Pre and Post Workout Eating for Fat Loss - Female

msemotan

Hi All!

I am looking for some input on what I should do if my goal is to burn fat and build lean muscle during a workout. I am a female in my early 30's at the top of my BMI. My workouts are a combination of cardio and strength (think Jillian Michaels, Jackie Warner, Natalie Jill, kickboxing, circuits, etc.).
I had read I should fast pre workout so that my body burns fat, then have protein and carbs post workout (e.g. whey and fruit in coconut water) but no fat.
Any up for giving me advice?

rybo

Just worry about your overall calories. If you need something an hour or so before working out, fine. If you do better not eating before hand, that's ok too. The post workout window is bro science. What matters most for results is the program you are on & the total overall calories.

DancingMoosie

I don't think it really matters. I workout fasted in the am only because it's the first thing I do. I have my normal coffee and am snack after my shower and eat normally throughout the day. I only know from experience that too much food before cardio makes me feel like puking, so I just have a banana or something similar about an hour or so before running.

jacksonpt

The benefits you'll see from nutrient timing are FAAAAR outweighed by overall calorie balance and workout intensity, so focus on those things first. Make sure your overall calories are where they need to be, and make sure you're workouts are on par with your goals/expectations.

Once you have those 2 things down, and down consistently, then worry about the finer details.

itsthehumidity

Nutrient timing has its place, but way later after the basics are in place. Here's a GREAT article that I'm going to start linking to people asking this type of question:

http://rippedbody.jp/complete-diet-nutrition-set-up-guide/

Read it all, but first scroll down a bit to the Pyramid of Nutrition Priorities. Basically, get your calories in order, then split them up reasonably by macronutrient, then ensure most of the foods you're eating are nutrient dense and have enough fiber. Once you're comfortable with that, then you can start thinking about nutrient timing like pre/post workout meals. In the meantime, you can burn as much fat as you want and build some muscle.

JustAnotherOneOfThoseGirls

NO, DO NOT FAST PRE-WORKOUT. hmm sorry about that, but that's really not a good thing to do. It's perfect for if you're doing a slow, 5 minute walk, but never fast before anything more intensive than that, please, it's quite bad for your body. Have a light meal about an hour and a half before your workout consisting of some complex carbs and lean protein. Then just before your workout, take in some simple carbs, personally I like drinking 100-150 ml of pure orange juice (not from concentrate). I also mix L glutamine and creatine monohydrate into this juice, which helps with energy levels, fat burning and recovery. Post workout, have a protein shake straight after your routine, or at least within 40 minutes of stopping exercise. This protein shake should consist of at least 20g of protein, and should also contain some simple carbs, I recommend some dextrose and/or maltodextrin. You can also add some more L glutamine, creatine monohydrate, and also CLA to this protein shake. After that, 1-3 hours after you've stopped exercising, have another protein shake, this one should contain just protein and a complex carb, I recommend instant oats.
Hope this has helped

singingflutelady

I always work out fasted and at high intensity. Meal timing is not important

msemotan

Thanks for the replies so far, I have some reading to do. I am now realizing saying fasting maybe was not the best idea, I do eat about every 3 hours or so. So I would have had meal in the past three hours and maybe a little snack so i was not hungry an hour or so before if I needed it, like a hard boiled egg or some almonds.

I am working on my total calories and I always aim for high intensity during my workouts. I just want to make sure I am not doing anything that is actually making fat burning harder for my body related to workouts and food timing.

itsthehumidity

JustAnotherOneOfThoseGirls wrote: »

NO, DO NOT FAST PRE-WORKOUT. hmm sorry about that, but that's really not a good thing to do. It's perfect for if you're doing a slow, 5 minute walk, but never fast before anything more intensive than that, please, it's quite bad for your body. Have a light meal about an hour and a half before your workout consisting of some complex carbs and lean protein. Then just before your workout, take in some simple carbs, personally I like drinking 100-150 ml of pure orange juice (not from concentrate). I also mix L glutamine and creatine monohydrate into this juice, which helps with energy levels, fat burning and recovery. Post workout, have a protein shake straight after your routine, or at least within 40 minutes of stopping exercise. This protein shake should consist of at least 20g of protein, and should also contain some simple carbs, I recommend some dextrose and/or maltodextrin. You can also add some more L glutamine, creatine monohydrate, and also CLA to this protein shake. After that, 1-3 hours after you've stopped exercising, have another protein shake, this one should contain just protein and a complex carb, I recommend instant oats.
Hope this has helped

OP, within the context of what I mentioned and linked earlier, ignore this. This individual is recommending a fairly complicated supplement regimen. Like nutrient timing, supplements also have their place and can be the difference in that last 5%. But, supplements are the very last thing you should be considering; they certainly don't come first.

Keep in mind, overall, that the basics are what take you most of the way. They (calories/macros/micros) are thus what should get most of your attention.

ECTexan

Timing is not something I worry about much, but my trainer put me on a schedule so I just follow it. I eat 5-6 small meals a day but come to my cardio days fasted. I don't like to run around with food in me so that works well for me. On lifting days, I eat a meal including carbs like brown rice 30-60 mins beforehand. Then I eat or have a protein shake within an hour of finishing every workout.

DancingMoosie

Eating within 3 hours of your workouts is not really fasting anyway. Don't worry so much about timing, just hit your nutrition goals for the day.

kdiamond

I honestly don't think it matters to the average joe, but I like to eat something about an hour before working out (carbs for energy) and have some sort of protein an hour after for muscle recovery.

Sassie_Lassie

JustAnotherOneOfThoseGirls wrote: »

NO, DO NOT FAST PRE-WORKOUT. hmm sorry about that, but that's really not a good thing to do. It's perfect for if you're doing a slow, 5 minute walk, but never fast before anything more intensive than that, please, it's quite bad for your body. Have a light meal about an hour and a half before your workout consisting of some complex carbs and lean protein. Then just before your workout, take in some simple carbs, personally I like drinking 100-150 ml of pure orange juice (not from concentrate). I also mix L glutamine and creatine monohydrate into this juice, which helps with energy levels, fat burning and recovery. Post workout, have a protein shake straight after your routine, or at least within 40 minutes of stopping exercise. This protein shake should consist of at least 20g of protein, and should also contain some simple carbs, I recommend some dextrose and/or maltodextrin. You can also add some more L glutamine, creatine monohydrate, and also CLA to this protein shake. After that, 1-3 hours after you've stopped exercising, have another protein shake, this one should contain just protein and a complex carb, I recommend instant oats.
Hope this has helped

Um, no. Just . . . . no. If I were to eat something an hour and a half pre-workout I'd have to get up at 3:30 in the morning and that just ain't happening. I do my workouts fasted and haven't had any issues with it. It's all a matter of preference. Some people get sick if they eat and then work out so how does that fit into your neat little box? If I'm hungry I'll eat something but for the most part I don't.

JustAnotherOneOfThoseGirls

If people want to workout without eating, I'm not against them, I wouldn't do it personally, but no one knows your body better than you do. If it works for you, great, just as long as you know how to stay safe, and are not doing it to follow a fad or because some glitzy website suggested it might be beneficial. I'm not trying to start an argument on this thread, it's just in general, the majority of the population struggle and get ill or injured with fasted cardio, but again, if it works for you and your body, go ahead.
On another note, with my previous post, I should have mentioned I work at a gym and have a very active lifestyle, plus a very heavy workout schedule, and this is my personal nutrition guidelines that works for me, it's just suggestions. But generally, a small meal, a bit of sugar pre-workout (if you do do fasted cardio, you could skip the small meal and just have some fruit juice etc. before working out), then plenty of protein and carbs post workout, simple carbs straight after and complex a little later

sijomial

A/ You burn fat over the whole course of a day if you are in a calorie deficit - focussing on what happens during your workout is a waste of time and effort.

B/ Building muscle is a matter of stimulus and adequate nutrition to support recovery and growth. It's a natural process and doesn't need to be forced. Just train hard and eat well.

C/ Fasting before your workout does not make you burn fat. The fuel substrate you burn during your workout is primarily governed by intensity. You won't be completely glycogen depleted just by skipping breakfast and if you were you wouldn't be able to train - it feels bloody awful!! (Also see A/ above.)
Fasted exercise is primarily personal preference and how it fits in your lifestyle and if it affects your gym performance being fasted or fed. Nothing bad is going to happen either way unless you are doing intense cardio for more than a couple of hours.

Overall advice - don't stress about tiny details that are only really required by elite level athletes and concentrate on the big ticket items such as the effectiveness of your training regime and the overall quality of your diet and calorie allowance.

kwtilbury

I don't train in a fasted state, but tend to consume a minimal amount of calories pre-workout so that I can eat more post-workout, when I'm more hungry. I don't think this has a significant impact on fat loss or muscle growth.