Post-Workout Meal (Whole 30)
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AuntieKT
Posts: 235 Member
I have a question. On days that I lift, I usually follow it up with about a half hour of cardio. Should I wait to eat my Post-Workout Meal until after the cardio and I am all done exercising, or should I be trying to get it in right after lifting and before cardio? I can see arguments for both ways. I would think eating a starch vegetable and protein before cardio might make me feel sick...but at the same time, my muscles probably need it the lost after lifting...what do you guys think?
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Replies
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IMHO, it won't really matter.
Macronutrient timing is largely irrelevant - you can eat that meal immediately after weight training and do the cardio straight after, or do the cardio then eat your meal. It matters not. On days I lift in the morning, I typically eat my PWO meal about six hours later with no hinder to my results.
Whatever works best for you.0 -
Thanks for the reply, but in the book: It Starts With Food, it seems to make a difference when following the Whole 30 plan. The book says to eat it as soon as you can after an intense workout. I was hoping maybe people knew whether I was supposed to eat it after lifting or after my entire workout.0
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Your muscles are still working while running. I would eat after.0
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I would never eat during exercise unless you were doing extensive 1 hr + exercise, like a long run. Your body is not going to be able to digest the food and circulate the necessary blood to your muscles at the same time. This is the cause of stomach cramps when you workout immediately after eating. Personally I wouldn't consume any fuel unless you really need to, and if you do, something light like a Gu gel.0
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Your muscles are still working while running. I would eat after.
^ that.0 -
In my experience, my body needs to be *either* focused on digesting, OR focused on exercising -- NOT both.
I have read the Whole 30 book and I understand what part you are talking about, but in no way would I interpret that to mean that you should eat in the middle of working out.
I also want to say that this is another one of those areas where there are a LOT of differing opinions, so you really do have to experiment and find what works best for YOU. --Your body, your situation.--
In the book Practical Paleo, by Diane Sanfilippo, she talks a lot about giving your body some time to get out of that "fight or flight" mode right after exercising. She explains it much better than I can, but it does make sense to me. She talks about how much better our digestion is when we are eating in a calm, relaxed state.
So I've had to take all of the opinions and information I have read and put them together, and use that to help me figure out what works for ME. It doesn't matter what anyone else says or does -- I personally cannot eat within a couple of hours before lifting, or I feel like I am going to throw up and it affects my performance. It does not go well. Lately, after I am done exercising, my routine has been to drink a large glass of water (or two), give my body a little time to cool down, settle down, and then I eat my carbs and protein within about 1/2 hour or so.0 -
Thanks everyone for all of your responses!0
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Thanks for the reply, but in the book: It Starts With Food, it seems to make a difference when following the Whole 30 plan. The book says to eat it as soon as you can after an intense workout. I was hoping maybe people knew whether I was supposed to eat it after lifting or after my entire workout.
In that case, I totally agree with the others that you should eat your PWO meal after your entire workout is finished - cardio included.
Depending on the intensity of our cardio, however, you could maybe sip a bottle of coconut water while doing so - quite refreshing.0
