WHAT TO EAT FOR ENERGY DURING EXERCISE & ENERGY AFTER

I just started playing league basketball again and I'm currently eating Carb bars which are around 40g of Carbs per bar prior to playing for energy. After the game I have been eating Protein Bars which is also around 40g per bar for recovery.

Prior to this i was eating sweets/lollies/candy prior to games/exercise but have stopped recently & switching to Carbs & Protein Bars instead. Also should be noted that i eat a piece of fruit or 2 prior and after excercise.

I have learned that Carbs should be taken prior to exercise for energy & Protein post Exercise for recovery - Please correct me if i have this wrong.

I am on a Low Carb Diet so i stopped all sugary drinks including Gatorades but on top of the Carb Bars i am now back on the Gatorades.

I play pick up Basketball once a week & League Ball once a week also and is the only time i eat Carb/Protein Bars but I am now starting to eat the Bars during my weekly exercise..............

......................My concern is are these Bars safe to eat in regards to my weight? I am still trying to lose belly fat so i am hoping these Bars especially the Carb Bars are not doing my belly any harm. Also please tell me the advantage/disadvantage of Protein.



Also if there are other alternatives to getting that needed energy before games and putting back energy after games please inform me.

If anybody knows how much Carb intake is safe to consume as well as Protein if there is a safe amount let me know.

there's no cookie-cutter answer to your question really, you should experiment with a few different food combos pre-workout and monitor how your energy levels are. But, personally I try to stick to consuming foods that are as unrefined as possible.

If I were in your shoes I'd throw down a banana or two, and just make sure you're well hydrated (that doesn't mean skulling a litre of water 10 minutes before your game !).

Bananas are a super fruit because they're packed with fast and slow digesting carbs. It's not exactly "textbook", but a slice or two of wholegrain bread with peanut butter used to work well for me before certain sporting events in years gone by as well.   

As for energy / recovery after games if you want to get serious / scientific about it you can buy things like a waxy maize / glucose powder and mix it with whey protein. But again your recovery will depend on the intensity of activity you've undertaken.

Rule of thumb, a liquid meal with about 30-40 grams of protein and 50-70 grams of 'simple' carbs should do the job.       

Funny you say that because I eat a Banana & Apple without fail prior to Basketball and make sure to hydrate myself with Water & Gatorade but feel i want that extra boost of energy as i felt fatigued on the court that's why i have started to consume these Bars.

I use to eat lollies/sweets during games and felt it gave me an energy boost, so I then started to eat them prior to games until recently when i switched over to the Bars which i felt gave me the same amount of Carbs for energy if not even more.

Sometimes i drink 2 raw eggs in a glass mixed with soy milk also.

If i feel i consume more carbs than i use and see my weight start to go up i will stop but atm i feel i am active enough to continue to take these bars, i just hope it's not doing me any harm in the long run.

Would you highly consider Whey Protein? I am currently in process of purchasing this. I read that for those on low carb diets incorporating Protein helps in making you feel full and satisfied or something in that manner.

I was at the health store and it only came in a 4kg tub for $100 which was a bit steep for me so looking for something smaller.

Is that rule of thumb for recovery? what is simple carbs? i thought carbs was pre exercise and protein post exercise.

and is that Shane "The Hammer" Heal?

Dude, throw those bars out. Eat a large bowl of pasta 90 minutes prior to exercise, stay hydrated. If you want to finish with some protein, the bars are OK.

So you recommend Protein Bars after exercise but not the Carb Bars before? Why the Protein Bars but not the Carb Bars?

One time i ate a bowl of Spaghetti in the morning prior to a pick up game and proved well for energy.

What you're doing sounds reasonable. I would try to limit simple sugar like sucrose (if that's what the carbs in the "carb bar" come from, and instead take in carbs from other forms of sugar such as fructose (fruit) or preferably maltodextrin.

When I'm not trying to gain weight, I limit carbs to only breakfast, pre and post workout. I do eat oatmeal (plain) mixed with a scoop of whey protein about an hour or two before working out. That gives me good energy for the workout.

After working out, I have another scoop of whey with maltodextrin (carbo gain). That allows me to recover quick so I can workout more often.

Longshot, I mentioned i eat a Banana and apple prior and after exercise, i eat the Carb/Protein bars on top of this for that extra boost of energy.

So you can consume Protein before exercise also? I did try this the other week my games are at night and i had so much energy after the game i could not sleep until 1am lol.

3Ball, the thing to keep in mind with all this is that a pre-workout / game meal isn't going to be the magic bullet to feeling terrific on the court. You should be fueling yourself correctly all day every day and in your case, perhaps consuming a little extra carbohydrate or taking in some extra fluids in the couple of days LEADING UP to your game.

Do that well, and your pre-game snack will simply ensure that your tank is topped up and you're ready to go.

Good advice J-Turk!

How long prior to a game/exercise should i consume carbs??? 30 mins? 1 hr? 2 hrs?

I've been eating carbs about an hour prior to games/exercise, sometimes just over an hour.

different people will tell you different time frames, I think it's a case of 'suck it and see' so to speak, ie try a couple of hours before, an hour before ect and see how you go.

I'm a big believer in doing what works for the individual because no two people are the same, but if you've eaten well at least 48 hours prior and consumed enough fluids, the pre-game snack is merely the icing on the cake in terms of being at your optimal energy level.

A lot of elite athletes these days are drinking their own piss.  I think you should try it.  You do want to be an elite athlete, don't you?

drink skinny water

no sugar, no calories, no sodium

my favorite is the berry energy flavor

i think you've mistaken 'elite athlete' with 'retard' which only a half-wit would make, you're not a half-wit are you?

3ball- you come on here like some babe in the woods with your elementary questions that you could easily google if you were really that clueless about nutrition.  Then, you show further ignorance by dismissing my suggestion as half-witted.  Here's a link since you lack simple research skills to find the most basic information for yourself.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urine_therapy

I would also suggest that if you want to get in shape, stop standing around at the 3 point line and learn how to drive to the basket, Shrimpy.

3ball I play basketball a few times a week, probably every other day. I think fruits and water is all you need to help a good workout. Forget about the carbs. I usually don't eat carbs before playing ball. But I usually eat fruits. But yeah find out what's best for you and try it. Not sure if I was helpful or not but that's what I do.

You want about 20 grams of protein before workouts and about 40 grams of carbs also  like brown rice or wheat bread or sweet potatoes.  After workouts you want to take 40 grams of protein and the same for carbs but you want fast acting carbs like white bread or a potato or even sorbet  The sugar will increase insulin levels which is ideal after a workout.

I have been consuming this post exercise and has been GREAT for recovery for the next day. Since having this i'm not sure i can remember a day where i've been sore even after a rigorous work out. Great stuff, i bought a big tub for around $140 or so and is worth every penny.

I have also been eating mostly pasta's prior to my games around 1.5 hrs before game time. I also have been having fruits prior to game time and only have lollies when i really need the boost not before every game like i use to.



My team lost the Semi's just recently. We played the top team who were as tall as trees and our center decided not to show up, as well as another of our bigs .  We did well the first half only down by one but 2nd half with only 1 sub against these talls we just ran out of energy. I was leading scorer for the season and shot a season high 16 pts for that semi.