What do I eat after the gym?
Options
Replies
-
I think what we're seeing here is one of the oft-believed 'golden rules' about diet and fitness that everyone believes when they read it on Popsugar.
"You need to guzzle protein drinks or throw down protein bars xx amount of minutes after exercise."
It's just not relevant for 99.9% of the population, not even those who think their workouts are hard, and I very much doubt it's relevant for anyone who posts on here. People who it is relevant for are most probably being fed by a team of highly paid sports scientists.
Guzzling overpriced 'protein' foods isn't going to harm anything and if that's what people prefer to do that's fine, but so is meeting your calorie and macro goals throughout the day and not worrying the slightest about nutrient timing.I take a protein drink with me and drink it on the way home from the gym. That way if I stop at the grocery store on the way home, I'm not famished and tempted to buy items that wouldn't be helpful in losing weight. Like Oreos.
There's nothing wrong with Oreos when it comes to weight loss.0 -
I think what we're seeing here is one of the oft-believed 'golden rules' about diet and fitness that everyone believes when they read it on Popsugar.
"You need to guzzle protein drinks or throw down protein bars xx amount of minutes after exercise."
It's just not relevant for 99.9% of the population, not even those who think their workouts are hard, and I very much doubt it's relevant for anyone who posts on here. People who it is relevant for are most probably being fed by a team of highly paid sports scientists.
Guzzling overpriced 'protein' foods isn't going to harm anything and if that's what people prefer to do that's fine, but so is meeting your calorie and macro goals throughout the day and not worrying the slightest about nutrient timing.I take a protein drink with me and drink it on the way home from the gym. That way if I stop at the grocery store on the way home, I'm not famished and tempted to buy items that wouldn't be helpful in losing weight. Like Oreos.
There's nothing wrong with Oreos when it comes to weight loss.
I like my protein drink, and I find it filling. It keeps me satisfied until I can get home and have a nutritious lunch. I appreciate your concern that they are overpriced, but I can afford them, thank you. And I don't "guzzle" them, I drink them in a ladylike fashion, with my pinkie out and everything.
And I don't find Oreos to be helpful to me while I'm in deficit, thank you. I'm not the kind of person who can eat one or two Oreos in any kind of ladylike fashion. Think more Cookie Monster fashion, with crumbs flying everywhere. So while it's true that eating cookies is fine during weight loss as long as you stay in deficit, I am choosing not to.
0 -
2 Jam donuts after gym on a deficit and I still get shredded ... Formally obese btw0
-
Food
0 -
You're not "toning" by just doing high intensity cardio. You're building muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance.Hey everyone! Ok so question... I go to the gym 5 days a week, and everyday I work out a different muscle group with high intensity of cardio too. After my workout I burn roughly 700-850cals. So my question is after the gym SOMETIMES I'm hungry, not starving and many times I am not. What do I eat? What do I drink? Should I even eat? My goal is to loose weight but mostly tone.
Please help. Thanks
And the post workout meal is so over hyped. If you're hungry, eat whatever you like, just make sure to account for the calories. If not, then don't eat.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
0 -
In reality, those "overpriced" protein shakes are probably the cheapest per gram of protein products there are. I would call them inexpensive before overpriced.0
-
Broscience. Muscle doesn't get repaired till the NEXT day, so why would drinking it immediately after affect the next day?bellabonbons wrote: »My certified personal fitness trainer highly suggests having protein after a workout to repair muscle.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
0 -
Why unless your meals are low in protein? You DON'T get extra credit once your protein allowances are met.Mystical64 wrote: »
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
0 -
You're not "toning" by just doing high intensity cardio. You're building muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance.Hey everyone! Ok so question... I go to the gym 5 days a week, and everyday I work out a different muscle group with high intensity of cardio too. After my workout I burn roughly 700-850cals. So my question is after the gym SOMETIMES I'm hungry, not starving and many times I am not. What do I eat? What do I drink? Should I even eat? My goal is to loose weight but mostly tone.
Please help. Thanks
And the post workout meal is so over hyped. If you're hungry, eat whatever you like, just make sure to account for the calories. If not, then don't eat.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Agreed.
I also looked to see what kind of deficit OP was running if they were burning 700-850 cals per workout and the highest logged day is like 900 cals. Either the OP is netting zero cals a day, or isn't tracking which doesn't help recomping either.0 -
It all depends on you.....I personally work out at night (8 p.m...sometimes 9) and when I come home after 11 I really don't feel like eating _anything_ so at most, I'll have a square of dark chocolate, a glass (5 oz.....lol not 8) of red wine, or sometimes a protein shake.0
-
As others have said, unless you're an ELITE ATHLETE, post workout meals are more a preference than a need. The notion that you need something to eat immediately after to "repair" your muscle is so much myth.
Truth is all you're doing is adding to your calorie intake. And if you have a limited calorie allotment, that shake can interfere with it if you don't need it. So again, more preference than actual science.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition 0 -
OP, is this a duplicate post (did you ask the same question in another forum) because I'm sure I replied to this earlier but cannot see it anywhere or the total bro-science nonsense from someone telling you to down protein 30 minutes after a workout. Anyway, the person telling you for 99% of people it simply doesn't matter is correct.In reality, those "overpriced" protein shakes are probably the cheapest per gram of protein products there are. I would call them inexpensive before overpriced.
I think in terms of how much protein you get for your money, protein powder is good value for money. Plus you get that protein with little carbs and fat which means you can get those two macronutrients from elsewhere (more peanut butter in my case). But if you can comfortably manage with whole foods in terms of hitting your macros and affordability, there's no need for protein powder. It's just a bonus thing to fill in the gaps. Or bronus as the brofessor on YouTube calls it.0 -
In reality, those "overpriced" protein shakes are probably the cheapest per gram of protein products there are. I would call them inexpensive before overpriced.
You get what you pay for. I get mine at MaxMuscle. It has been compared to all the other protein shakes and it has more protein and less sugar than any of the others.
And why do I do one before and after? Your body needs it to recover. And I don't care what anyone says, I have been doing this for over a year and it has worked for me, so why would I change anything based on the opinions of people I don't even know.
0 -
Mystical64 wrote: »In reality, those "overpriced" protein shakes are probably the cheapest per gram of protein products there are. I would call them inexpensive before overpriced.
You get what you pay for. I get mine at MaxMuscle. It has been compared to all the other protein shakes and it has more protein and less sugar than any of the others.
And why do I do one before and after? Your body needs it to recover. And I don't care what anyone says, I have been doing this for over a year and it has worked for me, so why would I change anything based on the opinions of people I don't even know.
Even expensive whey is still pretty darn cheap per gram of protein. Not sure what your reply to me was trying to say. Kinda confused me.0 -
My trainer (about four years ago) suggested that if I was 'too tight to eat' or not ready to eat after my gym workout i should sip on 250-300 millilitres of skim milk or soy light milk to aid muscle recovery.
These days, depending on my swim time (usually 125-200 minutes), I still occasionally use the milk theory (and it works) but almost as often I have an egg salad ... (an egg plus 125mL egg white, rocquette/baby spinach, half a sliced avocado, a small amount of grated parmesan).
The latter is about 240-280 calories. The former runs to 105 calories (skim) or 130 (light soy).0 -
I don't feel like eating at all after I workout, so I don't. I just enjoy the feeling of not wanting food for as long as it lasts.0
-
Hey everyone! Ok so question... I go to the gym 5 days a week, and everyday I work out a different muscle group with high intensity of cardio too. After my workout I burn roughly 700-850cals. So my question is after the gym SOMETIMES I'm hungry, not starving and many times I am not. What do I eat? What do I drink? Should I even eat? My goal is to loose weight but mostly tone.
Please help. Thanks
For me, it would just depend on the time of day. I work out at 6am, and don't have any appetite until at least 9am. I get super busy at work and sometimes won't even eat until lunch until noon.0 -
I usually have dinner...on Saturdays, it's usually lunch.0
-
Post work out I eat carbs to get the glycogen levels back up, so it generally something like pasta or brown rice with some chicken, all washed down with a protein shake.0
-
If I work out before dinner, I eat dinner after, if I work out after dinner, I don't normally eat unless I am hungry and have calories left over. If I do a 1000k workout (not often) then I normally try to eat a full meal heavier in carbs after.
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392.1K Introduce Yourself
- 43.6K Getting Started
- 259.9K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 403 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 999 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions