Food and Exercise
Discussion
ok, im getting to that age in life where i certainly dont want to be putting on anymore weight and truth be told could do with loosing a few pounds.
so my question is when should i be eating?
for example when i swim or go to the gym in the morning i tend not to eat until afterwards whereas if i play tennis or football in the evening i eat before as ive been told eating late at night isnt good for you.
which is correct? does it really matter?
so my question is when should i be eating?
for example when i swim or go to the gym in the morning i tend not to eat until afterwards whereas if i play tennis or football in the evening i eat before as ive been told eating late at night isnt good for you.
which is correct? does it really matter?
That's pretty much right.
That said, if you're doing high intensity exercise (I assume you're running around when playing football!), then your metabolism is elevated for an hour or two afterwards. However, generally, eating late at night (unless you want to put on weight) is bad because the body has nothing to do with it so cleverly stores it for the next day when you're going to be hunting T-rex.
That said, if you're doing high intensity exercise (I assume you're running around when playing football!), then your metabolism is elevated for an hour or two afterwards. However, generally, eating late at night (unless you want to put on weight) is bad because the body has nothing to do with it so cleverly stores it for the next day when you're going to be hunting T-rex.
Ideally you should have something in the morning pre-exercise and don't starve yourself in the evening after your football;
General simple eating rules;
Most importantly breakfast - sets your metabolism up for the day. It's been shown those that skip breakfast in the mistaken belief it will help them shed weight actually gain more by doing so. An ideal breakfast would be slow-burn/ high energy complex carbs with some simple carbs (such as porridge with fruit) to keep you going for the morning, minimise hunger pangs and set you up for your gym.
As a general rule - little and often is the best course of action ( at least every 2-3 hours) as this keeps your metabolism ticking over and doesn't suddenly overload it.
Try to avoid sudden the spikes and dips in blood-sugar caused by sugary foods, drinks and simple carbs in isolation as this will affect your energy levels and, as excess sugar is converted to fat will make weight gain more likely. (that's before you consider the potential long-term Insulin resistance/pre-diabetes associations...)
Don't deprive yourself at night especially post exercise, if you're peckish just try and eat sensibly and avoid the simple carbs - go for complex carbs, some protein and perhaps even something with tryptophan in to aid sleep (a wholewheat turkey sandwich would contain all of these as a good example) but equally nothing too heavy.
Specifically in relation to exercise ideally try to eat a couple of hours before exercise and no less than an hour and ideally a high energy meal but low fat.
Post -exercise; fluids, carbohydrate (these two within 15 mins) and Protein in to aid rehydration, replenishment of glycogen stores and muscle rebuilding.
Very simple rules and it's an obvious thing to say but just cut out any s
t, try not to have massive meals, drink lots of water (as well as keeping you hydrated this can actually aid weight loss). But on the whole it doesn't sound like you're doing too much wrong.
General simple eating rules;
Most importantly breakfast - sets your metabolism up for the day. It's been shown those that skip breakfast in the mistaken belief it will help them shed weight actually gain more by doing so. An ideal breakfast would be slow-burn/ high energy complex carbs with some simple carbs (such as porridge with fruit) to keep you going for the morning, minimise hunger pangs and set you up for your gym.
As a general rule - little and often is the best course of action ( at least every 2-3 hours) as this keeps your metabolism ticking over and doesn't suddenly overload it.
Try to avoid sudden the spikes and dips in blood-sugar caused by sugary foods, drinks and simple carbs in isolation as this will affect your energy levels and, as excess sugar is converted to fat will make weight gain more likely. (that's before you consider the potential long-term Insulin resistance/pre-diabetes associations...)
Don't deprive yourself at night especially post exercise, if you're peckish just try and eat sensibly and avoid the simple carbs - go for complex carbs, some protein and perhaps even something with tryptophan in to aid sleep (a wholewheat turkey sandwich would contain all of these as a good example) but equally nothing too heavy.
Specifically in relation to exercise ideally try to eat a couple of hours before exercise and no less than an hour and ideally a high energy meal but low fat.
Post -exercise; fluids, carbohydrate (these two within 15 mins) and Protein in to aid rehydration, replenishment of glycogen stores and muscle rebuilding.
Very simple rules and it's an obvious thing to say but just cut out any s
t, try not to have massive meals, drink lots of water (as well as keeping you hydrated this can actually aid weight loss). But on the whole it doesn't sound like you're doing too much wrong.Edited by maddog993 on Wednesday 29th July 13:52
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