Eating After a Workout

GinNouveau

How long should you wait after working out before you eat a meal? Does it matter?

Wisks

HI Nouveau. I am sure their are many different points of view on this subject but the advice I've heard the most is that you have about an hour to eat after a workout in order to help your muscles recover and repair.

Bannor

How long should you wait after working out before you eat a meal? Does it matter?
right away! though eat protein!

jkestens63

Its my understanding from what I've read and from my personal trainer, try to eat something within 45 minutes that includes protien. If you are on the go, low fat chocolate milk is a good choice.

I usually have a piece of string cheese and an apple.

debtfre12

Of late, I've been preparing a protein drink after workouts, especially when I burn over 1,000 calories.

martinh78

I like a protein shake right after (within 30mins) as your muscles are like a sponge at that point, ready to absorb it!

also having a protein shake takes the edge off my hunger which I usually get after a workout, and will not make good choices regarding my food as I just want food! A protein shake keeps the edge off for a couple of hours, giving time for a shower, some sorting out/relaxing, and planning a proper dinner.

trybefan

Found this on WebMD...

Why do you need to eat protein or drink protein shakes after exercising?
Muscles need protein for recovery and growth, and the best time to deliver protein appears to be right after exercise. Providing high-quality protein after exercise gives your muscles the fuel and the building blocks needed for both repair and for growth.

Protein shakes and powders carry a certain allure, but your muscles don’t care if the protein comes from a hard-boiled egg, glass of chocolate milk or whey protein shake. Whatever you choose, more isn’t better -- only 10 to 20 grams of protein is needed to provide amino acids (the building blocks of protein) to muscles.

kgraham101

I wait about 20 minutes and then drink a protein shake.

GinNouveau

Wow. I actually had no idea that is how it worked. I had a grilled chicken sandwich. I've been doing my workouts on my lunch break and have been eating before. I actually posted this because I ate right after a workout (was running late) and my stomach didnt seem to like it very much. Maybe eating after is a better idea though, and I'll be sure to have some protein. Thanks for the input!

Acg67

i'll get a meal in anywhere from 45 min - a few hrs later depending on when i workout or not

joejccva71

I eat sometimes afterwards, sometimes 4 hours later. Doesn't matter.

JaydeSkye

Sometimes I don't eat at all afterwards. There are a lot of times that I leave the gym and then go surfing.

I've found the best thing to do is to listen to your body

alyssamiller77

I generally try to eat no more than a 1/2 hour following a workout (and that's based on what I've read from a few different sources). I try to get a fair amount of my daily carbs and definitely lots of protein at that point to help prep my body for recovery.

horizonflight

Bump. I had a post about this. Just gotta find it.

horizonflight

How long should you wait after working out before you eat a meal? Does it matter?

When I first joined this site I was looking at some information regarding this subject since I also had questions about it and found it rather interesting. Below is a message board that I had on it with information I found. Feel free to take a look

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/121567-should-you-eat-before-or-after-exercise

hmmckim1128

How much protein should you eat? And what are the best forms of protein that aren't too high in calories?