Brad Pilon's Eat Stop Eat – Fast Your Way to a Sculpted BodyEat Stop Eat is a dieting eBook created by nutritionist Brad Pilon that advocates that the secret to weight loss is actually bouts of eating then fasting. Designed for men and women Brad teac…

Quick question because I just finished a workout:

What if your ingesting a protein shake with straight water (0 carbs)? Does the waiting still apply? I consider the insulin spike to be influenced directly by the sugars and carbs, not really by the protein.

Dave

I agree with your points but think that there are supplements that can benefit you post-workout without blunting the GH response, etc. Studies show you don't necessarily need complete proteins and carbs post-workout to see benefits. Simply drinking a mixture of essential amino acids in the right amounts can do the trick.

If I remember correctly, the subjects in one study drinking EAA gained muscle even if they weren't lifting weights.

However I posted this comment because there is an elephant in the room and I feel obligated to point out a couple of things. Chris from fitnessfail.com is the elephant. I must begin by saying that Chris has a valid argument and appears to be a very smart guy. I am just hoping that people take these scientific studies in the right context. By consuming simple carbs ”sugars” with protein after workouts you will optimize protein absorption and replenish glycogen faster as Chris has stated. I just wonder why we think we need to optimize protein absorption and replenish glycogen as soon as possible. The truth is that in less we are planning to work out our chest four times a week we probably do not need to worry about protein timing and/or protein absorption. We also do not need to immediately restore glycogen in our muscles unless we are going to the gym more than once a day. I recommend using vegetables and fruits to gradually restore glycogen not simple carbs. There are a lot of studies that suggest we are ready to work out any major muscle group after 48 hours of rest, and many of these studies do not use subjects who were given abnormal levels of protein or carbohydrates. Most weight lifters have a workout routine that allows adequate rest and they also have diets with adequate amounts of protein and carbohydrates. It is important that we do not entice people, who ultimately want to be thin, to take up bad habits like using sugar as a performance booster.
No person should go out of their way to increase insulin to high levels. Sugar should not be a tool in your muscle building arsenal. The supplement industry is also promoting these high sugar supplements as having advanced absorption capabilities. Perhaps I am missing something and these supplements do create superior muscle gains. If this is the case I warn people that for every month they spend using these sugary supplements they will have to spend another month chasing calorie deficits. The irony is that these same hard gainers will have to have many months of calorie deficits (that is if leanness is also a goal) to offset these sugary months, and these low calorie months will not provide optimal nutrition for either maximum strength increases or mass gains. Furthermore some muscle will be lost when dieting.
{NEW SUBJECT} Many of us forget that some people may need to increase size before they reach the maintenance stage where definition becomes the focus. To these people I would recommend keeping insulin levels low by eating high protein meals with a low glycemic load. Glycogen is important for muscle endurance, but a reasonable amount of vegetables and fruits the day before a work out should provide a gradual healthy build up of enough glycogen to sustain an hour workout. People looking for mass will also need to get a calorie surplus. These two factors will send your body the right signals. The calorie surplus will tell your body to grow and the low glycemic foods will keep the “store fat” signals to a minimum. Monitoring your body fat percentage with a body fat scale is also useful to help you determine whether or not your calorie surplus is too large.

There are a lot of approaches to reach the same goal. This method that I'm talking about here will allow you to reach your fat loss goal much quicker than if you drank a shake right after. Both will work…but I just want to save you a lot of time and money.

Kash,

Hard work is key. Pushing the pain barrier during interval work is what makes it extremely effective. Diet needs to be on-point as well.

JohnnyG,

Thanks buddy!

Matt,

Good approach as well.

Rusty

I personally prefer to use a branched chain amino acid supplement immediately post workout when looking to keep fat loss at a maximum – and leave the carbs for a meal to be had within the hour – and never from a simple carb source.

Second: this fitness world is a hell. This page does states the opposite: http://yourtotalhealth…after-working-out.html
of course it's possible that they are related to any supplement resellers. But, it would be so nice if for anything about fitness everybody would agree

I finished up taking HALF protein shake

Ciao

If you want to gain mass, maybe just do a whey protein shake after working out and then eat an hour later, but I still think you will have a better body composition if you avoid that shake altogether. Experiment and see if you are able to stay lean with the shake.

Helder,

That has been my experience as well. It makes sense when you think about it.

Jonathan,

I think the negatives would outweigh the positives if you waited too long. You do need food at some point. No need in going past two hours.

Mickieb,

Don't do everything I list on the site. These are tips to help you "piece together" the perfect workout to fit your circumstances.

BurritoKid,

I have my best workouts on the days that I fast. I think I get a bigger HGH response as well.

Marco,

Don't eat anything 3-4 hours before your workout for max HGH release and using stored body fat for energy (instead of "food energy"). If you drink that shake…wait 1-2 hours.

Arya,

Fat loss goes in streaks…sometimes you will stay at the same weight for 2 weeks and then lose 3-4 pounds in one week. Nothing to worry about. Just maintain your strength while losing weight by hitting each muscle group twice per week and you will be fine. You might want to cut down the sets a little. Try to get lifting done in 45 minutes max…and cardio to 30 minutes max…that would put you a bit over an hour total. I'd skip the shake and wait an hour or two and then just eat the meal. I used to recommend shakes a bit more, but they may not be that necessary…especially if you are just trying to lose fat. Thanks for the recommendation on your blog!

Chris,

I like the idea of fruit and eggs. Natural foods that we were meant to eat.

Methuselah,

Yeah…great point. Once people accept the "natural level" of muscle on their body, they don't worry so much about muscle loss. They also wind up getting lean and sharper looking. Eating every few hours and downing protein shakes on a regular basis is a sure way to never getting ultra-lean.

Sid,

In my opinion you aren't working each muscle group often enough to reach your full potential. You are splitting your body parts up over too many days. This is more of a bodybuilder approach, because they "tear down" their muscles with the type of workout that they do…so they need a lot of days in between for those muscles to repair. I also think you would be better served to lower your reps and do strength training. Instead of working your entire body over 5 workouts…break it down to 2 or 3 day splits. So on day one, do Chest, Back, and Abs and day two do Shoulders, Triceps, and Biceps. Do a low volume of sets and reps. Maybe just start out with 5 sets of 5 reps. If you do intense HIIT after each workout, you won't really need to lift legs…but if you really want to work legs, just do them once per week. So that would be 5 times per week total (the two upper body splits..the leg workout…then the two upper body splits again). A few things that will hlp with losing that last little bit of lower ab fat…drink your coffee black, either drop the nan or drink a lean protein shake that is low in carbs (between the two, you are getting too many carbs)…everything else looks solid, I just think you are a little too "carbed up" to lose that last little bit of fat.

pnw,

This strategy works wonders.

Kanadian05,

Insulin is a "Storage Hormone"….it gets released in response to a blood sugar spike. Takes that sugar out of the blood stream and stores it into the fat cells (a simple explanation for a complex process). You body can't burn fat when it is present, because it is busy storing body fat instead.

Chris,

It is an individual thing. I just wanted to have people give this a shot…because it works well for a lot of people (not everyone). As far as recovery goes…I suggest more of a low volume, low rep strength program that doesn't "tear down" the muscles like a typical 6-10 rep bodybuilder workout. By the end of these types of workouts my muscles don't feel tired or fatigued like a traditional tough bodybuilder workout. I'm not reaching faliure and if anything the muscles feel energized. Now, I do kick some butt on HIIT…so after that I'm sweating…but I don't feel like anything needs to be repaired. I remember the days of high volume lifting and puching past failure and getting sore, but I avoid all of that now to aim for a higher quality of life when I'm not working out.

SoG,

Puerto Vallarta has good surfing, but you have to go to a few specific places. They don't look like they are in the right place…they should be at that point in the distance. If your body is really craving food badly, then it probably does need it. I actually lose my apetite from HIIT and just get a bit thirsty. As far as eating the heart in celebration…I'd pass out from seeing all of the blood…I'd suck at being primal

James,

Thanks buddy. Many of the people who comment here have outstanding blogs. You could scour this site in the comment section and find 20-30 fitness blogs with great info. So much info…so little time!

Partick,

Don't change what you are doing. You are in maintainance mode and it is working.

Methuselah,

I train more like you…low volume of lifting, never reaching failure, and not breaking down the muscle at all. The lifting part of the workout is easy, yet I continue to gain strength. The HIIT or bodyweight circuits get me sweating, but still don't induce any type of muscle damage.

DR,

I have read similar things about GH spikes…arguing for and against. Either way it makes sense to me to limit any insulin response when the metabolic rate is jacked up after a tough workout. I completeley agree with you about excessive carb intake. When people are "carbed up", fat loss becomes extremely tough.

Yash,

I find that working out kills my apetite as well…which makes it easier to get lean. People who have that tiny little bit of fat on their lower abs, should certainly give this method a shot. Waiting that extra hour or so, could make all the difference for them. Sorry about your post…I had to make it a non-link in order for the post to show (my blog does weird things sometimes).

Fred,

The longer I workout, the more I realize that it is actually hard to lose muscle if you are doing resistance training a few times per week. For years I was worried about dieting too hard or not getting enough protein, etc…but I think most of that is vastly exaggerated…especially for people who want to be slim and defined.

Mike,

If someone is doing a high volume bodybuilder type workout, pushing failure and inducing damage in their muscles…then I could see the need for more nutrients. I know that working out to gain mass is much different than the type of training I recommend.

Kevin,

I have an emergency box of Myoplex (Strawberry Flavor). I will drink one of these shakes if I am too lazy to cook dinner…which is only once every two weeks or so. Usually I'll have a shake and then eat an apple. A good post workout meal in the morning would be an omlette with vegetables. If you are strapped for time, a Fuji apple and a bowl of yogurt.

Great comments!

Rusty

I work out at the ass crack of dawn.
What could i eat an hour after my strenth traning followed by HIIT,
I dont want to eat like chicken and veggies at 8 a.m.??
Also do you eat protien shakes any time?

Thanks again!