Eating after exercise?

[4ever]

If you''re exercising to loose weight, what, if anything, is best to eat after exersizing?

My partner is adamant that because exercising speeds up your matabolism or makes your body use alot of energy, anything you eat after exersize "dosn''t count" because you body won''t process it properly and absorbe all the calories out of it, it will all just come out the other end. So his theory is that you can eat anything you want after exersize and it won''t add to your daily intake of calories and you will still loose weight.

I disagree and think this will just lead to him consuming as many calories after his workout as he expends during it, resulting in no weightloss.

My theory is, if you do not eat after exercising your body will resort to burning fat to get the energy it needs, resulting in weightloss rather than getting it from your food. If I absolutly have to eat after exersize than I would think a lean protien like skinless chicken would be the way to go.

So who is right? Or are we both wrong? What should you eat or avoid eating after exersize to loose weight?

 

[annadragon]

I don''t know what kind of workout or diet you engage in but this link might be helpful for you both:

Post-workout nutrition

 

[BeachRunner]

Here is a great link that answers your question.

 

[4ever]

I don''t feel like either of those links answered my question, which is what is best to, or not to, eat after exersize for weight loss specifically. Should you definatly eat after exersize even if you arn''t hungy? Is my partner just replacing all the calories he has used up by exersizing?

If you could relate this information to weightloss it would be more helpful, I''m sorry if I''m just being a bit dense and don''t see the connection.

 

[pinki]

You definitely want to eat something small but high protein. In order to lose weight you want to build muscle...muscle needs protein. Not giving it the proteins it needs to build itself is not going to get you where you want to be! Also make sure you drink a lot of water to keep your muscles hydrated.

Don''t go overboard like your partner suggests. You''re body really only needs a little boost to help build the muscle. My trainer and nutritionist both recommend something as simple as a glass of milk. I usually have 8oz of milk with Carnation Breakfast mix (no sugar added version) because it gives your body nutrients and protein. I work out in the morning so it''s also my breakfast and then I have a Greek Yogurt. Greek yogurt has double the protein regular yogurt has. This keeps me full until noon!

They''ve also recommended having a slice of toast with peaunut butter, a string cheese, 1/2c. cottage cheese, or anything else small but high in protein like that.

Building muscle is the best thing you can do...but don''t let the scale discourage you. Muscle weighs more than fat, so make sure you take measurements instead of weighing yourself. Of course weight will come off eventually but when you only go by the scale you can get discouraged. If you go by measurements you will learn that while your weight might not go down...or GASP even go up...that your measurements will go down. At one point I gained 4 lbs, but lost 8" off my body.

 

[BeachRunner]

Date: 2/12/2010 9:03:14 AM
Author: pinki
You definitely want to eat something small but high protein. In order to lose weight you want to build muscle...muscle needs protein. Not giving it the proteins it needs to build itself is not going to get you where you want to be! Also make sure you drink a lot of water to keep your muscles hydrated.

Don''t go overboard like your partner suggests. You''re body really only needs a little boost to help build the muscle. My trainer and nutritionist both recommend something as simple as a glass of milk. I usually have 8oz of milk with Carnation Breakfast mix (no sugar added version) because it gives your body nutrients and protein. I work out in the morning so it''s also my breakfast and then I have a Greek Yogurt. Greek yogurt has double the protein regular yogurt has. This keeps me full until noon!

They''ve also recommended having a slice of toast with peaunut butter, a string cheese, 1/2c. cottage cheese, or anything else small but high in protein like that.

Building muscle is the best thing you can do...but don''t let the scale discourage you. Muscle weighs more than fat, so make sure you take measurements instead of weighing yourself. Of course weight will come off eventually but when you only go by the scale you can get discouraged. If you go by measurements you will learn that while your weight might not go down...or GASP even go up...that your measurements will go down. At one point I gained 4 lbs, but lost 8'' off my body.

Yes. The more muscle you have, the more calories you''ll burn.

Let''s see, to answer your question about weight loss and eating:

I''m not even sure there is an exact science on how much you need to eat before/after exercise. Eat what you need to complete a substantial workout. Eat what you need to refuel your body. (I guess the article I posted gives you tips on WHAT to eat to maximize your ultimate goal).

I''m a firm believer of eating every few hours to keep my blood sugar levels stable. After a workout, I feel myself getting hungry, and I know it''s time to eat again.

To answer your specific question regarding your partner and not being hungry after a workout: If you aren''t hungry, don''t eat. Listen to your body.

I''m sorry if I can''t give you a definate answer to your question.

What I eat before a workout: something high in protein for sustainable energy. After a workout: regular lunch or dinner. I can''t eat a lot before working out

 

[dragonfly411]

4ever - let me see if I can help. First... your partner is WRONG. Any calorie intake is going to count. Yes working out boosts your metabolism... but it doesn''t eradicate the food you are taking in

trust me, in my perfect world, I could eat a giant bowl of ice cream and some pizza right after working out and nothing would ever happen. But reality is reality.

You have to look at eating in a whole new way with working out and weight loss, and to have a healthy outlook, you should always look at it in this new way. What is this new way? Your food is your fuel. It is what gives your body energy to do the things you want to do. It is not comfort... it doesn''t settle your emotion... it is not there for you to indulge after every workout. It is there to fuel your body. If you don''t get the right kinds of fuel, you won''t feel as well, you won''t have as much energy, and yes in some cases you will gain weight (or if you don''t get enough you will lose too much weight).

I DO suggest taking in some kind of food after a hard work out, simply because your body needs to RE-fuel. That doesn''t mean you get to go grab a triple fudge brownie and a venti mochafrappawhattadoodie at Starbucks. I normally try to get a small portion of complex carbohydrates after a hard workout. Fruit, a nutritious granola bar, some steel cut oats with cinnamon and a tiny bit of milk. Your body needs those to be able to rebuild it''s energy stores, and boost up that metabolism more. Pizza does not count as complex carbs... even with vegetables

lol.

Here are my greatest recommendations... check out Self Magazine... check out a book called Healing Foods.. and tell your Partner no no no no no. It''s not just the calories by the way... it''s the carbohydrates...the sugars....the fat content...... it goes SO FAR beyond just calories.

 

[elrohwen]

A lot of people who exercise find that they don't lose any weight. The reason is that they think they can eat whatever they want after exercising and end up taking all of the calories back in. Think about it - how long do you work out? How many calories are you really burning? It's pretty standard to only burn 200-300 calories during a workout and one snack could completely replace those calories.

I would eat exactly the same after exercising as you would if you hadn't exercised at all. It's easy to sabotage a diet and exercise plan by falling into the "I can eat anything I want after I work out" trap.

 

[BeachRunner]

ETA: If you are really trying to lose weight, diet is more important than exercise. While exercise will give you added benefits; lower bp, lower cholesterol, being more fit, etc. diet is more important with weight loss.

Like other posters said, you have to totally restructure the way you think of food.

 

[LabRatPhD]

Ditto the posters who said a small high-protein snack is good after exercising. I work out with a personal trainer 2x a week and he stresses the importance of a small carb-rich snack pre-workout (a small sweet potato) and something protein-rich afterwards (I eat a cup of greek yogurt or a protein bar). I think this helps with weight loss and you don''t feel as sore after an intense workout!

 

[megumic]

From what I understand, it is important to have a small protein/carb snack within 30 minutes post-exercise b/c that is the time period during which your muscles are repairing themselves and w/o that quick boost, your muscles do not complete the process as successfully. I usually go for toast or banana with PB, some milk, etc. I also think it''s important to have a little something about 30 minutes before the workout too - like crackers, some apple sauce, something with just a little bit of carbs. Not eating and working out is far less beneficial than the small snack to keep your metabolism up and your body fueled.

 

[4ever]

Thanks everyone, this was very helpful.

BF belives that to loose weight you exersize and the food you eat plays a verry minimul role in weightloss. He won''t do weightwatchers or take my eating suggestions (no more damn softdrinks!) seriously because he thinks as long as he goes to the gym three times a week and does our 3 hours of wed cardio he will be healthy and loose weight. As much as I try to explain why food is so important he is very stubborn and thinks he is right, even though last time he lost alot of weight was by exersizing as he is now AND following a low GI diet.

 

[Erin]

I eat either a babybel cheese and dried cranberries or an 80 cal cup of yogurt and granola after I workout. It''s pretty important for muscle recovery.

 

[dragonfly411]

4ever - If I find a video that properly displays the damage done to the body by a bad diet... I''ll remember to forward to you so you can make your bf watch it.

 

[4ever]

Date: 2/15/2010 2:03:08 PM
Author: dragonfly411
4ever - If I find a video that properly displays the damage done to the body by a bad diet... I''ll remember to forward to you so you can make your bf watch it.

Thanks dragonfly.

I wouldn''t class his diet as "bad", most of he diet is pretty healthy, he just has picked up some bad eating habbits as well, like going for takeout if he dosn''t like what is for dinner at home, getting some chips and a coke when we go to the movies, buying a a pie or saugage for lunch if he forgets to pack food for work etc. I don''t think he sees it as havig much impact on his weight when I''m certain it does.

Thanks again for the advice everyone.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 2/14/2010 4:02:27 PM
Author: 4ever
Thanks everyone, this was very helpful.

BF belives that to loose weight you exersize and the food you eat plays a verry minimul role in weightloss. He won't do weightwatchers or take my eating suggestions (no more damn softdrinks!) seriously because he thinks as long as he goes to the gym three times a week and does our 3 hours of wed cardio he will be healthy and loose weight. As much as I try to explain why food is so important he is very stubborn and thinks he is right, even though last time he lost alot of weight was by exersizing as he is now AND following a low GI diet.

I think this is a guy thing. DH is always bugging me to exercise more to lose weight, but I keep explaining that working out moderately 30 minutes a day won't help me shed a pound unless I eat less. And if I eat less, I'll lose weight whether I exercise or not.

The only time exercise has aided in weight loss is when I was biking 35+ miles 3-4 times per week. That's about 2-3 hours on a bike and 1000+ calories. Just working out 30-60 minutes, especially if it's not super intense, really isn't helping weight loss, especially if you're snacking afterwards.

And as much as I believe the research about having high protein snacks after working out or whatever, I also don't think they're necessary for everyone. In the biking community, it's a general rule that you don't need to eat on a bike ride unless you are going out for an hour or more (estimate 500 calories burned per hour). Relying too much on snacking after a moderate workout is just replacing the calories you so recently worked off (and I think we, as a culture, rely far too much on snacks and we try to justify them).

 

[BeachRunner]

Date: 2/16/2010 11:44:41 AM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 2/14/2010 4:02:27 PM
Author: 4ever
Thanks everyone, this was very helpful.

BF belives that to loose weight you exersize and the food you eat plays a verry minimul role in weightloss. He won''t do weightwatchers or take my eating suggestions (no more damn softdrinks!) seriously because he thinks as long as he goes to the gym three times a week and does our 3 hours of wed cardio he will be healthy and loose weight. As much as I try to explain why food is so important he is very stubborn and thinks he is right, even though last time he lost alot of weight was by exersizing as he is now AND following a low GI diet.

I think this is a guy thing. DH is always bugging me to exercise more to lose weight, but I keep explaining that working out moderately 30 minutes a day won''t help me shed a pound unless I eat less. And if I eat less, I''ll lose weight whether I exercise or not.

The only time exercise has aided in weight loss is when I was biking 35+ miles 3-4 times per week. That''s about 2-3 hours on a bike and 1000+ calories. Just working out 30-60 minutes, especially if it''s not super intense, really isn''t helping weight loss, especially if you''re snacking afterwards.

And as much as I believe the research about having high protein snacks after working out or whatever, I also don''t think they''re necessary for everyone. In the biking community, it''s a general rule that you don''t need to eat on a bike ride unless you are going out for an hour or more (estimate 500 calories burned per hour). Relying too much on snacking after a moderate workout is just replacing the calories you so recently worked off (and I think we, as a culture, rely far too much on snacks and we try to justify them).

This is also true in the runner''s world. One is suppose to begin supplements after 1 hr of running; drink 6-8oz per hour, and refuel as you need it.

Only after an hour does your body begin burning stored fat.

ETA: Lately, when I''m running longer than an hour, I''m OK with no nutriants or water, as I''m not sweating because it''s not that hot and I''m not losing a lot of water through sweat.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 2/16/2010 11:49:48 AM
Author: BeachRunner
This is also true in the runner''s world. One is suppose to begin supplements after 1 hr of running; drink 6-8oz per hour, and refuel as you need it.

Only after an hour does your body begin burning stored fat.

ETA: Lately, when I''m running longer than an hour, I''m OK with no nutriants or water, as I''m not sweating because it''s not that hot and I''m not losing a lot of water through sweat.

Interesting! I''m glad to see there''s agreement on that. For biking I tend to bring one water bottle per 30-45min, but then it''s far easier to bring water on a bike than when you''re running (and easier to drink without stopping). I also don''t bring gatorade unless I''m going out for longer than 30 minutes and even then I''ll bring one bottle of water and one of half-strength gatorade.

I think far too many regular gym goers spend 30 minutes on an elliptical and use that to justify a 150 calorie snack since they were "exercising" and it''s "good for you". I think people also tend to drink sports drinks because they feel they need them after 30 minutes of light to moderate work, but, once again, it''s just replacing calories you burned and regular water is just fine.

 

[tlh]

I drink a glass of chocolate milk after my long runs. Protein and a fair amount of sugar.

 

[BeachRunner]

Upon researching something else, I found this article and it reminded me of this thread.

Article is entitled: Eating and Exercise: Time it right to maximize your workout.