What is the best pre workout snack?

[Jcz85]

2 pieces Ezekiel Bread with raw honey
1 banana with all natural peanut butter

1 scoop Vitargo with water

?

185 lbs. 6ft.

[Jcz85]

..... This is about 45 min-1hr after eating a chicken breast pita, then going to work out about 30-45 min after. I don't like having a full gut at gym, I believe you should have your food digested before you train. So is this an adequate snack or what do you guys do?

[DrewZ]

Vitargo is sooooo expensive, waste of $$$ in my opinion.
I used it for 12 weeks, I didn't notice it being any better than a cheaper carb source.

I usually eat a regular meal about an hour prior, and then as I drive to the gym I have a piece of fruit, usually a banana + my pre workout concoction
which consists of;
Citrulline, Arginine, Beta Alanine, Caffiene, Creatine, Glutamine, L-Carnitine in about 4oz of water with a splash of light cranberry juice.

[Jcz85]

Thank you, good stuff.

The preworkout drink... Necessary? I will be taking vitargo/dextrose during and post workout, with BCAAs immediately post. I want to get away from caffeine, all that other stuff in it is just for performance yes?

[EquilibriumZ]

Thank you, good stuff.

The preworkout drink... Necessary? I will be taking vitargo/dextrose during and post workout, with BCAAs immediately post. I want to get away from caffeine, all that other stuff in it is just for performance yes?

No but i find preworkout food necessary to be strong in the gym. I like rice or shitload of spaghetti 1.5-1hr before gym. I need the stomach to be full to workout hard. Then .5 liters of water 45 mins b4 u workout and u are g2g

[Times Roman]

There is no "best pwo snack"

that's like trying to poll us the best color

[DrewZ]

^ What TR said.

I listed what works best for me, and this has changed year after year but is currently my favorite.

You're going to have to figure this out for yourself thru some trial and error

----
as per the caffeine, I usually use it 2 months on 1 month off.
I have about 100-150mg of it pre workout. not 300-400 like some of those supplement drinks.
I find it really helps me focus.

[Jcz85]

There is no "best pwo snack"

that's like trying to poll us the best color

I'm trying to get an idea of the type of foods/macros that should be eaten, like do people treat it as a full meal or just a snack, timing etc.

It is the weakest link in my diet so far. Mostly because I'm finding a third full meal after breakfast and lunch to be disgusting/hard to manage. Unless I've had a particularly tough day at work, digging, lots of jumping around, lifting etc, where I've had the opportunity to burn off my lunch.

The other problem is time. If I eat a third full meal before the gym, I need to wait at least an hour before I work out. Then I'm getting out of the gym late, dinner is late, snack is late, I go to sleep late, wake up tired.


I agree with the full stomach thing.. I feel strongest about an hour and a half after I've eaten a big carb heavy meal. But to do that thrice in an 8 hour span is kinda gross, I don't have the time to wait the full hour and a half to digest, and working out with a stomach full of half digested food for me is almost as bad as working out with limited food.

[RaginCajun]

I'm trying to get an idea of the type of foods/macros that should be eaten, like do people treat it as a full meal or just a snack, timing etc. It is the weakest link in my diet so far. Mostly because I'm finding a third full meal after breakfast and lunch to be disgusting/hard to manage. Unless I've had a particularly tough day at work, digging, lots of jumping around, lifting etc, where I've had the opportunity to burn off my lunch. The other problem is time. If I eat a third full meal before the gym, I need to wait at least an hour before I work out. Then I'm getting out of the gym late, dinner is late, snack is late, I go to sleep late, wake up tired. I agree with the full stomach thing.. I feel strongest about an hour and a half after I've eaten a big carb heavy meal. But to do that thrice in an 8 hour span is kinda gross, I don't have the time to wait the full hour and a half to digest, and working out with a stomach full of half digested food for me is almost as bad as working out with limited food.

Everyone is different.

Some people work out fasted, some with a full tank and eat while they lift.

You just have to play with it and see what works best for your body, experiment a little.

[DCI]

For some oats and honey and a cup of coffee with a taurine tab and bcaas in tab form, generally about an hr to hr and a half before the gym

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

I have another thread " eating like a pig and smart food still loosing weight"

I have been trying different Pre w/o foods and I have been getting better w/o's from a Sub -Way Sandwitch ?

ie. flat bread foot long eat 1/2 pre w/o and some times right before w/o as in 30 minutes before w/o ? I have 1/2 of flat bread , tuna , chicken breast , turkey , spinich , letus , vinigar ! And eat the other 1/2 post work out and get through a whole w/o and not stuffed after w/o ?

I know most ppl say carbs pre and post w/o but this seems to work good for me !

55 years old today , 6 ft 228 lbs , and a 33 inch waist target weight 235 lb and e stable yet I stll have 3 fat pocket 2 small ones on inside of each bicep and a little belly pouch that really looks strange since I have lost my fat and I can see ab side muscle and feel the muscle under my fat pouch ?

Really a pisser !

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

I'm trying to get an idea of the type of foods/macros that should be eaten, like do people treat it as a full meal or just a snack, timing etc.

It is the weakest link in my diet so far. Mostly because I'm finding a third full meal after breakfast and lunch to be disgusting/hard to manage. Unless I've had a particularly tough day at work, digging, lots of jumping around, lifting etc, where I've had the opportunity to burn off my lunch.

The other problem is time. If I eat a third full meal before the gym, I need to wait at least an hour before I work out. Then I'm getting out of the gym late, dinner is late, snack is late, I go to sleep late, wake up tired.


I agree with the full stomach thing.. I feel strongest about an hour and a half after I've eaten a big carb heavy meal. But to do that thrice in an 8 hour span is kinda gross, I don't have the time to wait the full hour and a half to digest, and working out with a stomach full of half digested food for me is almost as bad as working out with limited food.

Why not adjust you pre w/o meal and snack to 2 hours before w/o and add some oats and a protein shake with meal and an energy drink / pre w/o drink 30 minutes pre w/o and energy drink 50/50 waater and Monster during w/o ? Move w/o up 1 hour ?

I rarely w/o the same time of day from day to day and I just eat every 3 hours and as opposed to super tight Macros I target 20% Carbs & the rest majority Protein and get all the fats along with the protein and a few more carbs ? Been trying different nutrutuion for 18 mths and loosing about 3 to 5 lbs of fat a mth. Keep lots of Brown Rice in Frig and Black beans in frig and mix in spinich brussel sprouts , water melon and chicken Turkey and salmon ready to go in the frig and of course Protein shakes all day long

This after loosing from 266 lbs to 219 lbs on a 90 day 0 target carbs and 70% Protein and 25% fat dropped 47 lbs of fat in 90 days

Are you having trouble loosing fat or trouble keeping lean weight on ?

[Jcz85]

Trouble losing fat is number 1 problem. I feel that a third full meal before the gym will just make me fatter. I basically can eat a full meal at 8am, noon and 4pm. But I always feel like that third full meal is disgusting and too much because I am never hungry for it.

[600@50]

I agree with Buzzard on the carbs. I can typically control my weight by controlling the carbs. Cut down on carbs and lose weight. I really don't watch fats even though I should. Watch the carbs especially later in the day and you should do fine.

[Times Roman]

but to answer your question........


...imho, it's a banana

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

but to answer your question........


...imho, it's a banana

Yes TR is a smart guy and I do know since I am not trying to add fat Bananas are not even part of my nutrition plan ! You may as well eat a candy bar as to eat a Banana ! Not all carbs are eaual IMHO but exchange the Banana for celery and make sure you get a Gal + of water day and I would bet you see a 5 lb weight shift in 30 days and that 5 lbs is all fat and just because you cut Bananas out of your diet and added more celery You burn calories digesting celery That is a good thing

[Jcz85]

Yes TR is a smart guy and I do know since I am not trying to add fat Bananas are not even part of my nutrition plan ! You may as well eat a candy bar as to eat a Banana ! Not all carbs are eaual IMHO but exchange the Banana for celery and make sure you get a Gal + of water day and I would bet you see a 5 lb weight shift in 30 days and that 5 lbs is all fat and just because you cut Bananas out of your diet and added more celery You burn calories digesting celery That is a good thing

Well I ate two bananas today and it's an off day :/. What about apples? Is there enough fibre in them to make up for the sugar?

Also keep in mind I am still trying to gain muscle at the same time... like a dumbass.

[Docd187123]

Yes TR is a smart guy and I do know since I am not trying to add fat Bananas are not even part of my nutrition plan ! You may as well eat a candy bar as to eat a Banana ! Not all carbs are eaual IMHO but exchange the Banana for celery and make sure you get a Gal + of water day and I would bet you see a 5 lb weight shift in 30 days and that 5 lbs is all fat and just because you cut Bananas out of your diet and added more celery You burn calories digesting celery That is a good thing

You burn calories digesting ALL food regardless of what it is. And there's no way substituting a banana for celery will result in a 5lb loss of fat in 30days all other factors equal.

[Times Roman]

i get most of my carbs from fruit. Bananas/apples

I'm at 3,400 cals/day, up from something like 3,100 cals/day. I switched from grain to fruit for carbs, and increased the 300 cals/day. And for some reason, everything else being the same, I went from weight maintenance to weight loss. Something like 2 pounds a month.

My point, is that eating fruit/bananas at TDEE will not make you gain weight. The GV of a banana is pretty low, I believe it is 52. So as sweet as it is, it is fairly slow burning.

Now let me go look up the GV of an apple....

...surprisingly, it's 44. Even slower than an banana. That's on the glucose index.

Now, I'm still trying to figure out why the fruit gives me a ton of energy, and the grain based carbs not so much

Let me go check rolled oats

....Ok, it's something like 65, higher GV than the fruit.

I have some thoughts, like maybe the fruit is calorically more dense? I haven't checked it out yet.

All I know is that when I eat the banana, or two, pre gym, I'm g2g. I do not fatigue or fade. And all I'm usually drinking in my shaker cup is water with a pinch of cinnamon for flavor.

[Jcz85]

See, now this thread is going somewhere....

I'm definitely keeping the carbs down, the proteins high, which raises two questions ATM:

1. Will taking a lot of protein in powder (with water) form, and bar form, have any undesirable effects? Will it help keep my muscle in tact just as much as eating meat every 2-3 hours? I can't eat meat every 2-3 hours, nuts are too fatty, low fat dairy is good.. so if say 60% of my protein intake is from actual food and the other 40% is from powders and bars, is that okay or not so great?

2. A meal at the end of the day with strictly a protein source and fibrous carbs (ie white fish and brocolli).... Is that going to cause me to be lacking nutritionally? Today I woke up with a headache that I've had all day long. And I am hungry all the time! But I have already noticed fat loss in 2-3 days and it seems like my muscle size is remaining

[Docd187123]

See, now this thread is going somewhere....

I'm definitely keeping the carbs down, the proteins high, which raises two questions ATM:

1. Will taking a lot of protein in powder (with water) form, and bar form, have any undesirable effects? Will it help keep my muscle in tact just as much as eating meat every 2-3 hours? I can't eat meat every 2-3 hours, nuts are too fatty, low fat dairy is good.. so if say 60% of my protein intake is from actual food and the other 40% is from powders and bars, is that okay or not so great?

2. A meal at the end of the day with strictly a protein source and fibrous carbs (ie white fish and brocolli).... Is that going to cause me to be lacking nutritionally? Today I woke up with a headache that I've had all day long. And I am hungry all the time! But I have already noticed fat loss in 2-3 days and it seems like my muscle size is remaining

1) Taking whey with only water gives me an upset stomach. I need to mix it with either milk or take it with some food like a granola bar and banana which is what I normally do.

Besides that whey, other powders, bars are just protein in different forms. You'll lose out on some micronutrients that you'd get with whole foods but provided you get enough veggies and such to make up the difference and meet your minimum requirements it won't be a problem at all. I've gotten up to 150g of protein a day from pwoder saline and it made no difference vs whole food.

2) how would one meal cause you to lack nutrients? It's based on the whole day not one meal.

You won't notice significant fat loss in 2-3days. It's likely your dropping water weight, dropping glycogen, and/or less food in the GI tract means less bloating which will make you appear leaner.

[JAB1]

250 grams sweet potato
4oz chicken
1/2 cup cottage cheese
serving of greens
3 fish/flax pills

Thats my preworkout meal

[tarmyg]

Adderall

[RaginCajun]

Adderall

Hahaha!

[Khazima]

It's all preference, I prefer to train on an empty(ish) stomach since I like to workout first thing of the day, sometimes I'll have a banana or an apple quickly. But days I have to wait I eat something like oats with honey/peanut butter up to a few hours pre-workout, I like all my food to be fully digested or there to be almost no food in there.

[Blaz Kavlic]

...... my pre workout concoction
which consists of;
Citrulline, Arginine, Beta Alanine, Caffiene, Creatine, Glutamine, L-Carnitine in about 4oz of water with a splash of light cranberry juice.

Creatine and caffeine work against each other do they not?

[Khazima]

Creatine and caffeine work against each other do they not?

I wouldn't see why? Creatines not a stimulant like caffeine, they're two completely different chemicals.