What are your thoughts on optimal meal times? Do you think you should only eat at certain times of the day? Do you think snacks are 'bad' or get frustrated at yourself for eating between meals?

This is a topic that I've been discussing with my clients a lot over the past few weeks when we've uncovered deep rooted food rules dictating when they 'should' or 'shouldn't' eat.

It's super interesting for me, because often it's linked and related to what happened earlier in the day for training and food intake. I find that when active people and athletes don't fuel their training well, they are SO MUCH more likely to experience 'uncontrollable' hunger later in the day and evenings leading to more snacking or cravings for higher sugar foods.

When you fuel your training more optimally, it has the added benefit to leave you with a more normalised appetite the rest of the day and greater energy levels. No more feeling 'cactus' on the couch all afternoon as some of my clients used to experience when they did unfuelled long rides on the weekends!

So whats the best meal timing for you?

It all depends!

Say you were aiming to eat somewhere around 2000kcal a day to maintain your baseline energy needs (with training nutrition added on top).

All 5 of these options could provide the same amount of energy, macronutrients and micronutrients you need in a day. They are just distributed in different ways.

You might find that one strategy works better than others, or you might find yourself using different strategies on different days in relation to the amount of training you do, when you train, your lifestyle and work commitments.

I find that when my clients start shifting their food intake so there is more nutrition focused around their training, they start performing better, recover faster and have much more normalised appetites and energy the rest of the day.

This might mean bigger meals earlier on in the day if they train before work. Or it might mean extra snacks in advance to fuel up before training after work.

Some need more snacks to keep energy levels topped up, others prefer bigger meals to feel satisfied.

Whether it's a snack or a meal, both have their place - even if it's not a traditional meal time.

Your perfect meal time will be unique and can change from day to day

It all comes down to what works best for you and helps you to be consistent and less reactive with your eating around the training you do.

Get curious and make notes about what does and doesn't work for you as you adapt and start to make changes that work with your training and lifestyle.

If you want to learn more about how to fuel your training and discover what works best for you, apply the Cycling Nutrition Framework.

Gemma

What are optimal meal times to eat?

Your perfect meal time will be unique and can change from day to day