Timing of pre and post WO food/Meal 1

[wolfesj]

If this has already been discussed, can someone please link for me?

 

If not, here goes:

I will be starting a Whole30 on Sunday. I plan to exercise at least 5 days a week and usually will not have trouble with scheduling meals. However, I will be exercising on 1-2 days a week where I work 12 hour shifts. I currently get up at 545, take my thyroid medication (must be on an empty stomach with nothing for 30 minutes afterward), get ready, and eat on the way to work 45 minutes away to be there by 7am. Obviously, I am rushed in the morning.

I am hoping to get up at least 45 minutes earlier each day to do a workout before going in since I don't get home until 8:30 most days and after getting the toddler to bed I am ready to crash as well. How do I time my food to avoid fat after working out but keep the fat portion in Meal 1? Is it better to have an egg ASAP after my thyroid medicine, then lean protein and carb after workout, then move meal 1 to a few hours later and just not eat typical breakfast food?

 

Thoughts?

[Physibeth]

I'm not super familiar with the thyroid medicine so I can't speak to that but I have a question first. How much sleep are you sacrificing to get workouts in on your 12 hour shift days? To me working a 12 hour shift in an urgent care seems like more than enough stress on your body already, why sacrifice your sleep to get additional exercise in on those days? Rest and recovery are just as important to forward progress...perhaps more so. Can you maintain your proposed schedule and get 8 hours of sleep a night?

 

Based on your medication requirements and the whole30 recommendations ideal morning food timing with exercise would be get up and take the medicine, wait 30 minutes and have some protein and fat (a hard boiled egg is enough), exercise, have lean protein and starchy vegetable, get ready, and then have meal 1 up to 30 minutes later. 

[Tom Denham]

You are almost certainly not gaining a benefit from squeezing in a workout on days you work 12 hours, especially if you spend part of your work time on your feet moving around. That said, in your case, I would probably sacrifice avoiding fat after a workout and just accept that I was not feeding my muscles as rapidly as they would like. It is not like you do harm to yourself by eating fat with protein after a workout. You just don't get the maximum benefit. 

[wolfesj]

Thanks for the answers so quickly! I think you are both right that I might not need to work out on the days I am working 12 hours- I work at an urgent care and see 15-30 patients per day so I am definitely on my feet a lot. I would absolutely not be able to get 8 hours of sleep those nights if I try to get in a workout as I currently only get about 7 hours. I got so excited about starting to exercise again that I was willing to sacrifice sleep to do it and that's just not smart when I am already struggling to get enough.