Ideal Nutrient Timing - When To Eat What

Ideal Nutrient Timing - When To Eat What

We get so many questions about when to eat and what time is best to workout.

Do I eat before my workout?

If I eat at night will that make me gain weight?

Are morning workouts more effective?

Everybody’s day is different, but here’s a look into our day.

There’s no real science to support an ideal time of day to workout. Having said that, the best time, in our minds, to workout is when you can keep up the routine and stay super consistent! Mornings have always been our preferred time of day to pick up weights or get in a more intense workout. It’s a great way to jumpstart your metabolism and kick off a new day. Morning workouts really set the tone for our entire day and encourage healthy choices outside of the gym.

Ideal nutrient timing after a workout for us is 30-45 minutes. We recommend some fast absorbing protein like our CSE whey isolate protein, plus some healthy carbs to help you recover. Any of our Post-Workout shakes found in the CSE+ app or in our CSE meal plans would be the perfect fit! Some of our fave go-to’s are the Orange Julius (or our trending “Protein Orange Julius”) and the Peach Raspberry Cooler! These shakes are so so good and are packed with quality protein, collagen and carbs to get your muscles on the recovery bus asap! 

When it comes to ideal timing for meals and snacks, again, it depends on your lifestyle and work schedule. You can eat any time of the day as long as you are sticking to your calories/macros in a 24-hour window. It doesn’t matter if you eat at 6am or 10pm; as long as it’s in that 24-hour window, you will get the same results. We do recommend giving your digestive system a little break from eating every day, 10-14 hours of intermittent fasting each night is a great window to stick to and will yield some amazing health benefits as well. It doesn’t matter the hours you choose to fast, but giving your body a little break from eating has so many benefits!

There is no science to back up whether eating before a workout or doing a fasted workout is more effective. That all depends on you…whatever your preference is, that’s great! If you are working out later in the day, we suggest that you don’t eat a big meal right before you head to the gym. Give your body an hour or two to digest before getting in that sweat sesh! If you are trying to build muscle, we recommend fueling with a good amount of protein (20-30 grams) after your weight lifting session. Our power bites make a great pre-workout treat if you just need some energy for your workout. Play around with these recommendations and see what works and feels best to you.

Erika’s daily nutrition/exercise routine:

6:00am: wake up + get dressed for workout

6:15am: 30g regular cheerios + ½ cup unsweetened almond milk + 1 Truvia packet

  • 36 oz. water before / during workout

6:30-8am: workout 

  • Typically 45 minutes of strength training + 20-30 minutes of cardio (Peloton Bike class, intervals on the treadmill or ½ of a High Fitness class on demand via the High Fitness app) + cool down & stretching

8:00am: CSE Post-Workout Shake from the CSE+ app or I add 8 oz. unsweetened almond milk + CSE protein powder + a couple ice cubes to a shaker cup (shake, shake)

9:00-10:00am: CSE breakfast (1 serving) 

12-12:30pm: CSE lunch (1 serving)

2:30-3:00pm: CSE snack (1 serving)

5:30-6:00pm: CSE dinner (1 serving) 

8pm: Halo Top or Enlightened ice cream bar (90-100 cals)

*I try to get in about 100 oz. of water per day.

*I snack on raw veggies throughout the day or add extra veggies to my meals if I am hungry (favorite cooked: air-fried green beans, broccoli or cauliflower / favorite raw: cucumbers, sugar snap peas or carrot sticks).


JJ’s daily routine:

6:00am wake up - 12 oz. H2O

6:15am: Pre-workout snack (usually 3 CSE Power Bites)

6:30am: Hit the gym - I couple traditional bodybuilding splits with bouts of HIIT and metabolic conditioning. The lifting portion of my workout is generally 45-60 minutes followed by 10-15 minutes of HIIT or METCON programming as a finisher. The goal is to push as much blood to the working muscle groups as possible to aid in recovery and growth of lean muscle tissue.

8:00am: CSE Post-Workout Shake (1 serving)

9:30am: CSE breakfast (2 servings)

10:30am: CSE snack (1 serving)

12:00pm: CSE lunch (2 servings)

2:30pm: CSE snack (1 serving) 

5:00-6:00pm: CSE dinner (2 servings)

8:00pm: Halo Top or Enlightened ice cream bar with Er! (90-100 cals each).

*If my day is super busy, then I will combine the 2 snacks into one larger meal (2 servings of a CSE entree recipe or 2 servings of a snack recipe). Water is also so important in the daily routine. I religiously get 100-120 oz. daily. I’m usually 40 oz. in by the end of my workout. 

Additional supplements I take daily: 

2 CSE Vitamin D capsules, 2 CSE Omega-3 capsules, 2 CSE Probiotic capsules, 2 CSE Digestive Enzyme capsules with breakfast. Every day. 

2 CSE Digestive Enzymes, 2 CSE Omega-3 with dinner. Every day. 

I also take a zinc/magnesium combo before bed each night to aid in recovery.