Whole30-ish meals while working out?

[4evrsvd]

Hello!

So I've tried to think about what I wanted to say without being redundant with all the other posts on here (not sure if I'll accomplish that). Some background...

I've done the whole30 twice and loved it both times. It's a lot of work, but worth it. I currently eat a Whole30-ish diet.

I enjoy working out, but have not for most of my life.  I did a 5x5 routine last year for a couple of months that I really liked where I woke up, ate a hard-boiled egg, worked out, ate some tuna/sweet potato PWO, then had a normal breakfast within an hour. I'd like to start working out again using the same program, but will probably eat breakfast beforehand and then go workout within an hour. My purpose is to gain some muscle, but mainly to stay fit (I lay around currently).

As I peruse the world-wide-web for input and incite into eating healthy while working out I get pretty confused (especially when it gets to eating to "bulk up"). I'm not a doctor or nutritionist so I tend to believe those that are, (or at least those that spout off the scientific benefits of certain foods and when to eat them). Maybe I'm gullible.

So my question(s) are...being on a whole30-ish diet, what do whole30's "forbidden foods" do to your body while working out? Like grain, legumes, gluten, dairy, etc. I see recipes that look/sound fantastic for breakfast (or for other meals), but I don't know what they'll do to me physically/scientifically. Say for example, oatmeal for breakfast with milk, or tuna with whole-grain crackers and other flavors for a PWO. Would I be hindering my goals by eating differently? Do non-whole30 foods aid in muscle growth such as dairy, oatmeal, peanut butter, etc. or is there a better alternative? Would almond milk provide better nutrients than dairy and crushed/ground nuts be better than oatmeal?

Sorry if this is confusing or going around in circles. It kinda feels that way in my head right now.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and any insight or advice that you may give.

God bless!

[SugarcubeOD]

Okay you have some pretty specific questions here that are outside the realm of the forum such as to non whole30 foods aid in muscle growth... you'll want to do some research on each of the things you might want to include and see what the weightlifting community suggests... that said, we don't offer advice on how to manage what you eat after Whole30... the point of the reintroductions is that you determine how each individual item you might want to add back in affects you personally.

The recommendation for protein and fat for pre workout and lean protein and starchy carb for post workout is not just for Whole30 tho so if you decide that you want to have tuna and crackers, that might work... oatmeal and milk would be fat and carbs so not the ideal as far as the recommendation but if it works for you, then that's great... you'd just need to do some self experimentation when you're done your Whole30 and see what suits you best

[kirkor]

For tried-and-true bodybuilding diet advice that also aligns with Whole30, look in to Vince Gironda's steak & eggs diet.

[4evrsvd]

Wow, where has the time gone.....

Thank you for your replies!

Yeah, I figured it was pretty detail. I just get confused, (my fault probably), with all the info out there. Like, for instance, when someone says to not eat peanuts before a workout, but in the same sentence say that peanut butter with your smoothie/oatmeal/whatever is ok? That doesn't make sense to me. Or eating fruit beforehand (like a banana - apparently it's God's gift to mankind) is ok, but I've read on here to not eat fruit beforehand.

I've read on here too that eating the right things before a wo signals glucagon. I like knowing that stuff. So for me, I'm like, sweet! I'll do it! Maybe it's just me, but it seems all the bodybuilding/healthy sites vary in their content.

What sites would you recommend I start looking at for that kind of advice?

Thanks for your time!

[SugarcubeOD]

2 hours ago, 4evrsvd said:

Wow, where has the time gone.....

Thank you for your replies!

Yeah, I figured it was pretty detail. I just get confused, (my fault probably), with all the info out there. Like, for instance, when someone says to not eat peanuts before a workout, but in the same sentence say that peanut butter with your smoothie/oatmeal/whatever is ok? That doesn't make sense to me. Or eating fruit beforehand (like a banana - apparently it's God's gift to mankind) is ok, but I've read on here to not eat fruit beforehand.

I've read on here too that eating the right things before a wo signals glucagon. I like knowing that stuff. So for me, I'm like, sweet! I'll do it! Maybe it's just me, but it seems all the bodybuilding/healthy sites vary in their content.

What sites would you recommend I start looking at for that kind of advice?

Thanks for your time!

Yes, you will find a lot of conflicting information out there... the food sciences are like that... there's a study bought and paid for by a benefitting party for almost anything you can look up and then you can find a bunch of them that conflict eachother.

I don't know what the peanut/peanut butter thing is... if you break it down, peanut butter is a fatty carb (it's a legume, not a nut).  Banana is a fructose heavy carb... So if you want to stay in the Whole30 pre and post workout recommendations of fat and protein for pre and lean protein and carb for after, then you just break it down.  Banana is not ideal because it gives your body fast fuel for energizing your workouts and if you want to burn fat, then you need to make the body work for it.

Eating before a workout signals your body that food is incoming so that it feels safe to let go of fat and energy - that said, some people swear by working out fasted... that's just a matter of preference.

I would take a look at the workout discussions on Mark's Daily Apple and maybe have a go looking through LiveStrong... You'll find that every principle doesn't line up from site to site and program to program but those are some good places to get started.  I would personally stay away from 'bodybuilding' websites because they seem to prioritize 'gainz' and bulk/shred etc... over actual full body health and wellbeing, but every once in a while you see a good article come out of one of those websites   

[4evrsvd]

Yeah, that peanut butter thing was probably just a rant.

Thank you for taking the time to listen/read. I do appreciate your help.

One last thing, maybe....Correct me if I'm wrong, but what it sounds like is, once I start reintroducing foods and monitoring how I react to them, that will pretty much determine if it's "good" for me or not? I mean, even those two websites you mentioned differ on, say, grains. But if I reintroduce oatmeal, for instance, and it doesn't effect me then I can enjoy the health benefits of oatmeal without having to worry about the negative side effects that it can have? Obviously there's a limit to that. I mean, I could do that for everything, but in the end, sugar is sugar. 

But is that what it comes down to? Determining on whether or not those food groups effect me and if so, how they do and how much I partake in them? And if nothing effects me thennnn......everything is...ok for me? Maybe not "healthy", but not necessarily bad for me?

Man, this whole information age is too much.

Thanks again.

[SugarcubeOD]

55 minutes ago, 4evrsvd said:

Yeah, that peanut butter thing was probably just a rant.

Thank you for taking the time to listen/read. I do appreciate your help.

One last thing, maybe....Correct me if I'm wrong, but what it sounds like is, once I start reintroducing foods and monitoring how I react to them, that will pretty much determine if it's "good" for me or not? I mean, even those two websites you mentioned differ on, say, grains. But if I reintroduce oatmeal, for instance, and it doesn't effect me then I can enjoy the health benefits of oatmeal without having to worry about the negative side effects that it can have? Obviously there's a limit to that. I mean, I could do that for everything, but in the end, sugar is sugar. 

But is that what it comes down to? Determining on whether or not those food groups effect me and if so, how they do and how much I partake in them? And if nothing effects me thennnn......everything is...ok for me? Maybe not "healthy", but not necessarily bad for me?

Man, this whole information age is too much.

Thanks again.

Yep, you got it!  I wouldn't trade grains and oatmeal for veggies but if you found no ill effects to you personally then you work out how to fit them in should you want them.  Make sure to be always checking back in with yourself... grains may not give you a stomach ache but you may find they cause later-on fatigue or make you hungry faster etc... it's an ongoing, always happening experiment of one, but you've definitely got it down!