Group: Specific Diets & Nutrition

Created: 2012/01/01, Members: 104, Messages: 22775

With so many diets and nutritional plans out there, you can get lost. Find out what works best for others and share your experiences!

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apples pre and post workout?

Tofurky
Tofurky
Posts: 36
Joined: 2004/03/29
United States
2004/05/04, 08:48 AM
Is eating an apple pre and post workout beneficial? I workout at 5:30am and eating ANYTHING at that time is a chore. I was eating a 1/2 bowl of oats but it was taking to long to get down and I don't feel any more energy when doing so, so now I just bring an apple and eat it on the way to the gym. Then I eat another one about 2 hours later when I'm done with my workout (along with my my whey protein shake). But is there any point to eating them at all or should I just skip it and eat my regular breakfast of egg whites a couple hours later?

TIA!
hecdarec
hecdarec
Posts: 2,457
Joined: 2003/12/16
United States
2004/05/04, 01:19 PM
It may be beneficial pre workout, but I dont think it is post workout.

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Would it be classified as overly competitive if I refused to let a 4 year old beat me at chutes and ladders?
2004/05/04, 01:36 PM
I have use 100% apple juice in conjunction with creatine when insulin spiking. Seemed to work as well as grape juice or maltodextrin. Also you should have your post workout shake within 20 or 30 minutes of the workout.

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There is no joy in mudville.

Charlie
Tofurky
Tofurky
Posts: 36
Joined: 2004/03/29
United States
2004/05/04, 03:51 PM
I'm not trying to spike my insulin or anything fancy. I'm just trying to get a descent pre & post workout snack. I weightlift pretty heavy (for a chick :big_smile: ) for an hour or so, and at 8% body fat, I don't want to be burning muscle. If just drinking my glutamine w/BCAA's during and my whey protein shake after is enough, I'd rather not bother with a snack beforehand. Like I said, at 5am, it's hard to choke down food. Thanks!
azredhead57
azredhead57
Posts: 1,651
Joined: 2003/04/11
United States
2004/05/04, 06:51 PM
If you are lifting heavy I think you are supposed to have a meal about an hour before your workout. Something wiht complex carbs and a fair amount of protein. Your oats with some protein powder mixed in is probably a better base than just an apple. Although they dont get much good press on this site, when I am short on appetite or time I have a Zone or Balance bar before going to the gym. They are small enough that I dont feel stuffed, but still have some carbs and protein.:dumbbell:

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~Victoria~
...Do not be discouraged; everyone who got where he is, started where he was.--anon
...There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.--Beverly Sills
Tofurky
Tofurky
Posts: 36
Joined: 2004/03/29
United States
2004/05/04, 08:35 PM
I know that I'm *supposed to* have some complex carbs and protein an hour before my workout, the problem is that I roll out of bed at 5 am, sniff around for some clean gym clothes, and speed over to New York Sports Club where I bang on the door until they let me in. I guess I could wake up at 4 am instead, just to eat, but I'm not that crazy, yet. :laugh:

The protein bar is an idea though - I just try not to eat too many of those things...
joliee
joliee
Posts: 8
Joined: 2004/04/30
United States
2004/05/04, 08:41 PM
Hey tofurky I've got a question for you...

you have such a great body! You obviously put in work, but are you naturally a lean person or do you have to fight that fat? How much cardio do you generally do and what kind of weight lifting splits are you doing? I'd love to hear a quick run down about your routine. And only veggies as carbs? How do you stay sane?! lol Seriously though, checked out the profile - your main staple is good fat and protein?
Tofurky
Tofurky
Posts: 36
Joined: 2004/03/29
United States
2004/05/05, 08:39 AM
Hi Joliee. Thanks for the comps - they're always appreciated! Yes, I am naturally lean, but I wasn't born with defined arms and a 6-pack, so that definitely takes work. For that reason, pure vanity, I'm dedicated to going to the gym. I workout 6-7 days a week in the morning from 5:30am-7:30am. If I'm feeling energetic after work, I'll head back for an hour evening session just to do some cardio or some body part I've been neglecting like abs or forearms or calves. I used to be a cardio freak, doing up to 4 hours a days (mostly Spinning), which is how I lost most of my body fat. Now that it's at an unhealthy low of 7-8%, I switched to just weight training. However, my leanness also has a lot to do to with my diet. A typical day of eating for me is 6 egg whites mixed with salsa, 2 ounces of chicken, & 1/2 cup oats at 8am. 4 ounces of chicken and 1/2 grapfruit or some strawberries at 11am. At 2pm I'll have another 4 ounces of chicken on a few cups of spinach leaves. Around 5pm I'll crack open a can of tuna, mix it will a tablespoon of salsa, and gobble that up and stab myself with a fork when I go to head for another can. Dinner is around 8pm and it's usually a big salad with 4-5 ounces of chicken breast or fish thrown on top. If I'm feeling wild and crazy (and hungry) I'll add a mango or apple. And if I'm up late and get the munchies I'll drink a protein shake or eat some cottage cheese, but I try not to do that because these late night munchies can get deadly for me (I can literally clean out the refridgerator). And yeah, that happens sometimes. It sucks but that's life. You move on and try to remember it's just food. It's just a means of helping you attain your goals, and for me that's staying lean and getting ripped. And there is nothing that tastes as good as that looks!
princesslodgey
princesslodgey
Posts: 1,748
Joined: 2004/02/21
United Kingdom
2004/05/05, 02:34 PM
bb1 posted recently that fructose postworkout is bad but I've still to find out exactly why, I think it limits muscle glycogen
joliee
joliee
Posts: 8
Joined: 2004/04/30
United States
2004/05/05, 04:29 PM
Yay! Such an in depth and helpful answer. Thanks for sharing tofurky, I definitely wanted detail :) But I have a few more questions now too, if you wouldn't mind.

When you lost the fat initially, and were doing up to 4 hours of cardio (wow!) - were you lifting too? And what kind of calorie intake were you taking in back then in order to be able to do that kind of cardio AND keep the fat coming off? Still low carbs? I ask because I'm currently running about 40-45mpw (I'd love to add more cardio in there too, I really *enjoy* cardio) and was under the impression that if I wasn't getting enough starchy carbs or enough calories, I'd send my body into that starvation mode which would cause it to hang onto the fat - which I definitely do not want. But I wonder if thats actually just a myth? My body responds best to lower starch, but I thought maybe I was being unrealistic in thinking that was okay during all of the cardio and I get afraid of just setting myself up to binge. But it seems you've been able to stick to that kind of plan, if I'm correct? and you definitely have the kind of results I'm looking for! You're one tough and disciplined girl though, that's for sure since I know eating like that definitely isn't the easiest. So I'm not taking this lightly or anything - I just sincerely want to know what you did in order to get your physique like it is (though, I don't want to get quite as low bf% - Ive always learned 12% was the general lowest to shoot for?)
Curious what your lifting routine is like though - you lift heavy to failure right? lower reps? what kind of splits (back one day or more like upper body one day)...

And as far as your question... from what I know, if someone is looking to BUILD muscle - the most IMPORTANT thing is getting in high glycemic carbs RIGHT after you lift hard - because as we all know, that's when the muscle has been torn down and is especially receptive to being replenished by those carbs (and protein).... apples are lower glycemic from what I've read so it would seem something higher GI with protein would be a better bet if your goals were to build. That's just from my reading, though, as I don't have enough experience to say!

But I'm sure you've seen this link, but just in case you haven't or in case someone out there hasn't, it's a great source for all sorts of scientific yet basic/easy to understand info: http://www.hussman.org/fitness
bb1fit
bb1fit
Posts: 11,105
Joined: 2001/06/30
United States
2004/05/05, 07:19 PM
Do not eat an apple post workout. Waste of nutrients. Fructose, tops off liver glycogen, not what we want. It uses a non insulin dependent pathway, and will do nothing to aid in recovery.:big_smile:

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Quoting from tofurky:

Is eating an apple pre and post workout beneficial? TIA!
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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....

bb1fit@freetrainers.com
asimmer
asimmer
Posts: 8,201
Joined: 2003/01/07
United States
2004/05/06, 09:26 AM
preworkout you need at least a protein shake on the way to the gym. Post workout you need a shake with fast absorbing carbs. This has been discussed much, including how to figure out exact ratios for carbs to protein, check in the suppplements forum, or search fitbuddy.

Doing 4 hours of cardio a day is bad for your ticker.

Anything over an hour a day for cardio is too much.

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If you fall down seven times, get up eight.
aubreigh
aubreigh
Posts: 2
Joined: 2008/06/20
United States
2008/06/25, 07:17 PM
everyone keeps saying post workout take your protein shake with fast absorbing simple carbs, but no one has yet to give an example of a simple carb that would be beneficial for you to take with your protein shake. Could anyone give me examples of natural non supplement carbs to take with your post workout protein shake? thanks and also do you need any extra carbs with your protein shake if you are trying to lean?

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Quoting from asimmer:

preworkout you need at least a protein shake on the way to the gym. Post workout you need a shake with fast absorbing carbs. This has been discussed much, including how to figure out exact ratios for carbs to protein, check in the suppplements forum, or search fitbuddy.

Doing 4 hours of cardio a day is bad for your ticker.

Anything over an hour a day for cardio is too much.


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aubreigh
aubreigh
Posts: 2
Joined: 2008/06/20
United States
2008/06/25, 07:19 PM
i have a question: are organic rice cakes considered a simple carb? Is it not a good idea to have with lunch replacing your complex carb? please advise thanks