What to Eat Before and After Exercise

There's a myth that's been around forever that says that working out on an empty stomach or not eating after exercise will help you to burn more fat. But, that's just not true! Starving yourself before or after exercising can actually be detrimental to your body!

Here's the science: In order to burn fat, you need glycogen, which comes primarily from carbohydrates. When you work out without replenishing your glycogen first, you will be using up all of the glycogen stores in your body, which is not a good thing for weight loss. 

Without the glycogen, your body will convert your own muscle tissue into energy. That will eventually slow down your metabolism and prevent fat burning!

By the time you finish your workout, your body will be severely famished, and will do anything for fuel. You may not at first realize it, since one of the symptoms of starvation is, ironically enough, diminished hunger, but the end result will be, for many people, a huge demand for overeating later on. 

Your body will be in starvation mode and will try to get you to overeat as much as possible, so it can store as much energy as it can in fat cells. In other words, if you do not eat before working out in the morning, you will be far more likely to gain whatever weight you lose right back -- and then some. That's because your impulse will be to overindulge in food later on.

Fueling exercise requires superior carbohydrates, lean protein, heart-healthy fats, and fluids. Your muscles rely on carbohydrate foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grain cereals/pasta, and organic brown rice. For building and maintaining muscles and for healthy blood cells (to deliver nutrients and oxygen to working muscles), your body requires superior protein foods such as lean meats (organic), legumes, dairy (such as organic eggs and yogurt), cold-water fish (such as wild salmon), and nuts and seeds.

Foods provide the fuel to the body’s engine, and fluids provide the water to your body’s radiator. Without these crucial fuels and fluids, your body will have a hard time performing at its best.

Before Exercise

Eat something with carbohydrates and protein 45 minutes to an hour before exercising — you’ll have more energy and endurance to work harder, burn more calories, and improve your muscle tone. 

A few quick, healthy ideas include: a green smoothie, a whey protein shake, low-fat yogurt with berries, some walnuts/pecans with an apple, or a banana or apple slices with natural almond butter. 

Eat quality protein and carbs in the morning. The protein digests slowly, so you stay full a lot longer; and, the carbs give you the energy you need. When overweight women had a breakfast of eggs and toast (versus a bagel and cream cheese), they ate fewer calories for the rest of the day. So combine protein with a fruit or vegetable (carbs) and whole-grain cereal or flax (fiber) -- you'll feel fuller even longer. In fact, this threesome along with a glass of filtered water or a glass of raw juice turns breakfast into a weight loss power tool.

Can't stomach food first thing in the day? Then, sip on a protein shake or green smoothie. Blend some nonfat plain yogurt, some almond milk, a small banana, and some frozen berries in the blender, then sprinkle with some wheat germ or ground flaxseeds to get some whole grains in. It'll keep your appetite in line when lunch rolls around.

Too rushed in the morning (kids, pets, partners) to eat breakfast? Toss a handful of some nuts, seeds and dried fruit into a baggie, fill a to-go cup with almond milk, and nibble during your morning commute.

The Bottom Line: You should always eat something before a workout. I’m not suggesting you pig out. A small, healthy snack consisting of carbohydrates and protein will properly fuel your body for a killer workout. 

During Exercise

You can always eat during a workout, especially if it's a long session. In fact, if your morning workout session lasts for an hour or longer, it's probably a good idea to recharge in the middle of exercising. Fruit, juice or bread are your best options for something quick to eat before you get back to working out.

After Exercise

Why do you need to eat protein or drink a homemade protein shake after exercising?

Muscles need protein for recovery and growth, and the best time to deliver protein appears to be right after exercise. Providing high-quality protein after exercise gives your muscles the fuel and the building blocks needed for both repair and for growth.

The first forty-five minutes after an intense exercise session is the best time for you to lock in your performance with tangible results by eating quality carbs and protein, like an almond butter sandwich or a sprouted grain bagel with cream cheese. 

It's best to eat after working out, because it is then that your insulin and muscle carbohydrates are at their peak. Eating immediately post-workout will build muscles and reduce body fat.

Protein shakes and powders carry a certain allure, but your muscles don’t care if the protein comes from a hard-boiled egg, glass of chocolate milk or whey protein shake -- as long as it's quality protein.  Whatever you choose, more isn’t better -- only 10 to 20 grams of protein is needed to provide amino acids (the building blocks of protein) to muscles.

Your Post-Exercise Fluid Needs: Most moderate exercisers will lose about one quart (4 cups) of fluid per hour of exercise, so try to drink about 16-20 ounces of water shortly after your workout to aid the recovery process. 

If you sweat a lot or the weather is hot and/or humid, consider weighing yourself before and after exercise, and drinking an ounce of water for every ounce of weight you’ve lost. 

Because heavy sweating also causes loss of minerals and electrolytes, consider using a sports drink with electrolytes if you need to replace more than 2-3 cups of fluid.

Your Post-Exercise Meal or Snack: As long as you’re staying within your overall range for the day, you don’t need to be obsessive about matching your calorie and nutrient ratios perfectly. Just be careful not to fall into the very common trap of thinking that it’s OK to eat anything and everything in sight because you just worked out. 

Many people are very hungry after a workout, making it easy to eat more than you really need, or choose foods that won’t really help your body. Eating too much of the wrong thing can do the opposite of what you want — cause your body to store that food as fat instead of using your post-workout food to refuel and repair your muscles.

Avoid most store-bought energy bars, protein shakes, smoothies, etc. Instead, make your own protein shakes and smoothies and put them in a air-tight thermos if you're on the go.

If your goal is to lose weight and target fat, for your meals, you need to follow the same kind of healthy diet as above, but be sure you get enough calories to fuel your physical activity. Cut back on refined, sugar-rich foods and beverages and high-fat and fried foods, and scale back your portions to gradually lose body fat.  

A combination of superior foods, consistent exercise and a calorie-controlled diet will be the most effective way to promote fat loss over the long term. 

Also, remember that slow and steady is the way to go. Exercising too much too quickly is just as bad as never exercising.