Perplexed by Meal Schedule

[TheLadyD]

In my current life, I wake up at 5:30am, drink coffee, and finally get around to breakfast around 7:30am after dropping my daughter at the school bus and arriving at work (sometimes 8am if I have to run to the grocery store).

 

Next week, when I start my Whole30 version of life, I'm supposed to stop doing that.

 

But I can't figure out how to eat breakfast so early, also eat lunch, and fit in pre- and post-workout snacks around a lunchtime trip to the gym. My slot for a workout is 12:15 - 1:15pm, and that's really the only slot available.

 

One option:

5:15ish am - breakfast (I'll have to get up a bit earlier if I'm really going to eat before I have to leave the house.)

11:30 - pre-workout snack

12:15 - workout

skip post-workout snack

1:30 - lunch with starchy veggies (I'm know not supposed to do this, but I literally walk out of the gym and am back at my office in 5 min.)

 

Second option:

5:15 - breakfast

11:00 or 11:30 - lunch

skip pre-workout snack

12:15 - workout

1:30 - post-workout snack

 

Third option with everything:

5:15 - breakfast

10:30 - lunch??? (realistically,this will be really challenging to do, because I have a meeting scheduled from 10-11am pretty much every day)

11:30 - pre-workout snack

12:15 - workout

1:30 - post-workout snack

 

Fourth option with everything:

5:15 - breakfast

11:30 - preworkout snack

12:15 - workout

1:30 - post-workout snack

2:30 - lunch (probably too long since breakfast?)

 

Any feedback would be appreciated. It will help me feel a lot better going into next week if I have a plan, and if the plan meets the rules. Bucking the rules in week 1 ... I'm just not that kind of rebel.

 

Thank you!

 

[ShannonM816]

Pre-workout snacks are more based on individual need -- if you have eaten within the past few hours, you may not need anything. If you were waking up and working out first thing, or if you ate lunch, worked another 4-5 hours, worked out, and then went home to dinner, in those cases you'd definitely need pre-workout. You may not need anything with your schedule.

 

Post-workout is more important -- here's an article with more about that, but basically, post workout, have at least a few bites of lean protein within about 30 minutes of your workout, and optionally also include a few bites of starchy vegetable.

 

You can obviously kind of play with this some and see what works for you, but I think your second option would be a good place to start and see how it goes.

[tmhampton1]

Can you eat any later in the morning, say around 630? When do you feed your daughter breakfast and can you eat with her? I would suggest making some of the W30 compliant breakfast bakes so you just have to heat it up with some veggies.

 

Second option:

5:15 - breakfast

11:00 or 11:30 - lunch - I agree that I would not eat a pre-workout if I'm working out so soon after eating, but I would make lunch look more like a pre-workout

skip pre-workout snack

12:15 - workout

1:30 - post-workout snack - remember that this is just a few bites, not a full blown meal. 

[TheLadyD]

Thanks, Shannon, for the link to the article. It helps knowing that the post-workout snack is more important than the pre-workout snack. (Makes sense, if Caveman got his exercise hunting down dinner, that we'd be adapted to eating protein right after a workout!)

 

If the important thing is to eat after the workout, does it matter that I have a separate post-workout snack, or can I just have a bigger lunch as long as I'm eating within 30 minutes of finishing the workout?

 

 

Can you eat any later in the morning, say around 630? When do you feed your daughter breakfast and can you eat with her? I would suggest making some of the W30 compliant breakfast bakes so you just have to heat it up with some veggies.

 

Second option:

5:15 - breakfast

11:00 or 11:30 - lunch - I agree that I would not eat a pre-workout if I'm working out so soon after eating, but I would make lunch look more like a pre-workout

skip pre-workout snack

12:15 - workout

1:30 - post-workout snack - remember that this is just a few bites, not a full blown meal. 

 

Thanks, tmhampton1, for the brainstorm.

 

So, if I eat too much later in the morning, am I still meeting the "eat within one hour" rule? (Am I overthinking this???)

 

I do plan to make breakfast ahead of time and reheat in the morning. Any actual cooking at that hour will result in something being set on fire. My daughter gets up until 6am and we're out the door by 6:45am. If I'm really organized, I could wake up at 5:30am and be reheating breakfast by 6:15am.

 

I'm pretty certain I can sort out something in the morning. It's midday where I'm more stuck.

[jmcbn]

Yep, option two looks best to me if you can do lunch as early as possible. No need to make it look like a preWO which would exclude carbs as they should have pretty much have peaked & exited your blood by the time you work out anyways.

Don't skip the postWO. Your body won't thank you for that.

For lunch, postWO etc you need get meal prepping - a batch cook of a few different protein sources (a roast chicken, a beef curry, a pork shoulder for example), and a variety of sides that you ca mix & match, throw on a compliant fat, and bring with you in a tupperware. Job done.

[TheLadyD]

Alrighty, sounds like option 2 is where I'll start. Thanks everyone! I will be doing a lot of batch cooking this weekend.