What should I eat before and after my workout

What should I eat before and after my workout? To maximize tone, strength and weight loss?

What should I eat before and after my workout?  To maximize tone, strength and weight loss?  I have heard that I need carbs beforehand, and a combination of carbs and protein within 30 min after my workout.

A:  If you only do one intense workout per day, then you can ignore all the advice about when you need what nutrient (carbs beforehand, protein within 30 min, etc.).  In case you are wondering, walking is good for you, but it is not an intense workout. 

So, what should I eat before and after my workout?

The pre and post workout nutrition advice above is for athletes training at least twice a day.  If you’re a mere mortal who is struggling to get enough exercise then all this pre, peri and post workout nutrition advice is just extra food to make you nauseous and extra calories to make you gain weight… pretty much the opposite of what most people want.

What should I eat before and after my workout

Maximizing Fat Loss

What should I eat before and after my workout? The best thing to eat pre-workout to maximize fat loss is nothing.  It takes 2+ hours for your body to absorb and digest anything you eat, so nothing you eat 60-90 min beforehand will be available for energy.  It will only be available to burp up or throw up.

If you’re tired and need a little energy boost, try something with zero calories + a bit caffeine that doesn’t upset your stomach.  For example: If your stomach is OK with black coffee, try a bit of that.  If it’s too late in the day for caffeine, have no fear because if you force yourself to get started your catecholamines (“energizing” hormones) will get pumping and your energy will find you.  

Why do I recommend nothing?  Because weight loss is calories eaten minus calories burned, and fat loss is fat eaten minus fat burned, so any chance you have to not eat will help the math work better.

Is there an anabolic window?

No.  There is not a magical window of time (after your workout) where protein must be consumed.  In other words, there is no reason to rush to get your protein in after your workout.  Yes, protein is important.  However, what matters is how much you get over the course of the day.  There is zero evidence for either of the most prevalent protein myths: (1) that we need to get it within 30 min of exercising, or (2) that protein needs to be spread out over many small meals. 

No randomized research that has been replicated supports either myth above.  Protein right away or 3 hours later is about the same.   Consuming all of your protein in one meal (100+ grams) works as well as spreading it out over 4 meals.  The only way this wouldn’t work is if you’re trying to use collagen for protein, and here’s why collagen won’t work for protein.

One more protein myth is that steak is a good source.  It’s delicious, but steak is not a good source of protein.

Maximizing strength and muscle mass/tone is about being consistent, working out often enough and hard enough, and getting enough protein throughout the day.

What about glycogen?

If you only do intense training once a day your glycogen will take care of itself… assuming you’re not on a super low carb diet, which are less effective than low fat diets for fat loss, and not very healthy.

Glycogen is the stored form of carbohydrates in your muscles and liver.  You burn glycogen when you do hard things.  For example: walking burns very little leg muscle glycogen, but running and squatting gobble it up.  2-a-day athletes only have a few hours before their legs need to be able to run faster and jump higher than their peers, and that time crunch changes things for them. 

For you and I it’s different: even if you’d been doing a water fast for 24 hours your legs would still have their glycogen stores available because your legs don’t share their stored carbs with any other body part.

Bottom Line

So, What should I eat before and after my workout?

Forget majoring in minor things, and, instead, major in major things – showing up, calorie management, working hard, getting enough protein, getting enough steps.

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