We had one of our members tell us, “I’m tired of what I eat – what is the best thing you recommend I eat after my workouts?”
I like to keep nutrition as simple as possible.
Life is busy enough, stressful, and complicated as it is. There is no need to make it more complicated with the food that you put into your body.
Your nutrition should be simple, repeatable, and consist of whole, natural, unprocessed foods.
Keep reading, and we will tell you why you need to eat after your workouts and what to eat based on your nutrition goals.
Why Do You Need To Eat After You Workout?
After you work out, your body needs fuel to recover and get stronger.
Exercise causes small tears in your muscles, and eating protein helps repair those tears so your muscles grow back stronger.
Your body also uses up its energy during a workout, so eating carbs helps refill that energy so you don’t feel tired later.
Eating after your workout can also help reduce soreness and get your body ready for the next time you train.
You don’t need to eat immediately, but having a meal or snack with protein and carbs within about 1–2 hours will help your body recover properly.
What If You Don’t Eat After You Workout?
If you don’t eat after your workout, your body has a harder time recovering and getting stronger.
Your muscles still have tiny tears from exercise, but without protein, they don’t repair as well, which can slow down your progress.
If you don’t properly fuel your body after your workout, you may feel more tired, weak, or sluggish later in the day.
Over time, skipping post-workout meals can lead to more soreness, slower recovery, and worse performance in future workouts.
Simple Rules For Post-Workout Fuel
After your workout, keep fueling simple so your body can recover and perform well.
- Eat a mix of protein and carbs.
- Make protein the centerpiece of the meal
- Adjust carbs based on your goals:
- Less carbs for weight loss
- More carbs + protein for weight gain
- Eay within 1-2 hours after your workout
The 3 Best Meals To Eat After You Workout
1. Simple, fast, no prep
- 1 cup of Greek yogurt
- 1 apple
- 1 cup of blueberries or strawberries
- Drizzle of honey
- 20g protein, 45–55g carbs, <5g fat, and ~300–350 calories
- For weight gain, add peanut butter and ¼ cup granola to increase it to ~30-35g protein, 70–85g carbs, 15–20g fat, and ~500–600 calories.
2. Complete breakfast (15–30 minutes)
- 3 eggs
- 3 slices of Canadian bacon
- 2 breakfast sausage patties
- 1 slice of sourdough toast,
- 30-35g protein, 15–20g carbs, 15–25g fat, and ~350–450 calories;
- For weight gain, add another slice of bread (~450–550 calories total), and for weight loss, remove the bread (~250–350 calories total).
3. On-the-go
- 2–3 hard-boiled eggs
- 3 slices of rolled deli meat (turkey or chicken)
- 1 apple
- 1 cup of cucumber slices
- 25–35g protein, 20–30g carbs, 10–15g fat, and ~300–400 calories.
These meals are just templates and examples of what a high-quality breakfast looks like. Adjust as needed or ask your coach for specific recommendations.
