Post-Workout Nutrition

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Post-Workout Nutrition

Postby Orca » Sun Nov 18, 2012 12:28 am

Lani,
I am new to Dr. McDougall's program - I just purchased his book The Starch Solution and am about a quarter of the way through. I just read the chapter on protein and how we don't need as much as we are made to believe. Great! However, I now have some questions about protein requirements after weight lifting. I do moderate weight lifting 2-3 times a week in addition to other types of exercise classes. If lifting weights rips muscle tissue and then the body rebuilds it stronger, I would assume that I would need some amount of protein after lifting weights to allow the muscles to heal. Continuing this thought with the fact that protein doesn't stick around in our bodies long, this would have to be consumed relatively quickly after a workout. Do I need to be concerned with a protein intake after lifting weights? If yes, what would you recommend for a post-workout snack that still fits in with Dr. McDougall's program? Right now I am making an 8oz protein shake using soy milk and soy protein powder then adding in some fruit like bananas or berries. The total protein for that shake is approximately 23g. Thanks!
- Orca
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Re: Post-Workout Nutrition

Postby Orca » Sun Nov 18, 2012 8:22 am

So I just read the chapter about soy supplements and will now work that OUT of my diet. Now I am totally lost on what I should eat after weight lifting to make sure my muscles heal properly and grow.
- Orca
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Re: Post-Workout Nutrition

Postby Lani Muelrath » Mon Nov 19, 2012 11:32 am

Orca wrote:Lani,
I am new to Dr. McDougall's program - I just purchased his book The Starch Solution and am about a quarter of the way through. I just read the chapter on protein and how we don't need as much as we are made to believe. Great! However, I now have some questions about protein requirements after weight lifting. I do moderate weight lifting 2-3 times a week in addition to other types of exercise classes. If lifting weights rips muscle tissue and then the body rebuilds it stronger, I would assume that I would need some amount of protein after lifting weights to allow the muscles to heal. Continuing this thought with the fact that protein doesn't stick around in our bodies long, this would have to be consumed relatively quickly after a workout. Do I need to be concerned with a protein intake after lifting weights? If yes, what would you recommend for a post-workout snack that still fits in with Dr. McDougall's program? Right now I am making an 8oz protein shake using soy milk and soy protein powder then adding in some fruit like bananas or berries. The total protein for that shake is approximately 23g. Thanks!


Hey Orca,

Whether cardio or resistance training, a good recommendation is to, for starters, replenish carbohydrate stores within an hour - preferably 30 to 45 minutes - after working out. I call this the 'carbohydrate window' because it is during this time that your body is most interested in restocking muscle fuel supplies, creating a solid energy bank for your next bout.

Replenishing with protein as a building block is also important, yet this can be done with real foods such as beans and grains and eating a variety of foods according to hunger signals. Stepped up activity means stepped up calorie requirements. According to Julieanna Hever, RD, The Plant-based Dietitian:

As an athlete you don't need extra protein or different ratios of carbs, proteins, and fats. Eating enough calories from high-quality, whole plant foods naturally provides what your body requires. - Julieanna Hever, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition.


Hope this helps!

Lani
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Re: Post-Workout Nutrition

Postby Orca » Tue Nov 20, 2012 12:08 am

That does help, thank you! I'll look through some of the McDougall recipes for ideas but I think quinoa would be a great option for being a whole grain with protein and it can easily made sweet to go with berries or banana.
- Orca
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Re: Post-Workout Nutrition

Postby Lani Muelrath » Tue Nov 20, 2012 9:03 am

Orca wrote:That does help, thank you! I'll look through some of the McDougall recipes for ideas but I think quinoa would be a great option for being a whole grain with protein and it can easily made sweet to go with berries or banana.


Orca,

Great idea. Quinoa also cooks up so fast. Have you tried the red? It's my fave, a little nuttier and sweeter. So perty, too!

Lani
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Re: Post-Workout Nutrition

Postby stoumi » Mon Nov 26, 2012 12:00 pm

I have been using a lifting program for 5 weeks now and had similar questions I have been bouncing off another McD forum user. Following this way of eating and getting support from the weight lifting forum I subscribed to was night and day when it comes to the information I was receiving. Wanting NOT to supplement I have settled on quinoa (with or without black beans) as my post work out meal. I get home just a bit before dinner time and as Lani said, quinoa can cook up rather quickly
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Re: Post-Workout Nutrition

Postby BlueLotus » Tue Nov 26, 2013 2:12 am

When you gain lot of weight there are more possibilities of getting more health problems. I am against of taking protein powders such chemical things to put on weight. I heard that more weight causes obesity, snoring issues, cholesterol etc. http://www.snoringaidspro.com helps to get rid of snoring.
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Re: Post-Workout Nutrition

Postby KensCircus » Tue Nov 26, 2013 7:09 am

I would say that Sammy doesn't look very protein deficient.
http://www.theplanteater.com/2013/06/19/a-crossfitter-breaking-the-paleo-mold-sammy-ray-foxworth/

To the question, "What about protein powders?" He says, "I don’t use them. They’re processed and your body doesn’t assimilate processed foods very well. When you take in such concentrated amounts of protein, your body has a hard time with it. Get it from the plants, where it comes with the nutrients that will help you digest and absorb it."

As side note; I used to consume a small amount of egg whites about once a week due to not reading labels thoroughly enough. :mad: After cutting that product out, with no other changes, I noticed an increase in muscle mass, strength and definition, among several other improvements. It appears to me that extra protein is more a detriment than a benefit.

Ken
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Nothing in life is more freeing, enabling or successful than the belief; “I Can.”
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Re: Post-Workout Nutrition

Postby Lani Muelrath » Tue Nov 26, 2013 8:39 am

KensCircus wrote:I would say that Sammy doesn't look very protein deficient.
http://www.theplanteater.com/2013/06/19/a-crossfitter-breaking-the-paleo-mold-sammy-ray-foxworth/

To the question, "What about protein powders?" He says, "I don’t use them. They’re processed and your body doesn’t assimilate processed foods very well. When you take in such concentrated amounts of protein, your body has a hard time with it. Get it from the plants, where it comes with the nutrients that will help you digest and absorb it."

As side note; I used to consume a small amount of egg whites about once a week due to not reading labels thoroughly enough. :mad: After cutting that product out, with no other changes, I noticed an increase in muscle mass, strength and definition, among several other improvements. It appears to me that extra protein is more a detriment than a benefit.

Ken


Thanks Ken!

You say:
...They’re processed and your body doesn’t assimilate processed foods very well. When you take in such concentrated amounts of protein, your body has a hard time with it. Get it from the plants, where it comes with the nutrients that will help you digest and absorb it."


Right on - stick with the WHOLE food - isolating nutrients means they lose their friends - nutrients work together to do the job. I appreciate your contribution.

Lani
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Re: Post-Workout Nutrition

Postby Joseph65 » Tue Nov 26, 2013 12:51 pm

In my opinion there is no need for anything special for a post workout meal and no critical time in which to eat it if you're a lifter. Now if you're a runner it's a different story. As lifters we don't have to worry about replenishing depleted glycogen stores. We are primarily working the ATP cycle. Since the body heals the stress of lifting over a period of 48 to 72 hours there is also nothing critical about the timing of post workout meals nor their protein content. I do miss the anabolic kick that milk provides, but my heart doesn't miss the saturated fat.
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