... from sheep or goat). Or some porridge.
- nuts (almonds)
- fruits (berries, bananas, apples...). Frozen blueberries are quite handy to have in the freezer.
- a good expresso (mandatory :-)
Plus at least a pint of water before leaving the house (so that I don't need to pee before being wet:-)I have some small water bottles in the van that I drink just before the session if I think I will be a long time on the water. I get cramps during the session if I do not drink enough.

I also liked pasta+eggs+ham+cheese + curry, but it takes more time to cook.

After a good session, a nice beer from my local brewery 500 yards from home :-). And some real chocolate (Valrhona).

I would avoid anything artificial or processed like these sport powders/bars/drinks.

Surfmeal.com? LOL Sounds like the gym junkie powder is repackaged and looking for a new market.

Oh well, as Scomo says, " if you have a go you get a go"
Good on you for giving them a go

I eat nothing and drink only water (about 500-600ml, I get out out of bed, drink water, toilet break, and then off I go to hopefully hit the surf at sunrise.
After I return home I always then eat a nice healthy super porridge (that I make) -presoaked over night rolled Oats with 1 or 2 Bananas, mixed seeds & nuts, a bit of unsweetened natural Granola, soya milk & or cows milk, plain Greek yogurt, plain Green Tea and maybe some dried fruit like a few dates or sultanas, it is really very nice, super healthy and very filling :-)

Not specifically a SUP
diet but .....
I just reduced my total cholesterol
from 6.6 to 4.55 in 2 months . It hasn't been below 5 for at least 5 years. Also significant reduction in bloating. Also dropped from 66 to 61kg in 2 months. This could be a problem for my board sizing .....
All I have done is the following :
Removed dairy except for probiotic yoghurt . Almost eliminated all bread.
No sweets except for some dark chocolate.
Every weekday day I eat the following brekky :probiotic yoghurt with berries, banana , almonds , pecans and some low sugar oats
Coffee with unsweetened almond milk .
Chlorella powder with water
Morning snack : Almonds or pecans or chick peas
Lunch : usually Basmati Rice and Tuna in olive oil
Dinner varies but I eat well. Lots of veggies and only small portions of meat . Some days no meat .
Always a glass of red wine.
I have eliminates some other things I lived which I believe caused bloating :
Sparkling water and licorice.
I eat lots of almonds and pecans
We also now almost exclusively by all our veg and fruit from growers market. Some organic some not

Before surf at dawn :- bananas and coffee if I'm lucky
After surf :- water, bacon n eggs or weet-bix banana and honey with a coffee

Interesting thread. We seem to be eating a fairly spartan healthy fair.

Surf days are not too much different than work days.

Morning coffee, toast and peanut butter. Walk Jasper on the beach and check the surf. Suit up and get out on the water. After surfing mixed nuts and dried fruit. Banana, apple, orange and more coffee.

Bob

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Gboots said..
Not specifically a SUP
diet but .....
I just reduced my total cholesterol
from 6.6 to 4.55 in 2 months . It hasn't been below 5 for at least 5 years. Also significant reduction in bloating. Also dropped from 66 to 61kg in 2 months. This could be a problem for my board sizing .....
All I have done is the following :
Removed dairy except for probiotic yoghurt . Almost eliminated all bread.
No sweets except for some dark chocolate.
Every weekday day I eat the following brekky :probiotic yoghurt with berries, banana , almonds , pecans and some low sugar oats
Coffee with unsweetened almond milk .
Chlorella powder with water
Morning snack : Almonds or pecans or chick peas
Lunch : usually Basmati Rice and Tuna in olive oil
Dinner varies but I eat well. Lots of veggies and only small portions of meat . Some days no meat .
Always a glass of red wine.
I have eliminates some other things I lived which I believe caused bloating :
Sparkling water and licorice.
I eat lots of almonds and pecans
We also now almost exclusively by all our veg and fruit from growers market. Some organic some not

Pretty good Gboots
I think we might be related, try unsweetened Greek Yogurt (farmers union 500ml tub it has probitiscs in it etc.) it is plain and a bit boring until you get use to it,
I also love my dark choc,
Try to add a few walnuts, cashews, brazil nuts with your almonds & pecans and also some seeds - sun flower kernels, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), chia seeds etc., also try natural peanut butter (from the health food store) and mix it with tahini and other nut paste etc.
Try decaf and soya milk (organic unsweetened) you can also add some protein powder to it,
Try brown rice (and to always eat with peas to complete the protein) ,
I only eat fish - Tuna, salmon, sardines. and a hard boiled egg everyday (you do not need to eat meat at all then)
And you really do not have to drink the wine (or any alcohol at all:-)

Cheers for the replies guys, interesting to hear what fellow surfers are doing diet wise.

Have had the shake's before and after the couple of surfs I have had this week - def. fills me up, did feel like it made me feel a bit full before the surf though. The bars look like they might be an easier solution to making a shake for convenience, will see how I go once I burn through the stock I have.

Ingredients claim to be all natural but I am only reading off of the website etc.. and do not know the make up of 'Whey Protein Isolate' in detail.

Boots - sounds like you have found a routine you stuck to that works, I hate that bloated feeling.

I live and breath - www.fivepointfour.com.au

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Johndesu said..

Gboots said..
Not specifically a SUP
diet but .....
I just reduced my total cholesterol
from 6.6 to 4.55 in 2 months . It hasn't been below 5 for at least 5 years. Also significant reduction in bloating. Also dropped from 66 to 61kg in 2 months. This could be a problem for my board sizing .....
All I have done is the following :
Removed dairy except for probiotic yoghurt . Almost eliminated all bread.
No sweets except for some dark chocolate.
Every weekday day I eat the following brekky :probiotic yoghurt with berries, banana , almonds , pecans and some low sugar oats
Coffee with unsweetened almond milk .
Chlorella powder with water
Morning snack : Almonds or pecans or chick peas
Lunch : usually Basmati Rice and Tuna in olive oil
Dinner varies but I eat well. Lots of veggies and only small portions of meat . Some days no meat .
Always a glass of red wine.
I have eliminates some other things I lived which I believe caused bloating :
Sparkling water and licorice.
I eat lots of almonds and pecans
We also now almost exclusively by all our veg and fruit from growers market. Some organic some not

Pretty good Gboots
I think we might be related, try unsweetened Greek Yogurt (farmers union 500ml tub it has probitiscs in it etc.) it is plain and a bit boring until you get use to it,
I also love my dark choc,
Try to add a few walnuts, cashews, brazil nuts with your almonds & pecans and also some seeds - sun flower kernels, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), chia seeds etc., also try natural peanut butter (from the health food store) and mix it with tahini and other nut paste etc.
Try decaf and soya milk (organic unsweetened) you can also add some protein powder to it,
Try brown rice (and to always eat with peas to complete the protein) ,
I only eat fish - Tuna, salmon, sardines. and a hard boiled egg everyday (you do not need to eat meat at all then)
And you really do not have to drink the wine (or any alcohol at all:-)

Thanks for the tips. It's true , reducing
meat is not hard when you switch to fish . The alchohol is for my sanity . If I could sup every day I would not need. I need to drink one glass just to break my edginess. ****ney has become a horror place to live and commute

Feel for you Gboots. Work sucks! It got me drinking more through the stress of job cuts etc. Love the red wine haa! But anyway I am at least controlling my habits. Lol.
For the past 3 years I have taken up exhausting weight training again, but only at home for 2 days after my 2 dayshifts & look & feel better for it. But never look forward to it at my age of 58. Haaa!
I regard all of these processed health meals as supplements if you cannot access nutricious natural foods which you cannot beat. Even the pro bodybuilders will tell you that. But some supplements are way better than nothing at all. My protein powder has changed to just skim milk powder with flavouring which I mix with milk. Cheaper too.
I could go on about all this for ages due to my weightlifting & bodybuilding past. Never made it anywhere with my genetics being more for long distance running & probably sup paddling. So at this stage, this is what I do before & after surfing. Its simple but maybe not as healthy as the others have said. And good on them for their natural health foods.
Before surf.... nothing but a 50/50 mix of Creatine & BCCA powder, UProtein brand which is one heaped teaspoon in a glass of water with cordial sweetner to taste. The Creatine helps to boost your power & stamina. The BCCA which is Branch Chain Amino Acid that helps with muscle building & reduced muscle wastage due to having no food intake during my 3 hour surfs. So I am using some of my fat reserves for fuel plus fuel from my previous days dinneer. So my first food intake is at midday with an iced milk coffee (protein), which I bring in a small esky with an ice pack. Then home or out to have a big lunch which will be anything I want & feel like. Haaa!
Then dinner & red wine with my favourite music to celebrate my best wave rides of the day! Yay!

I tip a box of nutri grain over my head

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quikdrawMcgraw said..
I tip a box of nutri grain over my head

just do it?!

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quikdrawMcgraw said..
I tip a box of nutri grain over my head

Haaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!

Pie and a chocolate milk sitting in the gutter outside the bakery, what's wrong with yas

Milk causes major bloating for me .Its out
Also all fake foods seem to be at warfare when inmy gut . Once eliminated I hardly have any bloating .
I reckon heaps of people have guts full of parasites that they just keep feeding with sugar and crap

Standard used to be a burger of some sorts and a red bull from the dodgy servo on way to a preferred break - man was that painful every time but I kept doing it for a while ha ha

For me once I knew the difference of eating better pre-surf its hard to go back.

I am liking this thread - has a bit of everything - some facts, tales and now a bit of humour

Nothing apart from water and tea in the AM. 16 and 8 works for me, my gut has gone and I do less exercise. Hoping to get below 100kegs soon, still eat and drink as per normal at lunch and dinner but that was always a good mix of vegies, fish, chicken and a bit of red meat. Dark choc is still a fav, so is Lurpak butter and too much wine . Had the usual blood tests at 55 and all tracking very well.
Really poorly researched article below that gives you a rough idea:
www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/diet/eighthour-diet-is-the-key-to-weight-loss-according-to-experts/news-story/1391a5a5113e650b8ffd2cf0322c1b66

Select to expand quote

Chris_M said..
Pie and a chocolate milk sitting in the gutter outside the bakery, what's wrong with yas

When I was 15

Select to expand quote

quikdrawMcgraw said..
I tip a box of nutri grain over my head

Yes but what do you eat

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Seajuice said..
Feel for you Gboots. Work sucks! It got me drinking more through the stress of job cuts etc. Love the red wine haa! But anyway I am at least controlling my habits. Lol.
For the past 3 years I have taken up exhausting weight training again, but only at home for 2 days after my 2 dayshifts & look & feel better for it. But never look forward to it at my age of 58. Haaa!
I regard all of these processed health meals as supplements if you cannot access nutricious natural foods which you cannot beat. Even the pro bodybuilders will tell you that. But some supplements are way better than nothing at all. My protein powder has changed to just skim milk powder with flavouring which I mix with milk. Cheaper too.
I could go on about all this for ages due to my weightlifting & bodybuilding past. Never made it anywhere with my genetics being more for long distance running & probably sup paddling. So at this stage, this is what I do before & after surfing. Its simple but maybe not as healthy as the others have said. And good on them for their natural health foods.
Before surf.... nothing but a 50/50 mix of Creatine & BCCA powder, UProtein brand which is one heaped teaspoon in a glass of water with cordial sweetner to taste. The Creatine helps to boost your power & stamina. The BCCA which is Branch Chain Amino Acid that helps with muscle building & reduced muscle wastage due to having no food intake during my 3 hour surfs. So I am using some of my fat reserves for fuel plus fuel from my previous days dinneer. So my first food intake is at midday with an iced milk coffee (protein), which I bring in a small esky with an ice pack. Then home or out to have a big lunch which will be anything I want & feel like. Haaa!
Then dinner & red wine with my favourite music to celebrate my best wave rides of the day! Yay!

Hey Seajuice good idea about the BCCA powder, what type / brand do you recommend etc?
I also have also returned to my training which includes heaps of sit-ups, push-ups, squats (no weights), stretches etc, before, during & after my surf (at the beach on the shore) and when I get home I do chin-ups (i am 57 now:-)

I try to eat fairly "normal" meals every day. I used to be heavier and I track what I eat to stay at a healthy weight. If I burn 1000 extra calories paddling, I try to spread that across a couple of days. Other than discomfort if I eat too much before paddling, it seems to make zero difference in my energy level if I load up on anything in particular before or after paddling. Hydration matters a lot as does good sleep the night before; I would rate the importance of those much higher than food. I wouldn't skip a meal before paddling because that does make me feel hungry, but doesn't seem to have any effect on strength or stamina. If you read exercise forums you will find gym rats, cardio fanatics (that's me) and weight lifters, discuss this all the time with no clear consensus. It seems to be personal preference. There is a lot of anecdata tainted by confirmation bias (IMO) that supports every choice.

I find mowing down a couple of pesky proners for brekkie to be most satisfying.

Select to expand quote

Seajuice said..
Feel for you Gboots. Work sucks! It got me drinking more through the stress of job cuts etc. Love the red wine haa! But anyway I am at least controlling my habits. Lol.
For the past 3 years I have taken up exhausting weight training again, but only at home for 2 days after my 2 dayshifts & look & feel better for it. But never look forward to it at my age of 58. Haaa!
I regard all of these processed health meals as supplements if you cannot access nutricious natural foods which you cannot beat. Even the pro bodybuilders will tell you that. But some supplements are way better than nothing at all. My protein powder has changed to just skim milk powder with flavouring which I mix with milk. Cheaper too.
I could go on about all this for ages due to my weightlifting & bodybuilding past. Never made it anywhere with my genetics being more for long distance running & probably sup paddling. So at this stage, this is what I do before & after surfing. Its simple but maybe not as healthy as the others have said. And good on them for their natural health foods.
Before surf.... nothing but a 50/50 mix of Creatine & BCCA powder, UProtein brand which is one heaped teaspoon in a glass of water with cordial sweetner to taste. The Creatine helps to boost your power & stamina. The BCCA which is Branch Chain Amino Acid that helps with muscle building & reduced muscle wastage due to having no food intake during my 3 hour surfs. So I am using some of my fat reserves for fuel plus fuel from my previous days dinneer. So my first food intake is at midday with an iced milk coffee (protein), which I bring in a small esky with an ice pack. Then home or out to have a big lunch which will be anything I want & feel like. Haaa!
Then dinner & red wine with my favourite music to celebrate my best wave rides of the day! Yay!

have you considered Endura (Performance) to add to your regime? The only thing you seem to be missing is electrolytes and magnesium (in a sufficiently soluble form). Endura is big among the triathletes for endurance exercise (like 3h SUPs) to keep the electrolytes up and prevent cramping from depleted Mg. Will also stop you feeling as sore the next day. I was using it last weekend in Bali while paddling my longboard for 3 h straight at Serangan in a strong current, and repeated for 4 days of surfing. Worked a treat. I use it for gym work, swimming, surfing and supping. BTW, I don't work for them. I just buy it in powder form from my chemist and it works out cheaper than buying Powerades (which is just sugar water anyway) - recommend it highly.

Well, I am impressed... I did not know that normal people actually ate like that.

Having just stacked on a lot of weight I am looking more closely at taking a better diet. But going for more than a week is a challenge. I usually try a mixture of starvation, exercise, and mind control.

Someone put me on to leangains.com/ and I read the book. Didn't lose any weight though... Some of what I read above seems to resonate with what I remember reading. Anyone tried leangains?

What is your motivation? Better performance? Extending life? Looking good on the beach? Or a bit of everything?

Leading up to a surf trip I get motivated, then all the old habits come back...

Select to expand quote

cantSUPenough said..
Well, I am impressed... I did not know that normal people actually ate like that.

Having just stacked on a lot of weight I am looking more closely at taking a better diet. But going for more than a week is a challenge. I usually try a mixture of starvation, exercise, and mind control.

Someone put me on to leangains.com/ and I read the book. Didn't lose any weight though... Some of what I read above seems to resonate with what I remember reading. Anyone tried leangains?

What is your motivation? Better performance? Extending life? Looking good on the beach? Or a bit of everything?

Leading up to a surf trip I get motivated, then all the old habits come back...

I got motivated because of getting old and worrying that going into my 60s overweight and out of shape would start me down the geriatric path. Summer of '17, my BMI was over 34 and I was kayaking but not regularly and mostly short distances fishing. Very little other exercise. Decided to get serious and had a goal in mind that was reasonably healthy, but would have still been a little overweight.

I starting tracking everything I ate - calories, protein, fat and carbs - and making sure it was less than I burned with few exceptions. Took up SUP paddling and went all in. I blew by my first goal and kept going.

My BMI has been under 25 for 9 months and in 3 weeks I will turn 60 with visible abs (I have been to the gym, not just paddling). There are no guarantees, of course, but I think I increased my odds of living a long and healthy life. I was really getting worried about settling into the old man sedentary lifestyle.

Yes, it's a challenge and I had to do it a hell of a lot longer than a week. I still have to watch what I eat, logging pretty much everything every day. I use a phone app that has a database with nearly everything in it, so logging isn't all that hard. I can just scan bar codes for prepackaged stuff. If I just try to eat lighter/healthy I will blow right back up; I had to accept that natural eating isn't going to work for me.

Mostly you have to decide it's important enough.

Select to expand quote

RideTheGlide said..

cantSUPenough said..
Well, I am impressed... I did not know that normal people actually ate like that.

Having just stacked on a lot of weight I am looking more closely at taking a better diet. But going for more than a week is a challenge. I usually try a mixture of starvation, exercise, and mind control.

Someone put me on to leangains.com/ and I read the book. Didn't lose any weight though... Some of what I read above seems to resonate with what I remember reading. Anyone tried leangains?

What is your motivation? Better performance? Extending life? Looking good on the beach? Or a bit of everything?

Leading up to a surf trip I get motivated, then all the old habits come back...

I got motivated because of getting old and worrying that going into my 60s overweight and out of shape would start me down the geriatric path. Summer of '17, my BMI was over 34 and I was kayaking but not regularly and mostly short distances fishing. Very little other exercise. Decided to get serious and had a goal in mind that was reasonably healthy, but would have still been a little overweight.

I starting tracking everything I ate - calories, protein, fat and carbs - and making sure it was less than I burned with few exceptions. Took up SUP paddling and went all in. I blew by my first goal and kept going.

My BMI has been under 25 for 9 months and in 3 weeks I will turn 60 with visible abs (I have been to the gym, not just paddling). There are no guarantees, of course, but I think I increased my odds of living a long and healthy life. I was really getting worried about settling into the old man sedentary lifestyle.

Yes, it's a challenge and I had to do it a hell of a lot longer than a week. I still have to watch what I eat, logging pretty much everything every day. I use a phone app that has a database with nearly everything in it, so logging isn't all that hard. I can just scan bar codes for prepackaged stuff. If I just try to eat lighter/healthy I will blow right back up; I had to accept that natural eating isn't going to work for me.

Mostly you have to decide it's important enough.

What is the name of the App you have RTG??

Select to expand quote

RideTheGlide said..

cantSUPenough said..
Well, I am impressed... I did not know that normal people actually ate like that.

Having just stacked on a lot of weight I am looking more closely at taking a better diet. But going for more than a week is a challenge. I usually try a mixture of starvation, exercise, and mind control.

Someone put me on to leangains.com/ and I read the book. Didn't lose any weight though... Some of what I read above seems to resonate with what I remember reading. Anyone tried leangains?

What is your motivation? Better performance? Extending life? Looking good on the beach? Or a bit of everything?

Leading up to a surf trip I get motivated, then all the old habits come back...

I got motivated because of getting old and worrying that going into my 60s overweight and out of shape would start me down the geriatric path. Summer of '17, my BMI was over 34 and I was kayaking but not regularly and mostly short distances fishing. Very little other exercise. Decided to get serious and had a goal in mind that was reasonably healthy, but would have still been a little overweight.

I starting tracking everything I ate - calories, protein, fat and carbs - and making sure it was less than I burned with few exceptions. Took up SUP paddling and went all in. I blew by my first goal and kept going.

My BMI has been under 25 for 9 months and in 3 weeks I will turn 60 with visible abs (I have been to the gym, not just paddling). There are no guarantees, of course, but I think I increased my odds of living a long and healthy life. I was really getting worried about settling into the old man sedentary lifestyle.

Yes, it's a challenge and I had to do it a hell of a lot longer than a week. I still have to watch what I eat, logging pretty much everything every day. I use a phone app that has a database with nearly everything in it, so logging isn't all that hard. I can just scan bar codes for prepackaged stuff. If I just try to eat lighter/healthy I will blow right back up; I had to accept that natural eating isn't going to work for me.

Mostly you have to decide it's important enough.

What is the name of the App you have RTG??

Select to expand quote

RideTheGlide said..

cantSUPenough said..
Well, I am impressed... I did not know that normal people actually ate like that.

Having just stacked on a lot of weight I am looking more closely at taking a better diet. But going for more than a week is a challenge. I usually try a mixture of starvation, exercise, and mind control.

Someone put me on to leangains.com/ and I read the book. Didn't lose any weight though... Some of what I read above seems to resonate with what I remember reading. Anyone tried leangains?

What is your motivation? Better performance? Extending life? Looking good on the beach? Or a bit of everything?

Leading up to a surf trip I get motivated, then all the old habits come back...

I got motivated because of getting old and worrying that going into my 60s overweight and out of shape would start me down the geriatric path. Summer of '17, my BMI was over 34 and I was kayaking but not regularly and mostly short distances fishing. Very little other exercise. Decided to get serious and had a goal in mind that was reasonably healthy, but would have still been a little overweight.

I starting tracking everything I ate - calories, protein, fat and carbs - and making sure it was less than I burned with few exceptions. Took up SUP paddling and went all in. I blew by my first goal and kept going.

My BMI has been under 25 for 9 months and in 3 weeks I will turn 60 with visible abs (I have been to the gym, not just paddling). There are no guarantees, of course, but I think I increased my odds of living a long and healthy life. I was really getting worried about settling into the old man sedentary lifestyle.

Yes, it's a challenge and I had to do it a hell of a lot longer than a week. I still have to watch what I eat, logging pretty much everything every day. I use a phone app that has a database with nearly everything in it, so logging isn't all that hard. I can just scan bar codes for prepackaged stuff. If I just try to eat lighter/healthy I will blow right back up; I had to accept that natural eating isn't going to work for me.

Mostly you have to decide it's important enough.

Great reply. I guess we all should face up to reality and look after our health. I am just a few years behind you.

But abs!?! I don't ever expect to see my abs again.

Perhaps we should create a seabreeze old fart diet competition; add a bit of extra motivation and focus.

The main concern should be about what's going on inside . Externally you may seem ok and bang your have a heart issue.
The other thing is the crap in foods today . Who knows what that leads to
(eg cancer). Where possible I try to avoid processed foods or anything that has additives or strange preservatives . Eating a mix of veg , fish , and legumes has been the real change for me . I eat heaps but quality stuff. I was extremely satisfied when i recently reduced my total cholesterol from 6.6 to 4.6 in 2 months just by eating clean, removing nearly all dairy and eating small portions of meat but heaps of fish and almonds / almond milk .