Yesterday, we introduced the idea of trying to build an eating pattern around the idea of consuming the majority of your starchy or sugary carbohydrates in periods after moderate-to-intense physical activity.
Although opinions on the importance of nutrient timing have swung dramatically in the past 2-3 years, which we’ll review in a few lessons time, from a general weight loss perspective, aiming to keep your big starch meals for workout days is a good coaching cue.
In essence, on days when we are largely being sedentary, our meals should largely contain:
- protein: 1 palm sized serving (women), 2 palm sized servings (men)
- vegetables: enough vegetables to fill both two hands
- fat: possibly a thumb sized serving of fat (if our protein is a lean choice)
If we repeat that eating pattern over 3-5 meals, we are probably going to be in a pretty good spot nutrient wise.
Then on days we are training, we’d add:
- starchy or fruit carbohydrate: 1 fist sized serving of serving (women), 2 fist sized servings (men)
Although we can add this energy at any point during the day, it does slot in well right after a workout. If you train early in the day, you could look to adding this additional energy to breakfast; whereas for the evening workout crowd, these additional carbs can easily be added to dinner.