ziggyman Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 I get home from work at about 7pm. Would it be best to eat first, then exercise before bed, from around 9-10pm, or exercise first and eat later around 9pm and bed between 11-12pm? Link to post Share on other sites
whichwayisup Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Eat first. It isn't good to have big meals late at night. Link to post Share on other sites
tanbark813 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 You shouldn't eat a full meal within 2 hours before your workout. A lot of blood is redirected to your digestive system and you want that blood available to carry oxygen to your muscles. A light snack would be fine. It's better to eat immediately afterwards to replenish your carb and protein stores. Eating protein immediately afterwards is especially important if you're lifting weights so that you can repair the muscle you just broke down. Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 You shouldn't eat a full meal within 2 hours before your workout. A lot of blood is redirected to your digestive system and you want that blood available to carry oxygen to your muscles. A light snack would be fine. It's better to eat immediately afterwards to replenish your carb and protein stores. Eating protein immediately afterwards is especially important if you're lifting weights so that you can repair the muscle you just broke down. I agree with this. But in addition, I find if I work out at night I have difficulty falling asleep. Try to work out as soon as you can. Link to post Share on other sites
CaliGuy Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Work out on an empty stomach. If you are doing cardio to lose fat then it's best to run in the AM before breakfast and follow that up with 5 small meals a day instead of 3 larger ones. tankbark is correct about protein after a heavy weight lifting session. I ususally work out right after work, drink a muscle milk shake then eat a smaller dinner around 7pm. Results look good so far Link to post Share on other sites
StartFresh Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Eat first. It isn't good to have big meals late at night. Eh, it depends on what you eat. Eating before sleeping is good, but you want to mainly take in proteins and monounsaturated/polyunsaturated fats. I eat a mixture of natural peanut butter and cottage cheese just before bed to preserve muscle mass while I sleep. You shouldn't eat a full meal within 2 hours before your workout. A lot of blood is redirected to your digestive system and you want that blood available to carry oxygen to your muscles. A light snack would be fine. It's better to eat immediately afterwards to replenish your carb and protein stores. Eating protein immediately afterwards is especially important if you're lifting weights so that you can repair the muscle you just broke down. I wouldn't agree with that. You want to eat about 1 hour before your workout. 2 hours is almost time for another meal. Its good to eat a small meal comprised of complex carbs (to fuel your workout) and protein. Try not to eat fats in this meal, you want it to be absorbed into your body easily for the workout. (Fats slow the absorbtion/digestion process) Your full meals shouldnt be that big anyway, i try to limit my meals to no higher than 800ish calories per meal. Work out on an empty stomach. If you are doing cardio to lose fat then it's best to run in the AM before breakfast and follow that up with 5 small meals a day instead of 3 larger ones. tankbark is correct about protein after a heavy weight lifting session. I ususally work out right after work, drink a muscle milk shake then eat a smaller dinner around 7pm. Results look good so far A very debatable topic. I personally disagree. If you want to lose weight then yes, do that, but if you want to lower your body fat percentage then I would not. If you work out on an empty stomach (cardio in the AM, for example) you are in an extremely catabolic state. Your body is going to feed off your muscles for energy. You will lose weight, but a good amount of that weight will be muscle. If you are looking to reduce your body fat percentage, the best way to go about this is to follow proper pre & post workout nutrition and not deprive your body of what it needs, IMO. I always eat 1 hour before the gym. I typically have 2 peices of whole wheat toast, 1 whole egg, and 5 eggs whites. If I'm bulking, maybe more whole eggs instead of so many egg whites. I suggest eating before, then directly afterwards having a protein shake. Does this eating negate the work you just did at the gym? No. You should be adjusting your diet throughout the entire day so that you are eating a defecit of calories from your maintenance level (search BMI calculator online if you dont know what I'm talking about). This is assuming you are trying to lose weight. You cannot gain mass and lose fat at the same time. I use www.fitday.com to track my caloric intake per day. Link to post Share on other sites
PWSX3 Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I was told to eat something small about an hour before your workout like a yogurt, or energy bar, fruit, etc. Then do your workout & then wait a half hour to hour afterwards to eat. Now I'm not trying to bulk up so maybe that is the difference, I'm trying to lose some weight & work on my cardio. Link to post Share on other sites
StartFresh Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I was told to eat something small about an hour before your workout like a yogurt, or energy bar, fruit, etc. Then do your workout & then wait a half hour to hour afterwards to eat. Now I'm not trying to bulk up so maybe that is the difference, I'm trying to lose some weight & work on my cardio. Doesn't really matter whether you are bulking or cutting. The only thing you change is your daily intake, not specific to each meal though. Most people I know like to have their biggest meal of the day after theyve hit the gym (doesnt mean they binge and have pizza, just calorie wise, their biggest is the meal after the gym). You should really have a protein shake directly after the gym (within 30 minutes). Read this, its a good article on Post Workout Nutrition importance http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/laywindownon.php Link to post Share on other sites
StartingOver07 Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Huge ditto to StartFresh. If you work out unfueled (i.e., not having eaten), your body is far more likely to break down protein in order to have energy for the workout. Regardless whether you are cutting or bulking, pre- and post-workout nutrition are not the places to scale back. If you want to lose fat, do so by watching what and how much you eat at your other meals. Link to post Share on other sites
Darkzen Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 You cannot gain mass and lose fat at the same time. I've added quite a bit of muscle mass and maintained my body weight (which is obviously due to the loss of fat), multiple times in my life. Typically during football off-seasons (in-fact on one such occasion I actually lost weight and added a few inches to my chest/neck/arms/etc...). Hell, just since October, I've dropped a pants size and seen noticeable differences in the mirror. This from doing BJJ/MMA 4 days a week and playing basketball once a week, yet I haven't lost a single pound. That statement would appear incorrect to me, unless you meant it in some other context. Link to post Share on other sites
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