Is meal timing and frequency important...

[The Hulk]

Related to the thread on intermittent fasting.

Just want to get an idea of peoples thoughts/beliefs on this.

This is aimed at the majority of trainees who would fall into the categories from beginner to advanced who are living a regular life, not elite/professional bodybuilders/trainees.

So here's a poll to see what you guys think/believe.

Do you think certain meal timing and/or frequency are required to achieve your desired physique?

 

[Kyle Aaron]

I'm sceptical it matters much, except for pre/post workout meals.

I've been told it's important by more experienced and educated people than me, but I've not seen any evidence for it, neither anecdotal nor scientific studies.

The only issue seems to be if you get some protein and carbs into you immediately before a workout to fuel it, and immediately after it to help recovery. Doing that seems to give you better gains than meals further from the workout.

It does seem that for people who want to change their body composition, having several meals instead of a few is better - psychologically. Those who want to get smaller can feel full all the time with lots of small meals. Those who want to get bigger and find it difficult to eat enough can eat several medium meals (instead of three huge ones).

I think it's also the case that if a person has just three meals, they might eat just whatever. But nobody can eat 6 meals a day without preparing most of them. And when you prepare your own food it's likely to be better for you, you're more conscious of what you're eating.

But I've seen no evidence for it being a physiological thing. Most food takes 5-6 hours to pass through our body, and most nutrients are absorbed in the intestines, just before it's turned to poo. So the idea that we turn catabolic and start eating up our own muscles shortly after a meal or overnight and have to have a constant drip-feed of protein is obvious nonsense.

 

[TGM]

Kyle Aaron I agree totally.

Timing I think can be important, frequency not so much.

But it all depends on your goals.

 

[The Hulk]

The only issue seems to be if you get some protein and carbs into you immediately before a workout to fuel it, and immediately after it to help recovery. Doing that seems to give you better gains than meals further from the workout.

I agree with you on the meal timing around workouts, especially post workout meal.
However, many trainees experience high energy levels while training in a fasted state too.

I should have been more clear on option 1 for the poll regarding meal timing.

For workout day's I would choose that timing is important, rest days - not important.
What I meant for option 1 (only allows 100 characters) was:
Yes, meal timing is important.
You should always eat breakfast in the morning, have a mid morning meal, a midday meal, afternoon meal, pre-workout meal, post workout meal, bedtime meal, (or similar schedule) etc...

 

[Fadi]

Speaking only from experience here; as long as your body is in a receptive state for growth, then you can pretty much eat whenever you like and still make amazing gains.

A receptive state is the opposite to a stressful state which means one can only be present in the absence of the other. That has been my experience.

PS: You'll find steroids work on the same principal. In a nutshell; unstress and prosper!


Fadi.

 

[Goosey]

For myself the workout or activity is always key.

When younger my goals where in nature quite nebulis I worked out hard I ate and I ate a lot.
Now in my senior years I eat two meals a day.

Looking back I think it's important to view your eating as a week to week thing rather than day to day, not worrying what to eat just before or after a workout.

Also I think this force feeding thought is flawed, liked weight training it also must be progressive.

 

[Fadi]

Looking back I think it's important to view your eating as a week to week thing rather than day to day, not worrying what to eat just before or after a workout.

If my memory serves me right Siliverback, this would be the second time you make such a comment. I did not make a comment on your first but I couldn't resist now by saying that that's what I've been saying all along since my younger days. Be it an injury that one feels or some sort of muscle/all over body weakness, it's always best to look at what one has been doing the previous days rather than the previous few hours to determine the reason for his or her "problem".

Also I think this force feeding thought is flawed, liked weight training it also must be progressive.

Agree also. Nothing like taking the step by step approach to realising one's dream. That's how it is in the sport of Olympic weightlifting and I can't see why it should be any different in any other sport.


Fadi.