What's for Lunch?

August 15, 2014 4:37 PM

Ever wonder what giant people eat? Ever have the feeling that you're a "weird eater"? Ever feel like you need some inspiration to eat more? EliteFTS, a website geared mostly towards selling powerlifting gear and educating competitive strength athletes, has put together a list of what their staff and sponsored athletes typically eat for lunch.

NB - these sorts of meals should probably not be seen as a benchmark for anything relatively normal, unless your average day includes moving stones and barbells that weigh hundreds of pounds. Also: keep in mind that many of these athletes are likely "enhanced", which changes how your body deals with food. They also did an earlier one about breakfast.

posted by faceattack (27 comments total)

That is A LOT of eggs on everyone's breakfast plate. Makes sense, but wow.
posted by mathowie at 5:05 PM on August 15, 2014

Most of these lunches seem pretty normal to me. Some eat out, some bring leftovers, some plan out strict diets, most people mix it up. Aside from the fact that some of the meals are double sized or have double meat I don't see anything different than I see at a normal office.

Also "I eat whatever my wife can put together after working full time and picking up the kids." Dude. Ugh.
posted by kittensofthenight at 5:23 PM on August 15, 2014 [3 favorites]

Pretty nice to see people who give a shit about their macros.
posted by Sternmeyer at 5:40 PM on August 15, 2014

So, these are the folks who can eat The Full English and get away with it? I hate them.
posted by valkane at 5:46 PM on August 15, 2014

7 ounces shredded chicken breast, all cooked and packaged on Sundays
A bunch of jalapeños, which I consider to be veggies
Some mustard and hot sauce mixed in
Then two slices of American cheese.


why
posted by kagredon at 5:54 PM on August 15, 2014 [3 favorites]

These lunches made me very sad.
posted by srboisvert at 6:18 PM on August 15, 2014 [4 favorites]

Most of these look revolting.
posted by Salamander at 6:45 PM on August 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

Put Frank's Hot on just about anything and it'll be ... edible at least. Otherwise this looks like food for people who don't like food.

*looks back fondly on rockfish, fries and beer at Seward Brewing Co. Ah vacation*
posted by jonmc at 6:59 PM on August 15, 2014

Reminds me of my poor university days when I would have to stretch certain meals:

Poor Student's Sandwich:

- two slices of bread (any type will do)
- slice of cheese
- mayo
- mustard
- bag of chips (I preferred cheetohs and/or doritos for that extra nacho cheese flavour)

Enjoy.
posted by Fizz at 7:02 PM on August 15, 2014

What's the benefit of controlling your food consumption down to the level of 10 baby carrots and 17 almonds each day?
posted by wrabbit at 7:04 PM on August 15, 2014

What's the benefit of controlling your food consumption down to the level of 10 baby carrots and 17 almonds each day?



If you're climbing a mountain on a bicycle, and every gram of body weight you drop is equivalent to a certain number of watts of power over a given distance, but you still need to maintain muscle density, it absolutely makes a difference.

It sucks to do it, and it's probably not healthy in the long run, but it does pay off on the bike.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 8:21 PM on August 15, 2014

"You may notice the addition of the world’s most anabolic substances: Skoal mint and a large black iced coffee. I am convinced they will increase fat loss and anabolism by 47.63% if consumed without carbs."

Now that's some world-class nicotine fix rationalization.
posted by Earthtopus at 8:48 PM on August 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

For some reason, I was expecting gigantic-eat-until-you-almost-throw-up portions, and I clicked and saw... lunch. Maybe I eat too much for lunch? I'm a bit disappointed, actually.
posted by sfkiddo at 9:24 PM on August 15, 2014

Oh yay, I just looked at the breakfast one! I'm much happier now.
posted by sfkiddo at 9:26 PM on August 15, 2014 [3 favorites]

Poor Student's Sandwich

(actually invented by William Gosset?)
posted by en forme de poire at 9:53 PM on August 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

Mmmmm...food 4 gainz.
posted by protocoach at 10:03 PM on August 15, 2014

OMG Meat bags!
posted by carsonb at 11:22 PM on August 15, 2014

Started powerlifting in 2011. Not sure if eating to lift or lifting to eat.

Still bad at it though, but it's fun!
posted by butterstick at 5:49 AM on August 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Squatz n Oatz!
posted by vuron at 7:48 AM on August 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Heh.

Chicken (60g protein)
Grits (40 carbs)
Swedish oat starch shake (40g carbs)
Meijer brand diet soda (support local business)
Beer (5% alcohol)
Iocaine powder (building a tolerance in case I ever have to save a princess via a battle of wits)

posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:22 AM on August 16, 2014

I love how this ranges from "avocado and protein powder and seven different supplements" to "I just eat peanut butter out of the jar."
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:29 AM on August 16, 2014

So, these are the folks who can eat The Full English and get away with it? I hate them

Depends on whether your definition of "gets away with it" includes farting like a Clydesdale.
posted by louche mustachio at 8:32 AM on August 16, 2014

In the breakfast one, some fellow named Alexander Cortes drinks a dozen raw eggs shaken up for his meal. I find this to be such an old timey lifter's breakfast and, to be honest, kind of revolting. I mean, that can't taste and/or feel good going down, right? So slithery. Maybe I'm square, but I like a little heat applied to my eggs.
posted by but no cigar at 3:37 PM on August 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

. . . 14′ chicken sub (hot and toasted) with double meat . . .

Seriously, dude, if you're eating a 14-foot sub there is absolutely no need to double the meat.
posted by The Bellman at 2:26 PM on August 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

It's like half these people don't even care about their gains.
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:41 PM on August 17, 2014

In the breakfast one, some fellow named Alexander Cortes drinks a dozen raw eggs shaken up for his meal.

Depending on the potency of the other ingredients and how thoroughly it's all blended, you tend not to taste egg in concoctions like that, or at least you don't taste the egg until after you've downed the thing. What I'd be more concerned about is salmonella poisoning.
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:46 PM on August 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

Some of the people in this piece are strongmen (or women? Female Strongmen? I'm not sure on nomenclature), some powerlifters, some bodybuilders or figure competitors. So there's a real mix of what they're trying to accomplish - hence the difference between "I EAT ALL THE EGGS" or "BAGS OF MEAT" (which made me feel less alone in this world - I am a total caveman when my husband isn't around/involved in meals) vs "I have a salad with 36.2 grams of carbohydrates and exactly 2.75 almonds". Other athletes can be that precise, as well - there's a great overlap between bodybuilders and runners/cyclists in terms of body dysmorphia. Trust me - I've done plenty of time with both.

There is definitely some joking around going on in that piece as well. But the comment above about "food for people who don't like food" is apt: for certain sports where your body just needs so many calories and nutrients and whatnot, the amount of eating required can become truly hateful.

There's nothing quite like the feeling of being halfway through your second footlong meatball sub (this is lunch) and feeling like oh god oh god I just can't do this but then forcing yourself to finish it anyways.

Maybe not the healthiest thing to do - well, not even maybe. DEFINITELY not. But it is interesting.
posted by faceattack at 10:09 AM on August 18, 2014