Workout Fuel!

hush7hush

I am trying to find something good to fuel my workouts. should I consider a whey protein shake? I do 20 minutes of circuit, 20-60 minutes of cardio, and I'm thinking about adding another 20 of circuit after the cardio as well. I want to make sure I'm burning fat, and not muscle. I have a hard time getting to my calorie goal already, but I don't want to go over it. Suggestions?

I've also considered protein bars. I just want to know what's going to help me maintain or build muscle definition, and keep me from burning muscle during my cardio.

As of now, I get an average of 800-1000 calories per day. (Yes, I know, I have a problem.)
I don't want anything too expensive, or too high calorie.

A friend has suggested 6star protein. Any suggestions?

ashleynicoleb

Interested in the response

dfresh926

you have to find somthing you can live with look at my diary for days some are slim but girl protein protein protein!!! i eat like a horse and drink like a fish. this totally works for me. i bust my *kitten* all day at work and the first thing i do is get home and sweat harder!! MEAT FISH AND BIRDS WITH GREENS! keep carbs under 100g this is a must!!! it works for all bodies

calabrdm

Believe or not. A cup of skim milk and two tablespoons of choc. syrup is a great energy drink. (Try getting an all natural syrup like Trader joe's or whole foods.) Cheap and a fantastic carb to protein ratio.

Ninjitsu

IF you eat before you workout you probably want something that is going to be a good carb load.

There are a lot of bars and shakes that do it. The bars I like are Clif-Builder Bars. They are fairly low in cholesterol and fat.

Personally I don't eat or drink anything before I workout. I will drink water or recovery drink mid-workout if needed though.

hush7hush

I need protein, right?

I want to make sure it's something I can burn off, too.
I don't want to add too many carbs or sugars.

hush7hush

The biggest concern is burning muscle.

Because I have a every hard time getting my calories in, and I'm worried about my body going into starvation mode.
So I can to find something pre-workout that will add the calories I need, plus aid in muscle growth/retention.

dfresh926

The biggest concern is burning muscle.

Because I have a every hard time getting my calories in, and I'm worried about my body going into starvation mode.
So I can to find something pre-workout that will add the calories I need, plus aid in muscle growth/retention.

blah!!! stay within 400 of ur cals and ur good you have to replace what you burn! im not an expert by far,not even close.but i am astounded what diet and a little suffering can do for you! i was 210 when i started p90x in feb. joined mfp a month later now im at 170 . but i can stick with this the rest of my life!! make all of your choices life long goals you rock !!

dfresh926

also make sure you get your fuel like 2 hrs b4 ur workout. protein shakes are good but better for you after a workout so you can replace what you used. just add a little more meat and do strength training as well!!

Elzecat

just talked to a trainer at the gym who suggested I have a little carbs AND a little protein a couple hours before a workout, and especially to get the protein in (he recommended a whey protein shake like you mentioned) within about 40 minutes of the end of my workout...

hush7hush

Okay.

So what I gathered from this is:

-Protein shakes soon after my workout.

-Carbs (like fruit) before.

-dfresh is a hottie.


Did I cover it all?

elliecolorado

Yes. Protein is better after a work out. I usually don't eat much before I work out. If I do it's usually something light like an apple or yogurt.

ShaneHancock

Could just invest in a pre-workout supplement like jack3d or no-xplode, or a caffeine pill. I typically don't workout without one or the other. A protein supplement won't give you the energy you need, I use protein purely for recovery (post workout, before bed (case-in protein), morning).

mrphil86

Um, protein if you want to GAIN weight/mass. That's the only reason why you would do that. Protein itself will not help you recover or fuel your workouts.

If you are looking for something to fuel/recover. The golden ratio is 4:1 (Carbs:Protein). Chocolate Milk is just about a perfect 4:1 ratio. A lot of endurance athletes use that trick. Just be aware of the fat.

Now if I'm in my lifting phase, I'll drink Jack3d before my workouts and a nice protein shake after.

Now if im in my cutting phase (Maintaining weight/Loosing fat.) which includes a lot of cardio, I'll have that 4:1 ratio going on after. And I'll eat my protein.

IMO, it's stupid to mix cardio and weight lifting.

elliecolorado

Also for Protein shakes at the health food store here they sell little one serving packets in all of the different flavors and unflavored. I recommend doing that before you spend a lot of money on a big jar of something you might not like. I just started drinking a protein shake after I work out and that is how I am doing it, then when I decide which one(s) I like I will get a big jar of it. Protein powder/shake mix can be kinda pricey, but it's cheaper than buying pre-made shakes! And the ones they sell around here, like Special K shakes aren't really that high in protein and have a lot of sugar.

ShaneHancock

Um, protein if you want to GAIN weight/mass. That's the only reason why you would do that. Protein itself will not help you recover or fuel your workouts.

If you are looking for something to fuel/recover. The golden ratio is 4:1 (Carbs:Protein). Chocolate Milk is just about a perfect 4:1 ratio. A lot of endurance athletes use that trick. Just be aware of the fat.

Now if I'm in my lifting phase, I'll drink Jack3d before my workouts and a nice protein shake after.

Now if im in my cutting phase (Maintaining weight/Loosing fat.) which includes a lot of cardio, I'll have that 4:1 ratio going on after. And I'll eat my protein.

IMO, it's stupid to mix cardio and weight lifting.

Slight disinformation -

Protein is good for cutting/weight gain/overall health.

For purely weight loss... read on:

"The amount of quality protein in your diet is the single most important calorie that influences your metabolic rate, favorably influencing weight "

- http://www.wellnessresources.com/tips/articles/how_protein_helps_weight_loss/

However I always TRY to consume at least 1gram of protein per lb. If you get to the point where you've gained any muscle, and want to cut, you need protein to maintain your muscle gain.

"IMO, it's stupid to mix cardio and weight lifting."

- I believe these two go hand in hand, especially for people with goals of losing weight + gaining muscle mass. I do cardio because I want to cut, but I also want endurance in my every day life. Now if your "bulking" you can toss cardio out because your end of day calorie goal is well over 3k, and you need a high protein / calorie diet to feed your muscles and cardio directly counteracts that, however unless that's your goal, cardio should always be apart of your weekly workouts.

** For pure energy, just grab a caffeine pill or workout supplement that has lower calories. Easiest way to enhance your workout.

Lisseth03

The biggest concern is burning muscle.

Because I have a every hard time getting my calories in, and I'm worried about my body going into starvation mode.

your body already goes into starvation mode if you're only eating 800-1000 calories, since you're feeding your body so little, over a period of time when you do put something into it, it's going to store the fat from those calories because essentially you're starving it and it won't know when the next time it'll get a decent amount of calories will be so it will want to hold on to it.
typically imo a 1200 calorie diet is good if you don't really workout, but if you're working out you're probably burning 500 calories on average or so, so if you're only eating 1000 calories a day you're body is running on 500 calories.

absolament

You're on track hush. I'm proud of you!

KATE509

carbs to fuel the workout and protein to rebuild. Be sure to replenish fluids midway and after. I have to stay barely over 1,000 calories or I dont lose and Im not in starvation so its a fine line and people are different. If you can manage 1200 calories you will be doing well.

mrphil86

Um, protein if you want to GAIN weight/mass. That's the only reason why you would do that. Protein itself will not help you recover or fuel your workouts.

If you are looking for something to fuel/recover. The golden ratio is 4:1 (Carbs:Protein). Chocolate Milk is just about a perfect 4:1 ratio. A lot of endurance athletes use that trick. Just be aware of the fat.

Now if I'm in my lifting phase, I'll drink Jack3d before my workouts and a nice protein shake after.

Now if im in my cutting phase (Maintaining weight/Loosing fat.) which includes a lot of cardio, I'll have that 4:1 ratio going on after. And I'll eat my protein.

IMO, it's stupid to mix cardio and weight lifting.

Slight disinformation -

Protein is good for cutting/weight gain/overall health.

For purely weight loss... read on:

"The amount of quality protein in your diet is the single most important calorie that influences your metabolic rate, favorably influencing weight "

- http://www.wellnessresources.com/tips/articles/how_protein_helps_weight_loss/

However I always TRY to consume at least 1gram of protein per lb. If you get to the point where you've gained any muscle, and want to cut, you need protein to maintain your muscle gain.

"IMO, it's stupid to mix cardio and weight lifting."

- I believe these two go hand in hand, especially for people with goals of losing weight + gaining muscle mass. I do cardio because I want to cut, but I also want endurance in my every day life. Now if your "bulking" you can toss cardio out because your end of day calorie goal is well over 3k, and you need a high protein / calorie diet to feed your muscles and cardio directly counteracts that, however unless that's your goal, cardio should always be apart of your weekly workouts.

** For pure energy, just grab a caffeine pill or workout supplement that has lower calories. Easiest way to enhance your workout.

I have never heard any respectable sports doctor/trainer tell me or write an article saying protein itself promotes recovery. It gets broken down into amino acids and rebuilds muscles. Bigger muscles speed up metabolism but thats after the muscles have recovered. Carbs give energy to rebuild the muscles with protein. Hence the 4:1 ratio which is WIDELY accepted by many.

When I weight lift, I'm trying to gain mass. I drink the protein and I know im going to get body fat. I drink 1 gram for every pound as well. I gain the .5-1 pound a week that I want.

Then I use cardio/very light lifting to burn the fat.

I use this to control my mass and weight very very easily. I've seen it work like this for many people. For people doing it the other way, I hardly ever see it work.

chrisdavey

Re muscle loss: that depends on training just as much as nutrition. See the third link in my sig

Re preworkout nutrition: I vary it depending on my exercise. If I am doing mma training which is 1.5-2hrs of high intensity cardio (as well as rest time for technique drilling) as well as a fair bit of strength stuff required with wrestling and jui-jitsu. I have found that about 200g tuna about 1.5hrs before training and a tbspn peanutbutter half an hour before work best for me. I will sip on water during training.

For resistance training: I will usually make my shake (whey, skim milk, oats, fruit) and I make a bit extra so that when I pour it into shaker there is a little bit too much. This is the "preworkout" bit of it :P WOrks for me.

I just know I don't want too much liquid prior to exercise and found out the other day that additional food (above normal) REALLY doesn't help for mma training!

You actually want your carbs around workout time (hence me including oats and fruit in mine). Your body can utilise carbs and fat for energy quicker than protein. (I still think some protein is necessary ie. I take BCAA's when I do fasted training to minimise catabolism)

mideon_696

IMO:

you just need to eat more. simple.
800-1000 cals/day is never going to be enough if your working out. hell it aint enough to survive, unless you weight around 70lbs. , and literally lie in bed all day.

strength and cardio go hand in hand, all the time.

Jack3d is okay...in that is has a few extra goodies in it...but i dont think, for me, it makes any difference. A good meal, as chrisdavey said above, about 1.5-2 hours before the workout does me far more benifit. Infact, i just finished my pre-workout meal! 2 tins of tuna(LOL), and a big salad.

suzycreamcheese

I find a banana and a small glass of orange juice 15 minutes before i go for a run gives me great stamina

taso42_DELETED

Did I cover it all?

One you didn't cover is simply increasing your calories. At 800-1000 cal per day you're going to be burning some muscle.

You don't have to overthink it for now. Just make sure you hit the numbers that MFP is giving you. If anything, bump your protein percentage up to 30 or 40%.