Meal Timing, Part 1

Meal timings. Is it actually important?

I work with a lot of individuals personal training in Gymbox Covent Garden, London and online. All with different lifestyles, goals and abilities. As every individual is unique there needs are personal to them, this means diet plans and meal timings need to be specific to there needs. I will be covering a few areas of meal timings, so let's jump into part 1.

Pre & Post Workout Meals, Part 1 

“To lose fat or gain muscle. You need to eat 6 meals a day. Eat every 2 to 3 hours. Do not eat complex carbohydrates after 6:00 p.m”

Heard of those before? Most of us have and at the beginning of my training career, I believed it and followed those myths. Honestly, don’t stress about it. Whether your goal is fat loss, building muscle or you just want to be leaner and stronger. It comes down to the total calories/macros and micronutrients in the day.

Pre & Post-workout 
The Holy Grail of nutrient timing “anabolic window of opportunity.”

The basic idea is that after exercise, especially within the first 30mins or so, our bodies are greedy for nutrients. Your intense session turns your body into nutrient-processing powerhouses. No, not really! After workout out your body is going under a huge amount of physical stress, now you want to force food down and cause digestion stress? 

While it’s still wise to plan your meals with protein and carbohydrates, you have a couple of hours on both sides of your training to get those benefits. Keep both pre and post-workout meals mostly carb and protein with lower quantities of fats. 

Pre-workout meal 
- Ready brek/Oats/Cereal 
- Whey protein/egg whites 
- Honey 
- 90% dark chocolate 
- Banana 

Post-workout meal 
- Cereal Bar/Cereal 
- Rice, Bagles, Wraps 
- Lean meat (eggs, egg whites, chicken, turkey, lean mincemeat, salmon, whey protein)
- Salad/veg

Make no mistake, nutrient timing is a complex subject. So, for now, is nutrient timing dead?
Of course not! Nutrient timing is VERY helpful. Or it can add layers of unnecessary complexity. It all depends on you and your goals.

If you have any questions regarding your routine with meals, foods you should or should not be eating. Please pop me a message and I can give you some advice. 

Stay positive, 
Brandon