“A breakfast will kick-start your metabolism and have you burning fat throughout the day.”
“You better have some protein after that workout.”
“Don’t eat carbs before bed. To be safe, don’t eat anything after 7:00 PM.”
Meal Timing
These statements seem to hold some legitimacy. It makes sense that food consumed later at night would turn to fat because of the eight hours of inactivity that follow. It also makes sense that your muscles need protein after a workout to help them repair and adapt for the next activity. Thinking about it, even the breakfast theory could be legitimate considering the thermic effect of metabolizing food.
While they all hold some legitimacy, none of these theories take into account the remaining twenty-three hours of the day.
Does it Really Matter?
“A breakfast will kick-start your metabolism and have you burning fat throughout the day.”
The breakfast theory stems from something called thermogenesis. The thermic effect of food is real – it does ‘cost’ calories to break down food and put it to use. However, no study has ever concluded that eating small meals more often increases thermogenesis, metabolism, and fat burning enough to account for an excess of calories. In reality, 3,000 calories induces the same overall thermic effect whether consumed in one meal or six. The muscle growth and fat loss seen with intermittent fasting is great evidence of this, which I will discuss in a later post.
I definitely don’t mean to discourage anyone from eating breakfast. In fact, studies have shown that people who skip breakfast tend to consume more food throughout the entire day on average than those who take in 200-600 calories early in the day. This evidence can be attributed to cravings and hunger that result in somewhat of a gorge later in the day, more than making up for the skipped meal.
In short, eat breakfast if you wake up hungry, but don’t feel like your metabolism will suffer if you skip it.
“You better have some protein after that workout.”
Supplement companies wouldn’t appreciate this, but you don’t necessarily have to chug a protein shake with the hour following a workout to preserve your progress. No different than breakfast, overall daily protein intake is what you need to be attentive to. If building muscle is your goal, 20-40 grams of protein and carbs before and after your workout is definitely not a bad idea. However, the insulin spikes and protein synthesis levels are much less dramatic than the fitness industry would lead you to believe.
Plan to take in between 0.8–1.0 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight and your protein synthesis levels will be in an anabolic state as long as your calories are sufficient. Concerning post-workout carbs, there is no conclusive evidence that the insulin spike from carbs significantly increases protein synthesis. Still, a consumption of carbs can help replenish glycogen stores, but is not vital when compared to daily intake.
“Don’t eat carbs before bed. To be safe, don’t eat anything after 7:00 PM.”
Speaking of carbs, will they ruin your fat loss if consumed too close to bed? In case you haven’t caught the gist by now, the answer is no. OVERALL DAILY INTAKE IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT. The reason some people can lose weight simply by avoiding food after a certain time of day is that they reach a caloric deficit when they cut out the late night munching. There is nothing about eating before bed that inherently leads to fat production unless those late night calories exceed your TDEE (see Energy Balance – Calories in vs. Calories Out).
The main take-away is what you consume in the morning, after a workout, or before bed is insignificant when compared to your consumption throughout the day. Focus on your daily goals. Once those are in place, eating when it is most convenient for you will make compliance much easier than feeling obligated to eat and restrict at certain times.
I'm sure you have some experience, opinions, or questions about this. It’s your turn to let me know what you think!
What are your goals?
What’s holding you back?
What questions do you have?
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