Can I skip breakfast, dinner and tightly close the anabolic window

Probably everyone has heard that you need to eat breakfast, after training to close the anabolic window faster and for dinner there are as few carbohydrates as possible. Time to doubt these truths and decide what is right for you.

After a workout, you should immediately eat something

The essence of the theory of the anabolic window that in the first 30-45 minutes of high intensity exercise, such as weight training or interval sprints, our body quickly absorbs nutrients substances.

At this time, the muscles are in need of carbohydrates and proteins. The body uses glucose as fuel or accumulates it in the form of glycogen. A food intake, protein-rich, accelerates the synthesis of protein in the body and the growth of muscle tissue.

Many studies confirm the benefits of protein consumption and carbohydrates immediately after exercise. For example, scientists have found out in 2008International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing.That meal high in carbohydrates in the first 30 minutes after exercise stimulates resynthesis of glycogen in muscle, and the addition of protein in a ratio of 1: 3 (protein: carbohydrate) further this promotes.

But no one will carry foods that are high in protein and carbohydrates to eat in the locker room, and the path to the house often takes more than 30-40 minutes. Simply immediately after exercise drink a special drink. And it is very beneficial to producers gainers.

However, scientists have proved in 2009Effect of protein-supplement timing on strength, power, and body-composition changes in resistance-trained menThat while taking protein supplements - immediately after training or in the morning and evening - does not affect the increase in strength and power, percent body fat and muscle mass.

A studyNutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window? 2013 showed that the anabolic window is actually much broader than is commonly believed, that provides a fairly flexible approach to eating after a workout.

In fact, you have about 1.5-2 hours before and after exercise to get enough protein and carbohydrates and get the same benefits as in the immediate reception of protein cocktail.

It turns out, does not necessarily breed in a shaker bored protein powder. You have time to take a shower, change clothes and prepare tasty and healthy dinner.

When there are more carbohydrates - for breakfast or dinner

For years, experts in nutrition advised to consume most of the carbohydrates for breakfast. And then suddenly, some experts began to recommend the opposite: leave the calorie and high carbohydrate foods for dinner.

Recently, scientists have dividedBeneficial effect of high energy intake at lunch rather than dinner on weight loss in healthy obese women in a weight-loss program: a randomized clinical trial into two groups of 80 women with excess weight. The subjects of the first group consumed more calories for breakfast, the second - for dinner. As a result, close to breakfast women significantly decreased weight, blood sugar levels and the risk of developing diabetes compared with richly dined colleagues.

Other scientists compared the consumption of 70% of daily calories in the morning and evening when performing aerobic exercise and resistance training. As a result, participants who consumed more calories at dinner, quickly lose fat and build muscle than the group with a larger breakfast.

Another six-month studyGreater weight loss and hormonal changes after 6 months diet with carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner It showed that the loss of weight and centimeters in waist circumference was greater when the main reception of carbohydrates accounted for the evening.

Thus, the study did not provide an unambiguous answer to the question, what time is better suited for the use of food high in carbohydrates.

Focus on your feelings. If your breakfast - coffee mug with a couple of cookies, and dinner plentiful and nutritious, but you feel fine and do not gain weight, keep eating the usual way.

If you are looking for a way to lose weight and become more fit and energetic and do not rub on sweets and snacks, trying to prevent hunger before dinner, try entering in your diet nutritious breakfast.

So meager breakfast is not worse than full for some people. And what about his absence?

Harmful whether to skip breakfast

It is believed that skipping breakfast - an unpardonable folly. After all, to him our body starved for 8-10 hours, it needs nutrients, and therefore quickly absorbs them.

But scientists have analyzedBelief beyond the evidence: using the proposed effect of breakfast on obesity to show 2 practices that distort scientific evidence several studies and concluded that the widespread belief about communication breakfast and low body weight can not be true due to lack of evidence.

Moreover, researchers have suggestedBreakfast: To Skip or Not to Skip?That skipping breakfast can have its advantages, because it allows you to avoid late meals reception and reduce the risk of obesity.

There is another very interesting studyThe role of breakfast in the treatment of obesity: a randomized clinical trial the effect of breakfast on human health. The scientists selected 52 women, half of which was used for breakfast and the other half - skip breakfast. The subjects were divided into four groups:

1. People who are accustomed to skipping breakfast, eating in the morning.
2. People who are accustomed to skipping breakfast, not eating in the morning.
3. People accustomed to breakfast, continued to do so.
4. People accustomed to breakfast, were forced to abandon the morning meal.

After 12 weeks of the experiment woman, who had to change their habits, they dropped more weight than others. But the breakfast or not, did not matter.

What is much more important than the time of eating

There are much more important aspects of the supply than the time consumption of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Here's a sample hierarchy:

1. How much you eat. Eat until you feel satiety. Once that happens, immediately stop. Get rid of the habit to eat up what is on the plate. you can use calorie counterTo understand how much food you need.
2. How do you eat. Eat slowly and deliberately, do not be distracted by the TV, conversations and books. Otherwise, you do not feel when they were filled, and the taste of the food is not completely revealed.
3. Why do you eat. Every time a mark, why you want to have: because they are really hungry, or because of stress, boredom, social needs, the pursuit of pleasure from high-calorie food?
4. What you eat. Choose foods rich in protein, beneficial fats and complex carbohydrates.

And only then to be concerned about when you eat: if you have a breakfast, how long after the workout you get your share of protein if you eat late at night.

And do not blindly believe the data of research and popular opinion. Always guided by what works for you, it does not cause discomfort and provides better results.