EVERYTHING You Need To Know About Meal Timing

Meal timing and whether it matters is another widely debated topic. There are two ends of the spectrum with all sorts of beliefs in between. On one side you have the belief that several small meals, spaced out evenly, each hitting a certain amount of protein, is the only way to go.

On the other side, you have the belief that none of that matters, and that the only thing that matters is total calories in and calories out.

Which is true? The answer is, it depends.

There are a few instances where meal timing matters. Let’s go over those first.

Should you eat late at night?

The answer for most people is probably not. But is isn’t for the reason that you think. For years a lot of people believed if ate late at night, it turned straight into fat. We know now that isn’t the case. But there are a couple other reasons you probably don’t want to eat late at night.

Primarily because it can affect your sleep. If you eat too close to bed, especially larger amounts, your stomach will still be digesting it while you sleep. This isn’t great for your digestion, and that process affects the quality of your sleep. While your body is trying to rest and recover it may be working harder than it wants to trying to digest food.

Another reason, is your body gets used to habits. This may be part of the reason you crave sweets (or salty foods if you’re like me) at night. Your body got used to the routine of eating them at that time.

Now, there are some people who have to eat a meal at night. Whether thats because of job schedule or other responsibilities. And if that’s you, don’t worry. Just try to eat as early before bed as you possibly can, and avoid laying down for as long as you can after eating to aid your digestion.

What about meal timing around workouts?

Meal timing around workouts could be really important for some people. But not really for weight loss or health, but rather for their workout performance. Generally, if you eat a couple hours before you workout you will have more energy and perform better. But you also don’t want to eat too close to a workout because again digestion could be an issue and affect your workout. So what’s best?

Eat about 2 to 2.5 hours before a workout depending on the size of the meal. If it has been longer than that, sometimes a small snack about 1 hour before can help.

Eat protein and carbs following your workout for recovery. We used to believe it had to be immediately following a workout. But now we’ve learned that doesn’t make a big difference, as long as its within about 2-3 hours after the workout.

Eating before your cardio or doing fasted cardio in the morning burn the same amount of fat. We used to believe fasted cardio was superior but studies have showed that isn’t the case. So do whichever works for you. If you’re starting a workout right after waking up then do fasted, but if you have time to eat and digest before your workout then you can try that.

You don’t need to eat a bunch of small meals evenly spaced throughout the day. Focus on the total amount you eat in a day, especially the total amount of protein and fiber.

In the grand scheme of things, how important is meal timing?

For most people, it’s at the bottom of the list. Most people would benefit more from moving more, increasing protein, increasing fiber, eating more fruits and vegetables, and less fast food, sugary drinks, and process snacks.

If you aren’t doing these things, meal timing won’t make a difference. And even if you are doing every other single thing right, it would only make a tiny difference.

Thanks for reading and remember if you have any questions at all you can reply to this email with them and I will answer them!

I hope you have a great weekend!

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