We have all heard about marathon runners chowing-down on pasta
heavy meals the night before a 26-mile race in what is commonly called
"carbo-loading". It is an effort to supply the body with energy
efficient carbohydrates that will be a ready fuel source come race time
the next morning. But for the average person engaging in modest physical
activity for weight loss or weight control, such carbo-loading is
detrimental to our efforts. In fact, there are very few occasions where
one will require the energy to perform physically that warrants a
carbo-loading meal.
Weight
Loss Surgery (WLS) patients who are following their bariatric
guidelines know they must exercise daily in order to lose weight and
maintain that weight loss. As they lose weight their endurance and
intensity of physical activity will naturally increase. Often
traditional physical activity enthusiasts will encourage WLS patients to
eat high energy carbohydrate-dense snack bars before exercise. These
may negate the caloric benefits of exercise for the patient and lead to
discouragement when weight loss stalls or weight gain occurs.
For
many WLS patients a better solution is to eat a nutrient dense apple
about 30 minutes before exercise. Apples are low-glycemic* which means
eating one instead of a high-glycemic energy bar will reduce the amount
of insulin needed to digest it. That makes it easier for the body to
burn fat and when the low-glycemic snack is followed by exercise the
body will continue to burn body fat for the next few hours. Our goal in
weight loss is to lose body fat, not muscle, so the combination of a
low-glycemic snack with exercise is beneficial in reaching this goal.
Apples
are available year round and they are affordable. They are
exceptionally high in antioxidants, which can help offset the damage
caused by free radicals, an unfortunate by-product of daily exercise.
They are also rich in vitamin C as well as potassium. A medium apple
provides about 81 calories and nearly 4 grams of fiber. Some of the
fiber in apples is pectin, which may help lower blood cholesterol.
Before exercise try slicing a tart apple and spreading the slices with
peanut or almond butter (2 teaspoons). This will add a perfect balance
of protein and fat to your healthy low-glycemic pre-exercise snack.
At
the market look for apples that are hard and unbruised. Most of our
better supermarkets now offer less-common apples alongside the familiar
varieties of Golden Delicious and Red Delicious. Try Empire, Fuji,
Jonagold or Crispin apples. But do not forget the old favorites
including the tart and juicy Granny Smith.
*Low-Glycemic foods
have less effect on your blood glucose than foods with a high glycemic
index. High-GI foods tend to cause spikes in your glucose levels,
whereas low-GI foods tend to cause gentle increases. Different
carbohydrate foods can behave quite differently in the body. Some break
down quickly during digestion and release glucose rapidly into the
bloodstream; others break down gradually and slowly trickle glucose into
the blood stream.