Pre/Post-Workout Eating
DixiedoesMFP
Posts: 935 Member
I have been doing MFP for several months and have also been working out fairly consistently for that same amount of time. Most of the time I try to eat fairly clean, though there are times I don't do as well. I work out nearly each morning, and I push myself pretty hard.
I haven't been seeing results as quickly as I would like, so I spoke to a few trainers. This is the advice I received from them: I need to eat 30 minutes before I workout each morning, and then "reload" immediately after working out with a protein shake and gummy bears to replenish glycogen. A few hours later, a healthy breakfast, and then healthy clean eating with lean protein and veggies every few hours for the rest of the day.
My concern is that within an hour or two of waking up each morning, I am consuming around 500 calories (peanut butter and whole grain roll, gummy bears, protein shake). Then for the rest of the day I am eating between 200 and 400 calories a meal. But at the end of the day, my calorie total is around 1800 - 2000, which is more than my allowance given by MFP for weight loss.
My main goal is to build lean muscle and get toned .... there is not a particular number on the scale that I am aiming for, but I am worried that this amount of calories is actually going to cause me to gain weight. And I'm impatient, and ready to see some results.
So, MFP friends, does anyone else eat like this and are you having good results with it? When I see that I consumed 240 calories of gummy sugar lumps, it just scares me a bit, although the trainer says my body is instantly blasting those calories, so they don't count. (There's just something redeeming about see "under her calorie goal" when you complete your day.)
I haven't been seeing results as quickly as I would like, so I spoke to a few trainers. This is the advice I received from them: I need to eat 30 minutes before I workout each morning, and then "reload" immediately after working out with a protein shake and gummy bears to replenish glycogen. A few hours later, a healthy breakfast, and then healthy clean eating with lean protein and veggies every few hours for the rest of the day.
My concern is that within an hour or two of waking up each morning, I am consuming around 500 calories (peanut butter and whole grain roll, gummy bears, protein shake). Then for the rest of the day I am eating between 200 and 400 calories a meal. But at the end of the day, my calorie total is around 1800 - 2000, which is more than my allowance given by MFP for weight loss.
My main goal is to build lean muscle and get toned .... there is not a particular number on the scale that I am aiming for, but I am worried that this amount of calories is actually going to cause me to gain weight. And I'm impatient, and ready to see some results.
So, MFP friends, does anyone else eat like this and are you having good results with it? When I see that I consumed 240 calories of gummy sugar lumps, it just scares me a bit, although the trainer says my body is instantly blasting those calories, so they don't count. (There's just something redeeming about see "under her calorie goal" when you complete your day.)
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Replies
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...curious to read the response(s).0
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From what I understand the only way to really lose weight is to burn more calories than you are taking in. Also don't depend on the scale- muscle weighs more than fat. I have been back to working out hard for 2 months now (P90x and the gym) and my weight is not less, but things have toned up and shifted
I drink and EAS myoplex lite vanilla shake right after working out. Often I put some plain yogurt in it. I am not understanding the gummy bear thing, that seems like 'empty' calories to me. Don't you want to burn off some of the sugar (Isn't that stored in fat?)
I am not an expert at all, but I would think you need to increase activity and protein and cut back on empty calories.0 -
i wish i could give you some sort of advice, but I cant. The purpose of my message is to say I totally know what you mean when it says "under her calorie goal". But, oddly- I think that is suppose to not be a good thing on this site. I think you are suppose to eat right up to your goal.... afterall it is called a "goal".0
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Heck yes, I eat before I work out and soon after I'm done. You need the energy before so you can sustain yourself long enough to do the workout, and right after, your body is in a prime position to take in all sorts of nutrients. You have a window of time, and if you don't use it, your body will still recover, but slower.
If you don't want to eat gummy bears, don't. Try something else with carbs. An apple. Oatmeal (if you're working out in the morning).
I only do a protein shake personally though if I've been doing a lot of resistance training that day. Otherwise, I feel my regular protein intake will take care of my needs.
There is a reason your calorie goal is set where it is, and I recommend you try to eat as close to that as you can. It's very difficult to hit that number exactly, but really, it doesn't sound like you're eating enough right now with only 200-400 calorie meals. I'm 5'4" and 126 pounds and my regular daily calorie goal (before working out) is 1630 calories.0 -
BUmp0
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From what I understand the only way to really lose weight is to burn more calories than you are taking in. Also don't depend on the scale- muscle weighs more than fat. I have been back to working out hard for 2 months now (P90x and the gym) and my weight is not less, but things have toned up and shifted
I drink and EAS myoplex lite vanilla shake right after working out. Often I put some plain yogurt in it. I am not understanding the gummy bear thing, that seems like 'empty' calories to me. Don't you want to burn off some of the sugar (Isn't that stored in fat?)
I am not an expert at all, but I would think you need to increase activity and protein and cut back on empty calories.
i write this not to bash you at all. But i just had a question- isnt five pounds five pounds? I dont know why people say muscle weighs more than fat. That is like saying what weighs more- five pounds of feathers or five pounds of bricks? The actual volume may be different, but the weight itself remains constant.... five pounds is five pounds. At least last time I checked.0 -
I don't have an answer for your dilemma....but I'm concerned that a cetified personal trainer would suggest for you to eat gummy bears. Thre are plenty of natural and healthy ways to replenish glycogen. You should search on the internet for better options.
BTW- make sure that the trainers that you are speaking to are certified and have a background in nutrition.0 -
We all know you have to eat to lose. If you want to build lean muscle then you have to consume more protein in your diet and eat nutrient densed foods. Yeah people say a calorie is a calorie but think about it, your body will respond differently to 100 calorie fruit than a 100 calorie processed snack. I think if you truly want to lose you have to look at food as fueling your body to get through your workouts rather than being under a certain number. If you pack your diet with nutritious, clean foods then I think you'll be okay.0
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I think everyone is right about the gummy bear thing... My boot camp trainer says the same thing about fueling up before the work out and after have something heathly like a boiled egg or some low fat chocolate milk... Good luck everyone and share your results if you have success because I am inspired everyday by your comments and progress 0
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To BUILD muscle you will need caloric surplus which means you GAIN weight. It's a myth that you build muscle while on caloric deficit. It only happens under circumstances that either the person is really obese or overweight and/or they have NEVER done any resistance exercise previously.I have been doing MFP for several months and have also been working out fairly consistently for that same amount of time. Most of the time I try to eat fairly clean, though there are times I don't do as well. I work out nearly each morning, and I push myself pretty hard.
I haven't been seeing results as quickly as I would like, so I spoke to a few trainers. This is the advice I received from them: I need to eat 30 minutes before I workout each morning, and then "reload" immediately after working out with a protein shake and gummy bears to replenish glycogen. A few hours later, a healthy breakfast, and then healthy clean eating with lean protein and veggies every few hours for the rest of the day.
My concern is that within an hour or two of waking up each morning, I am consuming around 500 calories (peanut butter and whole grain roll, gummy bears, protein shake). Then for the rest of the day I am eating between 200 and 400 calories a meal. But at the end of the day, my calorie total is around 1800 - 2000, which is more than my allowance given by MFP for weight loss.
My main goal is to build lean muscle and get toned .... there is not a particular number on the scale that I am aiming for, but I am worried that this amount of calories is actually going to cause me to gain weight. And I'm impatient, and ready to see some results.
So, MFP friends, does anyone else eat like this and are you having good results with it? When I see that I consumed 240 calories of gummy sugar lumps, it just scares me a bit, although the trainer says my body is instantly blasting those calories, so they don't count. (There's just something redeeming about see "under her calorie goal" when you complete your day.)
I tell my clients not to rely on the scale for their total results. If you're creating the physique you wish to look like through the right venues of training, then that should be your proof of result.0 -
The current science shows that comsuming a mix of carbs and protein driectly after a tough workout is best. The ratio is typically 4:1 or even as low as 2:1 carbs and protein.
The purpose is to replenish the glycogen your muscles just burned and the best way to do that is with high glycemic carbs. Our muscles burn glucose for energy, Glycogen is what glucose is called when it is stored in your muscles. About an hour later you should ingest some protein. Yes, you do need protein after a tough workout but the notion that it is best right after is somewhat out dated as even something like whey protein shakes take quite awhile to get to the muscles, unlike high glycemic carbs which get there almost practically right as they are comsumed.
I've been following this practice since I started P90X and have lost 30+ pounds and have kept it off for a year.
There are many post workout drinks you can buy, I've tried many but the one I drink is by Beachbody as it tastes the best. It isn't cheap though. You can make your own, just concentrate on getting the 4:1 carb protein ratio.
Tim0 -
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i write this not to bash you at all. But i just had a question- isnt five pounds five pounds? I dont know why people say muscle weighs more than fat. That is like saying what weighs more- five pounds of feathers or five pounds of bricks? The actual volume may be different, but the weight itself remains constant.... five pounds is five pounds. At least last time I checked.
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I think what people tend to mean is that 5lbs of muscle has a lot less mass then 5lbs of fat. As a pound of fat has 3x's the mass as a pound of muscle. Of course 5lbs of anything is 5lbs...but the density and mass of the 5lb object makes a big difference, especially fat vs muscle.
Cheers to our healthy lifestyles!0 -
My point is actually "Don't worry about the numbers so much."
Often you can 'weigh' more on the scale but be more toned and have more muscle. Even MFP says to take measurements to see progress as well as weighing yourself. Sometimes we can all be discouraged by not seeing the scale drop after working so hard!0 -
From what I understand the only way to really lose weight is to burn more calories than you are taking in. Also don't depend on the scale- muscle weighs more than fat. I have been back to working out hard for 2 months now (P90x and the gym) and my weight is not less, but things have toned up and shifted
I drink and EAS myoplex lite vanilla shake right after working out. Often I put some plain yogurt in it. I am not understanding the gummy bear thing, that seems like 'empty' calories to me. Don't you want to burn off some of the sugar (Isn't that stored in fat?)
I am not an expert at all, but I would think you need to increase activity and protein and cut back on empty calories.
i write this not to bash you at all. But i just had a question- isnt five pounds five pounds? I dont know why people say muscle weighs more than fat. That is like saying what weighs more- five pounds of feathers or five pounds of bricks? The actual volume may be different, but the weight itself remains constant.... five pounds is five pounds. At least last time I checked.
Muscle is denser so if you were to look at muscle in a container and see fat fill up the same container, the container of muscle would be heavier. It's a weird analogy I know but I didn't know how to better explain it lol what she meant is not that 5 lbs of muscle weighs more than 5 lbs of fat but that when you put muscle and fat of the same volumes next to each other, the muscle will be heavier. So say you look at yourself and you have the same size arm as a body builder, the body builder's arm will be heavier because the arm will be completely muscle while you're arm may be the same size of mass but in fat.
Check this picture out if you need a visual:
http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html0 -
From what I understand the only way to really lose weight is to burn more calories than you are taking in. Also don't depend on the scale- muscle weighs more than fat. I have been back to working out hard for 2 months now (P90x and the gym) and my weight is not less, but things have toned up and shifted
I drink and EAS myoplex lite vanilla shake right after working out. Often I put some plain yogurt in it. I am not understanding the gummy bear thing, that seems like 'empty' calories to me. Don't you want to burn off some of the sugar (Isn't that stored in fat?)
I am not an expert at all, but I would think you need to increase activity and protein and cut back on empty calories.
i write this not to bash you at all. But i just had a question- isnt five pounds five pounds? I dont know why people say muscle weighs more than fat. That is like saying what weighs more- five pounds of feathers or five pounds of bricks? The actual volume may be different, but the weight itself remains constant.... five pounds is five pounds. At least last time I checked.
When people say "muscle weighs more than fat" they are wrong.
What they should be saying is "muscle is more dense than fat"
So this means ... you may not be losing weight scale wise but if you measure yourself with a tape measure and are losing cms/inches it means you are still fat but also gaining muscle. Which gives you that over all sober leaner look.
I hope you understand that I'm sorry its 11:45pm here
If not Google images 5kg of fat vs 5kg of muscle and you'll see what I mean. Fat is gloopy muscle is lean it takes up less space but still weighs the same.0 -
From what I understand the only way to really lose weight is to burn more calories than you are taking in. Also don't depend on the scale- muscle weighs more than fat. I have been back to working out hard for 2 months now (P90x and the gym) and my weight is not less, but things have toned up and shifted
I drink and EAS myoplex lite vanilla shake right after working out. Often I put some plain yogurt in it. I am not understanding the gummy bear thing, that seems like 'empty' calories to me. Don't you want to burn off some of the sugar (Isn't that stored in fat?)
I am not an expert at all, but I would think you need to increase activity and protein and cut back on empty calories.
i write this not to bash you at all. But i just had a question- isnt five pounds five pounds? I dont know why people say muscle weighs more than fat. That is like saying what weighs more- five pounds of feathers or five pounds of bricks? The actual volume may be different, but the weight itself remains constant.... five pounds is five pounds. At least last time I checked.
Five pounds of fat and five pounds of muscle are still five pounds. Muscle is just leaner than fat, yes. LOL!
In th past three weeks, with 22 hours of ballet training and about 5 or so hours of gym cross-training, including weights, I GAINED nearly 10 pounds.
On Sunday, a lady in one of my ballet classes remarked how much leaner I looked than I had two weeks ago. I don't feel bloated or fatter than before, so the gain HAS to be with muscle. I'm eating properly, almost all of my calories and occasionally over them (evens out in the end, I think), and cleanly. Only one day I had junk food. I told the lady about the gained weight and she talked about thyroid, but said I didn't appear to have any of the physical markers for it (she's a nurse) so it's likely the muscle weight rather than anything worriesome.
Today was the first day I saw a downward movement in the scale in the morning, so perhaps the muscle gain is finally leveling off?
This would technically illustrate that lean muscle weighs heavily on the scale....I think.0 -
I work out in the evenings around 8PM and usually have not eaten since probably 1pm.....is that bad? I do about 40 min cardio and then have dinner around 9:15.
Will I burn more efficiantly if I eat something before the cardio?0 -
I get that muscle is denser than fat....my goal is to replace my jiggly post-baby fat with lean tight muscle!!! I'm just not sure I'm doing it correctly and I'm afraid that all my hard work with strength training will be wasted if I am not doing it properly.
And to clarify for someone who said I am not eating enough...I am eating 200 - 400 calorie "meals" every 3 hours or so, so throughout the day I am eating plenty. My research has shown that more than that isn't used up immediately by my body and is stored as the *dreaded* fat.
This is a definite learning experience for me....I used to be the skinny girl that no one could stand because I could eat whatever and never gain weight.
For reference, I am 5'4", current weight 145, pre-baby weight between 130 - 135 with a curvy physique that I appreciate. Just want it to stop wiggling when I stop walking!0 -
I just made my diaries public. Like I said, some days are definitely better than others and this weekend was not my best due to birthday parties.0
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I work out in the morning, about 6 am by the time I get to the gym and get started. I can't eat before I work out. I know I'm supposed to, but I can't. It makes me so nauseous. And I'm someone who has run a marathon, 10 milers, 15Ks. So...I guess my point is that the standard advice is often very good advice, but it doesn't necessarily work for everybody. I worked out from 6 - 7:15 am this morning and I just ate breakfast at 9:45 am!0
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