Why do you really want to eat after a workout? Why do you want to eat sweets after training? Why do you want to eat more when you exercise?

There are two important nuances at the heart of any weight loss method. The first is proper nutrition, the second is intense exercise. But it must be remembered that fat is a reserve of additional energy for the body. Everyone noticed that it was not so easy to get rid of it. Probably, the body itself simply does not want to part with it. Based on this statement, we can conclude: in order for fat to disappear, you need to create conditions in which the body will need energy.

Most best way– this is a sport. If eaten in unlimited and large doses, excess weight won't go away, and sports won't help either. In some cases, it is possible to achieve a certain result, but it will be short-term. Therefore, the question of nutrition after training is always relevant. So, it's time to study this aspect in more detail.

Pre-workout nutrition for weight loss

As mentioned above, fats are one of the possible sources of energy for the body. When an energy deficit occurs, then active consumption of fat begins. Therefore, eating before and after the workout is not recommended.

You need to force the body to expend its energy reserves, and not replenish them with food. Not eating for too long is also harmful, since normal training takes place in conditions where there must be carbohydrates. The best option is eating 1.5-2 hours before training. Experienced athletes do this. This way they can control the volume muscle mass. However, beginners have to learn this.

Fans of sports in the morning should know that food should enter the body about an hour before training. In this case, a salad of vegetables or fruits would be a good food. If you use vegetables, exclude potatoes; if you use fruits, exclude bananas and grapes. This is very important nuance, which few people pay attention to and do incorrectly.

If you don’t have enough time, literally 20 minutes before training, try to drink a glass of kefir, a cup of green tea, juice or compote.

Why can’t you wait 2 hours before training in the morning? The fact is that the body has already spent all its carbohydrate reserves overnight. After this, fats will be burned more efficiently and you will be able to lose weight faster.

What foods are good to eat before a workout?

Before playing any sport you can eat:

  1. Oatmeal, rice or buckwheat porridge are perfect.
  2. Fruits are especially beneficial, except those that have high level Sahara. We are talking about grapes and bananas.

Can't you eat them before training? They are not suitable for people who are trying to lose weight. Having a lot of carbohydrates in its composition, after entering the body, they slow down the process of fat consumption. If you eat a banana or grapes before training, there can be no talk of losing weight. First, the body will consume the energy that has just arrived and only after that will it go to its reserves.

In general, this statement applies to any food. The only difference is their calorie content. This is why there is no result after intense training. To lose weight faster, you should watch what you eat. After all, everything you eat will soon be reflected in your figure, whether you like it or not.

Post-workout nutrition for weight loss

If the workout went at a good pace, then the body will still feel better after it. continues to burn calories. After 1.5-2 hours you can start eating. But the products must be high in protein. They allow you to restore very quickly muscle tissue. These products include:

Diet is a must diversify with a salad of any vegetables:

  • tomatoes;
  • cabbage;
  • radish;
  • cucumbers;
  • bell pepper, greens.

Season the prepared dish with a small amount of olive or vegetable oil. Pickled vegetables can also be eaten.

Vegetables can be cooked over an open fire; it is not only tasty, but also healthy.

If your workout takes place late at night and you plan to go to bed in an hour, be sure to drink a cup of kefir. Consider sensitivity to dairy products. Kefir is a post-workout food that will help replenish protein reserves and normalize intestinal function. Kefir is used for combustion excess weight and health improvements. After it, your stomach feels light.

Many people, due to their busy work schedules, often simply do not have extra time to take care of themselves. Some allow you to allocate a couple of extra minutes in the morning, others are free only in the evening. Regardless of the case, these rules should not be changed under any circumstances. After training the body needs a break from nutrition. This will help force the body to continue burning fat.

Now readers know how to eat properly before and after training to burn fat. Proper nutrition should also be followed on days when there are no workouts. How much and what can you eat? How to eat properly between workouts?

Of course, you shouldn’t eat in unlimited quantities. Excessive consumption of salty, fatty, spicy and sweet foods - and you will forever give up your dreams of ideal figure. Basic nutrition tips should always be followed, regardless of whether you have a workout today or not:

  1. Observe fractional meals. It is better to eat small meals as often as possible than large meals twice a day. This should be rule #1.
  2. Eat some sweets, such as chocolate or baked goods, only on special occasions. The body needs glucose.
  3. The basis of nutrition is low-fat foods. Give preference to lean meats, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes, eggs and herbs.
  4. Try to eat bananas and grapes in small quantities.
  5. Potatoes contain a lot of carbohydrates, which interfere with weight loss. Eliminate this vegetable from your diet and you will be surprised at the results.
  6. Protein products restore the human body. You need to eat them more than others.
  7. If you eat meat, remove the skin and excess fat.
  8. You can drink liquid in unlimited quantities. How many healthy drinks can you think of: compotes, fruit drinks, tea, cocoa. But honey and sugar are not added to them. Nutrients occupy the main place in their composition. Such drinks give vigor and stamina. Undoubtedly, honey is beneficial for the body. In this regard, nutritionists continue to argue to this day about its use. But in terms of training for the purpose of losing weight, it is better to exclude it from your diet.
  9. And one more important nuance. The last meal must occur at least 2 hours before bedtime. This applies to those people who do not want to gain excess weight.

What to do if you really want to eat after training

There are times when after playing sports you really want to eat. The hunger is just crazy. What does it mean? No need to be scared, this completely normal. You have come after a workout that you spent a lot of time on and now you are hungry. The body is trying to tell you that it urgently needs to replenish its energy reserves. Is it possible to deceive the body in any way? After all, you are supposed to eat not immediately, but after 1.5-2 hours. Try the following:

Results

The issue of nutrition after and before training was discussed in detail. Losing weight is an important step that not many people dare to take. After all, a person wants to eat after and before training, and he cannot help himself. But to have a beautiful and slim figure, you need to pull yourself together and not give up. Eating the right food after sports is good for the body. If you do not follow these recommendations, then you should not even start.

In any case it is necessary adhere to a proper diet. There is no need to eat everything, including crackers, sweets, etc. You also need to lead an active lifestyle at all times. Try to do at least something to achieve your dream figure. Perhaps in the future you will like it, and you will no longer stray from this path.

Neurons in the brain that regulate appetite sense body temperature.

Those who are actively involved in sports or fitness know that after you've worked hard on the machines, you don't feel like eating for a very long time. Obviously after physical exercise Some mechanism is activated that suppresses appetite and hunger. But what kind of mechanism is this?

Jae-hoon Jonggu ( Jae Hoon Jeong) and his colleagues from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine came up with the idea that it’s all about an increase in body temperature - after all, we warm up quite a lot due to physical activity.

Thermoregulation, like appetite, depends on the hypothalamus, a small region in the brain that controls a wide variety of physiological processes. For each process there is its own group of nerve cells, but perhaps the hypothalamic neurons that regulate feeding behavior also sense temperature?

Cells that suppress appetite are found in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus; their peculiarity is that they are able to directly sense hormones and other substances that float in the blood (the brain, as we know, is protected from direct contact with the blood by the blood-brain barrier).

To see if these neurons could respond to heat, the researchers treated them with the alkaloid capsaicin, which is found in hot peppers and which specifically targets heat receptors (which is why we feel peppers burn). In an article in PLoS Biology it is said that two-thirds of the arcuate nucleus cells sensed capsaicin - that is, they have heat receptors and are active.

From experiments with cells we moved on to experiments on mice. When animals were injected with a burning substance directly into the hypothalamus, in the area of ​​these same neurons, the mice lost their appetite for 12 hours - they continued to eat, but ate noticeably less than usual. If heat receptors on neurons were blocked, then capsaicin did not suppress appetite.

When mice were run on a treadmill for 40 minutes, their temperature rose rapidly (including in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus) and remained elevated for an hour - and the mice after “fitness” also ate half as much as mice that did not exercise. But if mice with thermal receptors on their neurons turned off ran on a treadmill, then they did not have any changes in appetite - physical exercise did not affect their appetite.

That is, the hypothesis was confirmed: brain cells that suppress appetite actually respond to heat. (You can explain why this is necessary, for example, like this: large physical activity happens when you have to run away from someone, and the desire to eat a hearty meal would be inappropriate here.)

Most likely, the same mechanism remains with us, and here we can come up with different options for how to use it for weight loss. Although what can you come up with here - you just need to go to the gym.

Oh, if only the words that fitness experts repeat like a mantra were true!

Most celebrities from this area say that training, they say, reduces appetite. But in practice, it turns out that before we have time to leave the gym, hunger appears.

The same experts claim that it is not sport that is to blame, but ourselves, or rather, an incorrect and unbalanced diet for weight loss. However, this is not always true.

Wait, how do you even train?

Do you have a plan that includes time for rest and recovery, separated by different days intense cardio and strength training? Or do you cram all your workouts into one day, and then are surprised by the natural “symptoms” of recovery of overworked muscles?

Answer these questions honestly:

  • I train in gym, and then I go to cycling, fitbox, second-level step or zumba?
  • I spend more than 3 hours in a row at the fitness club, and we are not talking about visiting the sauna and hairdresser after training?
  • Am I lifting more than 50% of my body weight on one or more compound exercises (squat, bench press, deadlift)?
  • Am I running faster than 10 km/h for longer than 20 minutes?

If you said yes to the first two questions, you should reconsider your training plan.

In the Soviet weightlifting past, a popular approach to training was: do everything you can do and eat more. So it does not apply to weight loss.

“Eating” the same 500-600 kcal that you burned on Zumba after your workout is not difficult. For example, you order dessert and a glass of wine after dinner, and it's done. Or just eat a few extra spoons of the side dish and not notice the piece of bread you ate before dinner.

In general, if training in an excessive style is leading to binge eating, you should change your training style.

The following are considered the norm:

  • 3 strength training no longer than 60 minutes each per week, with a minimum of 48 hours between them. You can stick to a 48-72 hour split between the first and second and the second and third.
  • 180 to 200 minutes of cardio. Short 20-minute sessions can be done per day strength training, long - between them. But interval cardio training in a group, when, for example, we jump on the steppe for 5 minutes, squats with a body bar for 5 minutes, if you train in a gym, it is better to avoid. Combination power load with work at strength endurance give two types of fatigue at once muscle fibers. This provokes hunger.
  • 1-2 hour stretching sessions if needed or short 5-10 minute sessions at the end of a strength and cardio session.

How to fight hunger after a workout if your workout is short and hard

But in this case, an unbalanced diet is to blame.

Protein deficiency

As a rule, training with a “load” of more than half of own weight bodies in basic exercise seriously increase protein requirements.

Calculate how much protein you eat per day, and remember that the typical 0.8 g per 1 kg of body weight is recommended only for those who do things like Pilates and yoga, and not for fans strength fitness. Amateur athletes are recommended to eat at least 2 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight.

“Closing” the protein window usually helps, that is, drinking a portion of a protein shake or even banal cottage cheese within the first 40 minutes after finishing a workout.

About carbohydrates

But drinking apples, juices and chocolates after exercise can, on the contrary, provoke fluctuations in sugar levels and increased appetite.

Running, HIIT cardio and functional exercises“all at once” type of CrossFit depletes glycogen depots quite quickly, and a drop in sugar levels after them is a typical, normal phenomenon.

Hunger, of course, can be very strong, and in this case, professionals close " carbohydrate window" Within 20 minutes after training, eat an apple, pear or berries, or drink sports drink with simple carbohydrates - in an amount of no more than 30 g of carbohydrates per session.

However, this method is not suitable for those losing weight, since it is better for them not to “close” the carbohydrate window for optimal fat burning after training. If you are trying to lose weight, it is better to try to eat something with protein, so you will curb your appetite and will not suffer all day after training.

In any case, if the body sends such strong signals, we need to work on training program, and on the nutrition plan, because the one for whom healthy image life will not be violence.

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Many women and men who are losing weight notice that after cardio training they really want to eat. As a result, some people start eating and no weight loss occurs. We’ll tell you why this happens and how to overcome yourself further.

Causes of hunger after cardio training

Cardio training includes numerous exercises for all muscle groups. They actively use both legs and arms. As a result, after an hour of exercise, hunger occurs.

Typically, this is the result of burning a large amount of energy. Sometimes this is the result of doing fasted cardio, that is, doing exercises on an empty stomach and on an empty stomach.

It often happens that before cardio a person saturates his body with empty calories, that is, he does not include proteins, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates in his diet. Also, those people who overload their body, preventing them from relaxing, suffer from hunger after exercise.

As a result, not only does the stomach suffer because it did not receive the necessary microelements, but the muscles also suffer the next day. It is important to approach training competently; it is better to involve professionals in this matter, working with them.

Attention! Often physical hunger comes from emotions, stress, and poor health. Weight loss and maintenance beautiful figure impossible without a corresponding positive attitude towards classes. Only with cheerfulness and happiness in your eyes can you achieve what you want. The best way to do cardio is with your friends or with good music that lifts your spirits.

How to eliminate hunger and not gain weight?

After cardio training, there is a high risk of gaining weight as a result of eating baked goods or various diet bars, which they really are not. To prevent this from happening, you should take this point into account in advance and pack a container of food for training in the gym, or prepare breakfast or lunch and dinner on your table in advance.

Often, after a workout, the body is deceived by telling a person that he is hungry. What he really wants is water. It is necessary to drink a glass of warm still water 10 minutes before eating.

For a snack, it is best to use a salad filled with coarse fibers , complex carbohydrates in the form of fruits or vegetables (you should remember that some fruits and vegetables are very high in calories, see the calorie table).

You can replace salad and carbohydrates with nuts. 100 grams of nuts of different varieties will quickly satisfy your hunger. You can also try making a fruit or vegetable fresh cocktail using a blender, but, as a rule, not everyone can eliminate hunger with it. To be satiated, you need to chew everything thoroughly.

Generally, During cardio training, all muscle groups are used and large number energy . As a result, a person wants not only to drink, but also to eat. You can help your body and at the same time not suffer from hunger with a light snack with complex carbohydrates and drinking plenty of water.

If you go to the gym, then one way or another you pay more attention to your diet. The body simply forces you to think about what to eat before training and what to do when you really want to eat after training...

I was able to ask a question about why it is so strong, one of the best nutritionists in Ukraine - Svetlana Viktorovna Fus. Now she is participating in the filming of the new season, and also helps women lose weight in the unique project “Slimmer and Younger.”

Svetlana Fus spoke about the main reasons for an attack of very strong hunger after a workout (after all, what you want to eat is normal, the problem is that you want to eat A LOT, A LOT).

So. Svetlana Fus named two main reasons:

  1. insufficient or improper nutrition before training;

I know that my load is quite adequate (45-55 minutes of steppe), so I asked about what mistakes in nutrition lead to this terrible hunger after training.

It turned out that the problem was my desire to limit the amount of carbohydrates. And before training (1.5-2 hours before) people like me (who really want to eat after fitness) just need to eat a portion of porridge with boiled turkey or chicken.

I've been doing this for a week now and I've noticed that it really helps. Not only is there no feeling of hunger after a workout, but the workout itself is much easier. Easier than after cheese, cottage cheese or a piece of boiled meat, which I ate before before training, trying to limit the amount of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are needed!

If you don’t have a similar problem after training, you still need to eat before class. This way the workout will be more effective and digestion will be just perfect. Carbohydrates can be different: porridge, fresh juice, vegetable salad. Beets, carrots, pumpkin are those foods that will give energy to the body.

Salad with radish and egg

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch of radishes with fresh leaves, 1 egg, 50 g cheese, dill, 3 green onions, 1 tbsp. spoon of olive oil, salt

PREPARATION:

Wash the radishes, let them lie in water for 30 minutes, remove the tails and cut into circles, radish leaves into strips, cheese into cubes. Finely chop the hard-boiled egg, onion and dill. Mix all the ingredients, add small pieces of cheese, salt, and olive oil.

After training, very active processes in the body begin. And if you want fitness to rejuvenate you and make you healthier, you need to give your body the amino acids found in proteins. What to eat after training? This can be a light protein, which is found in cottage cheese and rennet cheeses (“Adygei”, “Mozzarella”). You can have dinner with boiled fish, turkey, eggs (if the goal is to lose weight, then only protein).