Can the TIME you choose to exercise play an unexpected role in how much you eat?
Welcome to the Studs, a short-form series with the goal of not only stimulating our
muscles but also our brains, by covering all the new and interesting studies in the world
of health and fitness.
When researchers investigated the impact of working out in the morning versus working
out at night, there were some interesting food-related findings.
Let’s take a look.
The DEETS In this study, 16 healthy and active adults
completed two randomized trials.
In both trials, subjects performed 30 minutes of steady state cycling followed by a performance
test where participants were instructed to complete as much cycling as possible within
a 15 minute timeframe.
Afterwards, they were seated in a room and provided a pasta meal that they can eat as
much as they like.
To keep things consistent, the day before each trial, participants were given standardized
preprepared meals to eat at home.
Of course, the main difference between the two trials was the time they took place.
One trial occurred at 10:30 in the morning.
The other took place in the evening at 6:30PM.
The aim of the study was to assess the differences the trials had in appetite, post-exercise
ad-libitum energy intake, and other markers of metabolism and performance.
THE SULTS Training in the morning or evening did not
have much of difference on performance and energy metabolism nor were there any outcome
differences between males and females.
However, a difference was found in ad-libitum food intake, or the amount of food eaten.
In the morning trial, subjects consumed an average of 683 calories in their post-exercise
meal.
In the evening trial, subjects consumed an average of… 835 calories.
A 152-calorie difference even though post-exercise appetite scores were the same in both trials.
A modest difference, yes, but a difference nonetheless.
THE HOLD UP The study did run into one notable limitation.
In the morning, the lab room temperature was 19.6 degrees Celsius, or 67 degrees Fahrenheit,
whereas at night, it was 21.9 degrees Celsius, or 71.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Again, not exactly a big difference, but a difference nonetheless, especially since environment
can influence outcomes.
THE YOU First, the disclaimer as always is we should
never make drastic decisions based on a single study.
The goal is more about staying informed and then gradually apply changes wherever possible.
The slight 152 calorie intake, again, on its own, is quite modest.
However, as anyone dieting would tell you, that amount can make a big difference over
a longer period.
But is it big enough to make you shift your entire schedule just to avoid the added calories?
In my opinion, not exactly, especially if you already have an effective nutrition plan,
which makes this study pretty moot.
For the more intuitive eating folks, this study might provide just a bit extra insight
to your eating habits.
However, eating a bit more at night isn’t exactly a surprise, since it’s not uncommon
for people to eat their biggest meal during dinner time, but it is interesting to see
it tied closely to exercise in this study.
Big picture: If your goals are on the right track already, I suggest you just keep chomping
along.
And that’s it for this episode of The Studs.
Let me know what you think about this new series and share any other new studies you
want to see covered in the comments below.
Also, I did first learn about this study from Examine’s study summaries.
If you’re someone that’s interested in new research as much as I am, then I highly
suggest you check out Examine and Examine+, where you can get access to the thousands
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As always, thank you for watching and don’t forget to get your protein!