Nutrition Q&A: Protein After Workouts, Carbohydrate Timing and Going Over Your Macros
You know that feeling when you scroll through fitness advice online and suddenly feel like you’re doing everything wrong? One person says you have to chug a protein shake right after your workout, another says you must eat carbs before training or your workout is useless, and then there’s that whole debate about whether you should eat less the day after going over your macros. It’s a LOT.
But today, we’re breaking it all down and keeping it real. Because the truth is—meal timing isn’t as rigid as social media makes it seem. In this episode, we’re diving into three BIG questions I know so many of you have:
What I discuss:
You do not need to slam protein after your workout. It’s about how much protein you eat daily, not about how much you eat after working out.
You do not need to fuel before workouts if you’re not hungry. Listen to your body and give it what it needs.
If you go over your macros, don’t make it up for it the next day, just try to hit your macros tomorrow.
If you don’t know what your macros should be, I got you, sister. Head over to macrocountingmadesimple.com for the ULTIMATE macro counting guide.
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
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Transcript:
Hey there, beautiful human, you're listening to Embrace your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real, let's get it. Let's go. Hello, and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace your Podcast.
00:32
You know that feeling when you're scrolling through fitness advice online and you suddenly feel like you're doing everything wrong, like one person says you have to chug a protein shake right after a workout. Another person says that you must eat carbs before training or your workout is useless. And then there's this debate of what you should do. Should you eat less? Should you not eat less? Just go on with your day-to-day after going over your macros. It's a lot Like there are so much conflicting information out there and it can be so confusing, and so today I just want to break it down. I want to keep it real, because the truth is, meal timing isn't as rigid as social media makes it seem, and so in today's episode, we're going to be diving into three big questions. I know that many of you guys have, because I have had them, and especially when I was just starting out in my journey, and even like a few years into my journey, I still struggled with many of these things, and so the three big questions that we're going to be answering in today's episode number one do you really need to eat protein right after your workout? Number two should you force yourself to eat carbs before training? And number three what should you do if you go over your macros one day? So I am going to be diving into those three big questions. I'm going to break it down. I'm going to keep it very simple, keep it very real for you so that you can walk away from this episode feeling empowered and feeling educated on these three things, so that you no longer have to fall into this trap of, you know, scrolling through social media and just feeling like there is all this conflicting information being thrown at you and trying to decipher which is which.
01:55
Before we dive into these three questions, though, I want to share this review. It comes from Courtney Ivy. She gave a five-star review and said love. I seriously love this podcast and the Movement With Julie app. I've been listening and using her app for about a month now and it has been life-changing.
02:10
After having a baby a little over a year ago, I've been struggling physically and mentally. Amen, girl, same Postpartum girls unite and the podcast and the Movement With Julie app have been a real game changer for me. Thanks so much, Julie, for what you are doing. I love this so much and I'm so, so, so proud of you for taking the time to prioritize yourself after having a baby. Personally, just speaking from experience, I get it Like I am fully there, right alongside you in this postpartum journey and it's a lot. It really is a lot. But, man, there are so many benefits to prioritizing yourself and so I'm so, so, so proud of you.
02:44
Okay, let's dive into these three questions. So question number one is do you need to eat protein right after your workout? You've probably heard you know you've got to slam a protein shake within 30 minutes of finishing your workout or all of your gains will disappear. Okay, maybe you didn't hear it said that dramatically, but I do know that many of you guys think that you need to get your protein in right away and you stress about it if you can't. But here's the truth you don't need to rush to eat protein or to ingest protein immediately after your workout. In fact, you don't need to eat protein at all after you work out.
03:16
I know that a lot of ladies stress about this inside the movement with Julia, because, you know, maybe they're only able to get their workout in late at night and they don't want to eat late at night. That's totally fine, because here's the thing hitting your total protein intake throughout the entire day is really what actually matters. Like the timing of it doesn't necessarily matter, at least to the majority of women who are just trying to stay healthy. They're just trying to stay active. They don't have these rigid, rigid goals, and you just have to remember that. You know your muscles don't have a tiny stopwatch counting down this anabolic window.
03:49
Research shows that as long as you're getting enough protein within a 24-hour period, your body has what it needs to repair and build muscle. And that means, if you finish your workouts and you're not hungry right away, no worries, like, eat when you feel ready and just make sure that you're getting consistent protein in each meal throughout the day. So instead of obsessing over timing, I instead want you to focus on eating enough protein. So that's aiming for, you know, 0.8 to one gram of protein per pound of body weight. I want you to spread protein evenly across your meals if possible, and lastly, I want you to pair protein with a balanced meal including carbs and fats. So, yes, you can absolutely. If you want to have that post-workout shake and it's convenient, you can absolutely do that, but it's not mandatory. Your body cares more about total intake versus timing. And if you actually want to learn more about how much your body needs in terms of protein, my Macro County Made Simple Online Academy literally walks you through how to get this calculated based on your current goals, where you're at. So I will go ahead and link that in the show notes below. But again, I don't want you to stress entirely about this. For the majority of people, it's really just about eating enough protein daily and then really trying to spread it evenly across your meals. So it's not as intimidating Like you're not trying to get, you know, 140 grams in two meals. Instead, you're spreading it evenly between three meals, two snacks. That's going to be a lot more manageable.
05:12
Question number two do you need to eat carbs before you work out? I know a lot of women stress about this too, and you hear really something about this on the internet like all of the time and how not eating before your workout can kill your gains and suddenly you feel like you have this really hard rule to follow. But I'm here to tell you that it's really not that serious. Just with the protein timing, you don't have to eat carbs before you work out if you don't want to. There's so much conflicting advice out there, and some studies show that training fasted in the morning can help with fat loss. Other studies show that fueling before a workout, especially in the afternoon, helps with strength, endurance and overall performance. So which one is right? My answer is both, because here's the thing you can find research to back pretty much whatever you want, and that's why the most important question isn't what did the study say? Instead, it's the more important question to ask is okay, what is going to work for me long-term, like what is going to work for me in this season of life? That allows me to stay consistent, because that's really you really have to ask yourself, like what does my body need right now before my workout? And that's going to depend on how you feel, what your goals are, what season of life you're in.
06:25
A lot of women tell me that you know they feel like they have to eat carbs before training and so they're like choking down this banana at 5 am when they're not hungry. If that's you, stop Like you don't have to force food down just because someone online says that it's necessary. If you wake up hungry before your workout, then, yes, you should probably eat a little bit. Your body can have a little bit more energy to push harder, lift heavier and get the most out of your session. But if you feel fine training fasted, then don't stress about eating beforehand. Some people prefer to work out on an empty stomach, especially in the early early mornings, and that's okay. But if you're hungry before your workouts in the afternoon, don't try to work out on an empty stomach. Get yourself a snack, like no workout you do. Hungry is going to be as good as a workout when you are fueled and so really ask yourself you know where you're at before your workout and then make a decision based on your energy and hunger levels and not some belief that you need to eat carbs before you work out.
07:19
Pre-workout nutrition is really not a one size fits all Like. It's about learning what works for your body and making decisions based on how you feel, not just you know what you've been told is quote unquote optimal. So, instead of obsessing over what you eat or when you eat, focus on eating enough carbs throughout the day to support those workouts. Pay attention to how your body feels before and after training and feel when you need it, but not forcing it when you don't. At the end of the day, you have to remember that your body is smarter than any fitness trend, and so some days you might feel like you need fuel before training. Other days you may feel great working out fasted. Either way, consistency and overall nutrition matter way more than meal timing. There is really no magic window, no rule that says you know you must eat carbs before workout, and so there's really no reason to stress over the perfect pre-workout meal Like. Listen to your body, eat when you need to and fuel in a way that supports your energy goals and lifestyle.
08:17
The most important thing is that you're eating enough carbs daily. Again, to find out how much your body needs in terms of carbs, my Macro County Made Simple Online Academy does go into this in detail and again I will link that in the show notes below. But carbs in general, just eating, making sure that you're eating enough, based on where you're at and what your goals are, is going to be crucial. But again, don't stress so much over the timing of it. Instead, really focus on okay, am I eating enough throughout the entire day? And, last but not least, question number three if you exceed your macros one day, should you eat less the next day? This is the question that I know so many of you guys have had, and this was me. I battled this question so much, especially when I was first really getting into my macro counting journey, and my answer is no, absolutely not.
09:02
I know that that might feel like the logical thing to do, like maybe you went over your carbs, you ate way more fat than planned, or you had an untracked meal and now you're thinking like you know, I'm just going to eat less tomorrow to make up for it. But here's why that mindset is not helpful and why just getting back on track is much better and it's a much more sustainable approach for seeing results long-term. Because, number one, your body doesn't reset at midnight, like your metabolism doesn't run on this strict 24-hour clock. Your body doesn't say, oh, it's 11.59 PM time to store everything as fat. It's way more fluid than that what matters most is consistency over time, and so one day of eating over your macros heck, even one week of eating over your macros will not ruin your progress, just like you know, one day or one week of hitting them perfectly won't suddenly transform your body.
09:52
Number two remember that restricting the next day just only creates the cycle of guilt. Like if you're trying to quote, unquote fix overeating by eating less the next day, you're just reinforcing the idea that food is something to be punished for, and this creates this restrict binge cycle. Like you eat a little bit more one day, you cut back the next, you feel deprived and then you overeat again and then the cycle repeats. This pattern is mentally exhausting and really does keep you stuck, and so the real solution is no punishment, no restriction, just get back to normal. Number three your energy and recovery will suffer. So if you train hard which I know that many of you guys do who tune into this podcast your body needs fuel. If you restrict all after overeating, you're not just cutting calories, you're cutting the energy your muscles need to recover and grow, and this can lead to fatigue and weaker workouts, poor muscle recovery, more cravings and less satiation when it comes to food. So, instead of making progress, you're actually slowing yourself down.
10:51
And last but not least, number four, your mindset around food matters more than you think Like. The way that you respond to quote unquote going over your macros says a lot about your relationship with food. When you accept that one day doesn't define your progress and you just move forward without guilt, you are building this sustainable, healthy mindset, and this makes it easier to stick with your long-term goals, because you're not constantly feeling like you have to compensate, you have to restrict or you have to earn your food. So what should you do instead? What if you went over your macros a day and you're just like okay, what do I do the next day? Or what if you went over your macros for an entire week on vacation? What do you do? No big deal. Move on.
11:30
Like feeling a little bloated, that's okay. Remember that it's temporary. If you're tempted to cut back the next day, please don't that it's temporary. If you're tempted to cut back the next day, please don't. Just stick to your normal plan. Just get back on track like nothing happened. That's literally all that you need to do, and I promise that this approach will bring you way better results than trying to always correct your eating, because real progress comes from consistency, not perfection. Let me say that again Real progress comes from consistency, not perfection. So next time that you feel this little voice telling you to restrict overeating, remind yourself you don't need to fix anything, just keep going. So there you have it.
12:06
Those are my answers to those three big questions that I get asked all the time about nutrition. Let me quickly recap. Number one you do not need to slam protein after your workout. It's really most important about how much protein you are eating daily, not necessarily about how much protein you're eating right after you work out. Number two you do not need to fuel before workouts If you're not hungry, like, listen to your body and give it what it needs. And last but not least, number three if you go over your macros, don't try to make up for it the next day. Just try to hit your macros tomorrow, the next week, whatever it is, and just go back to your normal routine.
12:41
If you don't know what your macro should be, I've got you Head over to MacroCountingMadeSimplecom for the ultimate macro counting guide. Not only do I outline how to calculate your macros, but I teach you about the different phases of macro counting, why they're important and how to cycle through them. Because, let's be real, you should not always be in a fat loss phase, but not everybody recognizes that. Also, on the flip side, you should not always be in this reverse diet, like there's no need to be in a reverse diet constantly. We want you to cycle through both, you know fat loss, reverse diet, maintenance, muscle building, all of those things. And the best part is that I teach you how to make macro counting a lifestyle. So, if you're interested, go to macrocountingmadesimplecom or just simply click the link in the show notes so that you can easily gain access to that.
13:29
But that is all that I have for today's episode. I hope that you found this helpful. I hope again that you are not sitting here just so overwhelmed and so confused, because I get it, if you are constantly listening to social media as your guide, you're going to find an answer for everything, and then it's just going to all conflict, and so I am trying to give you real advice just to remind you that, hey, it doesn't have to be complicated. You don't have to overcomplicate things in order for you to see sustainable results. So I love you so dang much. Thanks so much for tuning in, and I'll talk to you in the next one.
14:12
All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it.