eating right after a gym session

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If you are talking an hour or more before a workout I normally go with a banana-gives great energy! If I am hungry about 30 mins or so before a workout (and I KNOW by the end of it I will be STARVIING) I go with 1 cup of Almond Milk Orig flavor- 60 cals per cup... its filling enough to stop the hunger BUT it does NOT make you cramp or feel bloated right before a workout like food does.
I also do 1 cup Almond Milk sometimes after a workout to get me through making dinner... helps me NOT to PICK!!!!!

I think carbs are supposed to be good before a workout (earlier in the day or the previous night) and something light before you as stated. After a workout, I usually eat a cup of cottage cheese. It has 24 g of protein and gives you a serving of dairy...

Pre-workout: You need to eat something high in protein about 45 minutes before your workout to give your muscles the fuel required to function at a higher level. I recomment Chobani 0% Greek Yogurt in any flavor (blueberry/mango are my favs). I also take a pre-workout supplement immediately before the workout for some added energy. If you're interested in something like that, try BSN NO-Xplode, VPX NO Shotgun, or Cellucor C4 Extreme (my personal choice). After taking this type of supplement, all you want to do is exercise or "lift things up and put them down". Don't stress out over the creatine that is in the pre-workout supplements, as it is typically less than 1 gram and is added as more of a marketing tool than anything. For creatine supplementation to be effective, you need to consume 3-5g pre and post workout, and its not really necessary for those of us looking to lose weight.

Post-workout: The 20-25 minute long window following an intense workout is one of the most important nutritional periods during the day, second only perhaps to breakfast. Your muscles have been broken down and are starving for nutrients. I recommend ingesting 20-50 grams of fast digesting protein such as whey within 25 minutes of the workout, stacked with 20-40 grams of simple carbs such as sucrose or dextrose. This keeps your body in an anabolic state and prevents rapid catabolism where your body goes into self-preservation mode. Make sure you select a protein supplement with a broad branch chain amino acid (BCAA) profile. These help to repair muscles faster and get your body back to a more normal state.

About 30-60 minutes following the protein shake, you should be eating a meal consisting of lean protein sources (chicken breast, tuna, turkey breast), a light loading of complex carbs (brown rice, whole wheat) and greens (spinach, lettuce, field greens). I like to take a multivitamin with a two capsule serving, one for the morning and save one for post workout since I workout later in the day. Also supplement with fish oil capsules to get essential omega-3 fatty acids for joint/heart/mental health.



Most importantly, DRINK WATER! I cannot stress this enough. Water is the essential item missing from most people's diet. No, soft drinks, iced tea, or even "zero calorie" flavored water are not acceptable. Intaking a steady flow of water post workout will allow your kidneys to be flushed and decreases lactic acid buildup in the muscles (which leads to soreness the next day) as well as numerous other health benefits.

For me it depends on what type of exercise session I'm doing and time of day etc.

If I'm working in the upper HR zones early in the morning I'll have a high GI gel or fruits if it's within an hour of starting or mid ti low gi carb breakfast mixed with a little protein if it's more than an hour before (porridge with water and berries with protein powder normally). If I'm rising early and doing a lower HR / fatburning session for less tha 1 1/2 hours I'll do it fasted or with a black coffee to promote fat burning. If it's more than 1 1/2 hours I'll have a breakfast with a mix of low GI and high GI fruits and carbs with a little protein.

Post w/out - for hard cardio sessions, and endurance over an hour 1/2, within the first half hour I'll have a recovery drink which is 4:1 carb protein mix with high GI carbs and fruits / juices as the body soaks up carbs really quickly and replaces it in the muscles really effieciently. Then I'll eat a mixture of low and high GI carbs and protein in a 4:1 ratio for the duration of the w/out (i.e for a 4 hour cardio session I'll have a recovery drink within the first half hour then snack for the next 3 1/2 hours) After that I'll go back to my normal eating.

For weights w/out I'll have a 50/50 carb protein shake, then eat normally with meals having a little more protein in place of carbs than usual.

I think it really depends on what type of w/out you're doing - for cardio you need to replace carbs you've lost to escape fatigue, for weights, you need more protein / BCAA's to help rebuild muscle.

(Don't take my word as golden, am repeating what has been taught to me!)

I see a couple reccomendations for protein pre-work out that I don`t agree with. You want fuel for your work out, protein is not a fuel, carbs are. Eat the complexe carbs a coule hours before your workout and simple carbs less than 1 hour before.

After your work-out its important to get protein in asap to rebuild your muscles stronger. Some simple carbs after your workout are good too to replenish the energy stores you depleted. A protein shake with fruit and/or milk is perfect.