You Can even Eat 30 to 60 Minutes before a Workout

How many times has it happened that an hour or 30 minutes before a workout you realize that you are very hungry because you have not eaten anything in the last couple of hours? Some decide to workout hungry, some decide to skip their workout. Both decisions are wrong, even half an hour before a workout you can eat and be able to satisfy both your hunger and workout energy requirements at the same time. 

Here is what you should know about food consumption in the 30 to 60 minute time frame before a workout: you should take in 0.25 to 0.5 grams of carbohydrates per one pound of body weight. In order to find the exact amount of carbohydrates you need in this time frame you should experiment with different amounts of food: some have a higher tolerance while others have a lower tolerance for food in the near proximity to a workout. So if you weigh 160 pounds you should take in between 40 and 80 grams of carbohydrates in pre-exercise meals; if you are 200 pounds you should take in between 50 and 100 grams of carbohydrates.

The types of foods appropriate for pre-exercise consumption is foods with a small percentage of fat, a small to moderate percentage of proteins, and a high percentage of carbohydrates. Some of the foods that are rich in carbohydrates are: 

-          Banana – medium size: 26 grams

-          Apple - medium size: 22 grams

-          Bread – one slice: 12 grams (most breads) to 15 grams (Rye bread)

-          Baked potato – small: 30 grams

-          Elbow macaroni – one cup: 43 grams

-          Brown rice – one cup: 45 grams

-          Cinnamon raisin bagel – one: 39 grams

-          Quaker Oatmeal – one bag: 32 grams   

-          Apple Juice – 8 oz. glass: 30 grams

There is one more simple strategy that you can use if you arrive to your gym hungry: take a very small amount of food that is high in carbohydrates before a workout and take a small bite of a banana or apple every 25 – 30 minutes during the workout. By using this strategy you will be able to finish your workout and you will not feel as exhausted or in a bad mood afterwards. 

For those who are not familiar with the role of carbohydrates in sports nutrition, here is just a quick reminder: carbohydrates are the most important source of energy for our bodies. They are broken down into sugars and converted into energy. There are two types of carbohydrates: complex (starches) and simple (sugars). Complex carbs are made of mostly linked sugars while simple carbs are made of mostly simple sugars. Simple carbohydrates provide energy for a very short period of time; complex carbohydrates provide energy for a prolonged period of time. 

This article is just a solution to the situation of when you arrive to your training session hungry. But remember that the best way to avoid this kind of problem is to plan and schedule your meals in advance. When you eat according to your meal schedule you can be certain that you will be able to give it your all during your workout.

Laziness and Ignorance: Fat People’s Trademarks

You say: “I am doing everything right and I still cannot lose weight.” After that you say: “It must be that something is wrong with my metabolism.” You are a doctor now? Or do you believe that you are educated on nutrition just because you saw some catchy commercial or you have read some interesting articles on the internet? You will be surprised to learn how many internet articles on different types of diets are written by a particular company’s marketing departments and how many articles in newspapers are actually paid advertising.   

How did they get there?

There is a range in our body’s responses to particular types of foods but that range is actually narrow, contrary to what many nutritionists wants us to believe. I still remember what my biochemistry professor at the University of Sport and Physical Education in Belgrade said during my first class: “All of us in this room are Homo sapiens and you better believe that we all share the same biological chemistry.”

While there are some people with health conditions that affect their metabolism, based on my   professional experience and professional education, I am a strong opponent of using metabolic types and other similar theories as a response to fighting obesity and other overweight related problems. Opposition to the use of these theories in our daily lives can mean only one thing: that I am strong proponent of the theory of personal responsibility for our weight, physical abilities, and physical appearance.

There is only one way that you can lose weight, by burning more calories per day than you are taking in. Even quality of food has nothing to do with this: you can eat crappy food from fast food restaurants every day and still lose weight, if you are very active. It is an absolutely different story about how the quality of food affects your overall health, physical performance, and length of recovery time. So, do not be confused, I would like to discourage everybody from eating crappy fast food and to eat healthy food but again, for losing weight you need to satisfy only one simple requirement, spend more calories than you take in.

Often your one a day workout in the gym is not enough. In order to spend enough calories so that you can start losing weight you must be active throughout the entire day. Please, do not give me that crap that you are too busy at work so you cannot be more active. But how about this, when you go to work or to the grocery store park your car as far away from your building or grocery store as you possibly can. After your lunch break, instead of using the elevator, use the stairs to get to your office or even walk your dog an extra five minutes every time you take your dog out.

While reading some fitness literature, I ran into an interesting suggestion few times. In order to not to gain or to lose weight, on the days that you work out take at least 6,000 steps throughout entire day. On days off, walk at least 10,000 steps. Although this suggestion did not come about as a result of any particular study, I am convinced that this is great advice. Funny thing is that when I gave this advice to my clients, almost everybody reacted in the same manner: “it is a lot, it is not realistic for me to do it.” I told them to buy a simple $30 pedometer and to put it on their belt in the morning and to have it on them all day. After they got pedometers, their reaction was fascinating. They started walking more and almost every single one was able to reach the goal of 6,000 or 10,000 steps. Also, they said that just by parking their car farther from the office or grocery store, walking the dog a little bit longer, or taking the stairs instead the elevator they felt that they were much more energized than in previous period. There were all easy tasks and these small adjustments made a big difference.

Here is one more simple but useful piece of advice: instead to eating a few large, energy rich meals during the day, it is better to eat small sized meals more frequently. I am not giving you this advice because of some theories that eating more often will help you lose weight faster because your metabolism is working faster if you eat often. I have read a very comprehensive scientific study which disputes this theory so I would hesitate to confront this scientific finding. The reason that I would recommend eating frequently, every 90 – 120 minutes, is because of the proven fact that you will be more energetic throughout a day than when you eat large meals that demand long periods of time to be digested. When you eat in higher frequency, nothing will be difficult for you, to work or to work out.   

Bottom line is to be active, make small adjustments in your nutrition and your extra fat will disappear, there are no two ways about that.