Not eating right after a workout and losing half of it?

So I read this a while back that if you don't eat 30 minutes after your workout you will lose half of it. I don't know if this is true or not but it just stuck with me and I usually always try and eat something because I read this and it's stuck in my head. Does anyone know if it's true or not? Sorry if this seems ridiculous I'm just dying to know.

Replies

  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    edited May 2016
    What does "lose half of it" mean?
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    You will lose half of what?
  • meredithdelcastillo
    meredithdelcastillo Posts: 64 Member
    The workout. Or calories you burned I guess. That's all it said.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Is "it" the benefits of working out? Working out has tons of benefits. Are there specific benefits this "source" said you would lose half of if you didn't eat?

    Because that just sounds like nonsense.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,593 Member
    edited May 2016
    There is a theory which has been around for years ... decades ... that if you eat within about 30 min of a good hard workout (not just a walk around the block, but something where you've put in a couple hours of strenuous work) that you'll burn off all of whatever you eat.

    Is that what you're referring to?
  • meredithdelcastillo
    meredithdelcastillo Posts: 64 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    There is a theory that if you eat within about 30 min of a good hard workout (not just a walk around the block, but something where you've put in a couple hours of strenuous work) that you'll burn off all of whatever you eat.

    Is that what you're referring to?

    That might be what it was saying. All it said was "If you don't eat 30 minutes after your workout you'll lose half of it". And my reaction is just shock because I'm not about to lose my hard work that easily!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Whatever "it" is, it's not true.

    Some trainers swear by the rule that if you do strength training, you need to eat protein within 30 minutes of your workout for optimal muscle building and recovery, maybe that's what you're thinking of? I've been told that's just broscience, but I don't really know if there's any merit to that either...
  • ubermofish
    ubermofish Posts: 102 Member
    It sounds like even you aren't sure of the question you're asking. What's the source?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    There is a theory that if you eat within about 30 min of a good hard workout (not just a walk around the block, but something where you've put in a couple hours of strenuous work) that you'll burn off all of whatever you eat.

    Is that what you're referring to?

    That might be what it was saying. All it said was "If you don't eat 30 minutes after your workout you'll lose half of it". And my reaction is just shock because I'm not about to lose my hard work that easily!

    My guess would be that whatever you read is coming out of the bodybuilding industry and is referring to your "bro-gains"...as in the 30 minute anabolic window...which is for the most part a bunch of nonsense...a lot of body builders believe in all kinds of bull that has no basis in reality.

    There is something to eating shortly after strenuous exercise and recovery...but you don't lose half of your fitness or whatever...that's utterly stupid.
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    I don't know, but my personal preference is to work out on an empty stomach because I can't jog with food in my stomach or I feel sick. I eat right after, though.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,593 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    There is a theory that if you eat within about 30 min of a good hard workout (not just a walk around the block, but something where you've put in a couple hours of strenuous work) that you'll burn off all of whatever you eat.

    Is that what you're referring to?

    That might be what it was saying. All it said was "If you don't eat 30 minutes after your workout you'll lose half of it". And my reaction is just shock because I'm not about to lose my hard work that easily!

    My guess would be that whatever you read is coming out of the bodybuilding industry and is referring to your "bro-gains"...as in the 30 minute anabolic window...which is for the most part a bunch of nonsense...a lot of body builders believe in all kinds of bull that has no basis in reality.

    There is something to eating shortly after strenuous exercise and recovery...but you don't lose half of your fitness or whatever...that's utterly stupid.

    Yeah, I heard it when I was a bodybuilder way back when ... and throughout all the years I've been an avid cyclist.

    Most people use it as an excuse for pizza and beer. :grin: If you can pack away a pizza and beer within 30 min of a bicycle ride, those calories don't count :grin: I wish!


  • flippy1234
    flippy1234 Posts: 686 Member
    Having protein within 20 to 30 minutes after a good weight workout helps to fill in the muscle fibers that were ripped during that workout. It repairs and helps grow the muscle. However, you won't "lose" what you did if you don't have protein or food. Some say that protein after helps so you are not as sore either.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    If your goal is bulk or building strength toward a sport then there is no point counting calories other than to get more of them and some protein in the mix. I don't care to bulk (clothes stop fitting) or build super strength, I am in it for health, fitness and keeping weight off. I do eat a good breakfast after my run in the morning but that is only because it happens that way. Exercise does give me a good appetite and later in the day a thirst for beer!
  • 2011rocket3touring
    2011rocket3touring Posts: 1,346 Member
    Odd.
    I do 40 minutes of strenuous (to me) cardio first thing in the morning when I'm in "insulin depletion" mode. I do a min fast of 2.5 to 3 hours before consuming my first meal (or cup of coffee) with the hopes that fat is being utilized.
  • meredithdelcastillo
    meredithdelcastillo Posts: 64 Member
    Thanks for all the input everyone! It is all very helpful and insightful. I guess I just read it and didn't take into consideration of the source or where it was coming from. I wont be so gullible next time!
  • I_amnr
    I_amnr Posts: 129 Member
    Not bro science lol :D
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Whatever "it" is, it's not true.

    Some trainers swear by the rule that if you do strength training, you need to eat protein within 30 minutes of your workout for optimal muscle building and recovery, maybe that's what you're thinking of? I've been told that's just broscience, but I don't really know if there's any merit to that either...

  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    edited May 2016
    As with a lot of 'advice' given out on here it's been diluted from outdated and unsupported bodybuilding myth and folklore.

    Throwing arbitrary time frames at things really just doesn't cut it when there are far more elements at play.

    https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-53
    In conclusion, current evidence does not appear to support the claim that immediate (≤ 1 hour) consumption of protein pre- and/or post-workout significantly enhances strength- or hypertrophic-related adaptations to resistance exercise. The results of this meta-analysis indicate that if a peri-workout anabolic window of opportunity does in fact exist, the window for protein consumption would appear to be greater than one-hour before and after a resistance training session. Any positive effects noted in timing studies were found to be due to an increased protein intake rather than the temporal aspects of consumption, but a lack of matched studies makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions in this regard. The fact that protein consumption in non-supplemented subjects was below generally recommended intake for those involved in resistance training lends credence to this finding. Since causality cannot be directly drawn from our analysis, however, we must acknowledge the possibility that protein timing was in fact responsible for producing a positive effect and that the associated increase in protein intake is merely coincidental. Future research should seek to control for protein intake so that the true value regarding nutrient timing can be properly evaluated. Particular focus should be placed on carrying out these studies with well-trained subjects to better determine whether resistance training experience plays a role in the response.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3650697/
    This study provides novel information demonstrating that the regulation of muscle protein synthesis can be substantially modulated by the timing and distribution of 80 g of protein intake during prolonged (12 h) recovery from a single bout of resistance exercise. Specifically, we show for the first time that rates of myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS) remain elevated above rest throughout 12 h of recovery when a single bout of resistance exercise is followed by the partitioned ingestion of 80 g of high quality protein. Furthermore, we show that daily rates of protein synthesis were highest with regular (i.e. every 3 h) intake of a moderate (20 g) quantity of rapidly digested whey protein. We also show that the nutrient- and contraction-sensitive intracellular signalling network regulating translation for protein synthesis was stimulated in response to all feeding protocols but in a hierarchical manner where BOLUS was higher than INT and PULSE.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19478342/
    No changes in body mass or percent body fat were seen in any of the groups. Results indicate that the time of protein-supplement ingestion in resistance-trained athletes during a 10-wk training program does not provide any added benefit to strength, power, or body-composition changes.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24299050
    With respect to hypertrophy, total protein intake was the strongest predictor of ES magnitude. These results refute the commonly held belief that the timing of protein intake in and around a training session is critical to muscular adaptations and indicate that consuming adequate protein in combination with resistance exercise is the key factor for maximizing muscle protein accretion.

    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/89/2/608.short
    Conclusion: Timed protein supplementation immediately before and after exercise does not further augment the increase in skeletal muscle mass and strength after prolonged resistance-type exercise training in healthy elderly men who habitually consume adequate amounts of dietary protein.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26154345
    No between-group differences were observed. Although nutrition can significantly affect training adaptations, these results suggest that short-term resistance training augments muscle strength and size in previously untrained men with no additive benefit from postexercise protein supplementation.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3577439/
    Despite claims that immediate post-exercise nutritional intake is essential to maximize hypertrophic gains, evidence-based support for such an “anabolic window of opportunity” is far from definitive. The hypothesis is based largely on the pre-supposition that training is carried out in a fasted state. During fasted exercise, a concomitant increase in muscle protein breakdown causes the pre-exercise net negative amino acid balance to persist in the post-exercise period despite training-induced increases in muscle protein synthesis [36]. Thus, in the case of resistance training after an overnight fast, it would make sense to provide immediate nutritional intervention--ideally in the form of a combination of protein and carbohydrate--for the purposes of promoting muscle protein synthesis and reducing proteolysis, thereby switching a net catabolic state into an anabolic one. Over a chronic period, this tactic could conceivably lead cumulatively to an increased rate of gains in muscle mass.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19478342
    Results indicate that the time of protein-supplement ingestion in resistance-trained athletes during a 10-wk training program does not provide any added benefit to strength, power, or body-composition changes

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22460474/
    CONCLUSIONS: In the context of this study, protein supplementation did not augment elbow flexor muscle strength and size changes that occurred after 12 wk of RT.

    And summed up here..

    http://www.renegadeworkouts.com/the-real-anabolic-window/

    http://www.elitefts.com/education/training/bodybuilding/muscle-protein-synthesis-and-the-anabolic-window/

    http://www.precisionnutrition.com/nutrient-timing

    But yeah, 30 MINUTES OR ELSE!