What food to consume after exercise?

[pastrian.allac]

Hi all, I normally go for a swim after work. The routine would end at around 8.30 to 9.00 pm and no doubt, I'll be suffer from hunger pangs after the cardio workout (which lasts about half an hour and 8 laps of to-and-fro swim - to-and-fro equals 1 lap). Am always confused what food should I consume after a swim (it's true that we'll get hungrier after swimming and tend to consume more than we should). Sometimes when I go for normal dinner meals, I'd feel guilty and keep on asking myself if it's right to have full meals after workout. They said should watch out the food intake after swimming so as to not waste the effort burning the fats during the exercise and pile back with the full meals after. Below are the few choices which I've made before, wonder if any of you would give me any sincere feedback (good or not).

1) A cup of milo kosong (3 full teaspoons) + 4 plain crackers
2) Yee mee/Beehoon soup (with 2 prawns, some meat, veges and fishcake) - the typical meal you can get from most "zi cha" food stalls
3) A cup of Nestle yoghurt drink (tropical fruits) + cereals (Nestle)
4) Granola bars (those below 150 kcal)
5) Half-bowled rice with 2 veges + 1 meat
6) Or any other normal meals where u could get from hawker centres but NOT fast food

The choice I made last night was: Yee mee soup with a pint of Dove chocolate I know the latter part is forbidden. But I'm craving for it

Reason being I ask for this is I've read before that no full meals or even carbos after 7pm or 8pm to avoid the bulging tummy. That's why I'm frowning upon what I should/should not have at the late hours of the night, especially after a good workout.

By the way, I've heard that we should avoid consuming food or water half an hour after an exercise regime finishes in order not to pile on more. Could anyone justify the truth of this claim?

Thanks alot for the feedback.

[eh+lah]

eat pure carbs night before or right after your exercise, bananas, noodles, anything, except stuff made from white bleached flour. what you're looking for is complex carbohydrates.

[guest eli]

Don't forget to take into consideration which foods are 'heaty' and which 'cooling' But wait minute, one culture thinks one thing is one, and the other, the other. How can they both be right?

[eh+lah]

i don't personally take heaty and coolness to that extreme a level. i eat what i like and whatever works.

[dissipate]

I'd feel guilty and keep on asking myself if it's right to have full meals after workout. They said should watch out the food intake after swimming so as to not waste the effort burning the fats during the exercise and pile back with the full meals after

for about 6 hours starting right after an intense workout, your body uses what you eat to replenish depleted glycogen stores in your muscles, so you really need to have some fast-absorbing protein and carbohydrates like a protein shake (for the rich) or even something as simple as soya milk or milk and some solid food.

there's very little chance of what you eat turning into fat after a workout unless you've exceeded your daily caloric maintenance level.

Below are the few choices which I've made before, wonder if any of you would give me any sincere feedback (good or not).

i'm not sure how into nutrition you are so i can't really give any comments right now except for being careful about the saturated fat content in the crackers, the high sugar content in the yogurt drink and granola bars and lard/oil in hawker food.

Reason being I ask for this is I've read before that no full meals or even carbos after 7pm or 8pm to avoid the bulging tummy. That's why I'm frowning upon what I should/should not have at the late hours of the night, especially after a good workout.

By the way, I've heard that we should avoid consuming food or water half an hour after an exercise regime finishes in order not to pile on more. Could anyone justify the truth of this claim?

it is generally recommended that people avoid consuming food after 7pm because they usually eat the amount they're allowed to eat before 7 or 8pm and after that time it's usually junk food and additional calories that will turn into fat because they're not being used. as long as you're not exceeding your daily maintenance limits, it's okay to to eat even at 11pm.

hope this helps!

[eh+lah]

what about digesting food when you sleep? say you eat at 11pm at sleep immediately after? sure it digests the food but what does that food end up as?

[dissipate]

the body still needs energy while you sleep (e.g. muscle burns calories even while you're sleeping), that's why most bodybuilders consume slow-digesting proteins containing caesin so that there's a much higher chance of their muscles being spared.

as long as you haven't exceeded your daily maintenance limit, most of what you eat should not get stored as bodyfat.

[eh+lah]

so what foods have high amounts of casein?

[dissipate]

try cottage cheese

[To Pastrian]

Pastrian, your life must be so pathetic and restrictive. There's no rules

whatsoever to when or what one eats. Just go ahead and eat. Bloody hell,

it's just food! Took it from my grandaunt who is in her 80's, hale and

hearty and she eats like a man-machine, anytime. So do I eat at all times

of the day, and I don't care how much or what I take. As and when I feel

like I want food, I go for it. 4pm, midnight, 3am, 5am whatever. If even

such things as food has to be measured by timing and amount, I wonder

if next time you are going to count how many times you hit the loo also.

Jesus christ My 2 cents worth

[dissipate]

well for people who have health problems or are at high risk, or for people whose bodies help them earn a living (e.g. personal trainers and professional bodybuilders), they certainly have to watch what they eat. are you saying these people have pathetic and restrictive lives?

everyone's different. you and your grandaunt might be able to eat anything you want and stay healthy in your judgement, but other people might not be so fortunate.