What to eat after training

How soon do you need to eat?

The strict 30-minute window has not survived the research. What matters more is your total intake across the day and not leaving a long gap on an empty stomach. Within two hours is a sensible practical target, and if you trained fasted, sooner is better.

How much protein?

Studies point to roughly 0.3g per kilo of bodyweight per meal to maximise the muscle-repair response. For most people that is 20–40g. More than that in one sitting is not harmful, it just is not doing extra.

Why carbohydrate is not optional

Training burns muscle glycogen. Protein repairs, carbohydrate refuels. Skipping carbs after a hard session is why people feel flat on day two. Bread, grains, rice, potatoes, fruit — all fine.

Fluid and salt

Weigh yourself before and after a hard session sometime; the drop is water. Drink to thirst plus a bit, and do not be afraid of a bit of salt in the meal after a sweaty session.

What that looks like in real food

Pack	Protein	Calories	Salt
Chicken & Egg Club	22g	468 kcal	1.6 g
Protein Packed Tuna	26g	441 kcal	1.4 g
High Protein Chicken Salad	23g	422 kcal	1.3 g
Cajun Chicken Wrap	24g	455 kcal	1.5 g
Fajita Chicken Wrap	22g	447 kcal	1.5 g
Roast Chicken, Pepper & Feta Protein Box	24g	398 kcal	1.7 g

Common mistakes

• Shake only. 25g protein, no carbs, no salt, and you are hungry in an hour.
• Waiting for a "proper" meal. A good meal three hours late beats no meal, but a decent pack now beats both.
• Counting a protein bar as a meal. Usually 10–12g protein and a lot of sugar.
• Ignoring the rest of the day. One perfect post-gym meal will not fix 60g of protein across 24 hours.

The lazy-but-correct plan

Keep a high-protein pack in your bag or buy one on the way in. Eat it within an hour of finishing. Have a normal dinner later. That is genuinely most of post-training nutrition sorted.