Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I am not sure if this has been addressed directly, but if going low carb throughout the day (say 75g or less) and I exercise between 30-45 minutes, primarily for fat loss, with resistance 2-3 days, and general cardio or HIIT on 2-3 other days, is it okay to ingest a meal post-workout that is composed of low carb veggies, meat, and fats? I looked at this Paleo Hacks link on post workout nutrition and the relavent links referenced to Mark Sisson and Robb Wolf but only got the idea that high protein/low carb if my sessions aren't long is perfectly fine post-workout.

My concern is, if I decide to have some sort of salad post workout with some lean chicken, can I drizzle some form of vinaigrette dressing, or can I have some oily fish, such as salmon with steamed veggies? My understanding is, in a post-workout environment, IF there is little to no carbs ingested, insulin remains low, so your body looks to fat stores for energy. As I'm focusing on fat loss and muscle preservation, but not bulking up, I'm okay with the insulin not being there to shuttle carbs into the muscle.

So ultimately, what happens to the fats I ingest post-workout if there are little to no carbs taken in, just protein?

Thanks.

flag	asked Jan 2 2012 at 6:45 GabyYYZ 229●1●10

Insulin does not matter, only calories matter. – conciliator Jan 2 2012 at 7:42

And you are training too hard in my opinion. 2-3 days per week of deliberate exercise is plenty for beginner fat loss/general health purposes. Go on walks/hikes or something. – conciliator Jan 2 2012 at 7:50

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Calories don't matter, only bacon matters. – AndyM Jan 2 2012 at 7:57

Whether or not insulin matters, protein can raise insulin. – Mscott Jan 2 2012 at 11:14

I agree with Andy. Eat more bacon. – peter Jan 3 2012 at 1:37

AndyM · Accepted Answer · 2012-01-02 07:21:00Z UTC

Ultimately this comes down to what you're able to sustain Gaby. There's no right or wrong answers. Personally I'd say that working out intensely 4-6 days of the week is asking for burnout, and really hard to maintain while simultaneously trying to cut back on food. The Paleo approach would be to look at the weight loss over the longer term, have one or two really good sessions a week (ie. one resistance and one HIIT) while staying active but comfortable the rest of the week. That level of activity is a lot easier to keep up without eating more, and it's that balance you're really trying to achieve.

The significance of eating post-workout these days relates mainly to recovery so you can train again - but that's a performance target. If you take your time your body will recover over the days after your workout, burning extra fat along the way, and be fit and ready to go again the following week without you doing anything overly scientific. Obviously the historic blueprint is to feast on all that flesh after the hunt, and not eat so much the rest of the time. That may well be the way that leads to greatest net calorie deficit overall for you. Whenever you eat fat it's going to get stored, for your body to draw on whenever you're not eating. Post workout is a good time to eat. Keep your body happy and it won't need to eat as much the rest of the time.

Ashley · Answer 2 · 2012-01-02 07:52:17Z UTC

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I always thought it was really odd that even in the paleo=sphere, low carbers said to have fruit or a starch pwo. If your body is used to running on fat for fuel, it should be capable of creating all the energy it needs after a workout using fats and proteins.

Giving a keto-adapted body a starch pwo is like putting regular gasoline in a diesel engine.

answered Jan 2 2012 at 7:52

Ashley
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I think some people fail to make the distinction between themselves and professional athletes. Or else are still sold on some level to pounding away half-heartedly every day rather than doing something sensible and enjoyable. – AndyM Jan 2 2012 at 7:56

Post-workout fats in a low carb/paleo environment?

2 Answers