Today, when my clients ask me if they should eat before exercising, my answer is simple: workout on an empty stomach or, if you can't do that, drink water with 1 scoop of protein powder. The one thing you need to know is to not eat a lot of carbohydrates before your workout. Our body's main source of energy come from carbohydrates so that if you don't have carbs in your blood, you will use stored body fat for energy instead. This is the perfect situation especially since most of us want to utilize our stored body fat for energy when we want to lose weight.
I know what you're thinking, you're probably asking, "will I lose my muscle if I don't eat before a workout?" The answer is no. Our body will used stored body fat first before it considers the protein for your muscles because it is easier to convert fat to energy than it is to convert protein to energy. So, rest your worries and see the fat come off while you keep your muscle mass.
So, what if you can't workout on an empty stomach (or at least you think you can't)? Drink a protein shake. Basically, just mix 1 scoop of protein powder with water and drink half of it pre-workout and half of it after you workout. Essentially, if you stick to drinking a low-carb protein powder, you still don't have carbs in your blood system.
Take note, both strategies work great if you workout in the morning. What if you workout in the afternoon after work? This is how you can do it: for lunch, you would want to eat foods that are high in protein and low in carbohydrates. If you eat lunch at noon but you need to eat a snack before you workout, eat a handful of healthy nuts such as almonds, pecans, or walnuts. The healthy fat in the nuts will give you energy for your workout with minimal carbohydrates. Whichever time of the day you workout, the key is to make sure that you don't eat a ton of carbs pre-workout so you can use your stored body fat for energy.
Your diet before you workout is just as important compared to your diet after a workout. Basically, you want your body to be more efficient at burning fat during your workout because it doesn't have to use carbohydrates from your diet for energy. You can be sure that you will see more results from your nutrition and workouts without working harder in the gym when you follow these strategies.
Anna Dornier is a personal trainer who specializes in fat loss. She is a Certified Kettlebell Instructor (RKC) and a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). For more fat loss articles, visit her blog at http://www.pathtofatloss.com