Post Workout Nutrition:
Post workout nutrition is perhaps the most important meal of the day. The timing of it is very important as well. Delaying post workout nutrition by even 30 minutes can significantly reduce its benefits. It is important to consume both carbohydrates and protein as soon as possible after a workout.
Insulin Sensitivity:
After a workout, muscle sensitivity to insulin is greatly heightened. If post workout nutrition is delayed, the muscles can start to become resistant in as little as 30-45 minutes.
However, if post workout nutrition is taken immediately, sensitivity can be maintained for several hours afterwards. This goes hand in hand with glucose uptake & glycogen re-synthesis. Although high levels of insulin can trigger more fat storage, moderate levels to not impede fat oxidation due to an increased metabolic rate.
Protein Synthesis:
Protein Synthesis is greatly increased by immediate post workout nutrition. In fact, it can be increased immensely vs. a meal eaten 1-2 hours later. This is not only important for bulking, but also for maintaining muscle mass while cutting.
Glucose Uptake & Glycogen Synthesis:
This goes hand in hand with insulin sensitivity. Getting immediate post workout nutrition can increase glucose uptake by as much as 6 times compared to a meal eaten 1-2 hours later. Efficiently re-synthesizing glycogen will effect recovery, as well as the next day's workout performance.
Post-workout Nutrition Components:
As you can see, it is important that the nutrient get to the muscle cells as soon as possible. So obviously, we want fast absorbing & fast digesting nutrients. For this reason, liquid meals are ideal. Fast absorbing carbohydrates are also ideal.
Maltodextrin is probably the best source, as it is absorbed by the stomach faster than sucrose or dextrose. Whey is the ideal choice for a protein source. 1-2 grams of extra glutamine and BCAA's are also very beneficial. Aim to consume about 30 grams of protein, and 60-80 grams of carbohydrate, or .25 g/lb of protein, and .5 -.75 g/lb of carbohydrate.
Before Bed Nutrition:
While this is more important for building muscle, it is also important for a fat loss diet, as it will greatly help to reduce possible muscle loss. Pre-bed meals should be mostly protein, with a very small amount of carbohydrate, and possibly a very small amount of fat.
The protein source should be a mix of fast absorbing & slow absorbing protein. Whey powder mixed with casein and skim milk is perfect for a bedtime shake. This shake should be lower in overall calories than a post workout shake.
Eat More To Burn More:
When most people calculate their cutting diet, they subtract a certain amount from what they think is their maintenance level of calories. This is correct, however, choosing an arbitrary number as your 'maintenance level' can be a mistake.
The body's metabolic rate constantly changes. When you eat more, especially when those foods are ideal food choices & eaten at the right times, the body's metabolism greatly increases.
The body becomes more inefficient, and wastes more calories as heat with all of its metabolic processes. The thermic effect of food is also boosted. This is a large part of a fairly new concept known as the 'metabolic flux'.
This metabolic flux is discussed in many of Dr. John Berardi's books and articles. Eating a lot of low-calorie fruits and vegetables is a great way to boost this. By eating more, you burn more total calories, and more fat is burned as a result.
All Calories Are Not Equal:
You must eat fewer calories than you burn to lose weight. That is a basic rule. However, that little phrase, 'calories than you burn', is highly modifiable. Most people make the mistake of setting a fixed number as their 'maintenance' point, and counting all calories towards a set number that a bit below it.
As discussed before, when you eat more, you burn more total calories, largely to the metabolism becoming more inefficient. There is also an increased thermic effect of food. Not all foods are equal when it comes to this important concept. In fact, the difference between some types of calories is huge.
Most proteins have a very high thermogenic effect. Generally speaking, protein has a thermic effect of approximately 30%. This means that if you consume 1000 calories of protein, the body must burn 300 calories just to digest that. In an ideal case, those 1000 calories would then go to feed your muscle tissue, and you have burned an extra 300 calories.
Making Use Of Fruits & Vegetables:
Low-calorie fruits and vegetables such as citrus, watermelon, berries, carrots, etc. also have a very high thermogenic effect. In fact, some types may even cause the body to burn more calories in the digestion than the food itself contains! This is known as the "negative-calorie" effect.
There is a bit of controversy on this, but it really does not matter. Either way, many fruits & vegetables are highly thermogenic. Combine that with the concept of increasing metabolic flux (eat more to burn more), and you have an outstanding food to boost fat loss.
Fat Burns In A Carbohydrate Flame:
Carbohydrates are the fuel for fat burning performance. Having full glycogen stores also sends triggers that directly & indirectly result in greater fat oxidation. By eating more, and exercising more, you can burn more total fat.
So before you say to yourself, "My maintenance levels are 2853 calories per day," ask yourself how you can make your body burn more overall calories. You still need to eat less than you take in, and you still need to make regular adjustments. But you can increase your metabolic flux, or total calories taken in & burned in order to increase fat loss.
Eat frequent meals
Eat plenty of protein
Eat plenty of fruits & vegetables
Drink plenty of water
Increase your caloric intake, and increase the amount of exercise
A Quick Recap - Eat Frequent Meals:
Many of the benefits of this have already been covered. Eat meals every 2-3 hours. All meals should contain protein and some form of carbohydrate. The types of carbs which are best were covered in the previous section. Meals that are not close to the workout period should contain small amounts of good fats. It is also a good idea to snack on low-calorie and/or high fiber fruits & vegetables throughout most of the day.
Eat sufficient protein. Again 1 g/lb is a good rule to go by.
Drink enough water. Even mild dehydration can significantly reduce metabolism & performance.
Eat lots of fruits & vegetable.
Remember to get post workout nutrition as soon as possible.
Heavier, starchy carbs are best following a workout.
Metabolic rate is highly modifiable. Eating more and burning more overall calories (through diet and exercise) is preferable to eating less and burning less.
Cheat Meals:
A cheat meal once per week is perfectly acceptable. It is important, though, to cheat with food types, rather than excess calories. This means that you can have some chips, some sweets, or some beer. But you still need to stay within the same calorie ranges. Binging with 4000 extra calories of junk food can cancel out several days-worth of hard work.
However, if you do not feel the need, or do not want to eat cheat foods, then it is fine to stay on your diet 7 days per week. Any benefits of a cheat meal are 100% psychological, although those benefits can be substantial.
Post workout nutrition is perhaps the most important meal of the day. The timing of it is very important as well. Delaying post workout nutrition by even 30 minutes can significantly reduce its benefits. It is important to consume both carbohydrates and protein as soon as possible after a workout.
Insulin Sensitivity:
After a workout, muscle sensitivity to insulin is greatly heightened. If post workout nutrition is delayed, the muscles can start to become resistant in as little as 30-45 minutes.
However, if post workout nutrition is taken immediately, sensitivity can be maintained for several hours afterwards. This goes hand in hand with glucose uptake & glycogen re-synthesis. Although high levels of insulin can trigger more fat storage, moderate levels to not impede fat oxidation due to an increased metabolic rate.
Protein Synthesis:
Protein Synthesis is greatly increased by immediate post workout nutrition. In fact, it can be increased immensely vs. a meal eaten 1-2 hours later. This is not only important for bulking, but also for maintaining muscle mass while cutting.
Glucose Uptake & Glycogen Synthesis:
This goes hand in hand with insulin sensitivity. Getting immediate post workout nutrition can increase glucose uptake by as much as 6 times compared to a meal eaten 1-2 hours later. Efficiently re-synthesizing glycogen will effect recovery, as well as the next day's workout performance.
Post-workout Nutrition Components:
As you can see, it is important that the nutrient get to the muscle cells as soon as possible. So obviously, we want fast absorbing & fast digesting nutrients. For this reason, liquid meals are ideal. Fast absorbing carbohydrates are also ideal.
Maltodextrin is probably the best source, as it is absorbed by the stomach faster than sucrose or dextrose. Whey is the ideal choice for a protein source. 1-2 grams of extra glutamine and BCAA's are also very beneficial. Aim to consume about 30 grams of protein, and 60-80 grams of carbohydrate, or .25 g/lb of protein, and .5 -.75 g/lb of carbohydrate.
Before Bed Nutrition:
While this is more important for building muscle, it is also important for a fat loss diet, as it will greatly help to reduce possible muscle loss. Pre-bed meals should be mostly protein, with a very small amount of carbohydrate, and possibly a very small amount of fat.
The protein source should be a mix of fast absorbing & slow absorbing protein. Whey powder mixed with casein and skim milk is perfect for a bedtime shake. This shake should be lower in overall calories than a post workout shake.
Eat More To Burn More:
When most people calculate their cutting diet, they subtract a certain amount from what they think is their maintenance level of calories. This is correct, however, choosing an arbitrary number as your 'maintenance level' can be a mistake.
The body's metabolic rate constantly changes. When you eat more, especially when those foods are ideal food choices & eaten at the right times, the body's metabolism greatly increases.
The body becomes more inefficient, and wastes more calories as heat with all of its metabolic processes. The thermic effect of food is also boosted. This is a large part of a fairly new concept known as the 'metabolic flux'.
This metabolic flux is discussed in many of Dr. John Berardi's books and articles. Eating a lot of low-calorie fruits and vegetables is a great way to boost this. By eating more, you burn more total calories, and more fat is burned as a result.
All Calories Are Not Equal:
You must eat fewer calories than you burn to lose weight. That is a basic rule. However, that little phrase, 'calories than you burn', is highly modifiable. Most people make the mistake of setting a fixed number as their 'maintenance' point, and counting all calories towards a set number that a bit below it.
As discussed before, when you eat more, you burn more total calories, largely to the metabolism becoming more inefficient. There is also an increased thermic effect of food. Not all foods are equal when it comes to this important concept. In fact, the difference between some types of calories is huge.
Most proteins have a very high thermogenic effect. Generally speaking, protein has a thermic effect of approximately 30%. This means that if you consume 1000 calories of protein, the body must burn 300 calories just to digest that. In an ideal case, those 1000 calories would then go to feed your muscle tissue, and you have burned an extra 300 calories.
Making Use Of Fruits & Vegetables:
Low-calorie fruits and vegetables such as citrus, watermelon, berries, carrots, etc. also have a very high thermogenic effect. In fact, some types may even cause the body to burn more calories in the digestion than the food itself contains! This is known as the "negative-calorie" effect.
There is a bit of controversy on this, but it really does not matter. Either way, many fruits & vegetables are highly thermogenic. Combine that with the concept of increasing metabolic flux (eat more to burn more), and you have an outstanding food to boost fat loss.
Fat Burns In A Carbohydrate Flame:
Carbohydrates are the fuel for fat burning performance. Having full glycogen stores also sends triggers that directly & indirectly result in greater fat oxidation. By eating more, and exercising more, you can burn more total fat.
So before you say to yourself, "My maintenance levels are 2853 calories per day," ask yourself how you can make your body burn more overall calories. You still need to eat less than you take in, and you still need to make regular adjustments. But you can increase your metabolic flux, or total calories taken in & burned in order to increase fat loss.
Eat frequent meals
Eat plenty of protein
Eat plenty of fruits & vegetables
Drink plenty of water
Increase your caloric intake, and increase the amount of exercise
A Quick Recap - Eat Frequent Meals:
Many of the benefits of this have already been covered. Eat meals every 2-3 hours. All meals should contain protein and some form of carbohydrate. The types of carbs which are best were covered in the previous section. Meals that are not close to the workout period should contain small amounts of good fats. It is also a good idea to snack on low-calorie and/or high fiber fruits & vegetables throughout most of the day.
Eat sufficient protein. Again 1 g/lb is a good rule to go by.
Drink enough water. Even mild dehydration can significantly reduce metabolism & performance.
Eat lots of fruits & vegetable.
Remember to get post workout nutrition as soon as possible.
Heavier, starchy carbs are best following a workout.
Metabolic rate is highly modifiable. Eating more and burning more overall calories (through diet and exercise) is preferable to eating less and burning less.
Cheat Meals:
A cheat meal once per week is perfectly acceptable. It is important, though, to cheat with food types, rather than excess calories. This means that you can have some chips, some sweets, or some beer. But you still need to stay within the same calorie ranges. Binging with 4000 extra calories of junk food can cancel out several days-worth of hard work.
However, if you do not feel the need, or do not want to eat cheat foods, then it is fine to stay on your diet 7 days per week. Any benefits of a cheat meal are 100% psychological, although those benefits can be substantial.
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