If my workout isn't considered 'high intensity' do I still need pre and post workout meals?

[Naghum 'Nia' Alfulaij]

So I'm on day 3 of Whole 30 and I'm having a bit of a hard time. I am hungry between meals, mostly between lunch and dinner but today its before lunch.

I workout fasted every morning and have meal 1 about 30mins after my workout. I recently noticed the food template with pre- and postworkout meals and was wondering if they were necessary for me since I dont really consider my workout high-intensity.

My workout is the hybrid Les Mills Combat and Pump DVDs (beachbody DVDs) so I lift about 3xs a week and cardio 3xs a week. After doing insanity it just doesn't feel like a high intensity workout (even though they are challenging) so I'm not sure the pre-and post workout meals are necessary.

I was thinking of adding a preworkout meal since the plan says to eat an hour within waking up but making my post workout meal my 1st meal. If so, should I cut out fats or should I follow the template with both pre and post workout meals?

I do want to do this right so please...HELP!

Thanks in advance!

-Nia

[Susan W]

It sounds like you could use a pre workout snack. A hardboiled egg would be perfect. Pre should be protein and fat so feel free to dip your egg in homemade mayo. I WO at 11 with a hard core trainer 3 days a week and eat breakfast at 7ish so I always do the HB egg in mayo on those days.

Post should be lean protein and starchy veg with no fat. The lean protein should be right after your WO. When I need one, I have either tuna or sardines packed in water. I usually have lunch an hour or two later so I typically add butternut squash or sweet potato to that meal.

Maybe experiment a little to see what works for you. It took me a while to come up with the right balance.

[Naghum 'Nia' Alfulaij]

Thanks Susan!

I'll start with the HB egg tomorrow and see how I feel!

[Naghum 'Nia' Alfulaij]

So I followed your advice and had a boiled egg before the workout which was fine.

I also had 2 scrambled eggs with spinach, a side of leafy greens and sweet potato hash about 30-40 mins post workout. I am counting this as my meal 1 since my workouts aren't very intense.

Since its my post-workout I didn't add any fat (extra avocado/nut butter) and find myself starving 3.5-4 hours later.

Where I need clarification:

Is the coconut oil I use to cook the eggs and sweet potato too much fat for post workout? & should I add more fat in my next two meals? And lastly, are eggs considered a good enough protein post workout or should it be something closer to tuna or chicken breast?

Thanks!

[Susan W]

Pre and post WO meals are in addition to your other meals. Muscles really want protein with no fat to recover. If you could manage to eat lean protein right away, that would be good.

[Charleen Hess]

This is so helpful!

[ErinD83]

I've been having a hard-boiled egg pre-workout (I do weight training and HIIT at 5 am most days), but sometimes I feel almost nauseous. I used to work out fasted so I probably just need to get used to eating right before I work out. After I train, I eat ground turkey or a chicken breast with sweet potato. I then have a mid-morning snack that includes protein, a bit of fat and veggies. I wasn't having this mid-morning snack before and was feeling terrible. It really does make a difference.

[Robin Strathdee]

That looks good, Erin, but instead of a mid morning snack, you should consider following up your post wo food with an actual meal 1. I think that would serve you better overall.

[Naghum 'Nia' Alfulaij]

So I've readjusted my eating habits and am eating a HB egg pre-workout, chicken breast and yams post workout and then my meal 1 an hour or 2 after that (What Robin said) and I'm feeling SO MUCH better overall. It pushes me to start my work day a little later but its not too bad.

Erin, I also used to workout fasted for a good 4-5months before starting W30. I was feeling nauseous when I first started having the HB egg for my pre-workout but found that warming it up for about 20s in the microwave made it much better/easier to handle (I don't know why because I have no problem with eating cold HB eggs in salads).

Hope this helps! Otherwise you can always try a different source of protein. Maybe poached chicken? With some home made mayo.

-Nia

[ErinD83]

Thanks. I have gotten used to the hardboiled egg pre-workout and am feeling a lot better during my training. I have also added a mid-morning meal instead of a snack. I have so much more energy now! I think I'm starting to get to the "tiger blood" stage! haha

[bi0nicw0man]

I struggled with getting this right throughout my Whole30. Never did nail it.

I workout after work so the timing was so hard to work with.

Meal 1 at 8:30am, Meal 2 @1:00pm, Pre-workout snack around 4:45pm and at the gym by 5:15pm, Post workout snack right after gym around 6:30, then Meal 3 by 7:30. It can work but man did I feel like I was cramming a lot of food into those 3 hours at the end of my day...and with taking any down time to shower and relax after the gym sometimes with cooking dinner I wasn't eating until more like 8pm, which just sets me up for a bad sleep.

I never had a fueling issue pre-W30 but that's because I never worried about post-workout fat. I just came home from the gym and ate whatever dinner I had planned. Trying to stick to the 'rules' really through me off.