You’ve managed to incorporate a good fitness routine into your week and you know that a healthy diet goes hand-in-hand with good results at the gym. But are you confused by the various pieces of nutritional advice you are told at the gym or have read in magazines? If you wonder why you tire out after 20 minutes on the treadmill or why the fat you were hoping to shift stays firmly in place, your eating patterns could be to blame.

Myth one: You should eat more protein when you workout

The latest nutritional advice coming out of many gyms is to eat more protein. Some fitness experts suggest following a high protein and low carbohydrate diet because they believe protein is less likely to be stored as fat in our bodies.

The truth: You should follow a well-balanced diet—that means eating three times more carbohydrate as protein and plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Sports dietician Jane Griffin says it’s unhealthy to lower your carbohydrate intake in favour of a high protein diet because your body needs carbohydrates to refuel itself while you’re working out—

“If you don’t eat enough carbohydrates such as wholegrain cereal, pasta and bread, your body will behave like a car without petrol and will run out of fuel. In other words you’ll tire easily.”

Carbohydrates are converted into glycogen which is stored in the muscles and liver to provide energy when needed. This is why it’s important to keep your carbohydrate levels topped up. A high protein intake can lead to an excess of waste products, which puts a strain on the kidneys and increases the likelihood of kidney stones and gout.

But protein is a vital nutrient and shouldn’t be reduced or cut out. Maintaining your daily protein requirement will help repair muscle damaged by a hard weight training session. If you don’t get enough protein, the body breaks down existing muscle to repair the damage.

The average female protein requirement is 45 g per day. This can include a leg of chicken, one large fish fillet or one large portion of pulses. Your daily carbohydrate intake is 235 g— that’s six bagels or two portions of wholemeal pasta.

Myth two: I shouldn’t eat if I’m planning to exercise