For more endurance and energy while you’re working out, do your exercising with food in your body. Without this fuel, metabolism will slow down and won’t let the body reach its peak levels of performance. But does this mean it’s best to work out right after a meal? Well, the calories you take in will be the same no matter when you eat your meals, but there will be a difference.

The body burns approximately 100 calories an hour when you're at rest or asleep. Let’s say that you have your last meal of the day at 7 PM and you’ve been up since 7 AM. That’s 12 straight hours that your body went without any fuel. It also used up 1200 from the body’s reserves. You’ve also used up carbohydrates stored by the liver for burning fat—and all without taking in any new calories. With no calories, and no carbohydrates, there’s no energy. But the body has to have energy from somewhere. Where does it come from?

The energy has to be taken from the glycogen in the body’s muscles. It can’t be taken from stored fat, because fat doesn’t convert into fuel. So, metabolism slows down, muscle tissue breaks down, and the energy level goes up. But try starting the day low on carbohydrates, without being able to convert fat into glucose—the body starts its starvation phase and goes into a state of ketosis.

In this starvation mode, the body will not feel hungry, because its energy is being saved for emergencies. This may seem that the body doesn’t need fuel, but actually the starvation mode is so predominant, it masks all other of the body’s feelings. To avoid these conditions: starvation, muscle and energy loss and binge eating—you need healthy meal plans before starting any exercise plans.

The best way to accomplish this is to determine when you need the most energy and tailor your nutritional needs around those times. If you’ve scheduled an intense morning workout, eat a very digestible breakfast about an hour before starting. If you prefer afternoon workouts, a good lunch will keep you fueled up through most of the day. Also, your body will take in and use the most amounts of nutrients if you schedule your meal an hour before your workout session will end.

The best food combinations to take during this efficient one-hour period are versions of a high protein carbohydrate blend. This type of food processing is so critical because metabolism is going full steam while the body is replenishing the energy lost through exercise.

Some good pre-workout foods are juices, fruits, breads and pastas. You can also bet on any quick-absorbing carbs with a high glycemic index. After your work session, feed the body proteins and carbs—peanut butter and jelly, fruit, yogurt, bagel and cream cheese, even nuts are great.

So, here’s one question you won’t have to decide on because both answers are correct--the best times to eat are before workouts, and after.

Suggestion for workouts: try a full body workout with exercise bands.