Dinner After Swimming?

[ryantao2010]

Hi

I'm just wondering does it matter to eat dinner before or after swimming? I used to swimming after dinner, but recently I can't arrange my timetable well so I have to swim before dinner(swim 4~5pm and eat at 6~7pm). Will it waste my effort if I have my swim plan like this, that is, gaining weights or something...

I heard if you swim before the dinner your body will consume the food very well and then put on some weights. If this is the case, the weight is muscle or fat?

[__steve__]

If your concerned about gaining (the wrong type of) weight, it's not really when your workout falls in the day relative to meals, it's more about what and how you eat. Anyways, it's important to refuel as soon as possible after a workout because as time goes by it becomes stored as fat instead of energy.

Just eat a balanced intake of what you need: protein, fats, vegitables, fruits, and even suppliments if needed (I include wine) and stay away from harmful or useless food (sugar, excessive starches, fast food).

[knelson]

I heard if you swim before the dinner your body will consume the food very well and then put on some weights.

Rubbish.

[That Guy]

Relish.

I usually go for ketchup or mustard myself, but hey, whatever floats your boat!

[__steve__]

What does that have to do with rhubarb?

[knelson]

I usually go for ketchup or mustard myself, but hey, whatever floats your boat!

You eat that after swimming? You're just asking for trouble!

[Waterdog7946]

After the last couple years of coming up short on my goals I really started to live the mantra "ya can't outtrain a bad diet" so I started keeping track of what i ate and found these things things to be true.
1. I am extremely sensitive to salt intake-I bloat up like crazy
2. Sugar is not my friend-it screws my mood and the spike/crash is too much
3. I can't eat anything heavy on training days-feel sluggish
4. When I eat is as important as what I eat.

The last one is very important cuz I found that if i eat less than an hour before practice/workout it tends to bog me down and make me uncomfortable.

So for the last few months I've cut out bread, starches, and pasta during the week and stuck with lots of vegetables, vegetable juice, fruits, protein shakes/lean meat during my day, nothing heavy and never more than 2-300 cals at a time. I have a good meal after practice even at 10pm since it will be at least 7-9 hours before I eat again...That whole "eating late at nite is not good" is a myth.

I've notice a marked improvement in mood, energy and even though I''m eating a lot 3500+cals a day Ive dropped 10lbs of bodyfat.

Play around with your diet a little..everybody is different. But fitness and swim goals will be tougher to meet/maintain without attention to eating habits.

[aztimm]

When I do the evening swim workout (6-7pm), I eat after I get back home.

To avoid being hungry before/during workout, I make sure I snack around 3:30-4pm. Usually nuts or something similar.

If I think of it, I'll bring a snack with me and eat it in my car on the drive home. If not, oh well...

I always have water in my car, drink plenty while driving to and from workout. I also have a water bottle I bring on deck and again drink plenty of that during the workout.

Been doing this for years and it works for me. Yes, I'm sure I could stand to lose another 10-15 pounds, but I'm not going to kill myself getting there.

[MickYoung]

You do NOT want to walk into an all-you-can-eat restaurant 40 minutes after finishing a distance swim.

Don't ask me how I know this.

[Celestial]

Solve all your problems - swim at 5 in the morning - trust me, you don't bother to eat before you go to the pool.

[aqueoushumor]

Isn't that the best way to get your money's worth at all you can eat places?!

[knelson]

Solve all your problems - swim at 5 in the morning - trust me, you don't bother to eat before you go to the pool.

I still do. I feel like I at least need to get something into my stomach before a workout even at o-dark-thirty.

[Celestial]

I still do. I feel like I at least need to get something into my stomach before a workout even at o-dark-thirty.

Amazing. I'm lucky to swallow my thyroid pill with some water.

[TUTs_mama]

I swim at random times, so I just make sure that I have ingested SOMETHING relatively close to when I plan to work out, usually an hour or two, and even if it is just Chai Tea with milk. After my workouts, I try to get something nutritous in my system ASAP. And if I was OW'ing in 62 degree water, I try to make that something hot and nutritous. I do not think eating your biggest meal after a workout to be a bad thing. In fact, I would think that if you were going to eat a notably larger meal that it be done after a workout as your body is seeking out nutrients and calories to begin the repair process. IMO, it would be less likely to be stored as fat then...

[fmracing]

I eat when I am hungry.

[orca1946]

Our tue & thur practices end at 9 pm & it's 10 before I get home with my McDonald's southwest salad with grilled chicken. I finish by 11 pm watching things i have put on the dvr. then

[rxleakem]

I try not to each too much before swimming to prevent tasting it during the swim (nothing like downing a handful of Cool Ranch Doritos and hopping into the pool for sixty minutes).

If I swim in the morning before work, I'll eat half of a granola bar with some water, and later in the day I don't really worry too much about food before. After the swim I'll have a whey protein shake then eat a regular meal.

[Redbird Alum]

I'm not a doctor, but isn't there an inherent pull of blood to make the digestive process work well? Wouldn't that have a physiological impact on your training?

Perhaps that is why folks usually eat at least an hour ahead?

[__steve__]

isn't there an inherent pull of blood to make the digestive process work well? Wouldn't that have a physiological impact on your training?

Until the meal finds its way into the pools filtration

[orca1946]

Food & pool water from the age group tesm that is it before we are is sick to think of!!!