ExRx.net

Let's discuss. What do you eat before, during and after?

As I may have mentioned before, I've been cutting down my carbs to see if I can get 'freaky' ripped. I still load up on carbs 1-2 hours before training though so I've got energy for my workout. I tried once to train without loading up on carbs beforehand and it SUCKED. Felt weak, dizzy and grumpy.

Post-workout I would usually have a shake that has between 30 and 50 grams of both carbs and protein. If I don't have any protein powder then I'll drink a quart of whole milk.

I don't drink anything except water during the workout. I know some people drink a shake during their workout but I reckon that'd be awful! The shakes I drink are really thick and not exactly refreshing. Also if I've already had a solid meal with loads of carbs and protein pre-workout, and I'm going to have a shake with loads of carbs/protein post-workout, is having a protein shake DURING the workout really going to help any?

So I'm interested to hear everyone's take on this, and I mean EVERYONE, not just the low-carbers

Let's see:

Pre-workout: Whatever won't make me puke during the workout. Generally, this means a smallish meal, either low-carb, moderate fat, high protein 2 hours before, or a similar meal plus a piece of fruit.

Peri-workout: 25g of protein mixed with 50g of dextrose and maltodextrin, plus some L-leucine and/or BCAAs (about 5g) plus 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp potassium - the last is my electrolyte mix.

If I'm in fat loss mode, I drop the protein and carbs and just have 10g of BCAAs plus 5g of creatine plus the L-leucine and the electrolyte mix.

Post-workout: Same as peri-workout, plus 5g of creatine. For fat loss, it's identical to the peri-workout drink.

Recently I've gone back to having a piece of fruit or a carb-heavy snack with the post-workout meal. We'll see in a month or so if that's good or bad for my body comp and performance. About 1 hour after I workout I have a big carb-and-protein meal, with some fat too, and then I eat again about an hour after that because I'm still hungry. Again, I'll re-evaluate regularly and adjust the amounts. My non-workout days are all low carb days, and my pre-workout meals on workout days are also low carb although I might add a little fruit if I feel like I need to.

My drinks are water-based, but sometimes I'll use green tea (especially if I'm trying to lose fat) or water plus some cold coffee (if I had leftover brewed coffee handy).

I don't concern myself too much about it anymore. In the past I've tried Biotest's Surge and ON's 2:1:1 which i started drinking on my way to the gym and then drinking while I'm there.

In all seriousness, if I am hungry before a training session, I'll stop and get some water and Twizzlers. That is no lie. I stopped getting them before every training session because I don't need the extra sugar.

I do try and grab at least 40 grams of protein with some simple carbs post training. This is when the 2:1:1 comes in real handy.

Oh, and I now eat lunch around 1:30 and lift around 4:30. I try and eat a huge lunch.

I'll first tell you what I used to do....

I would eat about 1-2 hours pre workout. This would be some kind of protein+veg+fishoil+multi vit based meal. During the week, whilst at work, I would have a bowl of veggies with a shake. At weekends I would have scrambled eggs plus veg. Then, I would have a Whey shake, about 60g, on the drive in to the gym. I would drink half of this on the way in then sip away at the rest during the workout (along with water). Post workout I would have a Whey plus carbs drink, 50g of each.

With the above I was making progress and stayed quite lean.

Now though, my schedule is all over the place. Very busy and very random i.e. tonight I will be training but I have no idea when. It could be from 10pm till 10:30 pm or it could be 7-8pm.

If I need to just train on the fly i.e. an appointment doesn't turn up so I decide to train, I either knock back a pint of milk or I get a shake from the gym. Pretty much anything to ensure that I won't get hungry DURING the workout (which happens from time to time).

During the workout i've not been having anything, not consistently anyway but occasionally i'll be sipping away at the shakes the gym stocks. I only take these when I can get them for free. I deffinitly prefer to get calories in during the workout.

Post workout I have a litre of full fat unhomogenised milk (GOLD TOP!), from Jersey Cows (jersey cows provide more fat!). I'm now addicted to Gold Top and crave it after my workouts. Infact on Friday my 8pm client actually brought me a Litre of it, which is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me

Occasionally, my peri workout nutrition has been this, recently...

2 quarter pounder plus a large strawberry milkshake. Lift 20-30 mins later. Water during the workout and a Gold Top straight after. This originally came out of desperation but I now think it could be 'optimal' (please, any newbies reading, note sarcasm).

So what i'm doing now is difficult to gauge. I try and eat every 2 hours right now but when in the gym doesn't always happen. As a result, I make sure I eat 'seomthing' every 2 hours and I always have Milk at hand to sip away at. So, if i'm between appointments in the gym, I nip into the fridge, down some milk, then get next app.

(the above plan has seen my bodyweight get to an all time high)

Not sure if that helps any but, that's what i've been doing. I do know that I NEED to eat quite close to a workout, otherwise, i'll get hungry during the workout. I prefer to have some kind of calorie source to sip away at but also need water to gulp. I need my Gold Top postworkout.

KPj

I did 6-7 weeks of low carb and it did work somewhat but I decided later to wait until my foundation was better, moved to full body like I've been told :) so going to work on squatting body weight and getting close to on bench, I want a 170k dead.

Anyway... wont ramble on about goals, point is im eating plenty and allowing carbs to be a little high at the moment.

Again to stress incase you missed it :) - I'm about 7 months experienced and only about 4 of those have been on anything like a decent program...

Pre:
Cheddar portions with 2 fruit

post:
Meat based salad
italian(i.e. herb/rosemary) ham or skinless chicken - iceburg/rocket/olives + O-oil/feta sometimes

Shakes I wouldnt class as being in pre/post but Im having about 2 a day now with milk just to throw in some random calories - as say at top I'm ok with the fat ive lost coming back as long as my lifts are going up and getting towards bodyweight.



lol me too - I only got a bottle two weeks ago and I had to hold back a massive smirk after I paid at the till and took a sip because I was shocked how much better it tasted than semi-skimmed/half fat.

If you drink Gold Top, then 'full fat' milk will taste like semi skimmed soon

Try and find milk which is "unhomogenised" - you'll know because it will say it on the label but it should be obvious because the milk isn't chalk white and the cream floats to the top. It should have some nice tastey lumps in there.

KPj

Yup it was the unhomogenised stuff :) very nice.

If you are trying to get freaky ripped, the most important thing is to lose weight. Management of your workout meal nutrition is pretty much a fine point and not the key lever which will affect getting freaky ripped. (Not that there is anything wrong with optimizing workout nutrition...it's just not the main causitave factor.)

I have to be careful as a newbie not to spout counter claims as if I have facts to back them up - I don't. But from what I can gather from the peop here

A: Lose fat, don't tell someone to drop 20lbs "weight" to get ripped
B: Pre/post meals are a significant portion of your diet (obviously... theres like 5 meals and these are two of them) - if you are on low carb and load up on carbs just before a workout - I'd have thought thats not a good idea.

Please correct me if my understanding of the general ethos is off - because this is my understanding so far.

Weird! What's that all about? Do you notice a drop in performance without it? Is it hard to stomach? I don't think I'd ever drink a shake during a workout because I couldn't stomach it, but BCAAs and things are something I've never really considered...

Hoose: Not sure if you meant it to be but that is hilarious! I can just imagine you eating twizzlers between sets on the bench.

KPj: Mmmm that gold top is delicious, the sainsburys next to my gym sells it but it usually sells out by the time i get there. Always makes me a little sad when I have to buy the normal stuff.

It seems like we're all agreed that you need protein and carbs post-workout, but it's interesting to see all the different ways we do it.

it's called carb cycling, a lot of people swear by it. I've been trying it the last couple of weeks, seems to be working but it's a bit early to tell

I thought that was still after the session rather than before? or is it literally on and off days? - I'll have a read anyway but thought I best reply to clarify.

I think it's a bit of both, this article explains it quite well

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_arti ... should_eat

If I'm losing weight I won't have carbs pre or post workout, after a month or so off them I don't notice any difference (as in not losing strength or feeling like I'm dying).

Now 2 of my workouts I have no carbs all day, and 2 I have carbs all day. This is allowing me to concentrate on specific workouts but over half my week is still no carb.

Doing it this way, I just go nuts on carb days. i.e

Breakfast: 3 slices of toast with philadelphia cheese and an omellete.
Pre workout: dextrose, whey, creatine, water.
Post workout: Same as pre.
Meals after: Whatever I can get my hands on, a massive sandwich or anything carby I crave eg pizza.


No carb days:

Breakfast: Protein shake with milk and an omelette
Pre workout: protein with water
Post: same as pre.
Meals after: sausages, eggs, chicken, beef, a lot of cheese etc.

A. Robert, you're absolutely right on this point. Losing weight is not the same as losing fat and losing weight should not be your goal.

B. Even on low carb, the post workout meal is the most important meal of the day. You can get by exercising on an empty stomach but you really need to replenish your protein after your workout to prevent muscle from being consumed. There are benfits from post workout carbs as well fur glycogen replacement which may or may not be important to you. Others have already addressed the carb cycling aspect.

ApolytonGP,
For what it's worth, getting "freaky ripped" is not possible without paying attention to the finer point like workout nutrition. The details count.