What To Eat After Workout To Lose Weight?

What to eat after workout to lose weight? After you workout you deplete your glycogen stores which is the body’s preferred fuel source during workouts. The proteins in your muscles are broken down and damaged during any type of strenuous workout.

The best foods to eat after a workout are carbs and proteins. You need to carbs to restore your energy levels. And you need protein foods to help restore your muscles and recover after tearing down your muscles.

What to eat after workout to lose weight? Photo credit: iStock-Suzi Media Production

Consuming enough protein throughout the day gives your body enough amino acids to repair and rebuild those proteins. That gives you building blocks that are needed to repair new muscle tissue.

The types of protein foods that you should focus on to eat after a workout to lose weight or for recovery purposes are:

• Eggs
• Salmon
• Chicken
• Tuna
• Protein bar
• Greek Yogurt
• Cottage Cheese
• Animal protein or plant-based protein powder

When you consume carbs, it helps to replenish the glycogen stores that you have lost during the workout. If you are doing an endurance type of workout it uses more of your glycogen stores than doing a non-endurance workout. So, because of that you may need to consume more carbs post workout wise than if you were to do weightlifting.

The timing of your post workout meal is very important. It is recommended you consume your post workout meal within a 45-minute post workout window timeframe.  If you do it within that window it will replenish your body the right way and help with weight loss.

Remember it is very difficult to lose weight or bodyfat without being in a caloric deficit. You still must eat solid whole foods to lose weight. And starving yourself is a counterproductive weight loss method or strategy.

Here are some good carb foods to eat after a workout.

• Sweet Potatoes
• Oatmeal
• Pasta
• Whole grain bread
• Quinoa
• Fruits like apples, bananas, oranges, peaches
• Potatoes
• Rice
• Rice Cakes
• Barley

The best beverage to drink after a workout is water or some form of electrolyte. During a workout you lose water and electrolytes through sweating. So, hydrating yourself immediately after your workout or during will help to replenish the water and electrolytes you have lost.

Here are some good meals or snacks to eat after a workout.

• Grilled chicken with green vegetables and brown rice
• Turkey with sweet potato
• Oatmeal with banana, almonds, and whey protein shake
• Non-sugary cereal with dairy or soy milk
• Tuna salad sandwich with whole grain bread
• Greek yogurt with berries and granola

You will never go wrong with these post workout snacks or post workout nutrition.

“The best foods to eat after a workout are carbs and proteins. You need to carbs to restore your energy levels. And you need protein foods to help restore your muscles and recover after tearing down your muscles.” Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike

The Bottom Line is if you eat carbs and protein after you work out  that is best for recovery purposes. And if you can do this within that 45 minute to 1 hour window after you workout, that will immediately help to restore your glycogen stores and stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

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References

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