Ideal Pre and Post Workout Food Choices For Maximum Fat Loss

Chalene weighs in on... Pre and Post Workout Meals

Proper timing of your meals with your workouts can have a significant effect on your progress. Here’s the scoop on what the latest research is saying about pairing foods with workouts.

Ideal Pre and Post Workout Food Choices For Maximum Fat Loss


Pre Workout Meals
10-20 grams Protein, Approx 100-200 calories
• Whey Protein Shake
• Hard Boiled Egg
• High Protein Bar – 10-20g protein
• Cottage Cheese - Nonfat or Lowfat
• Low sugar yogurt (<12-15g sugar)
• Milk – Nonfat or 1%
Post Workout Meals
Higher Carbs, Med-High Protein, 200-500 calories
• Fruit Smoothie
• Banana or other high glycemic fruit
• Recovery Drink
• PB&J on whole grain bread
• Energy Bar – CLIF or Fiber One bars are good choices
• Whole wheat pasta with marinara and chicken breast


Protein Before, High Glycemic After
Maximize fat burning and weight loss by eating a little bit of protein before your workout, and then follow exercise with something higher on the glycemic index [link to article on glycemic index], like a banana or a smoothie.

Here’s the logic to back this up…

High Protein Before Your Workout
Your body needs enough fuel to carry you through your training session. This means that in the 1-2 hours before your workout, you need a protein kick, perhaps with a tiny bit of carbs. Have a very light meal, like a whey protein shake with 10-20 grams of protein. Don’t fill up, but have just enough to give you an energy boost…about 200 calories is ideal.

Protein and Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and muscle tissue. All physiological processes relating to sport - energy, recovery, fat loss, muscle/strength gains, as well as mood and brain function - are tightly and critically linked to amino acids. Amino acids convert fat to energy at the cell’s energy source, the cell mitochondria. Free form amino acids also accelerate muscle tissue healing and growth. The result is faster muscle and strength gains, as well as enhanced recovery.

Protein is rich in amino acids and protein shakes, in particular, are a great source of free form amino acids with high bioavailability.

Carbs and Protein After Your Workout
Post-workout is the one time that high glycemic carbs are preferred. This term refers to carbs that are high on the glycemic index or higher in natural sugars. The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly a food raises blood sugar and hence, insulin levels. Normally, it is best to eat lower glycemic foods, so as not to initiate an insulin spike. But post-workout, the exact opposite is true. The elevated insulin levels will help to drive nutrients into the muscle cells. Don’t think this makes it ok to eat a candy bar! Go for fruit and other natural sources of dietary sugar.

The key is maximizing the window of opportunity that occurs immediately after exercise, when the muscle is especially receptive to nutrients and the blood flow to the exercised muscles remains high. The goal post workout is to restore muscle glycogen. The body will even break down muscle tissue for this purpose, if carbohydrates are not available. And, we don’t want to lose muscle! Muscle is our friend – muscle burns fat!