What to eat after a workout if it ends late?

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2014-12-16

People often ask me: My workout ends at 10 PM, and I go to bed at 11 PM – 12 AM. Can I eat after training in such a case, and what is better to eat? These two questions plague almost everyone who trains late, especially those who want to lose weight.

The answer to the first question is quite simple. You should always eat after a workout, regardless of your training goals and when it ends. After any physical activity, the body MUST replenish its energy. And after intense physical exercise, it also needs to restore muscle structure.

Now let's discuss what is best to eat after a workout. The main nuance is that in this case, the meal should combine the properties of two different meals:

• The properties of a meal after a workout.
• The properties of a meal before bed.

After all, you are not only eating after your workout, but you are also eating right before sleeping. So, after a workout, you need proteins and carbohydrates. Moreover, it is preferable (but not mandatory) that most of the carbs are fast-acting. If you are losing weight, the ratio of proteins to carbohydrates should be approximately 70/30. If you are gaining mass, it should be about 30/70.

Before sleep, it’s advisable to consume more proteins and fewer carbohydrates. The carbohydrates should be slow-acting. That is, with a low glycemic index. This holds true regardless of whether you are losing weight or gaining muscle mass.

How can you combine these two options? It’s quite simple:

• Consume 2/3 of proteins and 1/3 of carbohydrates.
• The carbohydrates should be half fast and half slow.
• Ideally, the proteins should also include fast (whey) and slow (casein) proteins.

Food options:

• 200 g of low-fat cottage cheese mixed with yogurt and honey.
• Buckwheat with chicken + some sweet dessert (marshmallow, chocolate).
• Muesli with nuts + milk.
• A protein shake made from multi-component protein with milk.

There can be many options. The main thing is that the protein should be at least as much as the carbohydrates, and both fast and slow carbohydrates should be present.

How many calories should be in such a dinner?

I have compiled tables for you based on your weight and the number of meals you have in a day. The data is given in kcal.

Of course, these figures are quite approximate, as many factors influence the total number of calories. For those who need exact numbers, click this link. The program will calculate the exact number of kcal you need to consume per day. Divide that total by the number of meals you have. Then subtract 20% from the resulting number. This will be the exact number of calories you need to consume after a late workout.

For example, if the program tells you that you need 3000 kcal per day to gain weight and you eat 3 times a day, divide 3000 by 3 to get 1000 kcal. Minus 20% equals 800 kcal. That’s how much you should eat after a late workout. Good luck!