Timing for fueling workouts

sjohnny

I've been trying to find information on the best time to eat and what to eat to give me energy for my workouts. What I currently do is this:
4:15 AM - Wake up, drink some BCAAs and do Insanity - have a whey protein shake after Insanity (I can't eat real food this early in the morning or I feel messed up)
8:00 AM - Eat a couple of eggs and maybe something else if I'm still hungry
11:00 ish - eat an apple
1:00 PMish - three days a week I run for 3 to 4 miles on my lunch break
1:30 to 2:00 ish - I eat some chicken and veggies and maybe a piece of cheese
and then I eat stuff later.
I'm shooting for 175 to 200 grams of protein a day, 60 to 80 grams of fat and whatever carbs. I'm set for 2000 calories and eat some of my exercise calories (I eat if I'm hungry).

I'm not worried about my early morning stuff but have been wondering about when and what to eat to give me more energy for my lunch break run. I'm having a hard time finding anything that isn't from About.com or Yahoo answers or a magazine. I found this that seems to make some sense:

http://nmotionfitnessllc.com/blog/4-nutritional-coaching/56-dont-waste-your-workout-when-to-eat-when-not-to-eat

What are some other sources/ideas I can read to figure this out?

Thanks!

taso42

Timing has little relevance outside of personal comfort level. Play around and see what feels best to you. Personally, I find bananas to be the ultimate pre-workout food.

sjohnny

I guess what I'm wondering is how long after eating oatmeal or a banana or a bagel does it become available to use as energy for running? Am I better off eating oatmeal four hours before I run or a banana a half hour before I run or maybe this is what I need to just mess around with to see what's going to give me results.

taso42

Yeah definitely experiment with it. I don't think there's any one true answer to this. Most people might get cramps or discomfort if they work out too soon after eating, but not everybody. For me, if it's something like a banana, I give it 0-30 minutes, depending on what's going on at my life around that time. For others, maybe 30 minutes is not enough time to let it settle.

What I'm getting at is, don't try to over-think the meal timing. I think a lot of us have been there and it distracts from more important things. Things like overall daily nutrition, getting enough rest, working out effectively.

gp79

When I was big into running, I would eat 1.5 hours before my run which was 6 - 8 miles in length. It seemed to work for me. However, I randomly went out and did an 8 mile run last week and was at the end of a 16 hour fast. No issues either.

I can go to the gym on a full stomach and do fine...others I know would be vomiting. Personal preference in this entire area.

Obviously, you shouldn't expect to run a marathon or something without fueling properly. Your body would probably shut down once your glycogen depleted.

sjohnny

Thanks, guys