Not Ready For a Huge Diet Overhaul Just Yet? Try a Pre / Post Workout Instead.

Not everyone is ready for a huge diet overhaul when they are already changing their daily level of activity!

In saying that we need to make sure we fuel for our workouts to get the most out of them to create and support the body to adapt and grow (you know what I mean!)

So with some clients I look at pre and post workouts, now if you wake up and train thats cool but you would benefit so much more if you could manage to eat before hand. You might exercise on an evening and have your tea straight after, also cool but if your training at 7pm and haven’t eaten since 12 then the chances are your not going to have much in you…the post workout is there (your tea) but lets see how we can get you fuelled up PRE workout.

Our main energy source is carbs. So have complex carbs, full of insoluble fibre and more nutritional value and goodness which keep you fuller for longer as they take longer to digest. This is like rice, wholegrains ect. Then you have simple carbs; sugar, fructose ect…these are digested much quicker thus giving you more energy quicker.

Now the key is to have level energy levels by consuming both, simple more in the way of fruit than haribo, but if we utilise both we will have even blood sugar levels…even energy release thought-out the day.

So can you see the need for food and not skipping meals? We also then need protein to maintain and build muscle and fats for a lot of different things as well as a secondary energy source.

This means we need a varied, colourful diet inclusive of all food groups to get energy and to drive us!

So what should you eat Pre and Post Workout?

for this check I have provided a list of foods and the choices below. You could also macro track a pre/post using My Fitness Pall Tracking the Calories provided. If you track your whole day or use a full food plan then this would be more beneficial but if this is what you can commit to right now then just work on this.

Carbohydrate option

  • 40g Porridge oats with water (raw weight)

  • One bagel thin/ bread thin/ folded flat bread

  • 2 Slices brown bread (around 60 calories a slice)

  • 90g Cooked pasta (about 37g raw)

  • 90g Cooked rice

  • 4 Plain rice/ corn cakes

  • 200g Cooked white or sweet potato

  • One large tortilla wrap/ Pitta bread

  • 80g Medium banana

  • 200g Cooked beans (white, black, kidney, all in water)

  • 90g Cooked lentils

  • 1 Nest egg noodles (50g)

  • 90g Cooked cous cous

Protein option

  • 1 Scoop protein shake with water (avg.100 calories, low fat & carbs)

  • 100g Cooked lean meat/ fish (chicken, turkey, white fish, tuna (not in oil). The raw weight is on average 140g but you must weigh the food after it is cooked.

  • 5 Medium egg whites or 3 large egg whites (see fat option for full egg instruction)

  • 80g Smoked salmon (if having this DO NOT have the fat option as well)

  • 100g Cooked salmon fillet (if having this DO NOT have the fat option as well)

  • 200g fat free cottage cheese

  • 200g Fage/ Skyl plain 0% fat free greek yogurt

  • 200g Fat free plain Quark

  • 150g Prepared tofu (this also contains 1 fat option so adapt accordingly)

  • 2 Veggie sausages (about 70 calories per sausage)/ 3 low fat Chicken sausages (about 50 calories per sausage)

Fat option

  • 2 medium eggs (if having this DO NOT have the full protein option, try and add in egg whites to cover your fat and protein options- 1P 1F= 2 eggs, 3 egg whites.)

  • 15g Nut butter

  • 10g Oil

  • 15g Lighter butter

  • 30g Avocado

  • 25g Nuts

  • 25g Low fat/ Reduced fat cheese

  • 20g Light Mayonnaise/ Cream based sauce

  • 20g Cream

  • 70ml Light coconut milk

  • 30g Olives (not in oil)

PRE WORKOUT

1 Carbohydrate option
Half Protein option
Half Fat option

PLUS
100g lower carbohydrate fruit such as berries, apples or oranges, Bananas.

*If you choose not to have vegetables at breakfast you can swap for fruit or have it with other meals

OR ALTERNATIVELY TRACK ABOUT 300 CALORIES = 25g Carbs, 30g Protein, 7g Fat

POST WORKOUT

Half Carbohydrate option
1 Protein option
Half Fat option

OR ALTERNATIVELY TRACK ABOUT 250 CALORIES = 15-20g Carbs, 25-30 Protein, 7g Fat

You will find that meal times will work out to be either pre or post, so no need to have say post then straight after tea. This gives you ideas of how to combine foods if you wouldn’t be eating before and / or after.

I would also always recommend tracking so you know your full daily calories and macros so you know your diet is working for you and your goals, the benefits of tracking is that you have so much more variety and you can eat the foods you enjoy!

LIFESTYLE, NUTRITION, PHBP, RECIPES, HOW TO2812nutrition, macro tracking