What to Eat After Cardio |
1Fast400 Forums > Diet & Nutrition |
| Posted by: DR X May 24 2006, 11:16 PM |
| What to Eat After Cardio by Chris Aceto Just what are you supposed to eat after a hard cardio session? While a lot of people know a high carbohydrate protein shake is the way to go after weight training, few really know the best things to consume after aerobics – a workout generally intended for fat burning. Of course, there are people out there who do cardio "to be heart-healthy," but let’s face it, the overwhelming majority hit the treadmill or stair stepper because it helps keep body fat at bay. By focusing on your post-cardio meal, you’ll be able to maximize fat burning and keep the torch lit even after your cardio session. To decide what to eat after cardio, you have to approach the meal with the understanding that the types and quantities of food you eat affect your hormone levels. These hormones play a direct role in the burning (or not burning) of body fat. Keeping fat-burning hormones elevated – the very hormones that increase during cardio – is the single most important factor in determining what is best to eat after a cardio session. OK, let’s start with the simple stuff. Fat We know it makes no sense to eat a lot of fat after cardio. If your knowledge of physiology is limited, you can rely on common sense. It’s simply not a rational idea to chow down on a lot of dietary fat after having just jumped off the treadmill. Truth be told, dietary fat is easily stored as body fat, more so than protein and carbohydrates. Protein Protein is anti-catabolic. Dietary amino acids derived from protein foods can be used directly as fuel after cardio. Often, protein stores are broken down with cardio. That is, in addition to burning body fat, longer cardio sessions or cardio sessions performed in a total calorie deficit can cause a loss or burning of your hard-earned muscle. Since protein protects against muscle loss, taking in easy-to-absorb protein following the cardio session is a must. It can put an end to protein breakdown and keep the metabolism from taking a dive. That’s because burning protein is a strictly catabolic event, and catabolism is always associated with a slower metabolic rate. Carbs Carbs are the double-edged sword of nutrition. You need them for recovery and growth, yet they can initiate fat storage. Carbohydrates promote a rise of insulin, and insulin can be classified as a fat-storing hormone. In general, the more carbs you eat, the more insulin is released. Insulin is the quarterback of the entire fat-storing team and regulates the signals that allow fat cells to "open up" and store more body fat. Simultaneously, insulin directs dietary fat into fat cells and drives carbohydrates down fat-storing pathways. Does it make sense to eat a lot of carbohydrates after cardio? Not really. When you eat a lot of carbohydrates, insulin levels will increase, shutting down fat-burning hormones and enzymes released during cardio. The two benefits to cardio are 1. it burns calories, and 2. it changes the hormonal status in the body, favoring the burning of body fat. Your carb quantity and choice after cardio affects the hormonal balance. Where cardio increases the circulation of catecholamines, tiny messengers that target fat cells to break them down, insulin decreases the release of catecholamines. Whereas cardio increases the output of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL), a hormone that "opens" fat cells and allows fatty acids to be stripped as fuel, insulin opposes its release and can even spike levels of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), which does the exact opposite of HSL. LPL seals off fat cells and helps push fuel into fat stores. Therefore, it seems best to avoid carbohydrates after cardio to keep the fat-burning hormones elevated. However, small amounts of insulin actually support the metabolism. How so? Insulin is also anabolic. It stimulates growth and repair of muscles. And, during a recovery or growth state, the body literally steals from its fat stores to obtain energy in order to sustain the recovery or growth process. Growth and recovery require fuel (energy), and most of that energy will come from fat stores. Insulin also supports the uptake of thyroid hormones, calorie-burning hormones, by tissues. So, with regard to carbs after cardio: 1) A large amount will shut down fat burning and reverse the hormonal advantage associated with cardio. 2) Skipping carbs altogether leaves you with "just protein." While protein helps prevent a loss in muscle, your body always needs a small amount of carbs for support. 3) A small amount of carbs helps support recovery and growth without shutting off the fat-burning process. 4) Small amounts of carbs coupled with protein can prevent thyroid hormones from declining. I think the best bet to go is to consume 25 to 40 grams of fast-acting protein, such as whey protein, egg whites or fish, along with 30 to 50 grams of carbohydrates within 30 minutes of cardio. Ideally, the carbohydrates ought to be fiber-based, such as oatmeal, oat bran, peas or corn. Fiber slows the breakdown of carbohydrates, allowing them to be delivered in an almost "time-released" fashion. The benefit: slower-digesting carbohydrates result in moderate insulin rises, and moderate insulin is our goal. Moderate insulin offers anabolic or building support, without reversing the fat-burning state induced with cardio. Simple carbs, such as white bread, juices or high glycemic carbs, should be avoided because they tend to spike insulin levels, and the resulting spike can compromise fat burning by suppressing fat-burning hormones and enzymes. |
| Posted by: GuardDog May 25 2006, 06:46 AM |
| good post. |
| Posted by: Tronix500 May 25 2006, 02:41 PM |
| Dammit!! I'm 6'1, 180lbs, trying to cut........This is the thing.....I usually do my cardio after lifting......then I get home and mix about 40-45g of protein with 25g dextrose and 25g maltodextrin............what should I do? I need to gain lean muscle to cut, but I need to lose fat. Any suggestions? |
| Posted by: Dan47738 May 25 2006, 03:11 PM |
| dont wait until you get home to drink your shake, bring it with you. If you do cardio right after lifting weights, some suggest that you consume some whey before you do your cardio. |
| Posted by: msharpie May 25 2006, 03:25 PM |
| I typically don't use whey before cardio mainly because of the stomach irritation. I'll consume BCAA's pre and during workout and then consume PWO directly after cardio. |
| Posted by: Superman123188 May 25 2006, 04:18 PM |
| This Should Be Pinned. |
| Posted by: Bennett111853 May 26 2006, 11:50 AM | ||
Agreed, awsome post. |
| Posted by: hadi_D May 26 2006, 03:18 PM |
| Actually that would be a bad idea to consume a shake after lifting and before cardio, cause then your Glycogen in your muscles are restored. So then when you do cardio, your body has to break the new restored glycogen from the shake first and then begin to burn fat. So answer would be to just seperate your cardio with lifting weights. For me, I do cardio first thing in the morning, then enjoy protein shake, then mid afternoon, warm-up on treadmil for 7-8 minutes, then lift and then enjoy another shake. |
| Posted by: dudecgiefbossguy May 26 2006, 04:11 PM | ||
Unless you have awesome genetics, it's close to impossible to to gain muscle while losing body fat. The laws of calorie consumption!!! You must create a calorie deficit to lose body fat, which can be accomplished by cutting calories or burning more calories. The latter is preffered. I think you mean: I need to lose body fat without a decrease in my lean mass. Hadi has got the right idea with seperation. Sometimes that's not always optimal. Try making your workouts like cardio and save the cardio for the weekend, or a more compatabile time. So, try shortening your rest time between sets. Try tampering your calories throughout the day High-Low(Morning-Night). Hope that helps. Good Luck! |
| Posted by: Purepower May 26 2006, 06:34 PM | ||
It's definitely not easy to cut fat and gain muscle at the same time. But one thing you might could try for your PWO shake is drop the dextrose and add 1 cup of dry rolled oats to you shake. This will be approx. 55-60 g of carbs. You might could keep the 25g of malto in the PWO shake.....just try it out and see how it affects you. |
| Posted by: RepubCarrier May 27 2006, 02:57 PM |
| I am really stoned at the moment, so ill just say this: Consider the insulatropic response in the body to whey protien in the context of this article. Whey causes a LARGE insulin release, on its own. I hope someone can go somewhere with those facts, I dunno how to go on. |
| Posted by: cc-10 May 27 2006, 08:19 PM |
| great find x |
| Posted by: Matthew87506 May 28 2006, 12:56 AM |
| Excellent find. I didn't know about this. I'll give it a shot. I was most likely consuming too much fructose or bread after my cardio sessions. This is most likely why my weight-loss slowed down a bit. |
| Posted by: hadi_D May 28 2006, 10:37 AM |
| Just to add this into the Mix. Ground Cinnamon is a great spice to add into a "Post-Cardio" Shake. For one of the key nutrition in Cinnamon is Chromium, and that controls blood sugar and keeping a watch on your insulin rise. So what I do after cardio is make a shake that consists of: 1-scoop of Protein(Vanilla flavored), 1 Banana, 1-cup of Fatfree Milk, teaspoon of Cinnamon, and 8 ice cubs. Also the smell is quit refreashing and enjoyable! So enjoy!! Any one gonna tell me great find now? |
| Posted by: william111979 May 31 2006, 12:13 AM |
| an absolutely great post X , must be pinned |
| Posted by: surferboy May 31 2006, 02:16 AM |
| i would say that this is just as informative and usefull as the clean bulk. i learned tons from this. absolutely this should be pinned. great post! |
| Posted by: Shri Jun 1 2006, 03:51 PM |
| Great post!!! Definitely should be pinned. |
| Posted by: John b Jun 17 2006, 03:32 AM |
| Great post, but one question. If your cutting, and lets say your on a no/low carb day, should you still intake carbs(oatmeal, 1 scoop whey + water= 25-30 carbs?) adter your cardio? Or just protein? or maybe a scoop of whey with water?(about 4 carbs) |
| Posted by: GuardDog Jun 17 2006, 07:14 AM |
| Unpinned to keep the forum clean of pinned threads gathering up again, but added to the Collection of Pinned Diet and Nutrition Threads that is pinned. |