When to eat, When not to eat.

I've always wondered should I eat before I work out or after? So finally I got a straight answer from a little pamphlet that came with my 'Hip Hop Abs' DVD's. So this paragraph says: Don't eat just before you work out or right before bed. You want your body in "fat-burning mode" when it looks for energy. Even avoid energy bars and soft drinks in the hour before you exercise, as they encourage your body's "carb-burning mode" instead.

It's the secret enemy of exercise: the wrong food at the wrong time. While your overall diet is important, it's also important to maximize the effect of exercise to burn stored fat. Controlling the foods you eat before you work out is the one step most people don't know about. And it is amazingly effective.

Your body has two main sources of energy: stored fat and stored carbohydrates. When you eat or drink substances like energy bars or sports drinks, which are generally high in carbs, your body's insuline levels rise to cope with the additional carbohydrates in you system. That means, during the time you process those carbs through your bloodstream, your body's hormones are focused on burning that type of fuel for energy. Thus, if you consume those carbs before you workout, you will be in the mode to burn carbs in your body more than the stored fat around your waist and thighs! That's why it's highly recommended to put your body in a semi-fasting state, meaning you are working out with little to no food in your digestive system. For hydration, don't use sports drinks, use water. Your body will then be in "fat-burning mode," and the results from your effort will be maximized.

According to some high-profile dieticians and trainers, if you exercised for a month and didn't see the fat reduction you wanted, it's probably due to your insulin levels being too high while you were working out. That means your body wasn't attacking the fat stores, even though you were working your hardest.
So if you limit your carbs before exercise and before sleep, your body has more time to function as an effective fat-burning machine!
Pretty cool information huh? It's just nice to know why they tell us certain things to do or not to do. So hooray! I'm starting today!!!