The Perfect Post-Workout Food For Fat Loss

I am writing this post in response to a reader question. Follow the article and check out how can your questions become my next topic.

"I am a regular visitor of your site and find your posts incredible. It would be really great if you could give me some guidance on post work out meals. I am 25 yrs old. My height is 5 ft 5 inches and I weigh 67 kg. I wish to lose fat and have a lean body. I generally do weight training and some cardio, and I work out in the evenings. Will be glad to hear it from you. Thanks."
Toto

Hi Toto. I am honored to have your comment on the blog. Thank you so much for that. Frankly, I meet this question everyday as my clients in the gym and my readers frequently ask me about the post-workout food. Okay, here are the most important matters to consider about post-workout food and fat loss-
It is utterly crucial that you eat something within a maximum of an hour after training. 30 minutes would be better. Number of reasons is there for that, the most important one is that leaving post-workout fuel too long will result in very poor muscle repair and increased fat storage. I think you definitely don't want that!

That being said, it's not a matter of just grabbing whatever takes your fancy or is most convenient on the way home/back to the office. The way in which you re-fuel yourself post-exercise can play a huge part in your overall ability to detoxify cortisol (the fat-storing stress hormone, which is released through exercise) and manage insulin and therefore existing body fat. Take my suggestion-

1. Protein

Every meal should have some animal protein. Regardless of whether or not you're looking to burn fat. But let's say that you're only eating protein for 2 or 3 of your meals. Whatever you do, make sure your post-workout meal includes some! This is the best time to have some organic grass-fed whey protein. I don't recommend drinking whey protein except after training, as it is a high-insulin protein. The good news is that a serve of even the best whey still saves you some $$$ as compared to buying your typical take-out 'healthy' lunch, and a shake leaves the stomach quite quickly which is why it is of great benefit after exercise. Toto, you weigh 67 kg, which is roughly 147 pounds. Coach Poliquin (creator of the Bio-Signature method, and my ultimate nutritional guru) recommends 1 gram of protein for every 5 pounds body weight, so you'd need 30 grams of whey. If you were to eat solid food instead, this would equate to about 150 grams of meat.

2. Carbs

No. Not if you want to lose weight. Green vegetables, berries, raw nuts and seeds are all excellent sources of carbohydrate for fat loss, but not post-workout. You can have it in your next solid meal.

3. Glycine

Glycine is an extremely vital post-workout supplement. It's recommended that you start with just 2 grams in your shake, 3 the next time, and so on, up to a maximum of 20 grams. According to the coach, this helps your body lower cortisol faster, which will in turn ensure that you don't store extra body fat. The build-up is in order to assist your liver with detoxification rather than overload it.

4. Glutamine

Of all the amino acids, glutamine is for sure one of the most important to weight loss. After training, glutamine helps balance your hormonal profile without elevating insulin, and that's definitely a good thing. Glutamine is particularly useful for curbing sweet cravings, and is known for its advantages to the digestive and immune systems as well as muscle repair. Typically a 200-pound person should take 10 grams as a least amount in their post-workout shake (keep in mind that if you do choose not to use a shake, you can still take glutamine and glycine in water), and may choose to take further doses throughout the day if boosting lean muscle mass is a priority. What I do? I use 5-10 grams with a meal, 3 times each day.

Another thing I would like to say here. Training at night is not ideal. This is because exercise elevates cortisol, and can therefore disrupt your sleep patterns. It's far more advantageous to your health, your energy, and your weight, to train when your body is naturally releasing cortisol in preparation for the day. If you have no choice other than an evening workouts then try to use the right nutrients to drop cortisol right away after training.

Toto, I think you got your answers and I wish this post comes useful to you. Thanks again for your question and I am happy to use that in a post.

Check out my blog Body Incredible for fat loss, nutrition and for motivational tips. And if you'd like to learn what it really takes to be in exceptional shape as a busy woman, visit Woman Incredible

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