Eating before exercise will not cause stomachache and help lose fat! Nutritionists illustrate sports diet menus to help you eat your way to full vitality

In recent years, the trend of exercising to shape the body has become popular. Both men and women hope to gain muscle and reduce fat through moderate exercise, making their bodies look tighter and curvier. However, before you officially start exercising, you may have heard that "exercise on an empty stomach will be more effective" and "eating before exercise can easily cause stomach pain and gastroptosis", but is this really the case? What should you do if you want to make the exercise process smoother and lose fat successfully? Let’s hear what professional nutritionists have to say!

Want to make your exercise more effective? Eat a moderate amount of carbohydrates before exercise to replenish your body's energy

Nutritionist Sun Yuming said that many people are worried that eating before exercise may cause stomach discomfort. But in fact, from a nutritional point of view, exercising on an empty stomach is like driving a car without a full tank of gas. Not only is it unable to provide enough energy for physical activity, indirectly affecting the quality of training, but if people often have the problem of insufficient overall calorie intake before exercise, the body will further consume protein in the muscles when it lacks energy. In the long run, it will not only easily cause muscle loss and reduce the body's basal metabolic rate, but also greatly reduce the originally expected fat-reducing effect of exercise!

More importantly, fasting for too long or not eating before exercise may lead to hypoglycemia, dizziness, or even fainting, the severity of which should not be underestimated.

Therefore, nutritionist Sun Yuming recommends that instead of exercising on an empty stomach, people may try to consume a moderate amount of complex carbohydrates (sugar foods) 1 to 2 hours before exercise. For example, rice, sweet potatoes, cereals, whole grains, etc. These foods take time to digest and break down, and can provide the body with long-term and stable energy. This is a way to make exercise more effective.

If office workers really don’t have time to eat 2 hours before exercise, they can try to move the meal time earlier or later. However, it should be noted that there will be slight differences in dietary content depending on the length of time before starting formal exercise.

Worried about bloating and stomach pain caused by eating before exercise? Avoid fried foods and choose small portions and liquid foods to help prevent

In addition to emphasizing the importance of proper energy supplementation before exercise, I believe that after reading this, some people will definitely want to ask: "But my stomach is not very good, I am still very worried. Even if I eat 1 to 2 hours before exercise, I still have bloating and abdominal pain during exercise. What should I do?"

In response to this, nutritionist Sun Yuming further explained that people who are worried about indigestion should first avoid eating fried chicken, fried pork chops and other fried foods that are high in fat and require a lot of stomach acid to digest. Instead, it is better to take in "small portions" or "liquid foods."

For example: a rice ball or a banana, a slice of whole wheat toast, a cereal bar, a cup of coix milk, oatmeal drink, etc. These foods are very convenient to obtain and can help the body replenish energy quickly. They are also a good choice to reduce the burden on the stomach and intestines and avoid indigestion, nausea and other gastrointestinal discomforts.

You can’t go wrong eating this way! Nutritionists illustrate pre-workout diet menu combinations to help you eat your way to full vitality

Although from a nutritional point of view, eating 1 to 2 hours before exercise and moderately supplementing with some carbohydrate foods are the most recommended ways to supplement exercise. However, nutritionist Sun Yuming also mentioned that if busy office workers really do not have time to eat 2 hours before exercise, they can also try to move the meal time forward or backward.

However, it should be noted that there will be slight differences in dietary content depending on the length of time before starting formal exercise. As for how to eat well at different times, nutritionist Sun Yuming also shared her recommended pre-exercise diet menu combination in a graphic way for your reference:

Nutritionist Sun Yuming illustrates the pre-exercise diet menu. (Chart information/ provided by nutritionist Sun Yuming)

【3 to 5 hours before exercise】

[Recommended Diet] Main meal: complex carbohydrates + low-fat protein, liquid: 500-600 ml.

"menu"

Main course: choose one: 1 triangular tuna rice ball / 1 pork sandwich / 1 whole wheat steamed bun with egg / 1 bowl of chicken and vegetable porridge / 1 bowl of milk and cereal.

Liquid: 1 cup of water + 1 cup of sports drink / 1 cup of oatmeal drink / 1 cup of barley juice / 1 cup of whole grain juice, choose one.

[1 to 2 hours before exercise]

[Recommended Diet] Main meal: complex carbohydrates (preferably low GI).

《Menu》 Choose one from the following: 1 slice of whole wheat toast / half a multi-grain steamed bread / 1 cereal bar / 1 banana / 1 pack of soda crackers / 1 cup of oatmeal drink / 1 cup of coix seed milk.

【10-20 minutes before exercise】

《Recommended Diet》 Liquid: 200-300 ml.

《Menu》 Water + appropriate amount of sports drink.

Nutritionist Sun Yuming reminds you that if you want to lose fat successfully, you cannot rely solely on exercise to lose fat. The total calories in your diet still need to be controlled!

Exercise alone is not enough to lose fat and lose weight! The key to success is to develop good eating habits and control overall calorie intake. In addition to telling everyone how to choose what to eat before exercise and take nutritional supplements according to their own exercise habits, they can provide the body with enough energy to make subsequent exercise effects more significant. Nutritionist Sun Yuming also reminds everyone that although exercise can indeed help train muscles and make the body's muscles stronger tissues, it makes it impossible for fat cells to compete for nutrients, thereby helping to achieve the goal of gaining muscle and reducing fat. But she also emphasized that if you want to lose fat successfully, you can't just rely on exercise to lose fat, the total calories of your diet still need to be controlled!

People still need to follow the daily recommended calorie intake and distribute it in appropriate proportion to control overall calorie intake. At the same time, you should also avoid eating foods with high fat content that have been fried, thickened, or otherwise cooked. These are good ways to reduce the burden on your gastrointestinal digestion and prevent physical discomfort during and after exercise.