Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Just want to get the take from the work out fanatics on here about my whey protein. 8 grams of carbs/3 grams of sugar/52 grams of protein for 2 scoops. I mix with almond breeze brand almond milk. I dont have a weight problem since going largely paleo (no gluten, no breads of any kind, almost no sugar with the above exception, no legumes,etc) and I am trying to pack on some muscle now that I have lost 30 lbs. Any obvious error with my taking this immediate PWO meal to restore glycogen and for muscle repair? In my opinion I may need more cards for PWO meal but that is part of the question as well.

Just curious. Thanks in advance.

flag	asked May 4 2011 at 14:56 ChrisO 775●6●17

Ben · Answer 1 · 2011-05-04 15:05:16Z UTC

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To pack on muscle I wouldn't worry about carbs as much as protein.

But it largely depends on the way you are working out. To build muscle quickly, I suggest low reps of heavy weight with plenty of rest days, and tons of food.

If you want something PWO, maybe some egg whites/sweet potato or chicken/carrots would be better than a shake. Or if you want to stick with a shake Stronger Faster Healthier makes a post wod powder with grassfed whey for a fair price.

answered May 4 2011 at 15:05

Ben
4,101●1●9●29

	You are right I failed to address how I am lifting. I am doing a 5 x 5 routine. 5 different exercises with 5 reps heavy weight followed by 15 minutes of moderate to heavy cardio and finsihed with abs. This routine is every other day. – ChrisO May 4 2011 at 15:09
	Sounds good to me! How much are you eating? – Ben May 4 2011 at 15:24
	Ben... to be honest it seems like all I do is eat. Yesterday, I had 4 eggs, 6 strips of bacon, a shake after workout, 10 ozs of applegate farms uncured lunchmeat ham (gluten and sugar free) on a bed of spinach with balasamic vinegar, two steaks and broccoli for dinner. Followed later by three handfulls of almonds. And that is just what I can remember from yesterday. I am quite sure there was more. – ChrisO May 4 2011 at 15:29
	That doesn't seem like it's as much as you think :-) To gain more muscle (faster) you really have to eat more than that. You could add in some significant fat, feel more satisfied, and it should speed the healing process. Just my opinion, though... – Ben May 4 2011 at 15:46
	I get confused when people say eat more significant fat. In what form? Fattier meats? Butter which some people frown upon? I cook some in coconut oil and such. But just what I am supposed to eat to get all this fat in my system that everyone keeps talking about? what does a typical "fatty" meal consist of for you? – ChrisO May 4 2011 at 15:55

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Dave S. · Answer 2 · 2011-05-04 16:52:41Z UTC

You don't need to immediately replenish glycogen PWO, unless you intend on going on a long bike ride afterwards (or something similar). The glycogen will be replenished by the liver within 24 hours anyway (via gluconeogenesis). The reason bodybuilders add carbs to a PWO shake is to spike insulin - for the growth effect of it. Turns out that whey powder spikes insulin anyways - so there is no need for the extra carbs. In fact, the danger is that some of the extra carbs will just be stored as fat due to the excess insulin.

I think what you are using is just fine. But you could look for a lower carb whey. Meh, it probably doesn't matter.

James · Answer 3 · 2011-05-04 16:33:21Z UTC

Just a reminder, that Whey is not Paleo.

In terms of PWO drink, the protein's good. However, for "optimal" recovery, you're running lower than the usual convention for sugar. That said, I've seen some things recently questioning whether you really need that much sugar to drive recovery (but you're usually looking at young athletic people in the studies).

Glycogen is restored within 24-48 hours with a regular high carb diet. I've seen it said that the same happens for fat adapted high protein Paleo people as well (protein converts at a roughly 58% rate in the liver). However, there's concerns that a low carb Paleo diet doesn't provide the glycogen replacement needed for daily high intensity workouts (they need higher carb input to replace glycogen faster).

I'd recommend experimenting and seeing how you feel in terms of soreness and performance (you track the amounts you lift and intensity right?).

Other note, the whole process for bodybuilding is usually cyclic. When you're building muscle, you're gaining a bit of extra fat due to extra calories/carbs. Then you cut/diet to remove the extra fat and a little muscle, rinse and repeat. The point being, don't be surprised if you gain a bit of that 30lbs back while you're building.

ben61820 · Answer 4 · 2011-05-04 18:59:19Z UTC

8 grams of carb is not much for PWO considering the lifting you said you're doing. I would say use more carbs. Course that depends if you're eating carbs beforehand, too.

However I would say to ditch the drink altogether and simply eat lean meat and sweet potato PWO.

Bake and cook the day before, refrigerate, then take it with you to lift. When done lifting, within 30 minutes or so slam it all down. Its more fun and tasty than drinking some factory-made stuff.

I'm not saying whey powder doesn't work, either. It will. I'm just saying there are much simpler, and far far far cheaper ways of getting better nutrients into you PWO.

PWO Whey Question

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