Post-Workout

[healthyAbby]

Hi all. So I started my Whole30 yesterday, and I was wondering what I should have as a post workout snack... yesterday I just had olives because I hadn't really thought it through and was then so hungry until lunchtime. Today I had 2 HB eggs, some olives, and a cucumber, and I'm noticing that I am a lot more satisfied this way.. Is that too much food?

 

thanks  

[Beth Christie]

Heyo! The eggs are perfect, but I'd ix-nay the olives----- after a workout you want your body to keep burning the fat you've already got, and adding the fat from the olives just means your body has to work off that fat before it gets to the good stuff.

 

Lean protein is the way to go after a workout! 

[Chris74]

I would look up the concepts for  EPOC, the after burn, it doesn't really make a difference.  Same at the 100 calories that are burned on the eliptical.  It seems the real benefit of high intensity/Progressive workouts are the mitochondrial biogenesis.  More... bigger... cellular engines!  I say progressive bc adaptation is the key.  It has to get heavier, faster every time to elicit the changes you want which I imagine are changes in body compositions.

 

Protein and carbs after the workout but if the "fat" in a couple olives in your post workout snack is going to make or break you body composition changes than I'm guessing your 6% body fat?     And even then the concept of Calories in equals Calories out would have to be true, which is isn't and going further thinking dietary fat is the same thing as adipose or visceral fat which it isn't.

 

 

 

[healthyAbby]

Ok. Thanks for the advice about EPOC... that actually makes sense. In Monday I was running around whilst trying to eat my olives so my body probably didn't even register them.

[missmary]

The reasoning behind limiting fat post-workout is not because your body won't burn your own fat if there is fat being digested. Fat slows down digestion in general, so limiting fat post-workout will allow protein and carbs to enter your system more quickly. True, for most individuals the impact on body composition will be subtle, but you may find that a post-workout snack of lean protein and carbs (little fat) helps with recovery.

[Chris74]

I have some confounding ideas on this..After a bout of exercise your muscles will be more insulin sensitive.  That's great, that's what we want.  Here's the case for the off limit Whey protein bc it's a quick injection of protein and thus protein synthesis gets going, amino acid sythensis, all the good things we want for adding muscle.  If we instead go right for a meal of protein and carbs, this would move much slower than the whey and with the carbs would come a  decrease in insulin sensitivity, not something you'd want at that point?  this is more of a long, maybe even too micro to concern for the average person type of thing.  

[Guest Annie B]

I personally have found the lean protein / carb combo to be best for me after a workout. On and off the whole30 program. With the concept of not having a 'snack' between meals, I am either trying to workout closer to a mealtime, or on days when I have exercised particularly rigorously I will have that protein/carb recovery.

An option: 2-3 tbs of gelatin in water, and a small amount of fruit. Or that HB egg, or broth for protein.  When I am not on whole30, I have a high quality whey, or amino acid supplement.

[Vian]

The way I understand it is that for about 15-30 minutes after a workout, your muscles are extra receptive to taking up protein to start repairing themselves. Also, they've probably expended their glycogen stores and those receptors are open to being refilled with sugars. That's why you eat lean protein (so digestion isn't slowed down by fat and the protein can get to the muscles within the 15-30 minute window)  and carbs to replenish the glycogen stores.

[Chris74]

From Ori Hofmekler: First off, after training your muscle becomes temporarily insulin resistant. That's due to tissue micro-injuries which impair the mechanism that utilizes glucose in your muscle. Putting a high glycemic fuel in your muscle right after exercise will jeopardize energy utilization and disrupt your insulin sensitivity. High glycemic fuel includes all kinds of sugars, dried fruits and refined flour.

One of the biggest misconceptions is the idea that an insulin spike is necessary for boosting protein synthesis in the muscle. The truth is quite different. The real factor is not insulin spike but rather insulin sensitivity.

It has been proven that as long as insulin sensitivity is high, even low (fasting) insulin levels along with amino acids will be sufficient to trigger mTOR/AKT – the cellular pathway that deposits protein in the muscle towards repair and growth.

Overly spiking insulin with simple carbs immediately after exercise impairs insulin sensitivity and diminishes your capacity to sustain a healthy metabolism and a lean, strong physique.