What can you eat after training in the evening: nutrition rules for success

Is it possible to eat after an evening workout?

The answer to this question is obvious: eating after an evening workout is not only possible, but also necessary. Why? There are a number of objective reasons for this:

• Any physical activity, especially sports training, entails a large expenditure of energy. Energy reserves expended during exercise must be replenished, otherwise the body will regard this situation as starvation and will begin to actively store food, forming fat deposits.
• After intense evening workouts, the body needs not only to replenish expended energy, but also to restore muscles.

Both of these reasons are relevant both for those who want to gain weight and for those who want to lose weight.

When starting to exercise in the gym, it is important to understand: fasting will in no way contribute to weight loss, just as overeating will in no case provide you with an increase in muscle mass. Only a balanced diet and optimal balance of nutrients will help keep your body in great shape.

Basic Rules

As with everything related to fruitful sports activities, it is important to strictly follow certain rules in nutrition after evening workouts:

• Before, during and immediately after training, you can drink only plain drinking non-carbonated water, in unlimited quantities, but in small portions - during intense exercise, liquid is removed from the body in large quantities, and dehydration, as is known, negatively affects the functioning of all organs and body systems.
• You should not organize a meal immediately after leaving the gym. After the final part of the workout (cool-down), the body needs some time to rest and relax: do not forget - digesting food also requires some effort.
• After training, it is recommended to take a refreshing shower, change clothes and then, 20-30 minutes after the end of the lesson, eat.
• Food intake should be complete in terms of the content of nutrients, and not in terms of the volume of food eaten. The rule “the more the better” does not work here. Firstly, the body is tired and digesting a large amount of food will not benefit it. Secondly, excess proteins, fats and carbohydrates will invariably be deposited in the form of unwanted centimeters in problem areas, which will make the workout not just ineffective, but simply useless.

As you know, there are exceptions to any rule. If after a full workout you are cheerful and full of vital energy, and there is no feeling of hunger at all, you should not force feed your body.

In this case, it is enough to drink a glass of freshly squeezed juice or snack on a juicy fruit on the way home.

How long after training should you eat?

How long after training should you eat?

There is a lot of information out there about the importance of pre-workout diet. But what you need to eat after a workout to lose weight gets little mention.

Finding the right time to eat is just as important as choosing healthy foods to fuel your body's recovery before, during and after exercise.

A nutritionist will help you achieve your goals. Experts say you should eat within two hours of finishing exercise.

Note! If you eat carefully before training, but do not pay attention to the need for recovery after it, then you can ruin all the efforts you put into training, since eating right after training in order to lose weight is necessary. After all, in order for all body systems to work normally after exercise to restore muscles, proteins, carbohydrates, water, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals are needed

Research from US health clinics has confirmed the need for a main meal 3-4 hours before classes. A smaller amount of food can be consumed 2-3 hours before training. Light snacks are a good snack shortly before, during, and immediately after physical activity. After finishing your workout, you can immediately enjoy protein shakes.

Waiting 2 hours after eating before exercising can prevent stomach pain, cramping, or diarrhea. Eating large amounts of food before exercise will leave you feeling heavy and tired as your digestive system and muscles used during exercise compete for that energy. However, you should eat something before heading to the gym. Otherwise, there will be a feeling of weakness and a slower reaction.

Healthy carbohydrates are the best foods to eat before exercise. It is recommended to use whole grain products, pasta or bread, and fresh vegetables. Before exercising, you should avoid eating foods high in fiber.

Important! Eating fiber-rich legumes before exercise can cause gas in the intestines; fruits high in fiber and fructose often lead to diarrhea later. If the main focus of classes is weight loss, then in this case, eating after classes should be no earlier than 2.5 hours after them

This will help you achieve results

If the main focus of exercise is weight loss, then in this case, eating after exercise should be no earlier than 2.5 hours after it. This will help achieve results.

Note! After classes, food should be sufficiently fortified. It must be supplemented with complex carbohydrates to restore lost strength.

Porridge made from unrefined grains, berries, various fruits and fresh vegetables are suitable for this.

This list may change with different sports activities. For example, after strength training in the gym, during which muscles were intensively involved, a different approach to nutrition is required. If the weight loss process is combined with body structuring, then the post-workout meal should contain mainly protein foods. Proteins are the main element of muscle building.

During any type of physical activity, both before and after, you should not include light carbohydrates in your diet, that is, pastry products, various desserts and sweets.

What to eat after training in the evening?

After an active and fruitful workout, a feeling of satisfaction invariably comes and so-called pleasant fatigue gradually sets in. In this state, you don’t always want to cook yourself a full, balanced dinner. But you still need to eat after class. In fact, an evening meal will not require much effort from you - after all, there are many options for healthy and tasty food, the preparation of which will not take much time and effort.

It is important to understand that after training you should eat only healthy foods for dinner - any sweets, fatty, spicy, salty foods are excluded. How to create an evening menu? Here are the basic rules:

• Protein
  . This is the main component of muscle tissue; it is proteins that are responsible for proper metabolism in the body, protect cells from harmful and dangerous substances, determine the functioning of the immune system, transport useful substances to cells (for example, hemoglobin - supplies oxygen to cells). Proteins consist of amino acids, which are replaceable (can be synthesized by the body independently) and essential (the body can receive them only from external sources - from food). Protein is found in lean meat, chicken, chicken protein, cottage cheese, lean fish, liver, and there is a lot of protein in buckwheat, Brussels sprouts, and cheese.
• Carbohydrates
  . This is the raw material for energy production in the body. Carbohydrates are fast and slow. Fast ones are absorbed instantly, almost instantly provide saturation due to the release of a large amount of sugar into the blood, but this effect does not last very long, soon the feeling of hunger sets in again (this includes sweets, baked goods, processed cereals, sweet fruits, etc.). Slow carbohydrates work much longer - they are digested for a long time (the feeling of hunger disappears after 20-30 minutes), thereby ensuring longer saturation (you don’t feel like eating for 3-4 hours). Slow carbohydrates include vegetables, whole grain bread, naturally-coated cereals, greens - all foods that contain large amounts of fiber.

For weight loss

If you go to the gym in order to get rid of extra pounds and centimeters, in no case neglect a proper dinner:

• 70% of the serving should be proteins, 30% carbohydrates. It is better to avoid fats for dinner, trying to include them in your morning and afternoon menu in the quantities necessary for the body.
• You can eat low-fat cottage cheese with fruit puree or oven-baked chicken breast with vegetables.
• It is advisable to give preference to slow carbohydrates - buckwheat, raw or steamed vegetables, baked fish with vegetables, low-fat cottage cheese, vegetable salad without oil dressing. At the same time, you shouldn’t completely give up slow carbohydrates - you can drink a glass of tea with a spoonful of honey, eat a piece of fruit.

These rules are relevant for both boys and girls who want to lose weight.

If you want to lose weight, then you should carefully review your entire diet: eat 5-6 times a day in small portions (300-400 kcal), drink as much water as possible.

For weight gain

It is a well-known fact that losing weight is always easier than gaining muscle mass. Accordingly, in this case, your diet needs to be planned more carefully:

• 30% of the serving should be proteins, 70% carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are needed to replenish expended energy, and protein will be used to build new muscle cells.
• The optimal evening menu is porridge (buckwheat, pearl barley, oatmeal, brown rice) or durum wheat pasta as a side dish and chicken breast or baked veal steak or lean fish, boiled chicken egg.
• Fats, as in the case of losing weight, should be relegated to the background - the body has great difficulty coping with their breakdown, and to make the task easier for itself, it begins to process nutrients from the muscles.

It is important to prevent muscle starvation - in this case, the process of their destruction invariably begins. In order to get ahead of the feeling of hunger, you can immediately after training eat something from fast carbohydrates and easily digestible proteins.

For drying

Drying is the process of burning fat. As you know, it is fats that take the longest to be absorbed by our body. Accordingly, to break them down, you need to develop a certain training regimen and, of course, nutrition:

• To speed up metabolism, we maximize the volume of water consumed per day (from 2.5-3 liters and above).
• We increase the amount of protein consumed after training, and don’t forget about sports nutrition and amino acids.
• In order to give the body the right amount of energy, before training (an hour and a half before) you can eat a small portion of slow carbohydrates (porridge, whole grain bread, vegetables).

In the evening menu after an evening workout, you can include low-fat cottage cheese or unsweetened yogurt, low-fat veal or chicken (steamed), and the white of one chicken egg.

It is important to understand that the drying procedure cannot last long - after all, the body cannot do without carbohydrates for a long time. This is why it is very important to start and finish the fat burning process correctly.

How to determine the optimal number of calories and BZHU balance

Correct calorie content for dinner

Many people do not understand how they can determine their own calorie range for an evening meal after physical education. But with calories everything is quite simple, so it will be easy to figure it out.

The male body generally requires slightly more nutrients than the female body. On average, the norm is about 2 thousand kilocalories for the fairer sex, and 2.4 thousand for guys. If you decide to lose weight, then feel free to subtract 300 from the presented numbers and calculate your daily diet based on this. An alternative option is to subtract 10-25% from the total amount, depending on the degree of weight loss required.

• The higher your initial body weight, the more calories you can consume for dinner.
• The more meals you eat during the day, the smaller the “portion” will remain for the evening.

It is based on the daily caloric intake that you can easily determine how many calories you can and should consume after an evening workout in the gym or at home. By counting the calories that you have already received from food and drink during the day, you will immediately understand what exactly you can count on.

Ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates (BJU)

After a workout, few people want to go to the stove, so the question of what you can eat after a workout in the evening without cooking remains relevant for many. But first you should figure out what substances you need to provide your body, as well as what ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates should be optimal in this meal. It is optimal to eat only healthy food after physical activity, and it is better to completely avoid all kinds of harmful “snacks”. Fast food, spicy, pickled, smoked, spicy, sweets and baked goods are completely prohibited at this hour. Pay attention to the two main components: proteins and carbohydrates.

The first substances are proteins; any athlete knows that our own muscles are made of them. They are responsible for properly organized metabolism in the body. In addition, they protect cells from potentially dangerous substances, supply them with the necessary oxygen and perform many other useful functions. Therefore, the basis of a late dinner after training is protein. This substance is found in abundance in lean meats, poultry, cottage cheese, Brussels sprouts, eggs and even buckwheat.

The body gets energy from carbohydrates, and when in excess, it converts them into lipids, sending them to accumulate on the stomach and thighs. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful with them. There are fast and slow carbohydrates. The first ones are also called empty. The body does not need much effort to process them; they enter the bloodstream in the form of sugar almost instantly, successfully being deposited in fat reserves. As a result, soon after eating, you will be hungry again. These substances include baked goods, candies, sweets, etc. Therefore, it is optimal to choose only slow carbohydrates, for example, unhulled cereals, whole grain breads, herbs, vegetables, as well as everything that contains a lot of fiber (dietary fiber).

• Training for weight loss is special. It is designed for serious loads that will burn as much fat as possible in a short time. Therefore, you need to watch your diet especially carefully. The ratio of proteins and carbohydrates here should be 70:30%, respectively. It is better to avoid fats for dinner altogether. At the same time, we must not forget to introduce them into the diet in the morning and at lunchtime.
• Some people do not train to lose weight, but just the opposite. They try to increase body weight, although not with fat, but with muscles. Then a beautiful relief appears, and the body becomes proportional. For this, the ratio of proteins and carbohydrates should be shifted towards the second 30:70%, respectively.

What would dinner be like after a workout at the gym?

Many people mistakenly believe that if the goal is to get rid of extra pounds of body fat, then skipping dinner is a good idea. We've already figured out why this is a fundamentally bad idea. It remains to find out more specifically what to eat after training in the evening for weight loss or to build muscle mass. These helpful tips apply to both men and women.

Weight loss

When selecting foods for dinner after training, it is best to give preference to slow carbohydrates, which take a long time to be processed by our body. At the same time, they satiate well and completely stop the feeling of hunger. Buckwheat porridge, raw or steamed vegetables, seafood, low-fat cottage cheese or cheese, salads without vegetable oil or sour cream. Remember the amount of water your body needs and don't forget to count calories.

Ideally, you can cook fish in the oven with seasonal vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, etc.). Steamed chicken breast with the same side dish also works well. Cottage cheese or natural yogurt with fruit will also come in handy. However, you shouldn’t completely throw out fast carbohydrates from your diet. One and a half to two hours before going to bed, you can make yourself a glass of herbal or green tea with a spoon of honey, eat an apple, peach, grapefruit or pear.

Muscle gain

Many trainers can confirm that it is much easier to build weight, contrary to misconceptions, than to build beautiful muscle definition. Therefore, here you will have to plan your menu very carefully, especially for dinner. Ideally, you need to become very close friends with different cereals (barley, buckwheat, brown rice, egg, oatmeal). Pasta or noodles are suitable as a replacement, but only if they are made from durum wheat.

Chicken breast in the oven, baked fish or juicy steak are an excellent choice for an athlete who is working on mass. Many people prefer hard-boiled eggs, which is also an acceptable option. Just like with proper weight loss, it is better to avoid fats in the evening and consume them during the daytime. The body will then be better able to cope with their breakdown and processing, without storing reserves on the sides and hips.

If you load him with these substances for dinner, he can simply put them aside and begin to extract energy from the protein contained in his own muscles. Therefore, progress in muscle building in this case may be completely lost.

Drying the body

There is another “mode” that athletes often use. We are talking about drying the body, that is, getting rid of the fat layer to create beautiful reliefs. First of all, water consumption is increased for this purpose. When you knock, you will have to drink at least two and a half, or even three and a half liters of liquid. At the same time, you need to significantly increase your protein intake, including special sports nutrition, a description of which is available on our website.

For better drying before an evening workout, it doesn’t hurt to eat something suitable, for example, whole grain bread with vegetables and meat, energy protein bars, porridge. But you should do this an hour or an hour and a half before intense exercise.

It wouldn’t hurt to include low-fat cottage cheese with fruit in your post-workout menu, which contains no sweeteners. If you don't like its taste at all, you can add a little stevia or a teaspoon of honey. Boiled poultry, rabbit, baked or steamed seafood, lean veal and egg whites, all this can become your healthy dinner for drying.

Sports nutrition after training in the evening

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to prepare a full-fledged healthy fitness dinner in the evening after a workout. But you shouldn’t be upset about this - after all, special nutrition for professional athletes and for those who take care of their body has long been invented:

• Amino acids
  . Needed for muscle growth and restoration of their structure. Simply put, amino acids are the building blocks from which muscle cells are built. BCAA is a dietary supplement that contains 3 essential amino acids that are directly involved in the formation of muscle tissue (leucine, isoleucine and valine).
• Protein
  . A supplement whose main component is protein (whey, milk). Protein shakes can replace a meal before or after a workout: it is very convenient (easy to prepare - just shake a portion of the shake with milk, water or juice) and healthy (the balanced composition provides the body with all the necessary substances).
• Gainers
  . Supplements that contain mainly carbohydrates (easily digestible slow and fast) and protein (most often whey protein). Gainers are indispensable for those who want to gain muscle mass. The product also contains vitamins, minerals and creatine.
• Creatine
  is a substance that takes an active part in energy metabolism and the construction of muscle cells.
• L
  -
  carnitine - ensures the delivery of fats from the body's cells to the muscles, where they are processed and converted into energy.

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Sports nutrition is a very simple and convenient way to have a quick and tasty dinner after evening strength and aerobic exercise:

• When losing weight
  . Many people believe that you can’t eat sports nutrition when losing weight. In fact, protein shakes, amino acids (in particular BCAAs - essential acids), L-carnitine are useful both for those who build muscle mass and for those who want to lose a couple of extra pounds. It is recommended to drink protein for weight loss 30-40 minutes after training; other supplements are best taken in consultation with the trainer.
• When gaining weight
  . Everything is obvious here - for best results you need to take protein several times a day. The protein shake can be supplemented with a portion of low-fat cottage cheese. To quickly gain muscle mass, it is also recommended to take creatine. After training (half an hour later), a portion of a high-carbohydrate gainer would be useful.
• Drying.
  L-carnitine, amino acids and protein shakes are the main food for a cutting athlete. These products contain virtually no fat, which greatly simplifies the fat burning process. Amino acids ensure protein synthesis and provide the body with energy.

The advantage of sports nutrition over regular food is that these products contain an optimal range of nutrients, a minimum of unnecessary components, are quickly absorbed and provide a long-lasting feeling of fullness.

Is it possible to eat after working out at the gym?

The list of necessary and permitted products depends on the type of exercise. Although each person is individual, the following options are suitable for everyone, you just need to increase or decrease the portion.

During the daytime

After strength training in the gym, you can eat:

Eating after a workout at the gym

• banana and milkshake;
• fish sandwich.

In addition, it is necessary to restore the water balance in the body, as it is lost during sweating.

Note! When exercising with a light load, it is enough to drink plain water, but if exercising with increased intensity, you will need to drink an isotonic drink to restore mineral salts in the body.

In the evening

After a moderate to high intensity workout, it is recommended to consume:

• yogurt or cottage cheese, fruit with honey.
• fruit salad and egg sandwich.

If the exercise is not too strenuous and you have 24 hours of recovery time, there is no need to follow a strict post-workout overnight meal routine. In this case, it will be enough to eat a small fruit and drink water to feel good in the morning.

After strength training

If a man's training is based on strength exercises to build muscle mass, it should be borne in mind that after this there is a decrease in the amount of glycogen in the liver, which is responsible for providing the main energy for this type of training. The amount of muscle protein also decreases.

Therefore, after such a workout, you need products that deliver carbohydrates to the body to restore the amount of lost glycogen and proteins to stop its destruction and allow the body to begin its restoration.

After a long workout

After a long workout

After a long time spent by the girl on a cycling machine, fats and glycogen were the main source of energy. After this type of exercise, their destruction may be less significant than after strength training, but it is still necessary to restore protein.

What to eat after training to lose weight? You can eat foods rich in carbohydrates: fruits, juices, cereals, bread, honey, jam, cocoa, and so on. Don't forget about protein-rich foods: dairy products (yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese), eggs and fish.

Note! These products can be consumed individually or in various combinations. After long workouts, you will have to eat more carbohydrates than after strength training.

How many calories should you consume and how to calculate them?

Calculating calories is a very difficult task. But for those who care about their health, nothing is impossible. First, you need to determine for yourself what goal you are pursuing when going to an evening workout.

Remember:

• The higher your initial weight, the more caloric your evening meal will be.
• The more often you eat, the fewer calories you need to “absorb” in the evening.

Nowadays you can find a lot of convenient calculators online that will help you in seconds calculate the allowed number of calories depending on your weight, height, level of physical activity, goals (weight loss, weight gain, maintaining existing weight).

At the same time, if you approximately know the number of calories you need per day, then calorie content of dinner is quite simple to calculate:

• Divide the number of calories per day by the number of meals.
• We subtract 20% from the resulting figure. The remainder is the calorie content of your dinner after a late evening workout.

For example, you are supposed to have 2400 calories per day. Most often you eat 3 times a day: 2400/3=800 kcal (average number of calories for each meal). 800-20%=640 kcal (the amount of calories allowed after a late evening workout).

What foods are best to avoid?

When deciding to go to the gym, you should be prepared for the fact that after evening workouts you will have to give up many “little joys”:

• Coffee Tea. These products contain caffeine, so they should absolutely not be consumed after a workout, especially if your goal is to gain muscle mass. Caffeine blocks the flow of glycogen into the muscles, which results in the inability to replenish expended energy and prevents the growth of muscle mass. If you feel like you need to perk up after vigorous exercise, instead of coffee, tea, cocoa or chocolate, choose a safer option - a glass of freshly squeezed juice, a high-carb gainer.
• Fatty food. Fats take a long time to break down, so the body, tired during active exercise, decides to postpone solving this difficult task until later. That is why, instead of fats, proteins, the components of muscle tissue, are processed. Well, the fats themselves are safely stored until better times... After an evening workout (and generally at night), you should not eat fried meat, fatty fish, salads dressed with mayonnaise or vegetable oil, or high-fat cheeses (hard varieties). Needless to say, any fast food products (hot dogs, hamburgers, fatty sauces, chips, french fries) are completely excluded.
• Fast carbohydrates, sugar. After eating sweets, there is an immediate release of insulin, and a feeling of satiety occurs. The problem is that this feeling passes very quickly, after which the body will require a new portion of sweets. High levels of insulin block fat cells, as if “locking” the fat inside. After training in the evening, avoid sugary drinks (juices with added sugar, soda, sweet milkshakes), baked goods, any processed foods (sausages, cutlets, sausage, cereals and instant pasta), and sweet desserts.

Naturally, under no circumstances should you drink alcohol or smoke.

What foods to eat after training before bed

Dinner is considered effective if eaten within 2 hours after training and half an hour before bedtime. The diet depends on the goal of playing sports: increasing muscle mass or losing weight.

Note! In order for training to be effective, without harm to health, 30 minutes before training, eat food rich in carbohydrates: muesli bar, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit. The stomach is not overloaded: the snack is made light.

Is it possible to eat at night?

For those whose workout ends an hour before going to bed, it is not entirely clear whether it is possible to eat after an evening workout before bed. In general, the answer to this question is positive - yes, it is possible. The only question is the quantity and quality of food consumed:

• Give preference to small portions.
• Try to include more protein and less carbohydrates in your evening menu.
• Proteins can be of any kind (whey, milk, plant origin). Nevertheless, whey protein is the most preferable (it is easier to digest, which is especially important before bedtime).
• Carbohydrates should be slow.

After training, before going to bed, you can drink a glass of low-fat kefir, eat 100 grams of low-fat unsweetened cottage cheese or yogurt, and prepare a portion (or half a portion) of a protein shake.

If the feeling of hunger does not occur, there is no desire to eat at all, then it is better to refuse an evening meal - you should trust your body and do as it sees fit.

What to eat before training for weight loss (fat burning)?

A few hours before activity (1.5 hours before strength training, 2 hours before cardio), the food that enters the body should consist of complex carbohydrates and protein, which will provide enough energy for productive training. A standard meal after exercise should be approximately 1-2 hours later, which will force the body to use more fat reserves as fuel.

Basic nutrition mistakes and myths

It is worth noting that some fitness trainers recommend that their clients eat absolutely nothing after an evening workout. At first glance, their proposal makes sense, especially for those who are losing weight - in the evening, as a rule, no serious activity is expected, upon arriving home a person goes to bed almost immediately, and, as you know, eating at night is harmful.

But you should not lose sight of an important point - night sleep lasts on average 6-8 hours. If you take into account that you had your last meal an hour before training, it turns out that your body will be hungry for at least 10 hours, and taking into account the fact that a lot of calories were expended during exercise, then most likely you will wake up at night from unbearable feeling hungry and go eat everything you see in the refrigerator.

To prevent this from happening, you should not wait for distress signals from your stomach - it is better to provide it with a complete, balanced diet after hard and fruitful work. In addition, never go to workout on an empty stomach - be sure to eat 1-1.5 before starting classes.

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