Trim Your Waist Wednesday: Eating Towards a Six-Pack - What To Eat Before and After Your Workout

You bench press. You squat. You run five miles on the tread. But, without the right diet, you may not see the results. This week on Trim Your Waist Wednesday, we offer some tips on how to prepare your body nutritionally for your workouts.

 

For gaining muscle, the first step is to understand your target bodyweight, exactly how much do you want to weigh? Your target bodyweight determines how much carbs and proteins you should intake. If you want to maintain your weight and just cut down on fat, your daily protein intake should equal your body weight. For example, I’m a lean 150 lbs. I generally try to eat 5-6 meals of protein between 25-30 grams. I know, 5-6 meals a day? But don’t stress it. There’s protein powder.

 

 

Protein powder is a great way to reach your daily protein goals. And they taste great in shakes. Here’s my own little recipe:

  • 3 scoops of Trader Joe’s Vanilla Whey Protein
  • 1 cup of soy milk
  • 1 ½ slices of banana.

This shake is perfect for two times during your day: immediately after your workout and right after you wake up in the morning. Post-workout, you enter a catabolic state. It’s important to eat protein and a lot of healthy carbs after your workout. So, a protein shake with a banana is perfect because bananas give you both healthy carbs and potassium that relieves muscle soreness. Similarly, while you sleep, you burn through your body’s protein levels. When you wake up, you are in a catabolic state in need of carbs and protein. So, before you brush teeth, make a quick protein shake. They even taste good!

 

Try to divide your protein intake around your day. Based on your bodyweight, you want to consume between 25 and 40 grams of protein 5-6 times a day. So, make a few protein shakes after you wake-up and after your workout. Then, if you need a boost, drink some protein powder with water before you workout. That’s really it. Then, just go about your normal eating routine of three meals a day. Now, don’t get lazy now. Your three meals a day should be rich with protein and low on bad fats. What are bad fats? Saturated fats.

 

 

Here are some good sources of protein to include in your diet:

    • Fresh Chicken Breasts
    • Egg Whites
    • Omega 3 Whole Eggs
    • Lean Sources of Fish
    • Whey Protein Powder

For good sources of Carbs, I recommend:

    • Whole Grain Pasta
    • Brown Rice
    • Whole Grain Bread
    • Sweet Potatoes
    • Bananas
    • Fresh Fruit
    • Steel Cut Oatmeal
    • Vegetables (high on fibrous carbs)
      • Broccoli
      • Asparagus
      • Green Beans
      • Spinach

A healthy body isn’t just made at the gym. It’s made from what you put in your body. What you eat is energy. If you eat healthy, your body becomes capable of so much more. Shape what you’ve got into something better. Your abs will thank you.

(Photo Credit: Impruvism Co. & Ashley Urke)