When it comes to building muscle and losing fat, the standard dietitian advice is to focus on eating enough protein. When you eat protein can also make a huge impact.
Amanda Pasko, a registered dietitian in North Carolina and a certified track coach, told Business Insider, “the dosing and spacing of protein over the course of the day is arguably a larger determinant” than simply eating enough of it for successfully building and repairing muscle.
Pasko personally aims for around 2.2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight. Research suggests the recommended intake for athletes like her who want to build muscle and feel full throughout the day is about 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilo per day.
Throughout the day, she tries to maintain a steady balance, leaving some gaps between meals to optimize digestion without creating excessive gaps.
“A lot of times, that will put the body in a situation where it’s looking hard to conserve energy, and then cravings can go up later on,” she said, making it easy to overeat.
Pasko shared her three tips for eating enough protein in a day — and how she times her intake for the best results.
Early workouts and a big breakfast for stabler energy levels
Pasko shapes her diet and day around her chronotype, or natural sleep preference. She naturally wakes up before 5 a.m. without an alarm.
Before her workout, she tries to eat enough protein and carbohydrates to sustain her afterward.
She’ll typically have a large, more carbohydrate-focused breakfast, often about two cups of oatmeal (with possibly a side of cereal) and fruits like bananas or raisins. She also brings energy gels to her workout, which provide simple carbohydrates.
That way, she feels properly fueled for her workouts, which vary from sprints and hurdle jumps to lower-intensity runs, depending on the day.
Her snacks and sides pack a protein punch
For her lunches and dinners, Pasko aims to get about 35 grams of protein from sources like chicken and salmon — roughly the size of an adult hand.
A side of grains like quinoa or farro might add an additional 5 grams, as might a boiled egg.
She fills the gaps with high-protein snacks, which she tweaks based on her training days.
“If there was muscle soreness, I would focus a little bit more on proteins like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, a meat source,” she said, which can help with repair.
On higher-volume workout days, she opts to include more carbohydrates to replenish her energy, such as adding fruit to her yogurt or eating whole-grain cereal.
Protein before bed helps repair muscle
While some people abstain from eating several hours before bed to reduce the chances of acid reflux, Pasko feels fine when she eats an hour and a half before bedtime.
In fact, she said that on hard workout days, eating protein before bed can help the body repair overnight. She also likes protein sources such as eggs and dairy, which contain nutrients associated with healthy sleep.
Pasko sometimes adds cherries, which also have small amounts of melatonin, into some cottage cheese. Pairing a carb like granola or fruit with protein can also blunt blood sugar spikes that could mess with a good night’s rest.
“Regardless of the type of training day, the body does build and repair around the clock,” she said.
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