If you have some kind of athletic activity you’re trying to do, and you want to eat to maximize your energy level so you don’t run out of steam in the middle of it, what should you eat and when should you eat it?
I’ve always been a person who was trying to lose a few pounds, so I’m pretty conditioned to think “eating less is better”. But lately, when I’m doing something strenuous and getting really, really tired, I start thinking “Hmm… maybe I should’ve actually eaten a little more today?”
But I don’t want to eat too much, because then I’ll just gain weight. Anybody have any advice or guidelines about this?
Back when I was training in advance for an intensive training program that I was entering, I was both working out daily (running 3-6 miles every other day, doing am hour of weight training and an hour of cross training on an elliptical, usually on the other days), I followed the Body For Life eating program. 5-6 meals a day, one serving of carbohydrates, one serving of protein every meal. I was also trying to lose weight at the time, and I lost 80 pounds over about a year doing this. I spent one day a week, as BFL suggests, eating whatever I wanted, in order to not feel deprived, and still lost weight fast. More importantly, I lost size.
I used the BFL weight training program, as well, but did a LOT more cardio, because I was training for some specific things, so I lost weight pretty fast. But I never felt weak and was rarely hungry. I actually set an alarm to make sure I ate most of the time, because I knew I needed fuel.
My breakfast of choice is whole grain toast with peanut butter, at least an hour before training.
When I run my go to energy source are Cliff Shot Blok Chews
When biking I tend to prefer Hammer Gel or Heed.
“running out of steam” usually means low sugar, but not always. The right amount of caffeine can have hugely profound benefits when training. So for breakfast I’ll always have a small cup of strong coffee. For longer bike rides (6+ hours) I carry a small amount of Hammer Gel that contains caffeine. And for early morning swims (4km at 5am) I was using FRS Orange Concentrate https://secure.frs.com/frscart/details_concentrate.aspx
“running out of steam” might also mean you’re over training and need a rest day, making you prone to injury.
You guys are a little more hardcore than I am. Trust me, I’m not overtraining. It could be that I just haven’t built up the stamina to exercise strenuously for more than half an hour. Also, I generally do it after work, when I’m already tired. But that’s the only time I can fit it into my schedule.
So emacknight, do you think a snack of carbohydrates an hour or two before exercising, plus maybe a cup of coffee, might help me last longer?
By the way, if this would fit better in another forum, a mod may feel free to move it.
Yes, a good sized snack about 1.5 hours before you lift should do it. I can’t have caffeine that late in the day, but if it works for you give it a try.
And that needs to be taken in context with what you eat for the rest of the day, so your lunch will need to be a bit smaller.
You might also consider doing some light cardio, maybe 10min on a treadmill, to get your heart rate up. Not something so long that you’re tired afterwords.
Nutrient Timing by Robert Portman has a whole lot of information about this. This book is a bit more regimented with timing than I think most people would want to be, but it contains a lot of good information about how your body absorbs foods.
To specifically address your question, carbs are an excellent thing to eat around your workout time, because your body can absorb them faster. So maybe if you knew you were going to the gym soon, you could have a granola bar or some fruit a half an hour or so before you leave work.
Another idea is to incorporate an afternoon snack. I don’t know what your current eating habits are, but if you eat lunch around, say, 12:30, then get to the gym around 5:30 and have a 45 minute workout and a 15 minute drive home, your body will have not gotten any chance to refuel for 6 hours. I would advise you to eat a normal size lunch, but then also incorporate an afternoon snack. This is a good idea to incorporate regardless of your workout time, actually, because nutritionists seem to concur that small, frequent meals are healthier for your metabolism.
I usually have natural peanut butter (peanuts + salt, nothing else) on a slice of whole wheat bread. Like, 2 or 3 tbs. of peanut butter. With some skim milk and maybe a bananna too. That fills me WAY up and is plenty for a non-training sort of workout. That’s about 20g of protein.
Greek yogurt is good too. You can get up to like 24g of protein per serving. Add your own sweeteners and fruits, tho - the pre-mixed stuff tends to have less protein per serving.