Workout cocktail - To count or not to count?

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KodAkuraMacKyen
KodAkuraMacKyen Posts: 737 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone -

I need some advice. I just started on what I call a workout cocktail which is supposed to be beneficial when lifting heavy but I was also told I should use it on my non-lift days, on days where I just do Jillian Michaels and HIIT. The cocktail consists of Protein Powder, DGC (carb electrolyte additive), Glutamine, Creatine, Beta-Alanine, Arganine and a multi-vitamin. I was told to drink 1 serving of the mix before the workout and one during or after.

The cocktail, contains 500 calories, 71 carbs and 69 sugars (most the calories and almost all the carbs and sugars come from the carb additive). So my question is, should I count this workout cocktail toward my calories, carb and sugar allotment for the day? I’ve been told that because I’m ingesting the carbs and sugars for a workout, my body won’t absorb them. Well if that’s the case, do I need to count them?
Thank you!

Replies

  • budru21
    budru21 Posts: 127
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    Count them. Nutrient timing is great...but it is still ingested and needs to be calculated.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,012 Member
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    If it goes in your mouth I would count it. If you take it with an enema you're probably ok.
  • KodAkuraMacKyen
    KodAkuraMacKyen Posts: 737 Member
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    If it goes in your mouth I would count it. If you take it with an enema you're probably ok.

    Hadn't thought of that. Thank you lol
  • sunshine_gem
    sunshine_gem Posts: 390 Member
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    Absolutely count it! It's still being absorbed by your body even if you are working out, you won't work it all off immediately. It's going to help with the recovery of your muscles.
  • KodAkuraMacKyen
    KodAkuraMacKyen Posts: 737 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I'll count it.
  • RuthieCass
    RuthieCass Posts: 247 Member
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    I’ve been told that because I’m ingesting the carbs and sugars for a workout, my body won’t absorb them. Well if that’s the case, do I need to count them?

    Whoever told you this has no idea what they're talking about. Your body doesn't magically stop absorbing calories when you work out right after. The main reasons people consume certain supplements near a workout is for energy and for some possible partitioning benefits for those trying to build muscle (i.e., having protein near weight lifting can help you build more muscle). Depending on how much fat you have and other factors, the partitioning benefits might not be that great. It's much much more important to look at your overall nutrition and see where you need to improve than to worry about nutritional timing.

    And am I reading this right or are you consuming 1,000 calories worth of this stuff (you said you have one serving before & one serving after)? If so, that's a crazy amount of calories for a supp & something that is more than half sugar. I think that even 500 calories is a lot for a workout supplement. That's about the average calories in my full meals, with real food. I'm also guessing that this supplement is expensive. I would suggest that you save your money and calories for the rest of your meals.

    As far as which supplements ARE beneficial, I'd say fish oil. Depending on your overall diet, you might also benefit from a multivitamin and protein supplement. Read the link below for more info. And are you trying to GAIN muscle? If so, the creatine might help you. If you are trying to lose weight, it might not be as beneficial and might mess with your scale weight since it causes you to retain water.
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/supplements-part-1.html
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/supplements-part-2.html

    On nutrient timing:
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/pre-vs-post-workout-nutrition-qa.html
  • KodAkuraMacKyen
    KodAkuraMacKyen Posts: 737 Member
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    I’ve been told that because I’m ingesting the carbs and sugars for a workout, my body won’t absorb them. Well if that’s the case, do I need to count them?

    Whoever told you this has no idea what they're talking about. Your body doesn't magically stop absorbing calories when you work out right after. The main reasons people consume certain supplements near a workout is for energy and for some possible partitioning benefits for those trying to build muscle (i.e., having protein near weight lifting can help you build more muscle). Depending on how much fat you have and other factors, the partitioning benefits might not be that great. It's much much more important to look at your overall nutrition and see where you need to improve than to worry about nutritional timing.

    And am I reading this right or are you consuming 1,000 calories worth of this stuff (you said you have one serving before & one serving after)? If so, that's a crazy amount of calories for a supp & something that is more than half sugar. I think that even 500 calories is a lot for a workout supplement. That's about the average calories in my full meals, with real food. I'm also guessing that this supplement is expensive. I would suggest that you save your money and calories for the rest of your meals.

    As far as which supplements ARE beneficial, I'd say fish oil. Depending on your overall diet, you might also benefit from a multivitamin and protein supplement. Read the link below for more info. And are you trying to GAIN muscle? If so, the creatine might help you. If you are trying to lose weight, it might not be as beneficial and might mess with your scale weight since it causes you to retain water.
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/supplements-part-1.html
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/supplements-part-2.html

    On nutrient timing:
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/pre-vs-post-workout-nutrition-qa.html

    No, it's 500 for both drinks. Also, I think i'm going to cut the DGC out of the pre-workout and just have it in the post which drops the calories significantly. I've talked to some people I've worked with and rearranged some of the items. And thank you for the links. I'll do some reading.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    If you don't count it, then your daily calorie total will be wrong. :ohwell:
  • Camille0502
    Camille0502 Posts: 311 Member
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    Are you training for a body building competition? I can't imagine that that sort of regimen is necessary for run-of-the-mill exercisers. Seems like a ton of carbs. What type of results are you going for?
  • KodAkuraMacKyen
    KodAkuraMacKyen Posts: 737 Member
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    Are you training for a body building competition? I can't imagine that that sort of regimen is necessary for run-of-the-mill exercisers. Seems like a ton of carbs. What type of results are you going for?

    I'm going for less fat and bigger muscles. I'm not interested in competing and would laughed away from any competion. I just want the biggest bang for my buck during every workout.

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