Friday 100226

Post WO Nutrition Q & A, Robb Wolf - www.robbwolf.com
Post Workout Nutrition: High or Low Carb?, by Robb Wolf
Rethinking Post workout nutrition - Do you really need the carbs?, CrossFit Discussion Board

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A lot of you are interested in post-workout recovery. What kind of protein, how much, etc. The first thing you have to look at is your diet in general. This will help us both determine if you are in need of a post-workout shake. We are probably all in need of post-workout nutrition but not all of us are in need of it in the form of a shake.

Here's my question to you, are you struggling with your diet every other time of the day? Do you drink alcohol on the weekends in binges? Do you eat any type of grain such as bread, pasta, etc. Do you miss breakfast? Where is your body-fat? Is it, for a guy under 10%, under 15%, under 20%, or over this amount? For the ladies, is it under 15%, under 20%, under 25%, or over this amount? You need to answer these questions before you decide to add a post workout shake of chocolate milk and protein to your diet.

The reason being is that if your body-fat is high or you eat grain, even if its rarely, you may not have your insulin productivity in control. For a lot of us, our insulin sensitivity is very bad. This means that our cells are not very welcoming of the insulin our pancreas produces. Let's kind of break down the process:

1. You eat (any carbohydrate)
2. The sugar in your blood rises due to this food
3. The pancreas creates insulin to drive the sugar out of the body or to the areas that need it for energy

Where it all goes wrong is when we over-consume processed carbohydrates on a continuous basis. This keeps your blood sugar elevated and causes the pancreas to keep having to produce insulin. After a while, the cells in our body stop responding to the insulin (sensitivity) and so the pancreas takes it upon itself to create more. Kind of like a, "well maybe, the cells didn't hear me the first time" feeling. The cells still refuse to listen and now you have both elevated blood sugar and elevated insulin levels. This leads to what researchers call the deadly quartet: Hypertension, Hypertriglyceridemia, Hyperinsulinemia, and Obesity or Metabolic Syndrome. It leads will eventually lead to Type II Diabetes and/or Cardio-vascular Disease. Along with a whole host of other problems.

Even if you have changed your diet dramatically or even if you don't look the part (obese) you could still be at risk. You can't just reverse the effects overnight and there are lots of what you and I call "skinny people" that are sicker than those that actually look the part. You see people, you need to change your diets for the long haul, not so that you can have the luxury of looking good in the mirror but more so because you are sick. Very sick. Not only this, you are costing the public tons of money because you won't get off your ass and do something about it. The funny thing is, not even wanting to look good in the mirror is motivation enough for you. Our obesity in this country is slowing becoming genetic. In our short history, obesity was never that way. It was a problem that could be prevented but now we are passing it along to our children before they even have a chance and even then, they are bombarded with bad food choices in places they have no control over.

You need to get your insulin sensitivity back in check. You need to bring your body-fat down, you need ingest more meals with vegetables and meat. More healthy fats. If you answered yes to any of the questions above and you are at an undesirable body-fat percentage, you need to focus on eating lean cuts of meat (preferably grass-fed/free-range), organic vegetables (no fruit), lots of avocado/olive oil/almonds/macadamia nuts (unsalted, unroasted, etc), and so much fish oil that its coming out of our eyes and ears. I say no fruit because you don't get enough vegetables and even though fruit is well within the means of a healthy diet, it still contains sugar and that is the last thing you need.

If you can't go grass-fed or organic because of cost, then stay really lean with your meat and shop for the best produce you can find plus up the fish oil even more. If you don't feel you have the money to buy meat and produce all the time because the shelf life is short and it goes bad fast, then I guess I can thank you now for making my health insurance premiums go up every year and you will eventually have to pay the difference in cost of buying cheap processed food with all the medical bills your family will be paying.

So now that we got all this out of the way, back to post-workout nutrition. Reading what I have posted above, do you feel you need a protein shake now? Do you feel you need chocolate milk now? Or would you be better off eating real food? If it's a convenience factor, then stop being lazy and prepare beforehand. Make it happen. My worst eating days are when I don't prepare but those are the days I feel like shit so that is usually motivation enough for me to prepare more times than not.

Now I am not saying not to have a post-workout nutrition shake, I am just saying that you have to look at the bigger picture. Fix the obvious short-comings in your diet. Don't see it as a chore. See it as the only option. See it as that's just the way I eat. Do you really need alcohol? If you like a glass of red wine or some high grade tequila over ice every once in a while, no problem but after a serving or two it only becomes detrimental. I am not two-faced either, I have not had a drink in over two months. I love it. I have my weekends back. My kids love it. No wasted Saturdays or Sundays. It sounds like I had a problem but if you can't take my advice, then maybe it is a problem.

I'll tell you what, if you need a post-workout shake, at least look at your body-fat and go with the following:
The leaner and more honed in your diet is, the more carbohydrate (sugary as well) you can ingest post-workout. About 50 to 75 grams of carb and 25 to 30 grams of protein.
If you are in the medium range of body-fat percentage and your diet is honed in, I would recommend about 30 to 40 grams of carb with around 20 to 30 grams of protein.
And if you are in the upper range of body-fat and your diet is in good order, I would recommend around 15 or so grams of carbohydrate and around 20 grams of protein.

These carbohydrates should be in the form of complex carbohydrates (starch) such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, etc. Chocolate milk is allowed but is better recommended when you are leaner. Almond milk is another great substitute that is casein, gluten, soy, and lactose free.

If your are in any range of body-fat percentage and your diet is not at least 85% of the time in good standing order (and be honest) then screw the post workout shake because you already have enough energy in the form of fat within your body and you will probably get enough more energy from the processed food in your diet. I'm serious here. This is not intended to make fun of anyone, I'm being serious.

Lastly, you should also alter your carbohydrate intake dependent upon your workout. If you workout twice a day or once a day and play other sports, you will probably be allowed more carbohydrate intake than if you only worked out once a day and even then, if your weights are lighter than most. There tends to be a correlation though with those that workout twice a day/once a day and play sport and being the leanest (sometimes the stronger) of the group. If you are in the upper range of body-fat percentage, don't fret. If you are crossfitting (or doing high intensity work of any kind) and working on that diet, you are so much better off than the alternative. Some people are meant to be larger in size the same as some are meant to be short (a la me) but no one is meant to be unhealthy, inactive, or eating what they eat just because they feel they can't stop eating pies, cakes, bread, pasta, baked potatoes (other than post workout), etc.

Remember, if it's in your house, you will eventually eat it. If it's in cabinet space, you are telling your kids it's okay and healthy for them to eat it. You are responsible for what you eat, what they eat, and how much we pay for health insurance.

Please don't screw that up for me. I already don't have enough money.