Workout Nutrition for weight loss

sciullo779

Hello everyone,

Ive been dieting for around a month now and going to the gym 3 times a week for the past month or so, but have been a bit confused on proper workout nutrition.

Just to put this in perspective heres my usual routine.

M-F around 9:30 I drink 14oz of 2% milk with a single scoop of muscle milk ~350calories

Noon-
sandwich, whole wheat bread 2 oz lean turkey, 1 oz cheese ~360 cal
serving of quakers rice cake snacks 140cal
Yoplait light and fit yogurt 80 cal

Dinner, varies, I just keep it under 900 cal

Sunday, Monday, and Thursday I go to the gym right after work, before dinner. I do around 25minutes of upper body/core strength training, and around 45 minutes of cardio (high incline walking, intervals of 14deg to 7.5deg @ 3mph)

So far im down 25 pounds in a month.

Ive been eating half of a special K protein bar before and after the workout, but I just found out that they arent all theyre cracked up to be and have fast absorbing carbs (insulin spiking), and poor protein sources. So I was reading and found that theyre are much better low calorie alternatives like the power crunch or the quest bars, but they all seem to have an extremely high calorie from fat content 50%+ I dont know if theyre good fats from like nuts or what but I know I need something to push me through the workout, but dont really want anything over 200 cal.

What do you guys suggest?

Lizzy622

How about 8 oz of 2% milk and 1/2 a scoop of muscle milk? Also rice cakes have a high glycemic index if you are concerned about insulin spikes. You may want to replace that with some veggie sticks with hummus.

sciullo779

Lizzy622 wrote: »

How about 8 oz of 2% milk and 1/2 a scoop of muscle milk? Also rice cakes have a high glycemic index if you are concerned about insulin spikes. You may want to replace that with some veggie sticks with hummus.

I can always dip to 8-12oz of milk, and I was eating the rice cakes as a substitute for chips. I figure that blood sugar levels would regulate back down by the time I go to the gym at ~6pm. I had just heard that easing refined carbs like the special K bar will cause insulin spikes and make it more difficult to burn fat when working out. That was my prime concern as it was my pre/post workout snack (1/2 before and after), but it doesnt look to be as good as I thought.

I guess that my question was somewhat vague, but im just trying to figure out what the best low calorie pre workout/post workout snack is. Generally I eat dinner within an hour of working out so I may not need anything for after working out, but I find that I can push harder with a snack 30-45 mins beforehand. I was eyeballing quest and power crunch bars, theyre both 200 calories and below but they both have a high calorie from fat content.

Opinions?

MityMax96

Well if weight loss is your goal, then a caloric deficit is needed...
Doesn't matter the food you eat.

Since you are lifting, I would make sure you are hitting macro goals as well, as part of your daily calories

EvanKeel

Choice of snacks for your performance needs are pretty much just personal preference. Apart from working out fasted, nutrient timing shortly before and after workouts is really only about what helps you perform better. I like some chocolate before I lift.

dieselbyte

MityMax96 wrote: »

Well if weight loss is your goal, then a caloric deficit is needed...
Doesn't matter the food you eat.

Since you are lifting, I would make sure you are hitting macro goals as well, as part of your daily calories

+1 Food choices and nutrient timing don't play a part in weight loss. Unless you have a medical reason to do so, high glycemic carbs will not hinder fat loss. Calories in vs out for fat loss, macros for body composition. Just concern yourself with daily macro intake, not micromanaging food intake.

tsardinea

Weight lifting requires protein so I tend to look at how much protein is in the bar and that it has under 10 grams of sugar because I've found that a lot of the protein bars have lots of sugar which in my opinion is worse than a higher calorie count, kind of defeats the purpose of trying to turn fat into muscle. I like to have a dark chocolate and peanut butter Kind bar. Before work outs and typically afterwards I'll have a protein smoothie with milk, kale, blueberries, isolate whey protein and half of a banana. Full of iron, protein, antioxidants, & potassium. Tell me how you like it.

MityMax96

tsardinea wrote: »

Weight lifting requires protein so I tend to look at how much protein is in the bar and that it has under 10 grams of sugar because I've found that a lot of the protein bars have lots of sugar which in my opinion is worse than a higher calorie count, kind of defeats the purpose of trying to turn fat into muscle. I like to have a dark chocolate and peanut butter Kind bar. Before work outs and typically afterwards I'll have a protein smoothie with milk, kale, blueberries, isolate whey protein and half of a banana. Full of iron, protein, antioxidants, & potassium. Tell me how you like it.

Try a Quest bar.

Sugar or carbs...don't really matter. Actually if you lift weights, post workout, things like sugars/carbs are very beneficial.....fruit sugar, not so much.

and fat does not turn into muscle.
They are two separate things....one does not become the other.

Francl27

Ditch the rice cakes and have some fruit or veggies.
Fat isn't the enemy, it will keep you fuller, and much fuller than pure carbs.

J72FIT

tsardinea wrote: »

Weight lifting requires protein

Weight lifting requires weights. Fat loss requires a caloric deficit. Body comp requires hitting your macros. Getting the results your after requires rest and recovery (sleep)...