I see a lot of advice floating around about when to eat if you are working out. Everything from don’t eat before a workout for optimal fat burning to eat a light snack an hour beforehand to build up reserves – and everything in between (sorry folks, but the one thing I haven’t seen is the one that says to eat a Kit Kat bar during the workout!). Armed with all this conflicting information I set about to pull it all together and see what makes sense and what doesn’t.
I found out that, really, it just doesn’t matter. The truth of the matter is this – if you workout and burn 500 calories then your body “subtracts” 500 calories. At the end of the day, when you tote everything up, if your body needs more fuel it will simply get those 500 calories form your fat reserves. It’s as simple as that. I can find no scientific evidence that any special type of meal or time of day is going to increase or decrease calories. At the end of the day what matters for weight loss is calories –plain and simple.
Realize to that everyone is different. What works for me may not work for you. Personally I feel like I get a nice post-workout “high” by eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when I come back from the gym. This isn’t “free” food calorie wise, it’s still part of my daily meals – but I find by having it within an hour of working out I get a nice, natural high. It’s just how my body responds. I know some people who eat about 60 minutes pre-workout to build up the sugar and energy in them to help motivate them to workout. Like I said, whatever works for you GO FOR IT!
About the only thing I ever take with me to the gym and consume during workouts is Propel water. I don’t know about you – but I have to have some flavor in my water. Plain water never has done much for me. When you are working out and doing cardio you need to make sure you keep yourself hydrated, so find some type of water and take it with you. Stay away from sodas and teas which can actually dehydrate you.
Oh, and for those of you who like those energy bars and such – hey, it’s your calories, but I would like to point out that most of those things are just sugar and protein (sometimes and most often just sugar). Why not save yourself some money and pack you some Ritz crackers with peanut butter or make you some Rice Krispie treats instead? How about peanut butter on the Rice Krispie treats? Sounds good to me! Either way, you will be saving money and controlling how much sugar and fat go into your mouth!
So there you have it – 100’s of thousands of Google hits boiled down to a simple statement. Eat when you feel like it, eat right and drink plenty of liquids. Solid advice for anyone whether they are trying to lose weight or not.
Photo Credit: Drunken Monkey on Flickr.
One of the observations I’ve made is that there are a lot of people who do strength training who believe in spending a lot of money on expensive protein and vitamin shakes. Call me old fashioned, but paying $50 for a jar of powder just doesn’t top my list of fun things to do. Luckily one of my favorite foods provides a lot of the vitamins and protein I need and is available for just a few dollars in any grocery store – peanut butter! 
