Live Well
Can You Out-train a Bad Diet ? By Jo Hill
I get asked this question all the time and to be honest , I completely understand why . I used to be one of those people that thought that I could train hard and then I could eat whatever I wanted . To be honest , it ’ s almost like being stuck in a cycle …
P icture it … You go to the gym and give your all to a 45-minute HIIT session . You then go about your day as normal , except because you have given your all to your workout , and you ’ ve woken a beast that needs feeding . In other words , you find yourself super hungry . So , what do you naturally do ? You eat more , and probably without thinking .
This can easily become a habit over time , and could be one of the reasons you may not be seeing the results that you should be seeing . If you find that this resonates with you at all , firstly , know that you ’ re not alone . Secondly , it ’ s very easy to ‘ fix ,’ because it ’ s likely that it ’ s just your diet that may be holding you back .
Most people assume that in order to lose weight , you need to exercise , and while this is true to a certain extent and can be a contributing factor to weight-loss , nutrition is fundamentally the primary factor . In saying that , food choices have a big impact on the rate at which weight-loss will occur . So , to make life easy , I ’ ve come up with three reasons why I feel that you can ’ t exercise your way out of a bad diet .
1 You won ’ t burn enough calories
Have you ever eaten an entire pizza with all the toppings and justified it by telling yourself that you will hit the gym to work it off the next day ? We ’ ve all been there , trust me ! But realistically , even after a really intense workout , you ’ re still only likely to burn around 600 calories , whereas just one slice of pizza comes in at over 200 calories ! The truth is that it ’ s super easy to consume a large amount of calories very quickly , especially when eating processed foods , but it ’ s really difficult to burn a large number of calories . and lean protein ( chicken , beans , fish , etc ) that will keep you feeling fuller for longer and are high in volume . However , please note that eating pizza every now and then isn ’ t bad , and there ’ s no reason for you to feel disappointed or guilty if you do .
2 Exercise increases your appetite
As mentioned earlier , when we exercise , our brain triggers a signal to tell our bodies to eat more in order to recover . While this is , in theory , a good thing , if we don ’ t replenish with the right foods , we end up consuming more calories than necessary which can actually make us gain weight .
After exercising , it ’ s common for people to feel hungry and grab the first thing in sight , so my suggestion is to plan ahead and make sure that you have a fridge full of nutritious food choices . When we don ’ t do proper meal prep , we tend to fuel up on refined carbs that will provide calories , sure , but won ’ t provide the proper nutrients needed to make you feel full and aid in recovery . So , in essence , this really means that if you fail to fuel up with nutrient-dense food , you can end up feeling hungry , leading to that vicious cycle I spoke of earlier . Some nutrientdense foods that are perfect for post-workouts include whole-grain pasta , rice or oats , vegetables , and lean protein like fish , chicken or protein shakes .
3 A bad diet can limit your performance
When you are eating poorly , your exercise performance unfortunately suffers . This means that you will never be able to reach your peak or get the most out of your workouts , because your body isn ’ t being supported correctly . This also translates to not being able to effectively burn the calories you want to . Therefore , to get the most out of your workouts , you need to think about what you are eating , and when you are eating .
As a rule of thumb , I like to follow this guide : For early morning exercise , have something small before training , e . g . a banana , rice cakes , or a smoothie . You can then fill up with a proper breakfast post-training . For midday exercise , especially if you ’ re training between main meals , make sure you have a lowcalorie snack before and try to refuel with a larger meal after training . For evening exercise , the same applies as it does for midday training . After your workout , make sure you refuel , and if you have already had dinner , a carb- and proteinrich healthy dessert will definitely hit the spot and will help with recovery . ( PS : I ’ ve got tons of recipes on my website that you can make part of your meal prep or pre / post workout journey . Check them out at www . pullupsandpeanutbutter . co . za .)
If you ’ re not sure how much you are consuming , it may be time to assess and calculate the calories you are burning in comparison to the calories that you are consuming . My suggestion is to try and consume whole foods , like whole grains , vegetables
Jo Hill is a Durban-based baking enthusiast with two selfconfessed addictions : Fitness and chocolate . She has made it her mission in life to show the world that it is possible to have the best of both worlds . The popularity of her healthy recipes led to her creating her popular Facebook page and blog called Pull ups and Peanut butter , where she shares her recipes for clean , healthy and diet-friendly treats . More info at www . pullupsandpeanutbutter . co . za
54 ISSUE 144 AUGUST 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za