Is Eating Better After or Before Exercise?

Question

Regarding overall health and the desire to lose body weight I often come across a lot of articles about weight loss in the media, but this one about a good question caught my attention. Is it possible for meal timing in relation to exercise to change based on personal preferences and objectives? By reading this article, you may see both sides of the argument: eating before your workout gives you adequate energy, and eating after can aid in muscle recovery. I was able to pose this question after seeing it from sources like nutritionists and fitness experts. 

Answer 1

I think it really depends on the type of exercise you’ll be performing. If you’re trying to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit, making the timing of your meals and snacks crucial. According to an article done by the American Diabetes Association, “exercising on an empty stomach can help you burn more body fat for fuel,” and if you are planning on eating something before working out, choose a light meal/snack like fruit and protein, or yogurt.

They recommend eating AFTER high-intensity workouts, like weight lifting, endurance training, or any sort of intense exercise performed for longer than one hour. If you don’t eat enough afterwards, you run the risk of overeating later, not replenishing glucose, and depriving your muscles of amino acids.

Overall, it really depends on the type of workout you do that will determine when and what you eat before or after exercising. 

https://diabetes.org/health-wellness/fitness/eating-tips-before-after-exercise

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Answer 2

It is a true claim that eating both before and after working out is important for weight loss. It is a well understood rule regarding the relationship between eating and working out that meal times should not conform to your workouts, but rather the opposite. You should eat a meal roughly 2-4 hours before a workout in order to give your body time to break down carbohydrates, electrolytes, and synthesize nutrients imperative to a worthwhile workout. That meal should be 1000 calories, however if you down have 2 hours to work with, you should eat a smaller and smaller meal the closer and closer to come to working out. your body will struggle to break down and build up muscle if you do not eat before a workout at all. The most important meal however, is after your workout. After working out, there is a metabolic hour in which your body is most prepared to take in protein and carbs in order to build up your broke down muscle. Consuming protein in this time frame is imperative whether aiming for weight gain or loss. This link is very helpful to understand concept you may need.

https://blog.nasm.org/workout-and-nutrition-timing#:~:text=Hydration%3A%20At%20least%204%20hours,e.g.%2C%20early%20morning%20workouts).

Answer 3

While it is important to eat before and after an exercise, many scientists say that eating afterwards is better for you than eating before. It is beneficial for women to eat before an exercise if you are wanting to burn fat and beneficial to eat afterwards if you are man. Research shows that eating some kind of nutrients after a workout can help your body adapt and recover after an exercise. If you are eating to burn fat, then it is important, especially for women, to not eat carbohydrates immediately after an exercise. Eating a healthy snack after an exercise helps your muscles recover and replace glycogen stores. 

https://www.surrey.ac.uk/features/research-surrey-suggests-timing-your-exercise-and-meals-can-lead-weight-loss

Comments

How would you rate the claim? True? False? N/A?