Eating post-workout

So I read this article yesterday (I couldn't find it again today, but I'll keep looking) that said for better weightloss you shouldn't eat immediately after you workout. The reasoning behind this is that your body releases a fat burning hormone that works on burning your body's fat storage. So when you eat immediately after you work out you create a spike in the body's blood sugar and prevents fat burn. So you should wait at least an hour before eating anything after working out.. and I kinda agree with this, but I don't really know any better.

Plus I always notice I never feel like eating after I work out, but I read articles that say you should eat within 15 minutes after working out. But I don't feel hungry and it just doesn't feel right to be eating. What every happened to just eating when you feel like it... listen to your body??

I read something about working out being a way to deal with binge hunger. Apparently, research says that after you work out, you are not hungry for up to three hours. But I think that eating protein right after a workout is how people try to build muscle. Either way, I don't think that the time of calorie consumption really matters, only the amount. Whether you eat before a workout or after, what really matters is that you don't over eat.

I always try to consume protein right away to give my body the fuel to build more muscle - I don't want it to burn muscle to compensate for the calories I just burned!

One thing I've noticed is protein keeps me really satiated and so a couple scoops of protein powder in a cup of milk will keep me not hungry for hours, which is nice, and gives lots of protein (50g+) to rebuild the muscle I just destroyed in my workout.

Where did you read that? Be careful not all sources of info are reliable. It is best to eat 0-60 minutes after you exercise. Best for recovery at least. Eat both a source of protein and carbs. I usually have a piece fruit and 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese about 30 minutes after i finish working out. Or a banana with a tablespoon or two of peanut butter.

I like to have a protein smoothie within an hour of finishing up my workouts, and for sure when doing weights.  Seems to work pretty well

Well maybe the article was wrong

Hey Jenn,

I'm going to a registered dietician right now who tells me that the body's metabolism is HIGHLY elevated an hour after finishing a workout.  She says it's really important to eat a balanced snack or meal (depending on time of day) in this hour timeframe in order to to refuel (bring blood sugar back up), and to encourage muscle repair.  Of course it also depends what you're doing, so for my heavy lifting days I make my snack/meal more high in protein.. For cardio days I opt for a little less protein, maybe a little more complex carb.  But regardless you should eat within that hour to maximize your revved up metabolism.

In fact, she told me that if you were to take your normal workout (say.. an hour on your bike) and break it into two separate workouts (half hour in a.m and half hour p.m), then even that would be advantageous bc you would benefit from that metabolism rate burst TWICE per day not just once. 

Hope this helps!  --Dana

I like to eat 1/2 cup or so of granola after I shower, so that would be 30-ish minutes after I work out.  But if you're not hungry, then your body probably doesn't need food then.  Or, if you feel like you must eat something even though you haven't got much of an appetite, a glass of soymilk or a small handful of almonds might do the trick.

well I will definitely go with your guys' advise. Thanks so much everyone!