However, this opinion is erroneous.
Nutrition should be rational and comprehensive.
If the diet of a novice athlete is incorrect, then even regular and persistent training will not help achieve the goal. To get a toned body, you need to think through a nutrition program before classes.
In addition, a person should know which foods he can afford before training, and which ones it is better to avoid.
With the right approach, extra pounds will disappear quickly. We will reveal the secrets of what to eat before training to lose weight, as well as what the right snacks should look like.
How to organize meals before exercise
Fasting is the worst option for people who want to lose weight quickly.
Yes, it’s possible that at first a person will lose a couple of kilograms, but after a while the body will get used to the new diet, the metabolism will change, and adipose tissue will begin to accumulate again.
Every novice athlete must learn that in order to lose weight and maintain this result, you need to permanently change your diet, as well as your diet.
You can't go hungry, but you need to know what foods to eat and in what quantity before going to the gym. Only a healthy, nutritious, varied diet will help you achieve good results. Food should be enjoyable and not contribute to the accumulation of fat on the sides and other parts of the body.
Important! When losing weight, you need to calculate the number of calories per day. In this case, you need to take into account age, gender, and physical activity. The result obtained should be reduced by 20%.
What and how much you can eat
In order to get rid of extra calories during exercise, you need to charge the body with energy, since the athlete’s muscles are subjected to heavy load.
The best source of energy is complex carbohydrates.
Exercising on an empty stomach can lead to increased blood glucose levels, weakness, and fatigue. Overeating is also unwise, because you need to lose weight, and not force your body to work for wear.
The best option is a carbohydrate meal 2-3 hours before training and 1 cup of natural coffee.
Attention! The total amount of calories before exercise for women is 200 kcal, and for men - 300 kcal. Thus, metabolic processes will accelerate.
Before training, it is better to eat oatmeal or buckwheat with water, a salad with vegetables, fruits, whole grain toast or biscuits.
The athlete is also recommended to eat foods rich in proteins. It contains amino acids that are necessary for building new body cells. Then elastic muscles will replace subcutaneous fat.
Before intensive training, you need to load up on proteins: kefir, scrambled eggs, boiled or steamed meat, fish (low-fat varieties).
The ideal food set is a portion of protein food, a vegetable side dish or toast made from whole grain bread, boiled meat, and lettuce. For some, it is enough to drink 220 ml of kefir and eat a portion of fruit in order to give 100% during training.
This is interesting! You can enhance the effect of exercise with coffee or L-carnitine (a sports supplement), which help you lose weight faster.
What food to exclude
It is forbidden to eat fatty foods before classes.
This is due to the fact that it breaks down slowly and causes heaviness in the stomach.
In addition, you should give up fast carbohydrates, for example, confectionery products with fatty cream.
List of prohibited foods before training for weight loss:
- salt, sugar;
- black or red pepper;
- flour products;
- chocolate or sweets with fillings;
- fried food;
- bananas, dates, grapes;
- milk, fermented milk products with a high percentage of fat content.
Also, before going to the gym, an athlete needs to give up fast food, processed foods, pickled and canned foods.
Read a separate article about foods that you should not eat when losing weight.
How to eat
To burn fat more effectively during training, a person must completely change the rules of nutrition:
- Drink at least 2 liters of liquid. The main volume is filtered water without gas, and the rest is fruit drinks, fresh juices, green tea, etc.
- Eat often (5-6 times a day), but in small portions with an interval of 2-3 hours (preferably at the same time).
- Avoid fatty, fried foods that cause digestive disorders.
- Eliminate fast carbohydrates from the menu.
- Reduce the amount of spices and salt.
- Products can be boiled, cooked in a slow cooker, stewed or baked (without oil).
In addition, the athlete must take vitamin and mineral complexes.
Drinking regimen
When performing physical exercises, it is necessary to regularly saturate the body with water. Otherwise, the likelihood of dehydration (lack of water) increases, and then the training will be ineffective.
Drink water on a regular schedule, even if you don't feel thirsty.
Attention! If your mouth is dry, you have a strong feeling of thirst, you have a headache, or you feel slightly dizzy, then you need to stop and drink 250-350 ml of water.
Before training, the athlete should drink 250 ml of water, and during training - drink in small sips at intervals of 20 minutes. The volume of liquid should be approximately equal to the amount of sweat that has been released.
This is interesting! During strength training, the athlete sweats less, so the volume of water can be reduced. Aerobic exercise (running, cycling, swimming) provokes strong sweating, so the athlete should drink more water.
Be sure to check out:
What to eat before training: recommendations from experts What is the best thing to eat after strength training and cardio to burn fat What and how long can you eat after training Nutrition for those who train seriously: the right food when working out in the gym
What to eat before training to lose weight in the evening?
For those who are losing weight, consumption of simple carbohydrates in the evening is prohibited . Sugar in any form (fruits, dried fruits, sweets, flour) will accumulate as fat. Even if you train hard, it is better to consume complex carbohydrates before training, but no later than 16.00 . This way, you will have the strength to train, and sugar will not be stored in fat.
How to optimize your diet to lose weight
In order for the figure to become irresistible, the athlete must create a diet and exercise regularly. To do this, you need to remember the basic principles of proper nutrition:
- Maintain a 50-20-30 ratio between essential nutrients. That is, the daily diet should contain 50% carbohydrates, 20% proteins, 30% fats.
- Follow the 25-50-25 rule. This means 25% calories for breakfast, 50% calories for lunch, and 25% calories for dinner.
- Never skip breakfast!
This is interesting! Nutritionists advise consuming the bulk of calories before 13:00 to lose weight faster. This is due to the fact that before the specified time the body is more active and it is easier for it to digest food.
If a person eats correctly in the morning, the feeling of hunger will leave him before lunch. If you regularly skip morning meals, your metabolism slows down and your body fat increases.
For men
Before exercise, the athlete must consume a portion of proteins and carbohydrates, which contribute to weight loss and muscle gain.
Animal fats should be absent from the diet.
They interfere with the absorption of nutrients, causing heaviness and colic.
Examples of menus for men before classes:
- Boiled turkey or chicken, whole grain bread, rice.
- Steamed fish, boiled potatoes.
- Stewed meat, pasta (class A).
- 2-3 boiled eggs, porridge.
- Low-fat cottage cheese, bread or cookies.
The portion should fit into the palm of your hand, so the athlete will not feel heaviness in the stomach.
A man can consume 30 g of protein and 60 g of carbohydrates.
Attention! An athlete who wants to lose weight can consume from 1500 to 1800 kcal in food per day.
Women and girls
Girls who dream of losing weight need to eat meat and fish (dietary) in the morning so that they have enough strength and endurance in the gym. Moreover, these products contain amino acids that are needed to maintain muscles.
You should also include soups with fish, vegetables, and mushrooms in your diet. They have a good effect on the digestive organs and speed up metabolism.
Buckwheat, oatmeal, rice with milk can be supplemented with dried fruits and nuts. This dish will provide carbohydrates and fiber, which charge you with energy and remove excess fluid and toxic substances from the body.
Vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are recommended to be consumed fresh. Vegetables can be steamed or baked, and fruits can be prepared into compote, fruit drink or jelly.
Low-fat cottage cheese, kefir, and yogurt contain protein and calcium. After consuming these products, strength is restored faster and muscle growth accelerates.
Nutrition before morning workout for weight loss
If you exercise in the morning , you may not have the two hours needed to fully digest your food, in which case you may be better off eating an easily digestible protein 30 minutes before your workout:
- hard-boiled egg and bread;
- or low-fat yogurt with cottage cheese.
Foods high in fat and fiber are difficult to digest and should be avoided right before a workout.
If you have an hour or two before training, breakfast should in any case contain complex carbohydrates and proteins. For example, oatmeal with milk, cottage cheese with fruit. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should have a high energy value to further help the body burn fat rather than store it. Therefore, it is better to have a snack than to go hungry. In addition, cut the calorie content of your meals in the evening, and in the morning you will wake up with a good appetite .
Features of the main meal and snacks before training
The athlete must eat his portion of food 2-3 hours before training so that the body has time to digest the food and convert it into energy.
Light foods such as freshly squeezed juice, kefir or herbs can be consumed 1-1.5 hours before classes. It is better not to eat later, as abdominal discomfort may appear and fats will not be burned.
The longer the classes last, the more satisfying the meal should be. In the first half of the day, the portion of food may be larger. If the workout is planned for the evening, then you need to eat kefir or fresh juice, a minimum portion of meat and vegetables.
Before fitness and cardio
Before aerobic exercise, you need to recharge with carbohydrates, since during exercise, glucose, glycogen, and then fat are used up first.
When glycogen concentration decreases, metabolism slows down and fatigue quickly sets in. You can get them from a smoothie, fresh juice, milkshake or a portion of fruit. After such “charging”, endurance increases and fats are burned faster.
Before class, you can eat buckwheat or oatmeal, a light fruit or vegetable salad, diet bread or cookies.
Don't forget about the proteins found in fish, meat, eggs or kefir. They accelerate the formation of new muscle cells.
If you don’t have time to prepare a dish and work out in the morning, then 40 minutes before the gym you can eat 1 green apple, a portion of cottage cheese or drink 220 ml of green tea.
Before strength training in the gym
Before intense exercise in the gym, you can eat steamed steak with boiled potatoes, boiled meat with rice porridge, whole grain toast and oatmeal, soup or cottage cheese.
If you want to increase muscle mass, then 60 minutes before training, eat 1 apple or pear, a handful of strawberries. Before strength training, you can take whey protein (30 mg/1 kg).
A cup of black natural coffee before training will charge you with energy and speed up fat burning. Caffeine acts for 3 hours.
To satisfy extreme hunger before class, drink 220 ml of skim milk.
You may also be interested in: Gym Workout Nutrition for Women for Weight Loss
What should you eat to lose weight: recommendations from the pros
Professional athletes and nutritionists know a lot about excess weight and how to get rid of it. Useful recommendations will help beginners quickly get rid of extra pounds on the way to creating the body of their dreams.
Mike Dolce
The best MMA (mixed martial arts) trainer, author of the famous Dolce Diet, gives some tips to help you lose weight faster:
- Increase the amount of green vegetables and salads in your diet by 50%.
- Eat carbohydrate foods after your workout.
- Limit the amount of salt.
- Drink more water.
- Plan your activities for the morning.
By following these tips, you can lose weight and improve muscle tone.
Anatoly Volkov
A sought-after Moscow nutritionist claims that an athlete’s diet should be varied and that calories should not be sharply limited. This style of eating will provoke stress, and then a person may break down.
You need to eat small meals, eat natural foods, and drink at least 2 liters of water. Once every 10 days you can allow yourself your favorite dishes. In addition, the athlete must take multivitamin complexes.
Evgeniy Alekseev
Kickboxing champion advises how to lose weight in a short time:
- Drink the optimal amount of water for your weight every day.
- Supplement your diet with foods that contain nutrients.
- Avoid foods fried in oil and fatty foods.
In addition, you need to devote at least 30 minutes to aerobic exercise, follow a daily routine, and sleep at least 8-10 hours.
