What To Eat After Working Out To Lose Weight

After a long, intense training session, your body needs the right nutrition to refuel, rebuild and recover. Wasting your precious workout efforts on food that stunts your weight-loss goal is a common mistake you can easily avoid by including a few key nutrients into your diet routine. Eating these nutrients maximizes your body's ability to lose weight while maintaining lean tissue and restoring micronutrients. Something else to consider is your body type and general training goals, which will determine your nutritional regime and the success of your weight-loss program.

Carbohydrates

Quickly digested carbohydrates reduce fat mass and improve performance. This nutrient also enhances muscle recovery so you can fully benefit from your subsequent workouts. According to Dr. John Berardi in his book, "Nutrition: The Complete Guide" peri-workout nutrition -- or nutritional choices that you make before, during and after your workout -- play a huge role in reaching your goals successfully. Fast-digesting carbohydrates -- those that are processed and rapidly digested -- should only be consumed after an intense training session when your carbohydrate stores need replenishing. Insulin sensitivity is raised after your workout, and glucose uptake is rapid in the muscle and liver during this time. This means that your body prioritizes the carbohydrate synthesis.

Protein

Protein is necessary for muscle growth and repair, and if protein consumption falls below your required intake, structural proteins are catabolized and muscle tissue breaks down along with other vital bodily functions. Women should consume between 20 and 30 g and men between 40 and 60 g after a workout. Protein also reduces satiety and helps in achieving optimal body composition. The sugars that you ingest from your fast-digesting carbohydrates help to preserve the breakdown of protein, so the combination of the two produces enhanced effects.

Body Type Strategies

The three main somatypes, or ways the body is categorized according to how it distributes fat and muscle, are ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph. Ectomorphs are naturally thin and usually prioritize muscle gain, and mesomorphs are naturally athletic and muscular, and prioritize optimizing an extremely muscular physique while keeping their body fat low. Endomorphs tend to have a higher body-fat percentage and prioritize fat loss. Ectomorphs and mesomorphs consume a higher ratio of carbohydrates to protein, while endomorphs consume a higher ratio of protein to carbohydrates. Individualizing your nutrient ratios in this manner allows you to lose weight and achieve optimal body composition. Something important to note with all body types is that fat consumption should be eliminated post workout, as fat slows down the metabolism and in turn slows down the process of carbohydrate and protein synthesis.

Timing Strategies

The window of opportunity is the most optimal time to feed your body after exercise and should not exceed one hour past your workout, according to Berardi. During this time, your muscles are like sponges, ready to soak up all the important nutrients that were lost during your workout. If you do not feed your body within this time span, proper glycogen replacement and repair to your muscles will be affected, and you might end up sacrificing a full recovery.