Bodybuilding Forums

Hi folks,

Love eating Muesli (no sugar variety) on breakfast for most days. Whats the next best time to have Muesli. I was thinking of carrying it along to work.

cheers!
Lloyd

Hey Lloyd,

Are you on a low-carb anabolic diet like MANS?

If so, you would want to reserve such a carbohydrate for carb-ups.

Andrew

no i am not doing low carb right now.

MeltThatFat wrote:no i am not doing low carb right now.

Ok, so the absolute best time(s) to shove 50 grams of Muesli in your body is an hour before workout or an hour after workout. I say this because the Glycemic Index is medium/high for Muesli. So, you want elevated blood sugars from consuming Muesli to burn off in the gym or after your post workout carb-up.

For example, I eat a potato an hour after my workout. I would never eat a potato any other time of day due to it's higher GI.

I've had great success eating some oatmeal an hour before workout. Energy skyrocketed (leading to more intense output) in comparison to only protein before the workout.

Thanks Andrew! that was helpful!

Here's a quick overview of the science Andrew is talking about.

Your muscles are less insulin-resistant after a workout. So that means that, on balance, your muscles will absorb a higher percentage of glucose after a high-GI meal than they did prior to that workout. Which means your fat cells absorb relatively less.

The effect IS NOT HUGE. If you shove down a whole large pizza after that workout, of course your muscles are going to go "BURP! I'm full!" pretty quickly, and 7 out of those 8 slices are going straight to your fat cells. But if you were to pick the best time to have a high-GI food, it is at the time when your muscles are most receptive to ingesting glucose: immediately after a workout.

First thing in the morning morning isn't too bad, either, by the way. You've been living on stored fat for at least 8 hours at that point, and skeletal muscle insulin resistance is low at that time, too.

All that said, your body is going to mostly represent the average of your nutritional habits, or the 80% of your efforts. That extra 20% -- timing supplements and meals, eliminating a few off-plan foods, etc. -- just makes the difference between "good" and "great".

Good luck!

Regards,
Matt B.