Eating is an essential component of any exercise routine. In this quick post we examine some key concepts that can help you understand when to eat, and what to eat.
Can desert be a good thing?
According to research, eating dessert is actually a good thing to do. In psychological terms, it signals to the brain that the meal is over and helps you feel full and stop further eating. However, it is still important to remember that desserts often contain large amounts of extra calories in the form of fat and sugar, so try to eat low fat versions of ice-creams and yogurts where possible.
Should you eat before bed?
Whether your aim is to lose fat or gain muscle (it is usually one, other or both for most of us!) it can be worth eating something just before bed. This may go against everything you think, but actually a small meal of protein and low glycemic carbs will not only prevent the body burning the muscles as fuel during sleep, but if you are prone to snacking at midnight to prevent insomnia this small meal may well prevent that. Furthermore, if your evening meal is very early (say 5 or 6, like it often is in the military) then your starvation period until breakfast is shorter, which therefore lessens the likelihood of your body needing to store excess fuels when it is finally fed.
When to eat?
It doesn’t matter whether you exercise morning, lunchtime, afternoon or evening, always try to eat a small meal before exercising (30mins-2hrs before). This meal should contain low glycemic carbs and protein. By fueling the body at this time you will firstly prevent the bodies muscles being burned as fuel, but will also increase the amount of calories burned during and after exercise as the meal will kick-start the bodies metabolism prior to the exercise.
Additionally, eat again straight after exercise as this is your “window of opportunity” to replace your energy stores. If you don’t eat immediately after exercising your body will start burning it’s own muscles for fuel/energy. Furthermore, you will not replace the energy (glycogen) stores in your muscles meaning you wont be refueled and prepared for the next days training. In fact you will probably find that your next session will be more difficult than usual as you will feel tired and degraded. In short, make sure you eat ASAP after exercising.
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Hey, absolutlty love the site and will definatley be coming back in the near future!
How fast can somebody expect to lose weight?
Hi Fabdominal.
Thanks for the questions…and actually a very difficult one to answer.
First let me say that when losing weight, slower is actually better: it is more likely to stay off that way and is more healthy for the body. So don’t rush things…!
Losing weight is all to do with calories in vs calories out. These can both be controlled by the amount eaten and the amount of activity (exercise) done.
So, if calories in is less than calories out then weight will be lost…the bigger the deficit between the two, the quicker the weightloss. In flippant terms, lets consider someone at a labour camp and is fed nothing/very little but made to work hard labour 12hrs a day: they will lose weight VERY quickly.
Conversely if we consider someone who works in an office, who is very sedentary (does no exercise at all/drives to work/sits at a desk etc) and decides to lose weight by cutting out sugar in tea and desserts after meals, they will lose weight very slowly – if at all.
I hope this helps.
Thanks,
Sean