The Truth About Pre-Workout Protein and Fat Loss

If you’re an early bird who likes to get up and get your sweat on before the sun comes up you might be wondering: what should I eat to fuel my workout? Should I eat anything at all? What meals give me the right amount of pre-workout protein? If you’re looking for a go-to strategy to help improve your performance, lose fat and build muscle, this is for you!

Four to five days a week I coach a group of boss babes through some tough workouts. We do HIIT, a lot. Every week we include strength training. There are core workouts and leg workouts and mobility workouts. All of this happens before the clock strikes 9 am.

So what’s a girl to eat before she heads into her morning workout if she wants to…

• maximize fat burn?
• boost performance?
• build lean muscle?
• feel energize?

Whether you are an athlete, a fitness enthusiast or a weekend warrior, good nutrition can help your perform at your best, reach your goals faster and recover more rapidly. The right combination of macronutrients can determine how much energy you can put into your workout, and what kind of fuel your body will use to power through.

That all starts with the powerhouse of macros: protein.

The Power of Protein

Protein is responsible for building and maintaining muscle tissue (and bone, brain cells, blood cells, skin, hair, nails…). It’s everywhere. But your body can’t produce protein on it’s on so it goes without saying: if you want to build muscle, recover faster, burn fat more efficiently, or improve performance…you have to consume adequate amounts of pre-workout protein.

Protein and Muscle Building

With the right amount of protein your body can build and repair muscle fast enough to get you back in the gym and working out in very little time. The key phrase: the right amount.

Strength training does not directly build muscle. In fact, lifting weights actually puts stress on your muscles. It creates microtears in the tissue that with the proper fuel, your body works to repair and strengthen – making you ever stronger and more resistant to that challenge. Although carbohydrates play a vital role in this repair process (more on that later), protein provides the building blocks necessary to synthesize muscle tissue.

Protein and Fat Burning

Protein stokes the fat burning flame. Of all of the macronutrients, protein has the highest thermogenic effect – aka it takes the most work for your body to digest. In the simplest terms: your body burns more calories digesting protein than it does carbs or fats. It even slows down the digestion of carbs and fats when eaten combined in one meal.

Protein leaves you feeling more satiated which directly impacts between-meal cravings and how you respond to them. To get the most out of the TEF and satiating benefits of protein, include it in every eating opportunity throughout the day. This is especially important if you are in a calorie deficit!

Protein and Performance

Even if you don’t have a specifically performance-related fitness goal (i.e. a lifting competition, club sport, faster mile), intra-workout performance matters.

Compare a workout done on an empty stomach, with low energy, to a workout done properly fueled. In the latter workout you can give 100% maximum effort because you’ve got the energy stores available. But that workout that you went into without fuel in the tank? What feels like 100% effort is actually closer to 80%, or even 70% of what you could normally give. The result? You don’t work as hard so you don’t burn as much, build as much or recover as well.

The more you workout the more protein you need to support muscle maintenance and growth, recovery and repair and energy in the tank.

How Much Protein do You Actually Need?

As an active person, you need more protein than the average Georgina. How much exactly, depends on your goal.

If you…

Strength train to build muscle: 2-2.2 grams of protein per kg of body weight.

Cross train: 1.5-1.8 grams of protein per kg of body weight.

Want to lose fat: 2-2.2 grams of protein per kg of body weight.

These are of course, daily goals. But to determine how much pre-workout protein makes sense for your body and goals, it’s best to start with the biggest picture possible. From your daily protein goal you can then break down how much protein to include in your pre-workout meal, and space the rest throughout the day.

With Our Powers Combined

While pre-workout protein is a key component to your fitness success, it can’t cover all of the bases on it’s own. It’s important to not leave carbohydrates and fats out of the fat loss discussion. They are, after all, an important piece of that fat loss discussion. And if protein makes up only a part of your diet, the right amount of carbs and fats round out the rest to support your goals.

The Power of Carbohydrates

Think of carbohydrates as your primary energy source. The right amount, in combination with protein and fats, fuel your muscles and your brain so that you can power through your workout.

Carbs and Muscle Building and Performance

Whether your goal is to build muscle or run long distance, carbs sustain movement. Carbohydrates are your body’s favorite fuel source as it is easiest to break down and convert into usable energy. A proper amount of dietary carbohydrate keeps your body from breaking down muscle for energy. That’s part of the reason endurance athletes carb-load before a big race. Carbs also provide quick energy to your body post-workout, sparing any protein you consume for building muscle.

Carbs and Fat Loss

If your goal is to increase fat loss, carbohydrates are imperative. Your body requires carbohydrates to burn fat! Carbs provide carnitine, a nutrient that is involved in bringing fat to mitochondria in your cells. Mitochondria are responsible for metabolizing fat for energy. If your goal is to stoke the fat burning flame, carbohydrates are your fire starter.

Protein-Packed Breakfast Ideas to Fuel Fat Loss

To maximize the benefits of your pre-workout protein and nutrition in general, try to consume a well-balanced meal with protein, carbs and fat about 2-3 hours before working out.

• Breakfast sandwich on whole grain toast with 2 eggs, avocado and an orange. I love Dave’s Killer Bread – it tastes good and has 6 grams of protein per slice!
  
• 2 egg omelet with spinach, Canadian bacon and avocado with a whole wheat English muffin and a side salad. Canadian bacon is super lean so you will get an extra pop of protein without feeling weighed down by the fattiness of regular bacon.
  
• Oatmeal made with skim milk and topped with berries, hemp seeds and almond butter. Hemp seeds are a good, vegetarian source of protein as well as omega 3s, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
  
• Protein shake with 1-2 scoops of whey protein powder, almond milk, peanut butter, greens and a banana. Whey is the ideal protein for a pre-workout meal. It has a complete amino acid profile and it takes longer to break down than other protein powders. I use this protein powder from 1st Phorm regularly because it is high quality and has great flavor!

If you don’t have time for a full meal because you only have 45-60 minutes before your workout stick with protein and carbohydrates and keep it simple.

• Protein shake with 1-2 scoops of whey protein powder, almond milk, greens and a banana. Again, whey protein works fine here because you won’t eat again until after your workout is finished – plenty of time to slowly digest!
  
• A bowl of whole grain cereal with milk and banana. Surprisingly, the grown up version of your favorite childhood breakfast is actually a great quick pre-workout meal. The whole grains provide complex, longer lasting energy. You get a small dose of protein from the milk and the banana provides a quick hit of faster to digest, so quick to hit, energy. Just make sure that you don’t confuse Lucky Charms for Kashi whole grain!
  
• Whole grain toast with a hard boiled egg and 1 piece of fruit. This meal has a similar macro profile and breakdown as cereal, with perhaps a bit more protein and small amount of fat from the egg and yolk.
  
• Greek yogurt topped with fruit. Greek yogurt is a great source of dairy protein which is a complete protein (complete proteins contain all of the amino acids your body needs). It’s also a slow digesting carb source. Top your yogurt with fruit for sweetness instead of buying fruit-at-the-bottom varieties that are typically packed with more sugar than you need.