Post-Workout snack hampers weight loss!!?!!

Post-Workout Snack May Hamper Weight Loss

• HealthDay Reporter by Amanda Gardner
  healthday Reporter – 5 mins ago

 FRIDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Elite athletes are advised to "fill the tank" with an energy bar or sports drink soon after a workout.

 But for mere mortals -- folks who are simply trying to keep their weight in check or stave off heart disease -- adding calories right after burning them up could negate the benefits of the sweat, researchers say.

 "If people are going to go out and exercise to benefit their health, they should not be eating back the calories immediately upon finishing, or within a couple of hours of finishing," said Barry S. Braun, director of the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. "In order to maintain the benefits, you need to be in this calorie deficit."

 "Athletes are always advised to do exactly the opposite," he continued. "That's great for athletes, but for the other 99.9 percent of the world, that's probably the wrong thing."

 Braun is co-author of two papers appearing in the Journal of Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism and one paper published in the Journal of Applied Physiology that detail the findings.

Ten young, overweight men and women participated in each experiment.

For the first study, volunteers were asked to walk on a treadmill for an hour a day, burning about 500 calories each time. Half of the group were given a high-calorie carbohydrate drink immediately after their workout while the other half abstained.

Exercise increased insulin efficiency by 40 percent in those who did not eat afterwards. But the benefit was completely wiped out for those who had a high-carb drink after sweating.

 These results had the researchers wondering if the type of calorie would make any difference.

 For the second study, volunteers cycled for 75 minutes. Immediately after exercising, half of the participants ate a meal high in carbohydrates while the other half ate a meal low in carbohydrates but containing the same number of calories.

 The ability of insulin to clear sugar from the blood was greater among people who ate the low-carb meal, the researchers found.

 "It seems as though giving people back carbohydrates blunts or diminishes this exercise benefit," Braun said.

 The third study was all about timing. Participants were given identical meals before, immediately after or three hours after cycling for 75 minutes.

 The effectiveness of insulin was about the same no matter what the time, the study revealed.

 "That really didn't make a whole lot of difference, which surprised us," Braun stated. "What did seem to matter was whether you ate back calories, and whether those calories were mostly carbohydrates."

Due to laughing, I haven't actually read the entire post yet.

When I read, "Ten young, overweight men and women participated in each experiment," I wondered who Ten Young was and why he/she was singled out from the other men and women.

I haven't even started my beer yet.

Singled out?  I think the comma is the proper way to punctuate double adjectives.

Hello Amanda:

You make a good point here.  If readers are not exhausting their energy and not looking to increase the amount of muscle, then increasing carbs post workout should be done moderately.  And emphasizing on mostly low GI carbs is best.

For those of you who are exhausting body parts with heavy resistance training  to gain muscle, then higher GI, higher carb post workout meals will help repair and increase muscle size.  Carbs, insulin and protein work to restore glycogen and repair the damaged muscle fibers.  You can add resistance training to your workout without gaining muscle, because muscles don't get much bigger without some abuse and abundant protein.

In either case, you need to balance your energy needs with your calories.  However, whether you are gaining a little or loosing a little, the health benefits of good diet and exercise are great and you'll look better, regardless.

My dietician told me that the best thing for me to consume right after a workout was a glass of chocolate milk. Not a huge, 16 oz glass,  but rather a juice-sized treat. The whey protein helps build muscle, and the chocolate adds just enough sugar to stimulate your energy again.

Now, I'm lactose intolerant so milk is generally out of the question. In this case, she advised a cheese stick, preferably mozorella or low fat cheddar. It's not about replacing calories; it's about giving your body what it needs to become stronger.

that's good sound advice for weight loss.  That should be about 200 calories with carbs and protein, even though you may have burned 300 - 400 calories exercising.  To much degree, it is about calories (but also specific nutrients) and you can learn more by reading up on anabolic vs catabolic affects of your diet.

If you must eat right after a workout you should go for protein. An 8 oz glass of milk is the best way to go