Pre-Workout Meal too early

[isuretri]

I get up at 4:20 am and do STS at my house. I have two children and a husband that I don't want to wake up (as well as a cat and dog!! ) Who has suggestions on what to eat pre-workout? Also, I usually get up and change and hit the workout. Am I not getting the nutrition I need or should I get up earlier to have something in my stomach??? After my workouts I shower and then have a protein shake and 1/2 cup oatmeal with blueberries.
I have had fantastic results with STS - lost over 45 pounds but I have hit a WALL! I have 20 pounds to go and I can't get it to budge one bit. I do STS on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Cardio on Tuesday. Thursday off and go to the gym on Saturday and Sunday for cardio and all over toning. I usually try to hit the gym on Monday nights and Friday nights. HELP! I'm extremely frustrated. Here's my typical (and I mean every day) food:

6:15 am - protein shake w/pineapples & strawberries
1/2 cup oatmeal with blueberries and wheat germ

8:30 am - 20 almonds and homemade peanut butter protein bar

11 am - 4 oz chicken breast

1 pm - 4 oz chicken breast

3 pm - apple

6 pm - chocolate protein shake with raspberries

8 pm - if hungry - Kashi Go Lean cereal with soy milk

Thanks for your support...I GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. BTW - I don't have a refrigerator or microwave at work so I'm kind of stuck on what I can eat.

 

[JodelleFitzh20]

Wow, isuretri! You have a full plate! That's great that you have such a great workout regime. I'm no Cathe, but however as a trainer, I will tell you that you might be overdoing it. I don't see a day of rest in your description, and a common result of 'OVERTRAINING' is hitting a plateau when it comes to weight loss. Make sure you take at least one day of rest and let your muscles grow which will turn, boost your metabolism.
As far as your nutrition, I'm not a nutritionist per say, but I study it avidly, and this is what I would recommend if I were advising you as my client....
Unless you really feel like you need a pre-workout meal, I see no reason why you have to have one, since it's so early. Maybe an apple or something if you are low on energy in the morning, but you don't want anything heavy. I actually prefer working out on an empty stomach as studies show that you dip into your fat storage more readily. As far as building muscle though, (which boosts metabolism which helps burn stubborn fat) you might want to have a little something like that apple or 1/2 a banana which will give you energy to push harder in your workout. Your post workout meal looks good, and you are getting adequate protein from your meals, but with as active as you are, I don't see very many complex carbohydrates in your meal plan. As you have started to lose fat and gain muscle since your 45 lbs loss, your body needs more calories to feed the muscle and therefore burn more fat. Since you are getting around 1500 right now, I would bump it up to about 1700 and see if that helps. Add in some hummus and carrot sticks with one of your chicken breasts since that doesn't require a microwave, or some other raw veggies that you can dip in salsa, or guacamole or hummus. Or maybe a small salad you can prepare and take with you to put your chicken breast on and top with some black beans and salsa for a good balanced meal! I feel you aren't getting adequate nutrients from vegetables from what I see on your meal plan. Also, at night I choose a snack that is less processed and more whole foods, like 1/2 oatmeal and blueberries a half of a sweet potato with 1 tbsp of peanut butter on it. And only have those carb nights if you are coming back from a night at the gym after your workouts.. Otherwise you can store carbs as fat, if you eat them and then go to bed a little while later. One other thing I notice is that other than some nuts, there is not enough healthy fats in your diet, and our bodies need fats to help burn stored body fat! Try incorporating some flax oil in your protein shakes, or toss some nuts in to eat alongside one of your chicken breasts, or a scoop of peanut butter on celery sticks to get healthy fats and veggies all in one!
You are definately on the right track and with the right tweaking and a few small changes you are going to jump over that plateau in no time! Hope this helps. Again, I'm no Cathe, but I'm a ACSM Certified Personal Trainer and nutrition consultant, and sure love to help people reach their goals through nutrition and exercise.

 

[PhyllisG]

I workout early in the morning also and never eat until after I finish my workout, walk the dogs and then have breakfast which is either steel cut oats and fruit or yogurt with fruit and nuts. I can't possibly eat before working out.

 

[kathryn]

An easy-to-digest, quick-to-make-and-drink pre-workout feeding is some coconut water (or regular water), a banana (or frozen banana) and a handful of goji berries or berries of your choice (optional) blended up.

 

[Pinny150]

Just thought I'd pipe in....You mentioned no refrigerator at your job ( I work at a restaurant, so that is no problem for me). But I took a class this weekend and also worried about bringing foods with me! I went out and spent 10 bucks on a Coleman cooler at Walmart, I already had some small ice packs in the freezer (for god knows what since I didn't own a cooler), and I could comfortably fit a small tupperware container, a banana, a bottle of water, and anything I could stuff into a sandwich baggie (i.e. Carrot sticks, celery, whatever). You could also pick up some of the really small tupperware cups to put hummus in or any small portion of what it is your normally eat. My point is, my food kept all day!!

Iris

 

[isuretri]

Those are some great tips. I do have a cooler to keep my food cool. I do drink lots of water and no sodas or juices.
I guess I just need to keep trying some different things until I find the right one that works for me!!
Thanks for your help!

 

[buneknek]

So it is Ok not to eat anything before workout especially cardio? I will try that tomorrow for my run.

 

[isuretri]

Today I added carrots and hummus to eat when I eat my chicken breast!
I just have my plate stacked to the top and I don't have time to fix meals. I had been making meals on Saturday's but I didn't ge to this week. I have a hard time making dinner. I will make it for my husband and kids but I usually end up having a protein shake.
Thanks for the advice and the carrots and hummus are YUMMY!!!

 

[JulesMT]

Congratulations on your weight loss! You are really dedicated and it sounds like you have the exercise part of the equation down pat. To be honest, your daily menu looks low on both nutrients and calories to me. I would be pretty hungry on your eating plan! You've had lots of great advice from the other ladies on how to bump up your calories. I see you are eating two protein shakes per day, which is fine, but I myself would replace the evening one with a real meal consisting of lean meat or fish and veggies and a little fat like olive oil, nuts, or avocado. I would add 1/2 cup of cooked rice and some salad or veggies to one of your chicken breast meals in the afternoon and would keep eating the carrots and hummus with the other. Also, I would have some protein, like a cheese stick or nut butter with the apple. If you don't feel like lean meat and veggies or salad for dinner, you can always whip up an egg white omelet with a little cheese and veggies too.

If you are still stuck, you can also try alternating higher calorie and lower calorie days or changing around your macronutrient percentages each week.

 

[lainabaina]

I don't think you need to eat prior to your early morning workouts, but I would suggest drinking your protein shake immediately afterwards, before you shower. the sooner you can replenish the better. also, I didn't see any veggies in your diet...you need to get some veggies going!! the STS workout is tough so kudos for sticking to it. for you to get over your plateau, though, you will need to get some more cardio workouts in.

if you really feel like you need some kcals prior to your workout you could try a gel like Gu or better yet Hammer Nutrition gels. they are rapidly absorbed into the system so perfect for just that few minutes before a workout.

 

[shanihib]

Preworkout (my workouts are early too - 3:30am) I have 1/4 a serving of a Nature Valley crunchy granola bar. It is about 45 calories, and works great to not upset my stomach (I eat it as I'm headed in to workout), but to give me just enough fuel so that my reactive hypoglycemia doesn't kick in (low blood sugar.) I then follow the workout up with a protein shake. It might work for you.