post workout meal

D

dragon_girl

Member
Hi Cathe,

Now that I've lost 50 pounds, I've really stepped up my weight training and have begun to do more interval type cardio. My question is, do you have any suggestions for my post workout meal? I usually eat breakfast, workout, come home, drink a protein shake, and an hour later eat lunch, then it's off to work. Lately I've been hearing that I should incorporate some carbs in with the protein after a workout. What do you think? Do you recommend the powder type drinks, or should I get my carbs/protein from clean foods? Actually, the more I type, the more confused I feel about the whole thing! x( Thanks for the feedback.
 
Hi Dragon girl! Congrat's on your weight loss success. I'm so proud of you :)

As for what to eat and when to eat it....this seems to remain a controversial topic. As soon as one study claims that one way works better than the other, it never fails that soon thereafter another study will claim that it is no longer the case. For this reason I leave the nutritional topics to the nutrition experts.

The best advise I can give you is to experiment doing it both ways for 4 to 6 weeks each. Keep a food journal and make note of your discoveries. Then go with what works best for you.

Another thing you can do is schedule a consultation with a nutritionist or registered dietician in your area.

Good luck!
 
Hi, Dragon Girl!
Many experts recommend following an intense workout with an easily digestible feeding that includes about 4 parts carbs to 1 part protein. Then, an hour or so later, have a meal with more protein. A smoothie is a good choice for a post-workout feeding.
 
how do u make your smoothies? i have no whole foods store but can get protein powder at the grocery. i have been doing that by using bananna,oj,milk,plain yogurt,and honey.

laura
 
I think having high protein smoothies are GREAT! Accually, I do after almost EVERY workout, either after the gym or after practice (Gymnastics). But the kind I have are accually from the gym where I work out (Bally Total Fitness). They have protein shakes in various flavors that have 35 protein, 1 fat, 1 sugar, 160 calories, and either 2 or 3 carbs (Depending on flavor). If you'd like to try one, you can get them at Bally or GNC. GNC is a nutrition store. Oh, by the way, the drinks are by PURE PROTEIN WORLDWIDE, and come in Strawberry Cream, Vanilla Cream, Frosty Chocolate, and Banana. Enjoy!

~Adri;-)
 
that sounds yummy! i do have GNC very close to where i live. i will stop by tomorrow to by some. last time i went there were three very cute tall muscular men. i hope they'll be there. i think i am going to make one tonight with blueberries after my StepBlast workout.

laura
 
Am not Cathe, but if I might have a word or tow, I'd say to please read the ingredients on these shakes and don't use a shake that has either sugar or frutose or chemical sweetners. Those are the things that can sabotage all your hard work in working out.

Am not a nutritionalist, but I read so much on the subject, that I'm sometimes overflowing with information, and from what I'm reading, the current thought is that whole foods are better than processed foods. Whole foods contain all their vitmins and minerals and enzymes in more easily digestible forms that Nature intended. Many processed foods contain hidden sugars, and sometimes hidden chemicals that the food companies don't by law have to list. If you eat whole, raw foods, you at least know what you're eating -- and if you eat them organically grown, you know that you're eating them pretty drug and chemical free.

My two cents.:)
 
i feel the same way about processed food and always check the sugar content. sometimes, i don't have fruit to make a smoothie or have time so i thought i'd check out gnc. i drink Atkins Chocolate Delight Shake alot-18 grams protein,1g sugar,5g carbs,40% calcium,and many other vitas.yumyumyummy-even tastes like a chocolate shake.time for bed,until tomorrow

laura
 
A surprisingly simple smoothie without protein powder that is also kid friendly is this:

1/2 a bag of Whole Foods Organic fruit (or 130 to 140 g by weight)
1 C silk Vanilla Light Soy Milk

Blend. It doesn't have added protein powder and the Vanilla Light Soy Milk has some added sugar in it -- but not as much as the regular Vanilla soy Milk.

The recipe also works:

1 C Silk Vanilla Light Soy Milk
3-5 Ice cubes
2-3 T cocoa powder

(you can substitute half a frozen banana for some of the ice cubes)....

Barb
:) :) :)
 
Soy milk is actually a good after-workout choice, because it hits pretty close to the 4-to-1 carb-to-protein ratio that is ideal.

I used to drink a soy beverage called "Power Dream" post-workout. Now I make a smoothie of Vega meal replacement in rice milk with some fruit, or a nutiva hemp shake (these are new, available from www.nutiva.com : there is free shipping on orders over $30, so they cost the same straight from the company by mail as they would in the store).

As for sugar, if you are going to eat any processed sugar, post-workout is actually the least harmful time to do so, because your body can use it to replenish glycogen (the reason why the post-workout feed should be mosty carbs: this helps the body switch from catabolism, or breaking down, to anabolism, or buildiing up).
 
Maybe this is a stupid question but what happens when you finish your workout around 8-9pm - I'm usually craving "something" to snack. I know it's late so I usually have 1/2 grapefruit or 1/2cup cottage cheese & pineapple.
 
Not a stupid question at all because I workout at night too. I usually don't workout until around 9:00 p.m. which is after my kids are in bed. I am always hungry after my workout and when I'm being good I make a protein shake. I buy whey protein at GNC. I just mix it with skim milk, a teaspoon of decaf instant coffee and a scoop of lite cool whip and ice in a blender. Its really good if you like coffee. its like an iced coffee from starbucks! yummy!!!

T.
 
I usually workout at night too. 7-8 pm is my hour!!! I usually have some fruit and organic peanut butter on one slice of whole wheat bread then I'm good for the night. Although T's little coffee concoction above sounds delish!!! Might have try that. :D

Melissa
 
i think i'm going to try what Adri suggested. the Hemp Shake is too pricy for me but i would love to try it some day. maybe in the future grocery might sell it or Target. i found soymilk too tart for me but maybe if i add some sugar it will be ok. i might end up sticking with my home made. the one i made last night with bb came out delicious!

laura
 
I've never had a protein drink and my thinking is I'd rather "eat" something. But that protein drink you make sure sounds good. Do you think the idea is to have something healthy, low in fat and calories enough to satisfy your hunger need or does it mean more for repairing muscles/recovery?
 
Not sure if you were talking about my protein shake but I felt that way too before I discovered the whey protein powder that I use and after becoming extremely sick of putting fruit in it and deciding to try putting my favorite thing in it, which is coffee, I would much rather have a protein shake than food. If I eat something, even something healthy and I'm hungry enough I usually can't stop and end up eating my kids' cookies or whatever else I can find in the pantry. its terrible I know. So, I found that if I make a shake and drink that after my workout it fills my belly enough so that I can go to bed feeling satisfied and not worried that I totally blew it for the day. I think the shake is very satisfying and the protein and all the other goodies in it help in the whole recovery process. Sometimes I get very confused on what I should eat after my workout and I figure I can avoid all that by just making a shake.
 
Theresa, thanks for this! It is my problem too because after I have the grapefruit or pineapple (I'm a fruit lover) I'm still thinking I want something else!!!x( I'm going to try the protein shake. So, can I basically add anything I want or like, say any type of fruit, etc to the shake mix?
 
Pretty much. I get the Whey Protein French Vanilla flavor (it comes in strawberry and chocolate also) and I used to put strawberries in it, peaches or bananas. I'd usually buy a bag of frozen fruit - something that doesn't have any added suger or anything like that. But after awhile I got sick of those shakes and was trying to find more ways of cutting calories so I cut out the fruit and added the coffee. I couldn't cut out the lite cool whip because it just makes the shake so much yummier!!! I think the shake mix it 90 or 100 calories, I can't remember. It really has alot of good protein in it which is why I get it - also, I read whey protein is really really good for you. Let me know how it works out for you.
 
Laura,
Pure Protein drinks arn't powders, just shakes... Kinda like a milkshake! Sounds good ha. I love em! And they're not really processed, and they only have 1 gram of sugar and 35 protein. There awsome! However, if you ever wanted a protein powder, I bought a container of Designer Way Whey Protein powder in Vanilla flavor, but to tell you the truth, I didn't like it. I think I'll try strawberry.

Hope this helps,
~Adri;-)
 
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