Hi all. I'm new here and I am pretty happy to have found this forum. I've spent the past 2 days reading up and re-educating myself. I have a few questions...

sometimes because of work, I'm unable to hit the gym until 9:30pm (sleep at 12:30). Afterwards I have a "protein/strawberries/rasberry/blueberry/yogurt/banana/soy milk" shake. Then that's all I have before bed.

1) is this ok? or will I need to eat a meal?
2) I never hear people mix in fruits with their protein shakes. Is this because it's bad in some sort of way?

My old work out combined cardio (1st) with weights (2nd) and now I've read that this is bad so I'm switching it up to weight days and cardio days. On cardio days... I have a similar question as above.

if I run late at night... should I a) just drink a ton of water then sleep? or b) have my shake then sleep?

I'm on the cutting path but I do not consider my goals to be hardcore. From what I gather it's more important to eat well than it is to fret about having a 39%/41%/20% macro when you want a 40/40/20 macro.

I've been maintaining my weight at 139 steady. I checked my nutrients on a typical day on fitday and it lines up with what my caloric intake should be. My biggest problem here is carbs are around 50% and protein is around 30%.

Water. I've upped my intake of water to 70oz a day. I swear I feel like I have less to pinch around my belly. Is this in my head or is the gained benefit? I can't believe some of you drink so much water. I find that I have to use the restroom 1-2x an hour when I squeeze in 70oz during a 9 hr period. What I should do I stretch out my water intake throughout the entire day as opposed to just my "@work" day.

I'm on the cutting path . . . . . I've been maintaining my weight at 139 steady.Hey.

You're at 139 and you're cutting?!?

That seems pretty light IMHO. How tall are you? If you gain some muscle then that will help you lose the fat anyway.

5'6"... I'm pretty sure if I just lift weights more often I'll get cut automatically... based on my body type... which is just what you said.

1. This is perfectly fine. Your body is fasting for 8 hours, but is still burning calories and building muscle from the hard hours you put in the gym. It needs the fuel from good fats, proteins and carbs to get the most from this process. Not eating before bed is just a myth - at least for active people. In fact, it's one of most important meals of the day for cutting and bulking cycles.

2. Fruit is good for you period. A lot of people mix fruit into protein shakes. It makes it taste better and you get benefit of the vitamins/minerals/antioxidants/fiber from the fruit. It's the total calories of the day that you need to watch, not the fruit itself.

To get more protein, try an extra serving of protein power or add a can of tuna to your diet.

I think most important is that you're getting your macros for the day than exactly when you get it.

IMO it's fine to eat late at night, just not too much sugary carbs. I have a protein shake just before bed (casein and oats with milk). I personally wouldn't go without food after running. Immediately after a workout is when your body is best set up to replace muscle glycogen. So I'd say have your shake after running.

As far as getting enough water in try filling up a couple of bottles at the start of the day and making sure they're finished by the end of the day. Keep them close so it's easy to fill your glass from them. I always have a full glass or bottle of water by me wherever I am, and just sip from it without even thinking.

:gl:

i only ask about drinking a shake vs water after running because as I understood it, your body keeps burning fat afterwards... this is not inhibited by liquids, including shakes, correct? Before I was eating after runs... but I've read that is counter productive. But that doesn't entirely make sense to me because your body needs replenishment after a run.

If one wanted to maximize fat loss on a cardio day... would "only water" be the best? "shake"? water first, wait an hour, eat?

i only ask about drinking a shake vs water after running because as I understood it, your body keeps burning fat afterwards... this is not inhibited by liquids, including shakes, correct? Before I was eating after runs... but I've read that is counter productive. But that doesn't entirely make sense to me because your body needs replenishment after a run.

If one wanted to maximize fat loss on a cardio day... would "only water" be the best? "shake"? water first, wait an hour, eat?


I never really bought the "do this at this time and get better results" line.

If your body burns 100 calories a day (trying to keep it simple for argument's sake), and you eat 80 calories a day, why would it matter if you do it before or after you eat?

You are still in a 20 calorie deficit whether you do it before, after, or while you are eating.

Now I can see maybe the body might fire off differently before than after, but I can't believe it is THAT much of a difference to screw up your schedule. Besides, all that stuff is far from agreed upon on any basis. Many people get results from both or none of those ways. Try it for a bit (month) and if you like what you see, stick to it, if not, change it. I am a firm believer that each person reacts differently to everything, probably because I have seen it with my own eyes.


BTW Water always worked for me. Love the stuff.