I get a newsletter daily and there is always a small health article included in it. I don’t really care for the rest of the stuff, but sometimes there is a small nugget of wisdom contained in the newsletter.
There are articles from some folks in the health industry that I really admire, like James LaValle and Johnny Bowden.
In this article Johnny talks about why it is a bad idea to eat a high carb mini meal right after working out, especially if you are trying to burn fat.
Nix the Nosh
By Jonny Bowden
Ever wonder why some trainers still tell their clients to eat six small meals a day, have a high-carb snack after working out (”to refuel the muscles”), and carb-load every time they go for a run? It’s because these trainers were steeped in the bodybuilding-gym culture of the ’60s, and learned from the training manuals of competitive athletes. But unless you’re training for a marathon or an Iron Man competition, that advice is 100 percent wrong – especially if you’re looking to lose weight.
In a recent study, volunteers were given a high-carb mini-meal immediately after exercising on a treadmill for an hour. The result: Insulin efficiency – the ability to clear sugar from the bloodstream – was completely wiped out.
A separate study tested high-carb mini-meals against low-carb mini-meals, and found that the low-carb meals did the least damage. “If people are going to exercise to benefit their health, they should not be eating back the calories immediately or within a couple of hours of finishing,” says Barry Braun, PhD, Director of the Energy Metabolism Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Don’t gorge on carbs after you exercise. If you tend to get hungry after a workout, take this preventive measure: Eat a light snack containing proteins, carbs, and fat beforehand. It should hold you for a few hours.

This goes against the typical meathead, bodybuilder, bro mentality, but I think that’s a good thing.