Claire asked: I go to the gym first thing in the morning, at about 8.30. I usually eat breakfast first, a bowl of cereal or some toast. Do you think I should eat breakfast before I do my workout or after?  Will eating breakfast before my workout stop me from burning fat?? I find I’m always hungry after my workout anyway, even when I’ve had breakfast before….

Answer…

First thing in the morning your glycogen stores (energy stores in your muscles) are at their lowest.  If we assume you eat a normal amount of calories for your size/activity levels and have your last meal of the day between 6 or 7pm, then by your 8.30am workout your body would have been burning off glycogen for over 12 hours.

Depending on your resting metabolic rate, this could be up to 1000 calories burned off in this time, so your glycogen stores would be running low to empty by 8.30am.

There is one school of thought that claims training at this time on an empty stomach and with low glycogen stores is a great way to force your body to burn fat.  I am inclined to agree with this – you will burn more fat if you train on an empty stomach first thing in the morning.  However, you will also get back from your workout feeling weak, starving and ready to demolish a whole box of Special K… which defeats the purpose of your workout if your goal is to burn fat!  You will also be more prone overtraining, fatigue and muscle damage… which again defeats the purpose!

The key is to think of your body like an engine and match your fuel intake to your activity levels.  You need to give your body enough fuel before your workout to give you the energy to train efficiently.  This might be 100 – 200 calories depending on your size and the duration/intensity of your workout.   Choose high GI carbs (fast release) if you are eating less than 15 minutes before your workout, or moderate GI carbs if you are eating more than 30 minutes before.

Once you are back from the gym you need to refuel your body so that it has enough energy and protein to repair itself and recover in time for tomorrow’s workout.  This might be 300 – 500 calories, again depending on your size and metabolic rate.  Post workout you want to combine carbs and proteins, so have some eggs, tuna or beans on your toast.  The added protein will also help to fill you up.

So to answer your question, I would recommend eating both BEFORE and AFTER your workout.  Something small and higher carb before to give you the energy to train, then something larger and higher protein after to help your body recover.

Liam Sartorius is a REPS level 3 personal trainer specialising in resistance training and weight loss.  With over 10,000 hours 1:1 personal training, he has a wealth of experience in body shape and body weight change.

Ask Liam about: Fitness Training, Circuit Training, Muscle Building, Muscle Definition, Exercise for Weight Loss, Nutrition for Weight Loss.

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Guest Blog Post: Vanessa Alexander from Fat Attack explains the benefits of fitness boot camps…

Fitness boot camps and weight loss weekends are a fantastic way to kick-start your new healthy lifestyle, perfect for when you want that burst of feel-good exercise.  Interactive, intense and individually-based, boot camps leave you feeling – and looking – so much better thanks to the fat-burning activities and nutritious meals.

Obesity is a serious problem in our society and the latest research has revealed that the number of obesity-related deaths is increasing each year.  Exercise and healthy eating are crucial if you are to stay well and protect yourself from ill-health.

With boot camps you get a weekend of fitness fun, healthy eating and nutritional hints and tips guaranteed to make you shed some of those stubborn pounds and increase your fitness substantially.

Each weekend is full of a wide range of exercise routines to give all your muscles an excellent workout, resulting in healthy weight loss by the end of the boot camp.  You will feel exhausted after all your running, circuit training, climbing, Nordic walking, martial arts, tyre and log runs – and more!  But you will also feel fantastic from pushing yourself physically and being supported by your fellow boot campers – the environment is a lot more engaging and interactive than your average gym.

Fat Attack is synonymous with health and well-being, catering for the corporate fitness teambuilding and fitness boot camps markets.  As busy people, you can rarely afford to spend a week away from work and family commitments – which is why all Fat Attack boot camps are run Friday to Sunday.

At Fat Attack, we want to make exercise as easy as possible for you.  We run boot camps in the London/ South East England regions and also travel to your location in the UK for groups of 15+. Our bespoke service works very well for local sports teams, bridal boot camps and friends, as well as corporate teambuilding events or corporate reward weekends for hard work.

We recently launched boot camps in Kent and the first weekend in this new location will run on 19-21 March.  To celebrate this new boot camp, we have drastically cut the cost of a fat loss weekend to just £375.  This price is all-inclusive and if you book for this opening weekend you’ll also receive a 10% discount on the price.

Find out more about the benefits of boot camps and the new Kent weight loss weekends on our website.  New dates are added often and there is at least one boot camp a month in addition to the bespoke boot camps for groups.

Vanessa Alexander

www.fatattack.co.uk