Sometimes I’ll eat a big meal of say meat, cottage cheese, some carbs, probably around 100g of protein in just this one meal. Say I eat that at 11am, and at 12 I go train. I may not eat again until around 5pm.
I do hit my total protein goals for the day plus some.
The way I look at it having a large nutrient dense meal around an hour before I lift, I’m still going to have plently of nutrients in me for after the workout to support muscle. Does this sound correct?
Thanks guys.
Hit protein goals over the course of the day… what you ate the night before is likely more important than just an hour or 2 before.
Ok, thanks. Yeah, over a 24 hr period I pretty much always hit my protein goals. I weigh 218 right now, but probably average closer to 250g of protein a day.
I’m experimenting with a much higher protein intake for a while… I’m around 180 and shooting for around 250
The timing of your protein and fats doesn’t really matter all that much.
Carbs are iffy.
You’re better off eating them pre/intra/post workout than other times of day so they can be used more readily as workout fuel.
But all things being equal, it won’t have a big affect on body composition one way or another - it just works well as a performance booster.
I personally feel the timing of fats and protein doesn’t really matter. I’ve tried it spread across 6-7 meals and once or twice a day and honestly… Doesn’t really make a difference for me recovery wise. It also doesn’t make a difference for me recovery wise eating immediately after or waiting 3-4 hours after a gym session to eat. Just would make it harder on you to get the food in if you’re eating a lot.
A more important aspect imo, is that the timing of carbs does matter if your intention is to have energy for your workout. Sounds like the what you’re doing is working for you tho.
The only issue I could see with eating a large meal with fats right before training is digestion. If your not having an issue with bloat then your fine. If you feel full/bloated then gear your macros more toward protien/carbs pre WO. The fats will slow digestion.
If your only concern is feeding your muscles post WO then IMO what you are doing is not ideal for muscle growth but not horrible either. I think if you were a 250lb open BB it would be much more important to get protien/carbs in post WO.
I also wouldn’t have a real concern with the meal spacing. I’d me more concerned with pooping my pants (or being sleepy) at the gym.