PWO Meal

[Chirunner24]

On the program it says to make sure to eat an extra meal post workout.  However, I workout before dinner.  I usually find that I'm a bit hungrier for this meal, so I eat according to my hunger level.  Given, that my workouts are usually pretty heavy, will I run into any trouble meeting all of my nutritional needs by combining my dinner and post workout meal?  I'm also a nursing mom, so my nutritional needs are perhaps higher than average.  Any ideas?  Thanks!

[kirkor]

How long before dinner?

[missmary]

There are two reasons to do a post-workout meal instead of relying on dinner:

 

1. If dinner is not within 30 minutes of your workout, you missed the optimal window for muscle-building protein.

2. If dinner contains fat (as it should), that fat slows the digestion of needed protein further.

 

It would be ideal to take in some lean protein right away, especially if your workout is strenuous strength training. Feel free to eat your regular dinner as soon after this as you wish.

[Chirunner24]

Usually my workout ends I mmediately before dinner (5-30 minutes). My workout is usually a strength training session, a heavy duty spin class or a run lasting at least 45 minutes but as long as 75 minutes. Most often it's a run.

So are you saying that I should eat my PWO protein and carbs and then a separate and additional dinner later? If so, how much later should my dinner be. I usually eat between 6-7pm because I go to bed at 9. Thank you for your input. I'm on day 2 and some of this feels a bit foreign to me.

[ultrarunnergirl]

Sometimes I eat my dinner right after a workout, but make sure it is lean protein and sweet potatoes (or other carb heavy veggie). Then I wait until a little while after dinner and eat my fat (olives, usually).

[GLC1968]

I often workout after work and before dinner as well.  I'm not sure it is optimal, but I will typically snack on cold, salted chicken breast or hard boiled egg whites (no yolks) immediately after my workout while I'm prepping dinner.  Then I eat a normal dinner (usually ends up about 45 minutes post workout, sometimes an hour depending on what I'm making).  I'm still plenty hungry for it and I do feel like I gave my body some needed protein (minus the fat) in the window.  I may have to try using tuna, as well.

 

Though, unless my runs are hard, I don't worry about a PWO meal after running....just after weight lifting or intervals or something that leaves me feeling depleted.  Regular runs don't do that to me unless they are longer than about 90 minutes because I intentionally run at a lower intensity.

[kirkor]

The post-workout "window" isn't as tiny as it's often made out to be. I think arbitrarily making 2 meals instead of 1 within a couple hours of the workout is "majoring in the minors" and won't make an appreciable difference in your longterm fitness.

[Chirunner24]

Thanks for the responses!  I appreciate it.  I will probably eliminate the PWO meal unless its a heavy workout.  I like the idea of just postponing eating my fat until after dinner.  I think that will work.  I have my meals prepped and ready to go, so dinner is usually ready within a matter of minutes of me finishing my workout.  However, its only day 4 and I'm finding that the importance of the Pre-WO meal trumps all else!