What should I eat before and after weight lifting? And how do I time these meals!
Question: What should I eat before and after weight lifting!? And how do I time these meals!?
I'm a female who's been weight lifting for awhile and would like to optimize my results!. I'm also trying to lose about 10 pounds of fat!.
My question: I was wondering about how to time my meals and what to eat for optimum results!.
I'm not a fan of protein shakes, but I'm open to suggestions for how to make these taste better!. I only have chocolate protein mix!.
Thanks!Www@Answer-Health@Com
My question: I was wondering about how to time my meals and what to eat for optimum results!.
I'm not a fan of protein shakes, but I'm open to suggestions for how to make these taste better!. I only have chocolate protein mix!.
Thanks!Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
It never fails to amaze me how people can recommend precise amounts of food to be eaten!. How much and when will depend entirely on what, how much and when you are already eating!. If your workout is timed right then you don't need to eat anything special before!. Your digestion is perfectly well adapted to exercising, the problem with eating directly before working out is that your body will not digest food in the stomach during the workout and if you exercise as hard as you need to in order to build muscle there is a risk that you will throw it back up!.
That said, during the workout ideally you want your body to have access to the food it needs so that it doesn't go catabolic and attempt to metabolise your muscle mass for food!. As a woman you can't afford to risk that happening becuase it's so hard for you to gain it in the first place!. You can make sure that doesn't happen by either taking some simple sugars just before you work out - glucose drink for example or by eating more complex carbs an hour or so before!.
Obviously you don't want excess sugar in your blood because you want your body to start to metabolise your fat reserves and not to have the unused sugar turned to fat once you've finished working out!. But rather than tell you exact quantities, watch your weight and fat levels and adjust what and when you eat to suit!.
After the workout, you want to have protein available so the protein shake in water is the easiest and fastest route because it will digest very quickly and be immediately available for the muscle repair and rebuild process!. Again you don't want excess, and you need to be very careful to avoid the mass gainer shakes which contain sugars - just plain whey is what you need!. I don't know of any way to make them taste better, but I'm not sure that isn't a good thing, because you don't want to get the taste for them!.
Get that shake in as soon as possible after the workout!. Watch out for a sugar crash from the earlier sugars, you may want to eat another meal containing some complex/simple carbs and protein (pasta and chicken for example) within a couple of hours after the workout to give your body a slower digesting source of nutrition for the rebuild process!.
But again, monitor your fat levels and adjust as you need to!. This is really an individual thing, you can't give precise nutritional advice except to an individual!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
That said, during the workout ideally you want your body to have access to the food it needs so that it doesn't go catabolic and attempt to metabolise your muscle mass for food!. As a woman you can't afford to risk that happening becuase it's so hard for you to gain it in the first place!. You can make sure that doesn't happen by either taking some simple sugars just before you work out - glucose drink for example or by eating more complex carbs an hour or so before!.
Obviously you don't want excess sugar in your blood because you want your body to start to metabolise your fat reserves and not to have the unused sugar turned to fat once you've finished working out!. But rather than tell you exact quantities, watch your weight and fat levels and adjust what and when you eat to suit!.
After the workout, you want to have protein available so the protein shake in water is the easiest and fastest route because it will digest very quickly and be immediately available for the muscle repair and rebuild process!. Again you don't want excess, and you need to be very careful to avoid the mass gainer shakes which contain sugars - just plain whey is what you need!. I don't know of any way to make them taste better, but I'm not sure that isn't a good thing, because you don't want to get the taste for them!.
Get that shake in as soon as possible after the workout!. Watch out for a sugar crash from the earlier sugars, you may want to eat another meal containing some complex/simple carbs and protein (pasta and chicken for example) within a couple of hours after the workout to give your body a slower digesting source of nutrition for the rebuild process!.
But again, monitor your fat levels and adjust as you need to!. This is really an individual thing, you can't give precise nutritional advice except to an individual!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
You need some complex carbs two hours before working out!. A whole wheat bagel is good!. At least wait an hour between when you finish eating and beginning your workout!. Blood is going to your muscles and doesn't need to be pulled to digestion!. Whey protein is best within an hour after working out!. You can get this in shakes!. Also consume some lean meat!. Www@Answer-Health@Com
muscle milk, the powder that u mix with water, not the premade crap is greatfor after, its a meal replacement, and not just protein, and it tastes good too!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
you want 20-40grams of slow carbs and 20 grams of protein 30 mins before your workout and 40grams of protein and 40-100grams of fast carbs immediately after wardsWww@Answer-Health@Com