Meal timing...

cmeiron

Just curious if anybody is paying attention to the timing of their meals or macronutrient intake on their bulk?

If so, in what way, and why?

I came across some articles about this, and might adopt a few ideas but I'm generally happy getting a mix of protein, carbs and fat at most meals, having large breakfasts and dinners, and eating about 5 times a day in total. Not sure I could handle too much more food micromanagement :laugh: but willing to learn!

cmeiron

Lol, imma let you chime in, but here's an article I just read that provides a really good overview of the literature related to this topic: http://www.jissn.com/content/pdf/1550-2783-10-5.pdf

tl;dr - Hit your calorie and macro targets during the day; it probably doesn't matter much when you eat them, but it might be a good idea to eat something around the time of your workouts (either before or after...or both).

Barbellgirl

I don't do anything in particular other than to drink a BCAA pre and during my workout, then make sure I have easy to absorb protein and simple carbs within 30 minutes after. I usually just eat some fruit with my protein drink, have a piece of toast, or make a smoothie. My favorite is vanilla protein powder, coconut water and frozen mango.

pandorakick

I tend to have the bulk of my calories at dinner and in the evening. To get a more even distribution I added milk to my post workout shake instead of water, and have a slightly bigger breakfast and lunch. I don't pay particular attentisme to the specific timing though...

TriLifter

I'm about the same--I was doing 16:8 IF, but it's too hard to get all my calories in during the day if I do that, so I've switched back to multiple meals. I tend to have 5 "mini" meals of 400-600 calories and on lifting days add a protein powder, creatine, banana, and almond milk smoothie within 30 minutes of lifting. Aside from my smoothie, I tend to keep my carbs lower so I don't have insulin spikes that make me feel like I HAVE to eat. Instead, I spread my food throughout the day so I can get a constant flow of protein. It's a mental thing for me.

yogaga1

I've been hearing a lot about this lately. I will check out the article you posted.

I'm in a nasty habit of eating a HUGE breakfast, a very light lunch or none at all, and a HUGE dinner. I was never good at six smaller meals. I just figured, as long as I was eating my calorie goal & hitting my macs- I'm fiiiiine.

a_vettestingray

I am just eating when I am hungry, which breaks down into three meals and a snack or two. I don't want to over complicate things, so I am just eating big and lifting lots. I did come up short on calories the other day (but don't worry, I made up for it the next :bigsmile: ), as I skipped breakfast and just couldn't eat any more in the evening. I think I will have to keep breaking things up into three or four meals to meet my calorie needs and stay in my macros. I am sure I could eat all days' worth of calories in one sitting with pizza and beer, but then I would def. be short on protein and over on fat!