It is rightly said that you are, what you eat.

When it comes to fitness and working out, one of the universal questions asked by majority of people is how do I get most out of my workouts? How can I lose weight, burn good amount of calories, gain muscle strength? One part of answer is Eat! And more specifically, eat the right foods at the right time!

We often think the right way to lose weight is to exercise a lot and wait for meal time to eat. But trust me, the key to getting and maintaining the right weight is a combination of best workout session and eating right. For those who manage to follow the best tips to lose weight fast, following the tip of eating right pre-and post your workout session can be just as important.

How eating right can boost your workouts?

According to a research, it has been shown that no matter you eat or dont before a training session, you would lose the same amount of fat. But if you exercise on an empty stomach, you cause muscle loss. How? Well, usually your body draws protein from your liver and kidney but exercising when you are hungry, your body starts drawing protein from your muscles. You may think that you are burning fat and losing weight but actually you are losing muscle weight, which eventually lowers your metabolism. Exercise is what keeps your body fit and working, and nutrition is important for the same purpose. The whole idea of working out is improving your physical health and not harming it.

To be on the top of your working out game, you have to consume the right food both pre-and post training session.

Now eating right does not mean you have to diet. Eating right means including important carbs and nutrients in your diet so that you body doesnt draw protein from your muscles but instead boost your workout session.

Love your body and understand its needs, to maintain an overall health.

What to eat before a Workout?

There are no hard core rules to eating that can fit to everyone, so best is to understand your body needs and plan accordingly. However, it is always suggested to eat something that is rich in carbohydrates and protein. Proteins are specifically meant to boost your body for physical work and these will be extracted from your vital organs like kidneys or liver in case you do not provide them before exercising.

Eating Options:

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich:

You cant go wrong with this. The Peanut Butter contains 8grams of protein whereas the jelly contains complex carbs which will boost your heavy lifting session. To top it off, add some sliced bananas for potassium.

Brown Rice with Black Beans:

It is a staple food in many different cultures. It contains many important nutrients and protein with approximately 151 calories. With 4.6 grams of protein and 24 grams of carbohydrates, Brown Rice with Black beans makes a perfect pre-workout food.

Fruit & Yogurt Parfait:

It may sound fancy but it only takes 4 minutes to put it together. Plus its healthy with all your favorite fruits. When its not loaded with additional sugar or full-fat yogurt, it is a great source of probiotics, calcium and protein.

High-Protein Oatmeal:

Oats are a classic pre-workout snack, loaded with protein. Add some nuts for added carbs, protein and nutrients.

Additional options:

  • You can go for fruits like a banana with milk or apple with walnuts.
  • Other options can be fruit juices, energy bars, oatmeal, and whole grain crackers with nut bars or yogurt smoothie.
  • Non-vegetarians can opt for eggs with brown bread, tuna sandwich or salmon.

Foods to avoid:

  • Fats can be skipped during this time or if taken, then have low quantities
  • Fried foods
  • Packaged foods with trans-fats are also not a good choice.

During this time should you eat?

The answer can vary depending upon your age and health factors but staying hydrated especially during summers is important to avoid fatigue

  • Water plays an essential role in exercising
  • Liquids like protein shakes can also be consumed during this time.

What to eat after your Workout?

Normally, people avoid eating after a work-out to avoid wasting the effort spent on burning calories.

But, believe me, it is a myth!

Scientifically, you need to refill the muscle store of your body to remain healthy and active.

Give your body some rest after a physical activity. Stretching can also be done for relaxation. After exercising, body needs energy, as muscles are now depleted of stored nutrients. You can plan eating thirty minutes or one hour after a workout.

  • It could be a combination of liquid and fruits and salads as per your taste and availability.
  • Multi-grain bread with steamed vegetables
  • Sandwich wraps
  • Wholegrain cereals, fruit salad, banana or protein shake, almond milk or nuts.

The nutrients that you need are some carbohydrates and lean proteins.

To sum up, eating is not at all a bad idea and should be encouraged for yielding real benefits of a workout. Plus it boosts the best tips you may be following to lose weight fast.

Most people feel very hungry and tend to eat more fatty foods which should be avoided both before and after exercising. The intention should be refueling your body for strength and gaining weight.

Plan to eat right food at the right time to achieve your goals faster.