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Pre/Post-Workout Meal Suggestions?


malie

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4 minutes ago, Jecca said:

I actually have the same question as melodyf. I workout right after work(4-5pm) and then I do have a bit of drive time(around 30mins) home so I'm looking for an easier post wo snack that I can keep with me and will be okay sitting out for about 1.5-2 hours. I know I'm repeating the same question but I'm new and just want to make sure I'm doing the post wo snack correctly so I apologize in advance :)

 

Any lean protein and starchy carbs will be fine sitting out... chicken and sweet potato is the usual go to... easy to eat on the move and it'll be fine out of the fridge for a while... remember when you were a kid in school and you had your lunch in your desk or locker from morning till lunch?  Ya, food lasts :)

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17 minutes ago, SugarcubeOD said:

Any lean protein and starchy carbs will be fine sitting out... chicken and sweet potato is the usual go to... easy to eat on the move and it'll be fine out of the fridge for a while... remember when you were a kid in school and you had your lunch in your desk or locker from morning till lunch?  Ya, food lasts :)

Great advice, I didn't even think about that. Thank you so much!! 

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  • 2 months later...
On 2/25/2014 at 6:19 AM, missmary said:

 

The recommendation for pre-workout is fat and protien, no carbs, so skip the banana at breakfast for sure. Post-workout you should have carbs and protein (no fat) so the sweet potato is fine, but add some real lean protein like chicken breast instead of an egg or almonds.

How is chicken "leaner," than an egg? What if it is just the egg white (although that seems to be a no-no around here)? 

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13 minutes ago, emilyelowe said:

How is chicken "leaner," than an egg? What if it is just the egg white (although that seems to be a no-no around here)? 

Egg white is a no-no for eating as protein in a template meal, but the egg white is lean protein for post workout... the yolk is too fatty for post workout which slows down the absorption of the protein into your muscles.

Some people eat the yolk for their pre workout and the white for their post so that they're not wasting food.

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Thank you, @SugarcubeOD! I used to only have HB egg whites Post-WO but I felt like people kept questioning why I wasn't eating the whole egg, so I started eating the whole egg. Dang! I've been eating a whole HB egg post-WO for weeks! This is kind of a relief, though, as I don't actually LIKE HB yolks. Haha! :)

Mods - could you give me some feedback on this plan?

5:30 a.m. Pre-WO: Spoon of Cashew butter.

(I see above this isn't ideal, but it seems to be the easiest way to get something higher in fat content in my body in the car and I tolerate butters better than whole nuts and I think It Starts With Food rates cashews as the best nuts and I promise not to eat it off a spoon at any other time :))

7/7:15 a.m. Post-WO: HB egg white only

8/8:15 Meal #1: white or sweet potatoes, peppers, 2-3 whole fried eggs, sometimes half an avocado.

Question: Do I need the avocado if also having 2-3 whole eggs? Based on this post, I'm wondering if the yolks count as fat...

Context: I'm 4'11'' and about 105/110 pounds. My workouts are primarily heavy lifting and very little cardio, if any (thus no carbs in Post-WO). 

I'm actually done with my Whole30 and almost done with reintroduction but I'm a creature of habit in the morning, so this has been pretty consistent for some time. I am excited to see if I make some more gains cutting out the pre-WO fat!

Thank you!

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16 minutes ago, emilyelowe said:

Thank you, @SugarcubeOD! I used to only have HB egg whites Post-WO but I felt like people kept questioning why I wasn't eating the whole egg, so I started eating the whole egg. Dang! I've been eating a whole HB egg post-WO for weeks! This is kind of a relief, though, as I don't actually LIKE HB yolks. Haha! :) Not the end of the world, but ideally you wouldn't have fat :)

Mods - could you give me some feedback on this plan?

5:30 a.m. Pre-WO: Spoon of Cashew butter. Okay but not awesome to eat nuts/butters daily... see if you can find something else... guacamole, mayo on chicken etc...

(I see above this isn't ideal, but it seems to be the easiest way to get something higher in fat content in my body in the car and I tolerate butters better than whole nuts and I think It Starts With Food rates cashews as the best nuts and I promise not to eat it off a spoon at any other time :))

7/7:15 a.m. Post-WO: HB egg white onlyOkay.

8/8:15 Meal #1: white or sweet potatoes, peppers, 2-3 whole fried eggs, sometimes half an avocado. quite lacking in non starchy veggies unless you're eating 2-3 cups?

Question: Do I need the avocado if also having 2-3 whole eggs? Based on this post, I'm wondering if the yolks count as fat... Yes, you still need the avo... yolks are too fatty for post workout but are not sufficient fat for a template meal.

Context: I'm 4'11'' and about 105/110 pounds. My workouts are primarily heavy lifting and very little cardio, if any (thus no carbs in Post-WO). 

I'm actually done with my Whole30 and almost done with reintroduction but I'm a creature of habit in the morning, so this has been pretty consistent for some time. I am excited to see if I make some more gains cutting out the pre-WO fat!

Thank you!

 

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Thanks, @SugarcubeOD

I like guac with eggs, so maybe a HB egg with guac before my WO too. That just means I'll be eating like 5 eggs a day. I love eggs, so I'm OK with that, but am never sure if it's actually OK. 

You're right about the non-starchy veg at breakfast. I'm never sure how to balance that in any meal since the template just says "vegetables." Should I treat starchy veg like fruit - 1-2 fists per day?

Maybe I'll add some leafy greens to breakfast since they cook down so easy. I don't think I could eat 2 cups of peppers! I'm already pretty full with what I've outlined above. 

Thanks for the feedback! 

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2 minutes ago, emilyelowe said:

Thanks, @SugarcubeOD

I like guac with eggs, so maybe a HB egg with guac before my WO too. That just means I'll be eating like 5 eggs a day. I love eggs, so I'm OK with that, but am never sure if it's actually OK. 

You're right about the non-starchy veg at breakfast. I'm never sure how to balance that in any meal since the template just says "vegetables." Should I treat starchy veg like fruit - 1-2 fists per day?

Maybe I'll add some leafy greens to breakfast since they cook down so easy. I don't think I could eat 2 cups of peppers! I'm already pretty full with what I've outlined above. 

Thanks for the feedback! 

Nothing wrong with 5 eggs a day... we had someone last year do an entire full Whole30 with just eggs as the protein... hardcore!

Starchy veg are recommended to be a fist sized serving at least once a day.  If you're an athlete, particularly active, a woman near her period (week leading up to and of), a person with tendancy toward low mood and mood disorders, you would probably do better eating more... if you're sedentary, very overweight, we don't recommend starchy carbs for the after workout, but I would still stick to the minimum one serving a day. ( I don't think you're sedentary or overweight given the context of the post, but other people may come along and read this so we try and give complete info)

I could NOT eat two cups of peppers.... but I do saute greens, green beans, mushrooms and sometimes micro greens to have with my eggs in the am... super delicious and getting those veggies in there! 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Is post workout meal really necessary? My first meal is generally around 7:30am.. second around 1pm, and then I go to the gym at 6:30. On my way to the gym I eat 2 hard boiled eggs. Immediately after the gym I go home and prepare dinner. (or meal 3).

 

Is this okay? I would rather not lug around another meal for post workout, and i am not trying to make any muscle gains. I am just trying to lose weight.

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11 hours ago, SLHorowitz86 said:

Is post workout meal really necessary? My first meal is generally around 7:30am.. second around 1pm, and then I go to the gym at 6:30. On my way to the gym I eat 2 hard boiled eggs. Immediately after the gym I go home and prepare dinner. (or meal 3).

 

Is this okay? I would rather not lug around another meal for post workout, and i am not trying to make any muscle gains. I am just trying to lose weight.

Could be okay -- you'll have to monitor your performance, energy, mood, etc.  If all is looking good, then ya, keep up what you're doing.  The pre- and postWO meals recs are partially because even for those people who don't work out, Whole30 can lead to consuming less calories than usual, due to the elimination of so many processed calorie-dense convenience foods, and this problem becomes exacerbated when workouts are added to the mix because of the increased energy demands.  So the W30 staff wants to keep people from crashing and burning.

Actively *trying* to lose weight isn't necessarily part of the official W30, it just is sometimes a side effect for people.  But given that's your focus, and if you are doing cardio as opposed to lifting weights, then ya, a postWO meal is even less necessary.

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13 hours ago, kirkor said:

Could be okay -- you'll have to monitor your performance, energy, mood, etc.  If all is looking good, then ya, keep up what you're doing.  The pre- and postWO meals recs are partially because even for those people who don't work out, Whole30 can lead to consuming less calories than usual, due to the elimination of so many processed calorie-dense convenience foods, and this problem becomes exacerbated when workouts are added to the mix because of the increased energy demands.  So the W30 staff wants to keep people from crashing and burning.

Actively *trying* to lose weight isn't necessarily part of the official W30, it just is sometimes a side effect for people.  But given that's your focus, and if you are doing cardio as opposed to lifting weights, then ya, a postWO meal is even less necessary.

hmmm... i mean i do cross fit.... so some days are more cardio intense than others depending on the WOD. I will play by ear and if i am dying i will add a post WO. Thanks for the response!

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8 minutes ago, Julia D. G. Portela said:

I am used to drink vegan whey protein as my post workout and amino as my pre workout. I have no ideas about these two. Please help. I tried nuts but i didn't feel good. For post workout I judt had egg whites with ghee but I am sure I will not get used to just that! I need ideas, help!!! 

Hey there - I've merged your thread with a popular one on this same topic as it's been discussed at length on this forum.  Please feel free to google 'whole30 pre and post workout recommendations' to get more threads with information.  

Protein Shakes: Almost Always No

Almost all protein powders (like whey, casein, soy, or pea) contain off-limit ingredients. Besides, anything you can get from protein powder (except maybe chemical extractives, added sweeteners and strange-sounding isolates) you can get from whole foods during your Whole30. In addition, formulated and processed meal-replacement shakes like Shakeology or Visalus are always off-limits. These products don’t even come close to our definition of real, whole food—and they’re packed with off-plan ingredients like pea protein and stevia.

However, protein powder from approved ingredients like 100% egg white are allowed on the Whole30, provided they contain no sweeteners. As always, though, liquid food is still not encouraged. Got it?

Tip: We want you to spend a month learning to appreciate real food, how it tastes, the work it takes to prepare, and how it works in your body. You can have your shaker cup back in 30 days; for now, focus on starchy veggies and lean protein after a workout. Hard-boiled eggs, compliant deli meat, smoked salmon, or tuna are easy, portable protein sources to take with you to the gym.

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  • 4 months later...
On 1/24/2014 at 3:42 AM, missmary said:

I'm posting again, since it seems there were a bunch of unanswered questions on this thread. 

 

PRE-WORKOUT, you want a small portion of protein and fat. minimal carbs, because the goal here is just to signal to the body that it is ok to start burning fat, not give the body easy carbs that it will use instead. When you start to become more flexible in what energy you use for exercise (the body fat vs. carbs you just ate) you will find endurance and performance improve dramatically, even if you don't need to use fat/lose weight. This recommendation is for everyone.

 

POST-WORKOUT, you want a larger portion (1/2 palm to a palm) of protein, and optionally something carby (and glucose filled), like sweet potato, and minimal fat. This is intended to restore muscle glycogen and build new tissue in the window right after your workout when muscles are primed and particularly receptive to taking it up. This helps recovery as well. As Tom mentioned, if you feel good with just protein, that's ok. Glycogen will get restored as the day goes on and you eat your meals, but some people feel A LOT better if they get a hit of carbs right then. Rule of thumb would be: if you are trying to lose weight and feel good without post-WO carbs, then skip them. If you are trying to maintain or gain weight/and or you need carbs post-WO to feel good, then eat those. Always eat the protein.

 

oh and the reason for low fat postWO is to get these foods digested as quickly as possible. Fat slows digestion, which is usually good, but not in this case.

Is this also true for an after work/before dinner workout? I do 40 minutes of water aerobics after work. 

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50 minutes ago, SLMitch said:

Is this also true for an after work/before dinner workout? I do 40 minutes of water aerobics after work. 

You may or may not need a pre-WO -- if you aren't hungry, if you've eaten in the last two or three hours, you can skip it.

Post-WO, have at least a few bites of lean protein soon after the workout, and then have dinner. If you're eating a serving or more of starchy vegetables each day with meals, you may not need starchy vegetables post-WO, but if over time you find you're just not recovering from your workouts well, you can try adding some.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi everyone! I'm on my first Whole30 and one week in, but I'm realizing that I might have been doing the pre & post workout nutrition wrong. I know you've answered a lot of these questions already, but I'm still a bit confused on 2 points: 

1) Is a post-workout NECESSARY if I'll be eating a meal within 60 minutes after workout? Especially if I'm not necessarily that hungry after?

(for context: I typically do circuit training with weights that lasts 30-45 mins 3-4 times a week. I wear a heart rate monitor and I typically am working in the 60-75%HRM for the duration of the workout. I also like to train first thing in the morning and I've now started doing just a quick scoop of unflavoured BCCAs with lemon in water 15 minutes before my workout) 

2) Are whole eggs bad as a post-workout meal? I typically like to have some sweet potato hash with 2-3 eggs scrambled with veggies (like asparagus and leeks). From what I've read it's a bit confusing. That I'm suppose to keep my immediate PWO meal low fat, but then 30 minutes later I can have a normal meal with eggs and fat? If I choose not to do the immediate PWO meal, is it okay to go straight to my typical breakfast of eggs 60 minutes post workout? 

My goal on Whole 30 is to balance my hormones (suffering from PCOS) and cut some weight. Would love any insight you guys can offer around pre & post-workout best practices. 

Thanks so much,

Sarah

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@sar-bea post workout is not meant to be replaced by your next meal in cases where you have depleted yourself. It's up to you but your best results won't cone from under-eating. 

While eggs would not be recommended for post workout due to the fat in the yolk.

All that said though: these are best practice recommendations. If you want whole eggs and sweet potato, go for it. Chances are you're just a regular person exercising for health, not to tweak and uber-optimize your performance. Don't get lost in the details. The one caution though is not to short change yourself on food after a depleting workout.

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22 hours ago, ladyshanny said:

@sar-bea post workout is not meant to be replaced by your next meal in cases where you have depleted yourself. It's up to you but your best results won't cone from under-eating. 

While eggs would not be recommended for post workout due to the fat in the yolk.

All that said though: these are best practice recommendations. If you want whole eggs and sweet potato, go for it. Chances are you're just a regular person exercising for health, not to tweak and uber-optimize your performance. Don't get lost in the details. The one caution though is not to short change yourself on food after a depleting workout.

Thank you! What's the best way to know if I'm eating enough? Especially carbs? 

I typically try to follow the recommended whole30 plate (mostly veg and palm sized protein with some fare) plus gauge my hunger cues but I don't have a huge appetite on my whole30 so far. How should I know if I'm getting enough? 

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3 minutes ago, sar-bea said:

Thank you! What's the best way to know if I'm eating enough? Especially carbs? 

I typically try to follow the recommended whole30 plate (mostly veg and palm sized protein with some fare) plus gauge my hunger cues but I don't have a huge appetite on my whole30 so far. How should I know if I'm getting enough? 

It'll be based on how you feel. Your mood, energy, sleep, performance in the gym. If any/all of that starts to tank, you probably need more. If you're feeling great and working hard and not hating life, you're probably fine. :)

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7 minutes ago, ladyshanny said:

It'll be based on how you feel. Your mood, energy, sleep, performance in the gym. If any/all of that starts to tank, you probably need more. If you're feeling great and working hard and not hating life, you're probably fine. :)

Wonderful! Thanks so much! 

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Not sure if this has been covered, mostly because there is a LOT to sift through here and I'm short on time, BUT... 
Suggestions for a post workout meal that is easily eaten cold? 
Today I had potatoes and hard boiled eggs, which is fine but cold potatoes do not taste all that great and I find myself just forcing myself to eat because I'm supposed to, which I feel like is not in the spirit of the program. 

Also, what should I eat instead of eggs, because apparently they're not a good source for post workout... Again, something cold...

Thank you! 

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28 minutes ago, MrsKennel said:

Not sure if this has been covered, mostly because there is a LOT to sift through here and I'm short on time, BUT... 
Suggestions for a post workout meal that is easily eaten cold? 
Today I had potatoes and hard boiled eggs, which is fine but cold potatoes do not taste all that great and I find myself just forcing myself to eat because I'm supposed to, which I feel like is not in the spirit of the program. 

Also, what should I eat instead of eggs, because apparently they're not a good source for post workout... Again, something cold...

Thank you! 

Leftover chicken breast, leftover meatloaf/meatballs, pork roast slices.  Cold sweet potato is better than cold potato in my opinion... but take them out before you go to the gym and keep them in your car/locker/kitchen wherever for the hour or so you workout.... they should get room temperature which is better than cold too :)

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I'm doing the same as others  and jumping on to this thread.  My workouts are good, it's the post I need some guidance with. I totally got the glycogen window when I was running and riding for hours. Now I do way, way less--2 hours of easy trail running max, but mostly classes during the winter. Classes are mostly strengthening classes.  I was fine doing a 5-6 class then eating dinner in the 7:00 hour, but this weekend when I ran around noon I never recovered--I felt awful, needed a nap then was still tired all night.  When do I need a post workout snack and when not?

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I’m a newbie whole30’r on day 1. I’m sure this is covered somewhere!

I’m also training for a half marathon and about to go on a run. Pre and post meals are confusing me.  I am going to have dinner about an hour after 5 mile run. Do i really need that much food after? 

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