Archive for the ‘Weight Loss’ Category

Nutrition for Maximum Output

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

Have you ever felt exhausted half-way though a workout even though you know you haven’t been pushing yourself to your full potential?  Or worse, you feel dizzy and weak and unable to complete the workout?   If so, you are probably not taking in adequate nutrition before exercise.

Fueling for your workout and following up with proper nutrition is key to optimal performance, recovery, and weight loss.  Pre-workout eating is important to give you the energy you need to perform.  Post-workout eating is important to replenish your glycogen stores, repair your damaged muscle tissues and replenish electrolyte losses.   But many people unknowingly skip this important aspect of training.   You may be unknowingly sabotaging the hard work you put in at the gym.  Use these tips to learn how to make sure you are properly fueling for your maximum output.

  • If you exercise in the evening right after work or class make sure you pack a healthy snack to eat between lunch and your workout so you don’t arrive at the gym hungry.  A good pre-workout snack should be between 150 to 200 calories.  Some snack ideas include:
    • Cereal with skim milk
    • 1 slice of whole wheat bread and 1 tbsp peanut butter
    • A protein shake (milk or almond milk, 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2 banana, ice)
    • 1 cup low fat yogurt with 1/2 cup fruit
  • If you are working out around a meal time try eating part of your meal before and part immediately after to avoid overeating.
  • Experiment with the timing of your intake and the types of food you are eating until you find what works for your body.  Give yourself time to digest.  Some people can workout right after eating while others need at least an hour.  Some people do fine with fiber-rich foods while others need to keep it simple.  Pay attention to what works for you.
  • If you are exercising longer than 1 hour you need to replenish your glucose stores with quick, simple carbohydrates.  Avid runners and cyclers have cited everything from energy chews to GU to jelly beans as their mid-workout pick-me-up.  Find what works for you to give you a quick shot of energy.  Remember that this  is only for people participating in endurance exercise longer than 1 hour.
  • The best time to refuel after your workout to promote efficient replenishment of glycogen storage is no longer than 30 minutes post-exercise, but preferably even sooner.  Your post-workout fuel should be a combination of carbohydrates and protein (think chocolate milk- read more by clicking here).  Protein repairs your damaged muscles, reduces cortisol output, and works with the carbohydrates to increase glycogen replacement.  Remember they work synergistically so you need BOTH carbohydrates and protein for optimum recovery.
  • Fueling after your workout is a delicate balance between proper recovery and over eating.  Working out before a meal so that your post-recovery refuel is actually your breakfast, lunch, or dinner can prevent the intake of additional calories from snacking.  Just make sure you have something before your workout too.

 

Posted in Carbohydrates, Exercise, Healthy Eating, Protein, Weight Loss, Weight Management | Comments Off

Calories in = Calories out

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

Does this scenario sound familiar?:

You’ve had a hard day at work.  It’s late and it’s starting to get dark earlier.  Your motivation for working out is barely there but somehow you drag yourself to the gym.  You aren’t feeling too motivated but feel proud of yourself for pushing it even when all you wanted to do  was go home and sit on the couch.  After a 30 minute jog on the treadmill plus an ab/stretch session for 15 minutes you are on your way home.

You make a healthy dinner, deciding to pour yourself a glass of wine or a beer.  After all, you had a long hard day AND your worked out so you deserve it.  One glass turns into two.  One plate of dinner turns into a second helping.  And those brownies that you made with your sister over the weekend are still sitting on the counter so you have one for dessert.  It’s ok, you worked out right?

Ok, let’s think about this in terms of numbers.  The average person will burn anywhere from approximately 250-450 kcals during the above mentioned workout (variations based on size, gender, weight, exertion etc).  Two glasses of wine equals approximately 200-250 kcal.    One brownie is approximately 250 kcals (depending on size, ingredients etc).  So the calories burned in your workout are already negated.  And we didn’t even count the second helping of dinner.

The “I worked out so I deserve the dessert/margarita/baked brie/half a pizza/fill-in-the-blank” mentality can get you into trouble when your goal is weight loss, or even weight maintenance.  A standard weight loss recommendation is to cut 500 calories a day through diet and exercise.  But notice the key words: diet AND exercise.

Last year TIME magazine published an article “Why Exercise Won’t Make you Thin” (check it out here) where they discuss this common problem.  The title of this article was a bit misleading, because exercise IS important for weight loss and associated health benefits, but many of us compensate for what we believed to be a high calorie burning workout, only to sabotage our weight loss efforts.

You can avoid this pitfall by taking into account the energy (food) you are putting into your body AND the energy you are expending through exercise.  If you are trying to lose weight aim for a 500 calorie deficit a day: reduce your calorie intake by 250 (decrease portion size, healthier snacks, no sodas/juices) and burn 250 calories through exercise.  Eat meals balanced with lean protein, healthy fats, and whole grains.  Mix up your workouts with a variety of fat burning cardio and muscle building strength training.

And don’t take that additional helping  just because you exercised.

 

Photo credit Simon Howden

Posted in Exercise, Healthy Eating, Weight Loss, Weight Management | Comments Off