WS#56 - Should you focus on meal timing?

Week of 5/13/24

Nutrition timing is important. It plays several roles, however its most important is the habit-forming benefit you get from focusing on it. The research tells us that nutrition timing is of low importance when it comes to body composition. However, the studies fall short when it comes to practical application.

I have come to realize that when you are putting in the work it takes to create positive changes in your health and fitness, constant reminders of what you are doing is very impactful. Instead of focusing only on total protein or calories each day, it may be more impactful to focus on a certain amount of protein and calories at certain meals or times of the day. For example, setting a rule for yourself that you must have a minimum of 30 grams of protein within one hour of waking up and no more than one hour after each workout would be a useful strategy that would help you reach your daily protein goal more often. This would require alerts in your phone, or some other conscious method of tracking, but that is where the magic lies. The more you are reminded of what you need to be doing, the more likely you are to accomplish your goals. We could use the same logic for calories. If we know that you need to eat around 2,000 calories to lose weight, we can implement a timing strategy to ensure that you don’t blow your budget early in the day.

Short and sweet today but just as important as any other topic. Look for ways to remind yourself of the strategies you are using more often. Setting checkpoints throughout the day like nutrition timing strategies is very useful tool to add to your toolbox. Just because some studies show that it is not worth focusing on meal timing does not mean that is what you should do. Studies do a poor job at evaluating practical application, and through experience I have found that meal timing is a useful guardrail for many in their journeys to get healthier. Think about if you have a meal timing strategy in play, and if not, maybe set some rules for yourself if you are struggling.

-Matt