What to eat before sport to lose weight: nutritional advice

Eating before sports boosts performance by providing the body with the energy it needs and promoting fat burning. But you still need to know what foods to eat!

Some people think that not eating before exercising will help you burn more fat, but that's not necessarily the case. Your body will use all the energy it has available, including protein from your muscles, as well as carbohydrates and fats.

A empty stomach during sport increases the risk of dizziness, lethargy and discomfort, and thus prevents you from fully enjoying your workout. Eating a snack with certain types of food, on the contrary, helps to transform the body into a fat burning machine.

“If you do a sports session, your snack will give you the energy you need for your session,” writes Alice Lévêque (Aliss), a physiotherapist specializing in micronutrition for sports and health, in her book “Some ideas for eating well before and after sport.”

“The studies are unanimous on this subject: performance is better when physical activity is preceded by a meal,” adds the French Federation of Cardiology (source 1).

THE last full meal should be taken about three to four hours before your workout, so that your body has enough time to digest the food. As for the snack“try to consume it as little as possible one hour before your workout ” advises Alice Lévêque. It is possible to have a snack 15 to 30 minutes before sport, which will provide fast sugars that the body can use immediately, but it must be light.

By choosing to consume carbohydrateswhich are an efficient source of energy and fuel for your brain and muscles, you will replenish and preserve your reserves of carbohydrates to minimize muscle damage and increase endurance. These nutrients provide energy while promoting the elimination of accumulated fat.

You can choose between several light snacks 15 to 30 minutes before sport:

• A small glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice;
• A banana ;
• A slice of toasted wholemeal bread.

“Furthermore, it is very important to drink enough before, during and after exercise in order to avoid dehydration, allow the transport of nutrients and reduce the risk of sustaining an injury,” recalls the French Federation of Cardiology.

A high carbohydrate snack Consumed about an hour before physical exercise also helps stimulate fat burning. “After being ingested, carbohydrates are concentrated in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen, which is the most rapidly available source of energy during exercise,” explains the French Federation of Cardiology.

In this case, choose instead between:

• A handful of sugary cereal in a little semi-skimmed milk;
• A fruit ;
• Half a cup of pasta or rice with a little butter or olive oil;
• Half a cup of oatmeal with a few raisins.

Carbohydrates are digested more quickly than lipids or proteins. Eating too much fat or protein, or even a high-carb meal, within two hours of a workout will cause blood to flow to the stomach, not to the muscles. And quickly depleted carbohydrates will leaving fat as the only fuel for the body.

In addition, if you eat fatty foods before exercising, “the digestion risk of continuing during physical exercise and causing serious gastric discomfort,” underlines the French Federation of Cardiology.

Protein intake is essential for athletes because they promote energy stability and also contribute to the maintenance of muscle tissue. “Unfortunately, foods rich in protein often contain many lipids that should be avoided,” the Federation reminds us. If you want to consume protein before sport, you should therefore favor sources that are low fat : poultry (without skin), fish, seafood, lean meats, eggs, tofu, low-fat yogurt, etc.

In his book Some ideas for eating well before and after sportAlice Lévêque gives some snack ideas for sportsmen and women. We have selected two for you.

In a bowl, put some plain fromage blanc and add a portion of red fruits and a handful of nuts. Add 1 to 2 squares of dark chocolate (minimum 85% cocoa).

Crush 60 g of almonds into small pieces, mix them with 100 g of oat flakes. Add 40 g of agave syrup and 2 tbsp of peanut butter, knead well to obtain a paste. Oil a rectangular mold with a little coconut oil. Place the dough in the mold and press well then unmold onto a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Bake for 30 minutes at 150°C. Cut the cereal bars when they come out of the oven, while they are still hot. Leave to cool for 30 minutes and enjoy!