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I've heard several theories regarding when you should eat, especially protein.

  1. Eat carbs before a workout and protein in a "window" of 30mins after a workout.
  2. Eat through the day. so that in the end of the days you will have the needed balance of protein and carbs.

What would be the "righter" theory?

P.S - I refer to mostly weight lifting workouts.

Thanks!

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Roman,

It all depends on the intensity, the duration, the frequency and your goals.

  1. What is/are your goal(s): gain weight, lose weight or maintain the weight?
  2. How long is your workout?
  3. How intense is your workout?
  4. How often do you workout?

By the way, that is why they all called "theories" because they may work for some people, but may not. The truth is that you need to figure out the 4 questions that I presented above.

Think about it! Olympic swimmers and sprinters eat differently than us. These two scientific sample meal plans should give you some ideas regarding your question.

Real quick tips:

  1. If you train harder, you will need more complex carbs.
  2. If you train longer, you will need more complex carbs.
  3. If you train more frequently, you will need more complex carbs.
  4. If you want to gain muscle with weight lifting, yes you will need both proteins and complex carbs (energy).
  5. Try reading this plan from Greatist. But don't forget that if you can't answer the 4 questions that I posted above, then it's going to be tough to assist you regarding your dieting plan.

Good luck!

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  • Thank you for the elaborate answer. As for your questions: 1 - Mostly gain muscle and lose fat. 2 - one hour exactly. 3 - very much. I mostly do Crossfit (which includes heavy weights and cardio). 4 - every other day.
    – roman
    Commented Mar 16, 2013 at 19:52
  • Roman! Sounds like a pretty intense workout with Crossfit. So, the 2 theories you presented both are both correct for you. Eat throughout the day; eat some light snack prior to your workouts, and load up proteins right afterwards. Here is the key though: try eating more baked sweet potatoes, avocados, natural peanut butter, nuts and other fruits and veggies (good calories) throughout the day, and try to stay away from sugary foods like milk, juices, sports drinks, sweet snacks (bad calories) as this will slow down your metabolism. This should do it. Hope this has been helpful!
    – QikMood
    Commented Mar 17, 2013 at 3:37
  • @Trungmanator Why to stay away from milk?
    – Srijan
    Commented Sep 24, 2013 at 11:15
  • @srijan As you already know that moderation is key. However, regular milk contains a larger amount of sugar than organic or almond. That's all.
    – QikMood
    Commented Sep 26, 2013 at 3:57

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