What to eat after exercise to lose weight quickly? 3 types of food supplement secrets you must know!

When you eat after exercise, your stomach and intestines absorb food quickly, so will the calories you have worked so hard to consume be replenished immediately? Drink warm water after exercise to avoid stomach upset? Nutritionists believe that these ideas are wrong. If you want exercise to have the expected weight loss effect, you must eat moderately after exercise, and cold water replenishes water faster than warm water.

The human body needs a lot of continuous energy supply to maintain normal physiological functions. When we exercise, the glycogen in the muscles is consumed in large quantities, and the glycogen in the liver is used to maintain blood sugar balance. How to properly replenish nutrition after consuming a lot of body energy during exercise is a topic that every athlete should pay attention to!

Exercise consumes energy, so take advantage of the golden time to replenish nutrition

Zhang Geyu, a nutritionist at Changhua Christian Hospital, said that it takes 20 hours for the human body to fully recover after intense exercise. If you do not eat after exercise, you will become physically tired, which goes against the original intention of exercise to promote health.

Studies have shown that glycogen in muscles has a higher synthesis rate 15 to 60 minutes after exercise and for the next 5 hours. In other words, replenishing nutrition immediately after exercise can effectively help repair muscles, and the carbohydrates consumed at this time are relatively difficult to be stored as fat.

What to eat after exercise? 3 things you can’t miss

In addition to paying attention to the time of replenishment, "what to eat" is also very important! In addition to high-fiber, low-calorie fresh vegetables, nutritionist Zhang Geyu reminds us that carbohydrates, protein and water are absolutely essential, but how to supplement them has its own hidden secrets, which will be explained one by one below:

1. Carbohydrates: Prefer complex sugars or fruits

Many people are influenced by the idea that "protein helps you gain muscle and lose weight". When losing weight, they only eat protein foods and not carbohydrates. This may lead to physiological dysfunction in the long run and increase the chance of gaining weight again. It is recommended to supplement complex carbohydrate foods after exercise, such as whole wheat bread, potatoes, sweet potatoes, toast, etc.; cakes, biscuits and other foods with high sugar content and monosaccharides are not suitable. In addition to whole grains and root vegetables, fruits are also good sources of carbohydrates.

2. Protein: 5 to 9 grams of protein for every 100 grams of carbohydrates

Protein and carbohydrates complement each other. The amino acids they provide can help repair muscles, promote the synthesis pathway in the body, thereby increasing muscle mass and performance, and prolonging the duration of exercise and fat burning.

3. Water: Pure water or electrolyte drinks with a sweetness of less than 6% are recommended. Cold water is better than warm water.

Everyone knows that exercise will cause a lot of sweating and requires water replenishment, but which one is better, boiled water or sports drinks, cold water or warm water? The effect of water replenishment will vary depending on the amount and type of fluid replenished, temperature, osmotic pressure and degree of gastric emptying.

The liquid absorption rate of pure water is 18.3%, which is the best choice for most people. If you exercise a lot or are used to drinking electrolyte drinks, it is recommended that you choose a sports drink with a sweetness of about 6%, and a liquid absorption rate of 16.5%. Experiments have found that the absorption rates of liquids with sweetness of 8% and 9% are 6.9% and 1.8% respectively, and the hydration effect is significantly reduced.

As for the water temperature, cold water can slow down the rate of sweating and speed up gastric emptying compared to hot water, which can also increase the rate of water replenishment.

After exercise, nutritional supplements are limited to 300 calories.

After understanding the principles of post-exercise nutritional supplementation, nutritionist Zhang Geyu reminded that the calorie intake of post-exercise nutritional supplements should be controlled within 300 calories. Choose banana + 1 cup of low-fat milk, sweet potato + 1 boiled egg, or 1 slice of white toast + 1 cup of low-sugar soy milk. Small amounts can achieve the correct energy consumption and supplementation, and are more likely to allow exercise to achieve the desired effect.