What do I eat post workout ? (and program questions)

Depends on your goals. If you are weightlifting, I believe you want to gain lean muscle mass. There is a minimum ratio of carbs/protein you need to achieve per day, as well as total calories.

To gain mass, you need a calorie surplus. So you need to think about a meal plan. This part is boring, but after you spend the time analyzing it's all about executing. Basically search about good sources of carbs and protein. Search about complex and simple carbs and when to eat them.

If your goal is to get lean (burn fat), you need a calorie deficit. Basically cut down on calories. Cardio helps with the deficit but it's optional, theoretically. Obviously everyone should do cardio, because it improves your overall health. But is not mandatory for weight/fat loss.

From what I gathered, it's difficult to do both (cut fat and gain lean muscle mass). So it's better to choose one option and stay with it (close your mouth and run your ass off, or eat like an african refugee and lift dem weightz).

But anyways, after a hard weightlifting session, I would recomend more than an apple. You need to replenish that energy and feed those muscles. Carbs for energy and protein for the muscles. Stay away from fatty foods, for obvious reasons. Also, search about the glicemic index. It helps you understand about the simple and complex carbs.

 

Well, no, you should exercise also, because it gets the body to metabolize the calories you consume healthily. (I'm speaking from the perspective of the uphill struggle -- I'm overweight, and I really need to get back into exercising, because just cutting back on calories isn't sufficient for someone like me.)

 

I was taught to mix it up. So both, not on the same day. Mostly running, but once or twice a week do the fartlek thing. Me, personally, I loved hills.

 

Protien shake light in calories, that's all you need.
The mix of light carbs and protien is really good if it's a hard workout, if it's a light workout then chocolate milk is fine.
Light is minimal sweat no exhaustion, hard is the opposite but also factor in time.

If you eat well all day then have a decent snack an hour before you won't need much after.

 

Don't skimp on the post-workout meal. If you want to be a horse (a muscular dude) you need to eat like a horse after lifting.
Consuming about 1/3 of your daily calories in the couple hours after a workout is good.

 

Since late at night, I would have whey protein shake and some eggs. Egg protein will break down over the course of the evening/sleep. Get all your carbs in early in the day.

 

According to info floating around today, fast food is now as ideal as sports nutrition post workout.

http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/04/12/your-post-workout-power-bar-might-well-be-big-mac

Study Says Fast Food Is Just as Effective as Post-Workout Supplements - Great Ideas : People.com

You Could Eat Fast Food After A Workout To Build Muscle | Popular Science

 

Whey protein shake with water immediately after, and then maybe a casein or whey/casein protein shake with water right before bed.

 

Sports nutrition is almost 100% Quackery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There might be a slight edge to having some high glycemic carbs and protein post workout in the limit of a studies sample but for you personally it means nothing because your genetics will so overwhelm all other factors.

There is no reason to not eat post workout but what you actually eat means almost nothing. People believe this because they want this to be true and it feels good mentally to believe you are following some secret optimal strategy.

That same feeling though is what makes people such suckers for inert compounds sold at GNC.