http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...st_workout_meal

Experts Stress Post-Exercise Nutrition
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By ALICIA CHANG, Associated Press Writer

Carbohydrates may be considered evil in this age of the low-carb diet revolution, but the nutrient plays an important role in helping athletes recover from strenuous exercise.

Two decades of research have shown that consuming carbs after a hard workout rebuilds worn muscles and primes the body for the next training. Failure to eat the right food after exercise — or worse — skipping the post-exercise meal altogether can harm your body.

"You never think that you can just continue to ride your car without ever going to the gas station. We can't expect to be able to continue to exercise our bodies without refueling them," said Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist of the American Council on Exercise.

Carbs — the main source of energy during physical activity — are stored as glycogen in muscle cells. During exercise, the glycogen reserves deplete and an intake of carbs is needed to replenish the body. Neglecting or avoiding the post-workout meal could result in muscle breakdown and leave your body feeling fatigued during the next workout.

In 2000, the American College of Sports Medicine, along with the American Dietetic Association and the Dietitians of Canada, reviewed numerous studies on the subject and took a stand on the issue. In a published joint position statement, they acknowledged the importance of post-game nutrition on athletic performance.

How much carbs should be eaten after exercise depends on the duration and intensity of the workout, as well as when the next training will occur. For example, a post-workout meal is generally more essential for a triathlete who runs in the morning and cycles in the afternoon than a marathoner who just runs one race. That's because the triathlete needs to refuel in between workouts while the marathoner has more time between runs to recover.

Experts recommend that carbs be eaten 30 minutes to an hour after vigorous exercise since that's when the body will act like a sponge and absorb the nutrients. Some post-workout snacks may include cooked pasta, rice, English muffin, oatmeal or low-fat yogurt.

The casual health club visitor may not need to follow the post-workout rule as strictly because the body will naturally take in carbs from other meals during the day. But experts say it doesn't hurt to consume a carb-rich snack after workout to get a boost of energy.

Recent research shows that a combination of carbs and protein can also help the body recoup. Protein helps repair muscle damage, but carbs are king when it comes to replenishing carbohydrate stores. Eating too much protein after exercise is not good either because it can slow rehydration.

The general guideline is a carb intake of a half-gram per pound of body weight. So a 150-pound person should eat about 75 grams of carbs, or the equivalent of a cup of cooked pasta.

"That is really going to be the only way that you're going to be able to continue to power your working muscles," said Cindy Moore, a Cleveland-based registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

For those who are weight-conscious and wary about consuming too many carbs, experts say they still should make sure to eat the right food after intense exercise. But they can take steps like limiting carb-rich snacks that are high in simple sugars like cookies and cakes and eat more nutritious carb sources like legumes and whole-grain cereals.

"This isn't going to sabotage weight-loss efforts," Bryant said. "If anything, it will allow you to be more productive in your exercise, which in the long term is going to help you with your weight-loss efforts."

Nancy Clark, nutrition guidebook author and sports nutritionist at a fitness center in Chestnut Hill, Mass., advises that athletes plan their post-workout meal in advance to prevent unhealthy snacking afterward.

Lisa Avellino, a certified personal trainer and aerobics instructor from Scarsdale, N.Y., said most of her clients understand the importance of eating after exercising, many do not know the correct food ratios and combinations to maximize their energy.

"When they learn how they can combine certain foods and make subtle changes in their dietary post-workout meal, they get better results," she said.

Please tell me what are the so called nutrients contained in white pasta, white rice, or an english muffin that the body will absord like a sponge. You might as well just have a piece of cake for all the difference it would make nutrients wise.

They're talking about glucose, of course. All of this make perfect sense in a body that is primarily burning glucose for fuel. All bets are off, however, once you've switched your body to being a primarily fat burning system.
I also gather that the author of this article hasn't heard of the success that many are having with CKD. I also find myself wondering how they think our ancestors (who more than likely weren't eating 0.5 grams of carb per pound of weight following the hunt) got their muscles from of if they think they were all 98 pound weaklings?



Hmm...they might want to have a discussion with Dr. Stuart Trager who trained for and competed in an Iron Man triathalon on low carb and did very well indeed for his age group.

"For example, a post-workout meal is generally more essential for a triathlete who runs in the morning and cycles in the afternoon than a marathoner who just runs one race."

Geez, I have YET to see a triathlete with an ounce of extra fat, much less a weight problem. And if carbs are even less important for a marathoner, where does that leave the rest of us?

Eating low carb, I hope.

Here are Dr. Trager's thoughts about this. As you can see he himself talk about the importancy of carbs during long exercises. He even mention such a blasphemy as GU. (Check GU's ingredients...)
Atkins mention 80-120 carbs for people with vigorous exercise. So why it is such a big sin for a triathlete (who works much more than an average people with vigorous exercise) with 160-200 pounds weight to have 80-100 carbs after a race?

Do not get me wrong. I am fullheartedly for low carb wol, even for low carb Marathon training. I worked very hard to change my body from carb fuel mode to fat fuel mode, and had great success. (I am an amateur, but even I can now run up to 90-120 min on zero carb.) But there are limitations. I do not remember to hear from any LC endurance athlete to be totally carb free during 3+ hours training/races.

I posted this quote from Dr. Trager, because I feel, that sometimes in our respect for Atkins/LC we put unnecessary induction/OWL limits on people who need and who can have a little more carbs...

Stuart Trager, M.D.: I do personally train 15-20 hours per week and am currently preparing for the Iron Man World Championship in Hawaii this October. When exercising for more than an hour, it is important to take in carbohydrates as well as ample hydration to maximize performance. The goal while exercising is to deliver carbohydrates quickly to your muscles for energy. This is a very different condition than takes place while not exercising, and hormonally the body responds to these excess calories in a way that supports muscular efforts rather than storing extra calories as fat. Taking in carbohydrates that are rapidly absorbed is useful, and GU is one solution. I also use a complex carbohydrate product that is rapidly absorbed while exercising. It is important while doing Atkins to NOT take in carbohydrates immediately prior to exercise, as this can raise blood sugar, which stimulates insulin and can then lower blood sugar, having a very unwanted effect on performance. Carbohydrates should be consumed 2 -4 hours before exercise, and a lower glycemic snack, like an Atkins bar, would work well if food is to be eaten closer to time of exercise.

http://cgi1.usatoday.com/mchat/20030819004/tscript.htm

About CKD - see Trainersdan thread:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost...266&postcount=9
Scroll down to CARB LOAD.

Here is what I am having for post swim food (1 hour swimming) 170 gms raspberries and cream.

I posted my thoughts on this here http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=179344

Atkins forum

I agree in eating after work-out. I always exercise on an empty stomach and eat soon after. My favorite is a shake with egg, cream and, if I have any, fresh strawberries. Higher in carbs than my "normal" meals....but it's still pretty low and it's all healthy nutrients.

If you truely eat high fiber cereal....no refined carbs, no added sugars, that's great. But people will take this to mean the cereals that are on the market advertized as high fiber, but they're mostly refined ingredients.

I also disagree with the amounts!
"The general guideline is a carb intake of a half-gram per pound of body weight. So a 150-pound person should eat about 75 grams of carbs, or the equivalent of a cup of cooked pasta. "

If you run a 10 min mile, you're replacing almost half of what you just burned off!

Sue, you are absolutely right, it depends how much exercise you had before the 75 gr.

The GU that Dr. Trager mentioned - is 25 gr carb only, and recommended to take ONE after every HOUR exercise.
25 gr - after running 600 cal - a little better ratio:-)))

And you are right, to emphasize PASTA, muffin, etc - definetely gives the very wrong picture for people.

My favorite is berry/high fat youghurt shake with some no carb protein.

Check out this thread especially Orion's contribution to demystfying this subject;

http://bbs.eatprotein.com/cgi-bin/u...ic;f=1;t=205890


"MIsconception #1:


quote:
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Carbs - the main source of energy during physical activity - are stored as glycogen in muscle cells. During exercise, the glycogen reserves deplete, and an intake of carbs is needed to replenish the body. Neglecting or avoiding the post-workout meal could result in muscle breakdown and leave your body feeling fatigued during the next workout.

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First of all, carbohydrates are not always the main source of energy during physical activity. That depends on the activity itself. If you work out in an anaerobic way, say by doing weight training with heavy weights (where the energy needs to be produced quickly and for a short period of time), then carbohydrates may be the main source of energy. If the same workout is done aerobically (or as some people call it "at a cardio pace") and not with heavy weights but just enough to make the muscles work, then carbohydrates are not the main source of energy. In fact, once the body is adjusted to a low carbohydrate intake in the diet and becomes more efficient in fat burning, it is fat what becomes the main source of energy. A long distance runner doesn't depend on glycogen either to complete a race (of course, unless is one of those runners who drinks "high energy" drinks during the course of the run). For those of us used to carbohyrate restriction, and also used to work out with weights, carbohydrates are definitely NOT the main source of energy.

It all comes down to what do you want to do. If you eat so you can go to the gym and lift heavy loads, or if you go to the gym to make your body work optimally with the food you eat. There is a big difference, and I hope you can see it.

Misconception #2:


quote:
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Recent research shows that a combination of carbs and protein can also help the body recoup. Protein helps repair muscle damage, but carbs are king when it comes to replenishing carbohydrate stores. Eating too much protein after exercise is not good either, because it can slow rehydration.

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That is not general in the least. Studies done on atheletes cannot be extrapolated to the non-athlete, yet active individual. Yes, protein repairs muscle damage and carbs are not needed for that. What is needed is ATP (energy), which can be produced from carbs or fatty acids. In fact, during the recovery period (including periods of sleep), when there is no food coming in, the energy needs to be drawn from what's in store. If glycogen has been depleted, the only source available is fatty acids that come from the fat stores. That is the key in training the muscles adequately and having appropriate periods of rest so they can repair and grow (in size or in density or in both). The magic number of 75 gr of carbohydrates seems just that... "magic", and the source is also important. Tied to this misconception is also the idea that it is insulin what drives protein synthesis after workout, which is not entirely correct. Another, probably more powerful hormone but with a very confusing name (Insulin-like growth factor-1) is mainly the hormone that drives protein synthesis and sure enough, its release depends on the release of growth hormone, which in turn is released after an intense workout session. The effects of IGF-1 last anywhere from 4 to 28 hours post-workout, which means that protein synthesis for repair is going on even while we sleep. Also sure enough, carbohydrates inhibit the release of growth hormone so it doesn't make sense to have a carbo-load after workout and completely miss the benefits of the little but potent release of a tiny amount of growth hormone, needed for the subsequent release of IGF-1. Contrary to what some "experts" say, growth hormone doesn't really act on the muscles to drive protein synthesis... it acts on the liver to trigger the release of IGF-1, which is the hormone that acts in the muscle. The argument against growth hormone is the very small amount and the very short period of time in which is detected, however, that small amount is enough to trigger release of IGF-1, and it is actually a good thing that growth hormone is not around too long because adults, as oppose to growing up children, don't need too much growth hormone.

Misconception #3:


quote:
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"That is really going to be the only way that you're going to be able to continue to power your working muscles," said Cindy Moore, a Cleveland-based registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

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Wrong. Muscles don't need to be power only during a workout session. They probably need more energy than usual because of the muscle work being done, but again, that energy can be provided by either carbohydrates or fatty acids. This bare the concept that a particular workout routine must be tailored and accord to individual goals. This person's generalization is very misleading. If the individual's goal is to burn fat more efficiently, then is important to have trained muscles (i.e. workout against resistance) because the energy demand increases not during the workout session but during the resting/recovery period. Ingesting carbo-loaded foods after workout not only interfere with the efficient release of fatty acids from the fat cells, but also with the proper hormonal signalling that drives muscle protein synthesis after workout. If the individual's goals are muscle hypertrophy (increase muscle mass significantly), then the whole workout needs to be designed for that and so the nutritional approach that comes with it. However, is good to remember that people with well developed musculature are able to eat more carbohydrates because they can; they don't probably have insulin resistance and their muscles are very sensitive to insulin, and also the amount of glycogen their muscles can accumulate is higher than somebody with not so developed muscles. Big muscles (significantly big that is), come from specific ways of training them. Dense muscles also come from specific ways of training them, but in the end, only trained muscles become efficient fat burners. An average person who hit the gym once or twice a week with workouts that don't necessarily put enough resistance or intensity to their muscles, are not likely to benefit from eating carbohydrates right after workouts. First, their glycogen reserves are not likely to be depleted, and second, their ability to release fatty acids for energy will be hampered by having more insulin circulating.

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Orion"


Malcolm

Just a note - while some people do gain muscle on CKD, it is primarily a 'cutting' diet', meaning that its purpose is to shed fat while preserving muscle. The people who put significants of muscle on during a CKD are often new lifters, or people who are significantly altering a long time but lighter program.

That post-workout period, however, that half hour? Lifters refer to that as the 'anabolic window', meaning that it is the optimal time both to deliver protein to the muscles and to blunt the stress (cortisol) response that occurs naturally after an intense workout. The recipe for hitting the anabolic window is a small amount of protein WITH simple carbs. By 'small amount', I mean 20-40 grams of each. The carbs actually facilitate protein absorption. Doing protein without carbs is better than doing nothing, but there is actually a valid point here about using small amounts of simple carbs as transport for the protein. In fact, there is cousin of CKD called TKD - targeted ketogenic diet - which advocates exactly this. You have a small amount (15 -20 g) of simple carbs (glucose or dextrose, ideally) with half an hour before your workout. These simple sugars are preferentially absorbed by the muscles and help fuel a more intense workout than you might otherwise have been able to do. After the workout, you do the carb-protein combo for another 20-30 g of carbs.

I have done high intensity cardio and body-builder type lifting on varying levels of carbs. For me, lifting on dextrose kicks serious butt. I can feel a (negative) strength difference when I lift on pure LC. At 20 g of carbs/day, I bonk on HIIT cardio. On 50, it's a struggle, but do-able. At 100-150, smooth sailing.

Incidentally, I also notice higher ketosis levels and faster fatloss on the *higher* carb levels. I have a feeling that for my activity level, 20 is low enough to trigger resistance/starvation signals and stall me. In fact, I stalled dead for 6 m onths at an ECC of 20-30 g.

Please remember that even Atkins says that atheletes may need up to 90 g per day.

My concern here is twofold: first, blanket demonization of carbs is unhelpful in the long run. Food is not evil (tho if I had to pick one that was, it would be HFCS, tho maybe that's not even food). People who choose to eat carbs are not (necessarily) bad, stupid, ignorant or even uninformed people. I simply do not believe that food choices should carry moral value. Second, just because Stu Mittleman can run marathons on LC doesn't mean every athelete can, especially those whose chosen exercise is more in the lift/sprint category.

Even Trager's comment about not ingesting simple carbs prior to a WO is followed by the words 'can raise blood sugar'. Not 'does', but 'can'. This means that it only happens for *some* people.

I realize that most of my comments apply to heavy lifters and not to the general LC populace who do moderate exercise. However, since so many have questions about carbs and performance, I think we need to be tolerant of the idea that in many cases, more carbs (40-90ish) may indeed produce better performance for the individual in question.

Cheers,

Friday