What is your best Post-Workout meal?

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  • moochachip
    moochachip Posts: 237 Member
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    I usually have a protein bar. Good on the go snack - and less expensive then stopping at Jamba Juice every time I work out for a protein shake.
  • greasygriddle_wechnage
    greasygriddle_wechnage Posts: 246 Member
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    banana... ask any runner.
  • ChickenTuna
    ChickenTuna Posts: 24 Member
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    peanut butter & banana on rice cake
    almonds & orange
  • johnwhitent
    johnwhitent Posts: 648 Member
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    Just read this... seems legit...
    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/19/post-workout-routine-and-fat-burning-strategies.aspx


    Foods to Avoid After Exercise

    So, fasting, or even better, consuming high quality whey protein prior to exercise can boost fat burning. But equally important is what you do afterwards.

    Again we find that sugar is at the bottom of the list.

    In fact, consuming sugar (including starchy carbs that convert to sugar, and sugary energy drinks) within two hours of high intensity exercises will negatively affect your:

    Insulin sensitivity, and
    Human growth hormone (HGH) production

    Both of these factors are very important for optimal health and longevity.

    Impaired insulin sensitivity (insulin resistance) is the underlying cause of type 2 diabetes and a significant risk factor for other chronic diseases such as heart disease.

    Meanwhile, maintaining your HGH levels (which tend to drop off after the age of 35) will help keep your body strong and your health robust.

    The beneficial impact of a low-carb post-exercise meal on your insulin sensitivity was recently confirmed by a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. And hghmagazine.com clearly explains how consuming sugar/fructose, including that from fruit juices, within this two-hour window will decimate your natural HGH production:

    "A high sugar meal after working out, or even a recovery drink (containing high sugar) after working out, will stop the benefits of exercise induced HGH. You can work out for hours, then eat a high sugar candy bar or have a high sugar energy drink, and this will shut down the synergistic benefits of HGH.

    … If you miss reaching HGH release during working out, you will still receive the calorie burning benefit from the workout. However, you'll miss the HGH "synergy bonus" of enhanced fat burning for two hours after working out.

    This is an extremely important fact to remember if you want to cut body fat and shed a few pounds.

    So, to further reduce body fat while enhancing your insulin sensitivity and promoting HGH production, you'll want to eat a low-carbohydrate meal within that two-hour window.

    One of the explanations for why a low-carb meal after exercise works is because carbs prevent the production of the hormone somatostatin. One of the primary purposes of this hormone is to inhibit the production of human growth hormone. So, by reducing somatostatin, you're not hindering HGH production.

    This Mercola dude scares me a lot!!! He has taken on the whole medical/nutrition community and makes some pretty wild claims. He has been ordered by the US Food and Drug Administration to cease and desist making unsubstantiated claims and is criticized by everyone from Businessweek to Quackwatch. The guy is against vaccinations and the use of prescription medication and surgery to treat disease. Honestly I don't know if there is merit to his arguments or not but I avoid him and his advice like the plague.
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    This thread is a wreck. Don't worry about what to easy immediately after a workout. worry about your overall nutrition every day. there are much more important things to worry about than timing meals.

    Yep...

    "Originally Posted by alan aragon
    To no one in particular:

    The postexercise "anabolic window" is a highly misused & abused concept (which I believe Layne agrees with). Preworkout nutrition all but cancels the urgency, unless you're an endurance athlete with multiple glycogen-depleting events in a single day. Getting down to brass tacks, a relatively recent study (Power et al. 2009) showed that a 45g dose of whey protein isolate takes appx 50 minutes to cause blood AA levels to peak. Resulting insulin levels, which peaked at 40 minutes after ingestion, remained at elevations known to max out the inhibition of muscle protein breakdown (15-30 mU/L) for 120 minutes after ingestion. This dose takes 3 hours for insulin & AA levels to return to baseline from the point of ingestion. The inclusion of carbs to this dose would cause AA & insulin levels to peak higher & stay elevated above baseline even longer.

    So much for the anabolic peephole & the urgency to down AAs during your weight training workout; they are already seeping into circulation (& will continue to do so after your training bout is done). Even in the event that a preworkout meal is skipped, the anabolic effect of the postworkout meal is increased as a supercompensatory response (Deldicque et al, 2010). Moving on, another recent study (Staples et al, 2010) found that a substantial dose of carbohydrate (50g maltodextrin) added to 25g whey protein was unable to further increase postexercise net muscle protein balance compared to the protein dose without carbs. Again, this is not to say that adding carbs at this point is counterproductive, but it certainly doesn't support the idea that you must get your lightning-fast postexercise carb orgy for optimal results."

    In short, meal timing doesn't really matter and the anabolic window, post workout is close to 24 hours.

    What matters is total daily intake of calories and micro/macronutrient sufficiency. Meal timing, meal frequency, nutrient partitioning and food selection are basically just functions of personal preference, as long as your daily intake of nutrition (Macros and Micros) meets your individual requirements.
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
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    A protein shake or drink. Sometimes a piece of fruit right after, then I have a good meal usually soon after with lean proteins and carbs.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    I can't agree with the posts it doesn't matter. For me, every lb of muscle I carry matters. I go up against other BBers and if they gain an extra lb of muscle over me where other things are equal, they will beat me.
  • mattkellett
    mattkellett Posts: 82
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    a protien shake is great right after the workout , make sure you have a quick carb to aid in transportation of that carb to fill the muscles back up again with glycogen. then a hour later eat your normal meal(hopefully its higher in protien)

    hope this helps.
  • GalaxyDuck
    GalaxyDuck Posts: 406 Member
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    I usually go for a can of tuna with a bit of mustard. Depending on how hungry I am, I may also microwave a sweet potato with some creamed coconut and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

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