That rumbling in your tummy that you can hear and definitely feel is not a good thing. Don't you feel weak and fatigued? How can you go to the gym hungry and not have an attitude worthy of having your gym membership revoked? And how can you expect to get the most of your workout if you haven't fueled your body? Think outside of the gym as well! How can you go to the office without having breakfast? Or better yet, do you think you can have sustained energy throughout the day if you ignore the hunger pangs and not eat when your body is telling you to? My friends, I know that we are busy. I know that there may not be enough time to plan every meal. However, and here's the tough love, NO MORE EXCUSES! If you do not have enough time to fuel your body this means that you are being irresponsible and you not taking care of you. If you think that you can still lose weight even when you are skipping meals, not eating enough calories, and working out without proper fuel you are greatly mistaken and doing your body grave injustice. So please, take a few minutes to read below to begin to understand that you NEED TO EAT TO LOSE WEIGHT!
When your body moves it needs the energy to do so. This amount of energy is measured in units of heat, also known as a calorie. The fuel to produce this energy comes from several sources, but mostly from fat and carbohydrates (glucose) and occasionally amino acids (protein). The common thought amongst exercisers is that we use our stored fat for energy during our workouts. How and when fat is burned - metabolized to provide energy for the body - and how this affects body fat composition and the number on the scale is a complex physiological topic. I will try to break it down simply so you can at least begin to understand what fuel sources your body needs to get the most of your workouts so you will begin seeing results with your exercise game plan.
Whether you are sitting still or actively producing movement, the fuel your body uses to give you the calories it needs to sustain energy comes from burning mostly fat and carbohydrates. Your body burns a mix of both fat calories and carbohydrate calories, thus resulting in a 50/50 split of fuel provided by fat and carbs. The intensity of your exercise is one major determinant of which fuel your body will use. Carbohydrates is a faster energy source and are burned more during anaerobic exercise. Fats are used more during long, low-intensity aerobic exercise. It's not that the body stops using one fuel source over the other, it's just that the split changes, depending on the intensity of the exercise.
When it comes to losing weight, the focus needs to shift from "burning fat" to burning calories. Remember, to lose weight you need to create a deficit, thus the goal is to burn as many calories as possible and this can be done by lengthening the duration of your exercise as well as increasing the intensity of your exercise. The other goal is to consume the amount of calories you need for the activity that you are doing. Excess calories means excess fat and weight. If you are not burning what you are consuming it will be stored as fat! So if you are eating fuel sources that your body does need for the particular exercise that you are doing it will be stored as fat in those places on your body that you do not like. Similarly, if you do not eat before you exercise or if you do not eat when your body is in need of fuel you will not lose weight. You actually might gain weight! Why? The body needs glycogen (fuel source from carbohydrates) to sustain energy. Without regular "top offs" of this your energy will be depleted and you will feel tired, thus you will not be able to work hard in your workouts which will result in not burning as many calories as needed to lose the weight you want to. So if you go to the gym hungry or if you proceed with your day on an empty stomach you are not providing your body with the necessary fuel it needs to perform at it's optimal level. I will let the physiological research explain this scientifically, but in lame terms if you starve your body you will never lose weight because the next time you eat your body will be so darn happy it's getting fuel it is going to hang on to it for as long as possible which will make it even harder to shed those unwanted pounds.
What to eat when:
* Eat before you are hungry. Fuel every 2-3 hours and have each meal/snack contain protein, carbohydrates and healthy fat.
* Eat within 30 minutes of waking up and try not to eat approximately 2-3 hours before you go to bed.
* In general, the closer you are to your workout start time, the fewer calories you should eat and the fuel source of those calories should shift.
* It takes the body 4-6 hours to digest fat, three hours to digest protein and two hours to digest carbohydrates. Thus, the protein and fat content of your meal or pre-workout snack will decrease and the majority of the fuel source will be provided by carbohydrates.
* In general, four hours prior to a workout eat a regular meal that combines protein, fat and carbohydrates, then have a small carbohydrate-rich snack closer to your exercise session.
* Three hours before your workout, have a smaller meal and lighten up a bit on the protein and fat.
* 30 to 90 minutes before exercise, have a snack of easily digested carbohydrates
* 15 minutes before a workout and you were unable to eat a small snack opt for a sports drink
Remember that your body runs on fuel and if not given the proper fuel it needs to perform it will not do so! If it is deprived of fuel, your effort to lose weight will be diminished as well. So, eat to fuel and fuel to move.
Stay tuned for next week for Part 2: What to eat to lose weight and tips of planning and preparing your meals.
Sourced:
Muscle and Fitness Hers/ Feb 2004 Daryn Eller Click here
Triggering Your Body to Burn Fat by Martica Heaner, M.A., M.Ed., MSN Health and Fitness Click here
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