[Closed] Post excercise food - I cant seem to keep anything down after the gym

What time are you going to bed?

Personally you might exercising too hard and not cooling off enough.

Try a recovery shake or 2 with protein (whey isolate-easy to absorb) like Rego -Strawberry.

Take an energy drink before and during the workout.

I take a protein drink/ meal within 30 minutes to reduce catobolism and aid recovery by 10% and cause anabolic affect.

Taking nothing after a workout? I think you need to do some study as it what you out of the gym that counts too after cns stimulation in the gym.

lots of jam and honey then it's as sweet coming up as it was going down

zaskar - what do you mean 'aiding recovery by 10%?'

If you're exercising enough to make that happen you're effectively making yourself ill 🙁 I think all these techical foods are a complete con.

You can speed up healing and glycogen storage by 10-15% if you can get the proper nutrition within 30 minutes compared to leaving it longer and incorrect nutrition.

I was reading the American sport science studies when I was kid and now England is finally using them in their sports...I studied sports science and biochemisty at University so it helps to apply knowledge.

It amazes me that so many ppl are training and not know what they are doing outside the gym/off the bike.

You don't have to know all the detail but look at the basics on bike radar for the basics and you'll find you can train harder and recover faster and gain more in a shorter time.

I find rego is gentle on your stomach-cheaper than promax.

Sbarnes-if you are eating properly in the first place you will be fine but not everyone has time!

never had a problem... you must be busting it too much, how do you feel after the session, wiped out with eyes glazed or alright ?

Must admit when I used to do BMF I'd reach the point of dizzyness sometimes during the session, especially after shuttle sprints, but never had a problem afterwards I always felt fine. Never really felt especially hungry after but still eat a full cooked dinner. Your body needs repleneshing after strenuous exercise. I tend to cook chicken, chopped peppers and cous cous with vegetables. takes ten mins and is nourishing.

Keva-whats that recipe? sounds good!

there is very little clear evidence that supplements work in real world exercise and sports situations. most of the % improvement is dubious especially when compared to eating normal food. the only advantage is possibly convenience, other than that it's a waste of money

Depends on the supplement and sub cats I tend to focus on protein as I don't want to consume loads but readymade chicken in the fridge helps!

50g protein after any workout apparently. Ask Wiggins.

I have found that simply swapping round the meals that day can help. by that i mean have a normal meal for breakfast then i have my main meal at lunch time, usually a reheat of a meal form earlier in the week or week before that's been frozen then finnish work and hit the gym and have a sandwich or so in the evening. This is not performance enhansing but it gets the same amount of food into you so should prevent the rageing hunger the next day.

Thanks for the tips guys.

I go to bed about 12pm. I cant really calm myself down for at least a few hours after so no point in going to bed. I cant really get food into me before as i leave work at about 5-6pm and its not enough time to eat something and digest it before exercise.

In terms of over training. Well its just different imo. Yes i am tired and last night i couldnt even wash my hair in the bath because my arms were so tired, but next day i feel great (Physically) so i dont believe i am over training. I just need to get the balance of food before and after sorted. Oh, and even though i am drinking all the way through the exercise and after i find i am extremely dehydrated. It takes at least an hour or so after for me to get enough fluids back in to be able to remove my contact lenses as they dry up on my eyes. Have had a few uncomfortable nights trying to remove them 🙁

I was hoping for some tips on foods that are quickly digested for before exercise or suggestions for foods that will not come up so easily after exercise. The spicy dominos pizza was a major mistake that i will never be repeating.

I have avoided the rego stuff but if its a case of drinking sis whilst i exercise and rego after then i will try that.

Rusty, thats something i have tried as well. Trouble is i am quite a big eater. I will still be hungry come 10pm wether i eat a big lunch or not. Its just the way i am.

I have also tried drinking so much water to try to dampen the hunger, but i just end up peeing every 5mins through the night and waking up hungry the next day.

See what works on your stomach and tastes good.

Otherwise Plain chicken breast is easy to digest but I wouldn't want to eat loads before bed but I do have a protein shake 2hrs before bed as Growth hormone is sky high at night and will make use of the protein.

I would suggest a good warm down-stabilises the stress hormones that give you the workout-but if they are still high-keeps you alert, knackered and acts on the muscle fibre types on your stomach.

10-15 mins cool down. Then get a protein shake recovery into you before you shower and by the time you've walked around, had a shower got home it will aid to digest it and stop you feeling bloated.

Investigate what works for you as we're all different.

Ask the gym instructors or even a sports nutritionist to give you pointers and add to knowledge in/out of the gym.

Train like a nutter but not dangerously!

I think that the recovery 'shake' seems to be the common suggestion. Will buy some today with some SIS GO for when exercising.

I dont think its anything to do with the level of training. If anything i come away thinking i should be doing more. Its the fact that i cant get the food i do eat after to digest properly before i go to bed. It sits there in my stomach and after a few hours it makes a comeback.

i couldnt even wash my hair in the bath because my arms were so tired

listen to yourself, that's crazy!

I think that the recovery 'shake' seems to be the common suggestion.

For me, 30g-50g whey protein mixed with 300ml fruit juice & 200ml water consumed within 20 mins of ceasing exercise seems to make a big difference to the way my muscles feel the next day.

Will buy some today with some SIS GO for when exercising.

Hardly needed for circuit training. You carry enough glycogen in your blood for a good 90 minutes of hard exercise, so taking on extra sugar is not needed.

What do you eat for breakfast the day after an evening of heavy exercise? I tend to find that if I bulk up my brekkie (larger portion of porridge with more milk), this seems to slow the hunger.

A pint of milk with High5 Protein Recovery really helps. If I train late in the day I tend to just graze on apples, bananas, nuts and raisins, yoghurt, etc.

Training after a day at work, you need to make sure you have a decent snack about 3 or 4pm and drink plenty of fluids.

"Trying to be good" in terms of calorie intake is nearly always counter-productive. If you just eat toast you are just delaying recovery until the next day, and reducing the benefits of the training. Quit worrying about calorie intake, but restrict yourself to really good quality fresh food, and eat as much as you want.

[i]simonfbarnes - Member

i couldnt even wash my hair in the bath because my arms were so tired

listen to yourself, that's crazy![/i]

In what way?

I am out of shape at the moment and want to get back into shape. I am exercising to do that but its nothing i havent experienced before. I have seen me with jelly legs after a long ride or football training. Last nights circuits were based heavily around upper body and i ended up with 'jelly' arms. No different and absolutely no pain at the time or today. Probably increased by the fact i was in a red hot bath (I got in after the wife and she has the water waaay too hot) and it makes me lethargic. Do you never exercise to that point? It can feel extremely good.

Tried the grazing thing Shandy. 2 bananas, a box of raisens and whatever other nibbles i can get my hands on and i am Hank Marvin by 10pm. Best one i had was the ham & leak risotto i cooked at 10pm but i felt like i had defeated the point in exercising by eating so much.

It kind of depends what you are trying to achieve, but why would you feel bad about eating risotto?!

If you are looking to lose weight and want to calorie-control your diet then you are always going to struggle with tiredness/hunger/poor recovery. If you stay disciplined the weight will come off, but it can be very draining mentally. Its also frustrating being tired for training.

If you are training for fitness/strength/endurance you need to get over the hang-up about eating. If you train hard, have a recovery shake and a decent meal like risotto, you have had a good day and you should be pleased with it. Your metabolism will get a boost, you will recover quicker, you will gain more strength, endurance etc. Most importantly, you will feel like training hard again, sooner. You won't drop weight as quickly but you will get significantly fitter and learn to eat in proportion with the fuel you are using up.

Do you never exercise to that point? It can feel extremely good.

No. Way.

I just ride for fun. Exercise is well boring.

A pint of milk with High5 Protein Recovery really helps.

Isn't there a view that the protein in milk (casein) slows down the uptake of whey protein just when you need quick absorption?

If I drink milk, it's before bed as a means of topping up my protein intake for the day.

Whey protein is a popular commercial product not because it has any particular nutritional benefit but because it is available cheaply in large quantities as a by product of cheese production.

There are absolutely no non-medical conditions where a 'sports supplement' will be of any extra value than 'proper food'.

You may well find one or the other tastier/easier to carry/more convenient etc and the perceived benefit of dedicated sports products is not to be ignored.

Eating a balanced diet with a high carb/low GI basis is the best way to maintain energy levels.
Meals should ideally be high calorie in the morning and taper to low calorie in the evening, before exercise try some carb rich food like cereal bars and afterwards have a low fat milk based drink......

Isn't there a view that the protein in milk (casein) slows down the uptake of whey protein just when you need quick absorption?

a curious statement given that whey is part of mik...

a curious [b]statement[/b] given that whey is part of mik...

It was a question, dear chap.

Zaskar is the one holding himself out as an expert - I'm just an uninformed consumer relying on hearsay and witchcraft.

My simple analysis is that if I consume no specific "extra" protein immediately after a hard ride, my legs ache more the next day (all other things being as equal as i can make them) than if i had gone for whey powder or milk, with whey powder seeming to have the most positive effect.

Since it's all done on "how I feel", rather than anything deliberately measured, I can onl;y rely on "how I feel" to determine whether anything I do or don't do is beneficial (for example, if I don't expect to ride hard the next day, does having legs that ache more than they might make any other difference to me? No.).

Since it's all done on "how I feel", rather than anything deliberately measured

so long as you realise there's a huge margin for error when you 'experiment' on yourself 🙂

I'm sure a proper square meal is much more beneficial than a protein shake alone but sometimes you don't have access to good food quick enough. Having a protein shake within 30 minutes of finishing training really seems to reduce soreness, it also stops me getting the munchies and necking anything I can lay my hands on, so it improves my diet overall.

Have you thought about asking a doctor? I've pushed myself to the point of exhaustion on more than one occasion and not any problem stuffing down food afterwards, and I've certainly never been sick during or after intensive exercise.

Vomiting is IMHO quite a serious problem, though perhaps it's psychosomatic in your case.

+1 for eating staright after excersise. Your body is much more effiecient at turning it into usefull stuff.

Your body is much more effiecient at turning it into usefull stuff.

if you believe in magic 🙂

Thanks for the advice guys.

This is kind of what i wanted to hear

[i]I'm sure a proper square meal is much more beneficial than a protein shake alone but sometimes you don't have access to good food quick enough. Having a protein shake within 30 minutes of finishing training really seems to reduce soreness, it also stops me getting the munchies and necking anything I can lay my hands on, so it improves my diet overall. [/i]

The comments on actually being sick. Well i put that down to the fact i dont eat untill i have got home, bathed and then settled down which can be up to 1hr after exercise. By which time its 9pm and i havent digested the food by 12pm so it sits on my already stressed stomach. I am gonna try the cereal bars before and protien drink with the nibbles after and see if that works. Shouldnt be as heavy on my stomach.

Again, thanks for helping

so it sits on my already stressed stomach.

stressed ? Perhaps that's what you need to address ?

Stressed/exercised

Stressed/exercised

[b]over[/b]exercised ? I always feel deeply chilled afterwards...

You seem like a guy with a lot of time simon. Maybe you can spread your exercise out over a few rides per week. Some of us dont have many oppertunities throughout the week to get more than a couple of hours to attempt to improve our fitness. Ok i accepts i am trying to make the most of the 1hr i get. Sorry.

ignore barnes, he's clearing doing a TJ

I know what he's doing

I do wonder by people ask forumites for medical advice.

I didnt. I was asking what kind of foods people managed to eat before/after exercise. I explained that it wasnt really biking related but i deemed the fact that biking is exercise it may be relevant. If i wanted medical advice i would have gone to the doctors.

ignore barnes, he's clearing doing a TJ

I know what he's doing

you can do 2 things, answer the question asked, or address the actual problem. I'm attempting the latter.

TLH brought up the matter of stress which is far worse for you than overweight, and is a better explanation of the vomitting, which struck me as odd in the first place.

I didnt. I was asking what kind of foods people managed to eat before/after exercise.

And everyone told you that they can eat anything they like after exercising, which is why me and a few others suggested you get a proper medical opinion.

and it goes without saying that no foodstuff will address stress...

simonfbarnes - Member
I always feel deeply chilled afterwards...

simonfbarnes - Member
.... Exercise is well boring.

So what is it then, chilled or bored 😉

I suspect you do not exercise even close to the levels the OP is discussing so your contributions are pretty irrelevant....

and it goes without saying that no foodstuff will address stress.

Yes it can, dietary modification can be a key part of stress management, both of psychological and physiological origin....

you can do 2 things, answer the question asked, or [s]address the actual problem[/s] just post rubbish for the sake of it. I'm attempting the latter.

So what is it then, chilled or bored

2 different things, a ride is fun, not exercise :o)

I suspect you do not exercise even close to the levels the OP is discussing so your contributions are pretty irrelevant....

too right - but I think doing it to the level where it makes you puke is self evidently inadvisable

Yes it can, dietary modification can be a key part of stress management, both of psychological and physiological origin....

haha, yes a kind of witch doctoring 🙂 You may be able to convince yourself that eating different things will affect your mental states, but really it's misdirection!

just post rubbish for the sake of it

what, and you're [b]not[/b] ?? Stress is caused by living and working conditions, not food. [b]How[/b] you eat is far more relevant, taking time to enjoy it and not doing it in a rush being stress relieving.

agree with zaskar. It always amuses me when people ( not stw but collegues etc) get angry about protein shakes. Admittetly I only use basic ones and to some extent do not trust more complex formulae ( but that's just me). I find that a protein shake post workout is important for recovery during the night and at 9pm eating some chicken or tuna does mostly not appeal.

Have you tried drinking some milk shortly after training?

@Simon Barnes-it depends on the cause of the stress.

If you are a female, with heavy menstrual cycles and training hard then you could lead to aneamia causing mild to severe stress from a low heamaglobin level-if found a Gp perscribes Folate, B12 and iron support -nutritional therapy.

I feel stressed, I have a major presentation and report to do, desert made me feel better just now but the stress is still there-behold so is the work! I better get weaving...

😉

Now I do not understand Zaskar.

[i]Stress is caused by living and working conditions, not food[/i]

😆

Simon, you're just showing your ignorance - dietary factors are an important part of stress management - high salt, high GI, high saturated fats, additives, acidity, allergies/sensitivities the list just goes on - best stick to whatever it is you do behind that keyboard, at least it doesn't matter when you get it wrong.

[i]You may be able to convince yourself that eating different things will affect your mental states, but really it's misdirection[/i]

No, it's established scientific fact, just browse through PubMed for articles on food and mental state, you never know you may learn something.......

...anyway, not wanting to waste my evening debating with your pedantry so have the last word on me 😆 🙄 😆

i would say that 'feeling' how much protein too eat can be useful, rather than measuring it out all the time. IMHE. Although for cycling this is probably different.Mind you everyoneis different.

[i]Simon, you're just showing your ignorance - dietary factors are an important part of stress management - high salt, high GI, high saturated fats, additives, acidity, allergies/sensitivities the list just goes on - best stick to whatever it is you do behind that keyboard, at least it doesn't matter when you get it wrong.[/i]

I think this is also part of my problem which i am trying to alter. My diet can be little short of shocking.

All i wanted was a few frindly suggestions of what people find easy to digest quickly. I was expecting things like honey or jam sandwiches. Gonna try to eat closer to finishing the exercise and see if that helps along with the rego sis

you might also want to eat something proper @ lunchtime. Maybe try keeping a food diary just to see how good or otherwise your diet is.
You would not advise your customers to run junk fuel in their new Mercs would you????

Is a fryup classed as 'proper'. I have gathered that my eating habits are not right before and after. Lets see Tuesday & Thursday

Just a quick update.

Went to circuits last night. I had a proper meal for lunch and had a bottle of rego after the circuits. By 10pm i was feeling the munchies so had a couple of Tuna Rolls.

No problems whatsoever and i had my best circuit session so far.

Oh and Rego tastes horrible 🙁 Chalky strawberry smelling water

dont eat untill i have got home, bathed and then settled down which can be up to 1hr after exercise. By which time its 9pm

I'm not sure that 9pm is that bad. I regularly eat at that time or later (10pm last night, after I got in from riding at 9-ish).

Is a fryup classed as 'proper'.

That better be a troll.

Oh and Rego tastes horrible Chalky strawberry smelling water

It is rather manky tasting, and expensive to boot. If you're going to be regularly consuming protein, have a look at the whey protein powder available from the likes of myprotein.co.uk. Rego tastes like Play-Doh to me.

I regularly eat at that time or later (10pm last night, after I got in from riding at 9-ish).

I suspect the creatures which evolved bad times to eat subsequently became extinct. I often eat at 1am.

I dont troll.

The fry up comment was kind of an admission to the fact i bring part of it on myself.

Going to sleep on a full tummy doesnt seem to agree with me. It may do for others but not me.

Yep, rego tasted horrible but i felt good after so i will stick with it for now

My post-gym meal is a tin of tuna and a Uncle Ben's 2minute rice thing, maybe followed by some Rachel's low-fat yoghurt (Rhubarb mmmmmmmmm). That seems to do the trick for me when I get in around 8:30-9.

Thats sounds tasty Mike but not sure the rice would digest enough. We always have a few bags of that in the house so might try it on thursday

I suspect the creatures which evolved bad times to eat subsequently became extinct. I often eat at 1am.

Wonderful logic 😉 . SFB, you always entertain me. I wish more people were as confident in expressing their opinions. Hats off..!

Littlest Hobo - fried food is something I would never eat during the day if I knew I was going to be excerising (hard or otherwise) the same day. Just never sits well.

If you're trying to get into shape, and lose weight at the same time, consider seeing a nutrionist (who isn't too left field) to get some advice on good and bad things to eat. yOu probably know what they are, but sometimes it helps move the process along by seeking the opinion of a third party (even if you don't agree with/follow any or all of it).

I am not 'that' serious about getting into shape. I want to get fit and continue to enjoy eating my food. My enjoyment of food dictates that if i have to stop enjoying food to get fit and get in shape, i dont want to anymore.

I know fried food isnt good, but then if water tasted nice they would find something about it that wasnt good for you.