The Word on Weightloss

Can when you eat and what foods you eat at specific times of day affect your success at losing weight? If I told you that WHEN you eat and what you eat matters, what you think I was crazy? Well, it’s true and it will make a difference to your weight loss goals. Once you understand and implement a few easy ideas, you’ll understand how your body works in assimilating and using nutrients. You'll be more aware of that when you eat and what you eat does make a difference in your weight loss program.

Carbohydrates at breakfast
We’ve recently discussed the importance of eating breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it’s also the best time to eat carbohydrates.

• Carbohydrates give you the energy you need and keep you active throughout your busy day, so eating them in the morning has long been said to be the best time to eat carbohydrates.
• Since unused carbohydrates are converted to fat, having carbohydrates, such as chips, pretzels and bread before bed is not recommended.

After your first meal of the day, start tapering off the carbohydrates so that by the afternoon you’re eating less and less and by dinner you’re not having any or very little. Fewer carbohydrates later in the day ensures that the excess will not be stored as fat while you’re sleeping.

Protein anytime
Try to make sure that you have protein with every meal and every snack.

• Eating protein at every meal ensures that your body receives a bigger metabolic boost, giving you energy.
• Protein is essential in maintaining and building muscle mass, which also increases your metabolic rate.
• Plus, protein helps you feel satisfied which will keep you from eating more and more often throughout the day.

Plan your larger meals
Because it takes your body a lot longer to digest larger meals, it’s important to plan ahead. Eat larger meals at the beginning and middle parts of your day, when you can utilize the energy your body will produce after eating and smaller meals closer to bedtime.

It’s also important to eat larger meals at least three hours before exercising and smaller meals or snacks one and a half to two hours before exercising. Digestion takes an extraordinary amount of energy; this is why you might feel sleepy right after a large mid-day meal. Fight the urge to take a nap... go for a walk instead – encourage your body to convert the food you ate into energy that will help you burn more fat.

Eat more after you workout
Muscles that have been through an extreme weight lifting exercise need to recover and replace their glycogen stores.

• Your muscles will literally crave energy to recover, so it’s important to give your body what it needs.
• After a strenuous workout eat a meal that contains both protein and carbohydrates within two hours of your hardcore workout. Women especially need to consume more protein after a resistance workout.

Eat less before bed
A few studies say you should try and refrain from eating at least three hours before bedtime, but that is somewhat of a myth. The fundamental reason that you don’t want to eat a lot before bed is because it’s said to cause weight gain. The reality is that your body is less active during sleep, so it doesn’t need a lot of energy. The food you have in your system will not be converted to energy, instead it will be stored as fat. Avoid this by limiting the amount of food you eat before bedtime.

• Try not to eat a large meal before bed.
• If possible don’t eat several hours before bed so that your body can digest the food in your system.