If your goal is to lose weight … Walk right after eating |

When is walking exercise more effective: before or after eating? If your goal is to lose weight, the best time is right after a meal.

In 2011, the results of an interesting comparative trial were published in the International Journal of General Medicine. Compare the benefits of walking for 30 minutes immediately after a meal versus walking for 30 minutes an hour after a meal. Two experimental participants walked 30 minutes right after lunch and dinner, respectively, and an hour later, for one month, and then their weight changes were observed. As a result, participants who walked immediately after eating lost about 3 kg, and those who walked an hour later lost about 1.5 kg. The experiment was repeated a total of three times, but the results were the same each time.

Researchers explained that walking led to weight loss because it stopped the spike in glucose after a meal. He said, “Glucose peaks 30 to 60 minutes after a meal, so you need to start walking before the glucose level reaches its peak, because when insulin is triggered, it acts as an obesity hormone. “It’s better to start walking as soon as possible.” “It seems to be the most suitable for controlling blood sugar levels,” he said.

The results of a slightly larger study were published in the European Journal of Physiology in 2020. An analysis of 48 participants between the ages of 18 and 65 found that low- to moderate-intensity activity (including walking) directly after breakfast was associated with higher postprandial blood sugar levels and lower blood glucose variability, while activity was before breakfast or late into the period. after breakfast Actions after this didn’t seem real.

In 2023, a study was published in the Journal of Sports Medicine showing that exercise after a meal is more effective. A meta-analysis of eight related studies concluded that “exercise, such as walking for 20 minutes, has a direct effect on postprandial hyperglycemia (when glucose levels reach abnormally high levels) when done as soon as taken after food.” The authors said, “The longer the interval between eating and exercise, the weaker the ‘adverse effect’ on glucose levels.”

Why is walking right after eating better for weight loss than walking after the food is partially digested?

“Walking immediately after a meal is thought to be more effective in reducing both blood sugar (glucose) and glucose levels in the interstitial fluid (the thin layer of fluid that surrounds the body’s cells). If you don’t walk right away, excess glucose in your bloodstream can be trapped by insulin and stored as fat,” sports and exercise medicine consultant Rebecca Robinson, MD, told Women’s Health.

Dr. Danseung Kim from the Stanford University School of Medicine in the US also explained to Everyday Health, a health and medical information center, that when you walk, your muscles have to work harder than when they are at rest, and the work to do this, your muscles burn glucose or sugar as fuel “Surprisingly, walking after a meal has been shown to lower blood sugar in both people with diabetes and the general population in several small clinical trials and large meta-analyses,” he said.

How long do you have to walk after eating to see weight loss effects?

“Walking regularly after meals puts you closer to a calorie deficit, and if maintained regularly, may aid in weight loss,” said Dr. Loretta DiPaetro, professor of exercise and sciences in nutrition at George Washington University’s Milken School of Public Health. When you exercise, your body uses more energy to support movement, which causes you to burn more calories than if you were sitting or resting,” he told Daily Health.

It is important to make it a habit to walk after meals. A study comparing walking once a day for 50 minutes to walking twice a day for 25 minutes found that people who took two short walks had a smaller waist circumference and lost more weight than those who one took a long walk

“Make it a regular habit with light intensity exercise to help your body digest food and avoid stomach cramps,” Robinson said yes, he told Women’s Health.