The importance of post workout meals considering we all lift weights

[blood_drinker]

Everyone take a look around the recent diets people post. Practically 90% have no post workout meal. Not having a preworkout is bearable, but no post workout?
This was my biggest mistake while dieting. Most of the muscle repair is supposedly right after your workout, and at night while you sleep (there are theories coutnering the sleep one though). I thought if I just ate some carbs and protein Id be fine. WRONG !! rice and tuna dont cut it. Everyone, for cutting, you can go for 1g per kilo of bodyweight of SIMPLE carbs for your post workout meal.

SIMPLE carbs for pw. meals include:

- Fructose, drink it , dont eat it. (eg 500ml grape juice)
- Honey (non processed = more micronutrients)
- Dextrose
Note: Of these three choices, Nathan and Belial have pointed out that fructose is actually the worst of these three. Very little will actually refill your muscle glycogen, however, if you have nothing more to resort to, definetely go for grape juice. But if you can make the extra effort to eat honey or dextrose, do so - it will make a difference.

Along with those carbs, add a fast absorbing protein such as whey. NOT slow absorbing like casein. Eggwhites work here too (although I hate eating immediately after working out). I have heard of some people drinking the eggwhites. I believe that will not work. In the anabolic board I there was a study on this, saying how the eggwhite MUST be cooked in order to be efficient as a protein source. In any case, Whey is the best choice. Do not use protein blends like Triple Threat 3/60 here. Triple Threat 3/60 is a protein blend (Whey, egg, and milk isolate) that is better used as an MRP. You want Whey and Whey alone. Since you are going to be using Whey everyday, you would be better off buying a 5lbs jug such as those from Optimum Nutrition.

There was also an interesting debate over at the training board about honey postworkout, I still wonder why it was never posted in this board.
From now on , I will be quoting Vageta over at the training board, knowledgeable bro and posted some great postworkout info.
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Originally posted by Vageta
The reason it is said that post workout carbs cannot be stored as fat is because the body will preferentially store glycogen before it begins to convert to fat stores. Thus after a workout when you've burned a significant amount of muscle glycogen, all of the carbs you ingest post workout will first fill these stores before doing anything else. This is why you are supposed to eat within an hour after your workout while the "window" is still open. Along with refilling glycogen the large insulin spike will shuttle amino acids into the muscles. This phenomenon is why the carbup works on CKD diets without adding fat. You can actually eat more than maintenance calories during this period as they will be stored within the muscle for later use.

The reason honey is supposed to be good is that it extends this blood sugar spike for a longer time which means you'll be shuttling amino acids for twice as long. Most sugars, however high on the GI list they are, will raise blood sugar levels very quickly but only for a very short time and then it plummets downwards. This is the typical post carb lethargy some people experience. Complex carbs don't boost blood sugar levels as high, though it is sustained for a longer period of time so you never get that energy crash. Honey seems to be able to perform both. It spikes blood sugar and it keeps it there for 2 hours. A perfect scenario for a post workout meal.

I think 2 tbsp is plenty to experience the boost and then you can have whatever carbs you want with it whether it be oatmeal, corn flakes, potatoes, etc..

For those worried about fat gain; don't. I am dieting now and I am losing fat as fast as usual while still enjoying this post workout spike. Again if you're worried about it just use less honey. For those that can't put on muscle, take 5 tbsp and go for it.

As a whole, be sure not to overlook the importance of this meal. It has brought me awesome results, as I used to neglect its importance myself. You can even use advanced tips like Vageta´s. But in any case, be sure to give it some consideration.

Good luck in your dieting endeavors.

Also, if you have any good postworkout info, post it here. Let s make this THE post workout resource on EF.

 

[The mann]

very good post blood drinker.

 

[elijah]

Good idea, but

Depends on the diet, doing just lo cals I agree completely. But during a keto diet I tend to stay away from the carbs all together. I do drink a protien shake and stay away from fat, so it'll get where it needs to. But if your on a non aas helped diet your chances of gaining muscle are very low.

 

[jennifer BFL chick]

I have read up on this topic for some time, and I eat my largest carb meal after my workout----I do want to gain muscle while losing fat, so I also like to have my carbs lower at night.

Anyhow, after my workouts---cardio OR weight training, I have around 90 carbs, mostly oatmeal and a piece of fruit, and around 60 grams of protein, 50 from whey, 10 from the oatmeal

This has been working great for me, I gain strength so much easier, and burn more carbs in the morning, and eat less at night

Just thought I would share what I do

 

[blood_drinker]

This is considering you are not on a CKD - that should be pretty obvious. Again, you can get same results from a diet like this- so if you cant give up your carbs, no sweat, 0 carbs is not the only way to go.

 

[SCHNiKEN]

Through a few years of trial and error i have also found out that postworkout is the most imporant meal of the day . Currently on the diet ive been using for the past three months ive eaten no carbs all day from morning till my workout around 7 pm. Then after my workout I drink a myoplex shake and a bunch of carbs to try and spike my insulin so that my muscles will receive the protien better. I find that this works very good for recovery and in the beggining when i first started doing this my strength would go up every week on all my lifts almost like i was on a cycle. Now it has sort of leveled off but i still feel that I gain alot more strength and mass using the theory of post workout nutrition. After my post workout meal, about an hour and a half later i eat another 40 grams of protien and about 60-90 grams of carbs to try and prolong the insulins effect. I know nothing of science and nutrition except what ive read online and tried for myself and got results with. So far ive never made better gains then with keeping this diet. Ive also lost many inches off my waist and I am almost to the point where i am happy. For those of you who dont eat a good balanced post workout meal.. i would suggest trying it for at least 2 weeks and i gaurentee you will see the results and stick with it. I also feel that (my opinion and experience only) by not eating carbs all day and then eating them after my workout that the insulin sensitivity in my body is much higher and cause even more of a boost then just eating normal during the day and then having a post workout meal.. again this is only my opinion. Good post blood.. and to everyone else you should really give this a try and incorporate it into your diet.. whichever type you choose.

 

[blood_drinker]

Jen, did you just write you eat a post workout after cardio? Why is this? I personally eat 1hr after cardio, as most of the cals burned come AFTER not DURING the cardio, and filling up on carbs right after cardio does not make sense to me. In the morning I do have to refill my glycogen stores, but this is 1hr later.
I eat a banana, a ww bread, and 8 eggwhites for breakfast.

In any case, at what rate do you lose fat and gain muscle at the same time? I am no longer able to do this...my goals are not so easily achieved anymore

 

[elijah]

I agree with you blood, was just stating

A good ratio for post work out nutrition is
.4 grams carbs / lb body weight
.1 gram of malto dex, or other high Gi
.2 gram slow sugar/medium gi car b
.1 gram low gi carb
.2 grams protein / lb body weight
Just good ole' whey pleeze sir

Bout an hour later, or two if dieting, eat a normal meal

 

[jennifer BFL chick]

I always wait 1 hour after all my workouts before I eat. I'm really targeting fat loss, so yes, I want to get that post workout fat burn from all my workouts.

 

[sixtythirtyten]

In this book I have it says that insulin is anabolic and glucagon is catabolic. For those of you that don't know, carbs= insulin, fat and protein = glucagon. I also read a study that showed that when you ingest whey protein alone it raises cortisol levels a lot. That is why you need a balance. Does this mean that ingesting only whey protein after lifting is counterproductive? I'm sure it is probably better than eating nothing at all, but I really think you need carbs after workout.