Jennmari Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Hi all I've completed my Whole 30 and feel really good, but I have a few questions about workouts and post-workout food. I'm an avid mountain biker and during the Whole 30 I decided to cut back on my endurance workouts substantially to focus on healthy nutrition. I found this to lessen my carby/sugar cravings and allow my body some much needed rest. I didn't worry much about post-workout food because all my workouts were easy and short. As I add back in my bike rides I am noticing poor recovery after workouts and trouble sleeping. I've been skipping the post-workout meal because I still have stubborn weight to lose. I worry that eating more food will inhibit weight loss, so I'm hesitant to eat after. And it's also a struggle for me to get in real food in that small window of time that I should be eating it. So, my questions are these: 1. Will eating after that workout make me less likely to lose weight? (I didn't lose any weight during my Whole 30 though I was hoping to!) 2. If I do eat, and don't have quick access to real food, would a whey protein shake be an okay option that would not inhibit my weight-loss goals? As an athletic individual it feels really frustrating to exercise so much and still look chunky... Thanks in advance for any advice!! J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted August 13, 2013 Moderators Share Posted August 13, 2013 The meal template guidelines really are your friend: http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf Eating three meals per day plus pre- and post-workout meals really is the best thing you can do for yourself. Restricting calories, especially around workouts is a recipe for slowing your metabolism and getting your hormones off track. The fact that you developed sleep problems is a sign that you hormonal rhythms are off track. The best way to get them on track is to eat properly. Weight loss is not a simple equation of calories in/calories out. What you eat and when you eat is critically important. I know this is contrary to intuition and popular opinion, but if you trust the process/meal template, you will find it works. Whey protein shakes are a second-rate choice if you want to lose weight. Protein shakes set you up for overeating because liquid food digests faster, thus inhibiting satiety, and goes down fast, inviting over-eating. Carry a pop-top can of tuna packed in water and eat that with a bottle of water after a workout. You will be ahead of the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juice06870 Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 You should definitely have a post work out meal as soon as you can after you have finished your workout. If you have just worked your muscles out for a period of time and broken them down, it is critical that you feed them something to aid in your recovery. As the book mentions, just eat a small serving of lean protein...and once in a while perhaps add in some complex carbs such as a whole or half a sweet potato. Otherwise you are going down a road of unhealthy weight loss which will not be sustainable in the long term and sooner or later you will start to feel the ill-effects of improperly refueling your body for recovery. Think of it as if you owned a really nice sports car, if you never fill up the gas tank, or lubricate the engine parts, eventually it's going to perform below what it was designed to do. Your body is the same way, it's really a perfect machine and if you neglect the nutrition aspect of your exercise plan, you are going to be taking 2 steps back for every step forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennmari Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 Thank you so much for the replies Reading them made me realize how much that "eat less, exercise more" weight loss mentality has infested my thinking. I guess now I just need to work on trusting that the program will work. And considering that for the last 5+ years restricting calories and exercising a ton hasn't worked, you would think I would be more ready to try something different! I probably just need to be a little more patient with the weight loss Thanks for talking some sense into me! J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris74 Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 lose fat, not weight.... someone sticky this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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