If you like to do your workout late in the evening, there is nothing to stop you. Many of the facilities available with a MultiSport card are open 24 hours a day. Just remember to eat a proper meal after such a workout. Don’t go to bed hungry, even if you are exercising to lose weight. Muscles need recovery and a dose of amino acids!
An evening workout at the gym requires a slightly different nutritional strategy than the one in the morning or during the day. Surely you know that overeating at night is not advisable. Nevertheless, it is true that after a strength workout (even one late in the evening or at night), you must eat a wholesome meal. It complements your training efforts and supports muscle building.
What to eat before and after working out in the evening?
After an evening workout, you need to consume a meal containing at least 20-30 g of protein and carbohydrates. Before training in the evening, you can eat a nutritious supper to give you energy for your workout. You do not need to follow special rules for the composition of dishes. The base of an evening pre-workout meal should include carbohydrates and it should be eaten about an hour before exercise.
The meal after an evening workout, on the other hand, must not be “heavy”. You probably know instinctively that it would be harder for you to fall asleep after a large portion. What exactly does this mean? After your evening workout, don’t eat anything which:
- is fried,
- contains caffeine or theine,
- contains a lot of fibre.
Evening is not the time to supplement your diet with large amounts of vegetables, fruits and whole grain products. The meal after an evening workout needs to be digested quickly to ensure you have adequate recovery and a good night’s sleep.
The composition of a good evening post-workout meal also depends on the time of training. If you do your workout late in the evening and go to bed shortly after finishing it, you need to put on something really light, such as a protein shake or cottage cheese. If by evening workout you mean training a few hours before bedtime, you can have a standard-sized supper afterwards.
In the table below you will find 10, in fact 20, ideal suggestions for snacks and meals after an evening or even night workout. There is a low-calorie “slimming” version and a fuller “weight gain” one. You can, of course, change the proportions of macronutrients in your meals to suit your situation and needs even better. Turn them into meals that are ideal before an evening workout by subtracting some added protein and increasing the carbohydrate source.
10 ideas for the perfect meal after an evening workout
Cottage cheese with jam and additions
Cottage cheese with jam is a classic meal that all gym-goers are familiar with. It is perfectly adaptable to the requirements of both weight reduction and weight gain diets. It works great in the evening due to high tryptophan content of dairy products.
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| An evening meal for weight loss | An evening meal for weight gain |
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| Skimmed cottage cheese (150 g) + low-sugar jam (30 g) + flaxseed (5 g) + banana (120 g) | Semi-skimmed cottage cheese (150 g) + jam (30 g) + 2 slices of wheat bread + banana (120 g) + flaxseed (5 g) |
| Energy | 314 kcal | 541 kcal |
| Protein | 30 g | 38 g |
| Fat | 3 g | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 41 g | 72 g |
Grilled tofu with vegetables and rice
On an electric grill, grill the tofu and vegetables (such as zucchini). Serve them with cooked rice and your favourite spices.
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| An evening meal for weight loss | An evening meal for weight gain |
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| Smoked tofu (120 g) + grilled zucchini (200 g) + basmati rice (60 g) + spices | Smoked tofu (180 g) + grilled zucchini (200 g) + oil (10 g) + basmati rice (100 g) + spices |
| Energy | 255 kcal | 511 kcal |
| Protein | 19 g | 28 g |
| Fat | 10 g | 28 g |
| Carbohydrates | 22 g | 34 g |
An evening protein shake
A protein shake is the fastest possible post-workout meal. You can easily adapt it to the requirements of your diet. Blend the additions of your choice and drink the shake, preferably shortly after you finish exercising.
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| An evening meal for weight loss | An evening meal for weight gain |
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| 2% buttermilk (200 g) + raspberries (150 g) + skyr (100 g) | 2% buttermilk (200 g) + raspberries (150 g) + natural skyr (150 g) + banana (120 g) + almonds (20 g) |
| Energy | 212 kcal | 474 kcal |
| Protein | 22 g | 33 g |
| Fat | 20 g | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4 g | 48 g |
Quinoa with stewed beef in tomato sauce
Stew the beef pieces in tomato-based sauce with your favourite spices. Serve the dish with boiled quinoa.
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| An evening meal for weight loss | An evening meal for weight gain |
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| Quinoa (50 g) + beef tenderloin (100 g) + tinned tomatoes (200 g) + spices | Quinoa (100 g) + beef tenderloin (150 g) + tinned tomatoes (300 g) + oil (10 g) |
| Energy | 349 kcal | 702 kcal |
| Protein | 29 g | 47 g |
| Fat | 7 g | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 39 g | 74 g |
Rolls with smoked salmon
A roll with cheese, salmon and cucumber is a seemingly moderate proposition. However, it has enough protein and is light enough that it will work perfectly as an evening meal after a workout at the gym.
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| An evening meal for weight loss | An evening meal for weight gain |
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| Fitness graham roll (80 g) + “Bieluch” cottage cheese (100 g) + smoked salmon (75 g) + cucumber (100 g) | 2 ciabatta rolls (170 g) + “Bieluch” cottage cheese (100 g) + smoked salmon (120 g) + cucumber (100 g) + banana (120 g) |
| Energy | 409 kcal | 810 kcal |
| Protein | 28 g | 47 g |
| Fat | 12 g | 14 g |
| Carbohydrates | 48 g | 120 g |
Quick prawns with rice noodles in curry sauce
Prawns have a lot of protein and are easy to make. Rice noodles are light and easy to digest, whereas light coconut milk does not provide many calories and is perfect for any diet. Stew the shrimps in coconut milk with curry paste. Serve with rice noodles prepared according to the recipe on the package.
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| An evening meal for weight loss | An evening meal for weight gain |
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| Rice noodles (80 g) + prawns (150 g) + light coconut milk (50 ml) + curry paste (5 g) | Rice noodles (150 g) + prawns (250 g) + light coconut milk (100 ml) + curry paste (10 g) |
| Energy | 435 kcal | 802 kcal |
| Protein | 25 g | 43 g |
| Fat | 5 g | 134 g |
| Carbohydrates | 71 g | 9 g |
After-workout skyr with almonds
The fastest to make of all suggestions for evening post-workout meals. Just one small skyr yoghurt meets all the demand for post-workout protein.
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| An evening meal for weight loss | An evening meal for weight gain |
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| Skyr (150 g) + almonds (25 g) + strawberries (100 g) | Skyr (300 g) + banana (120 g) + strawberries (200 g) + almonds (30 g) |
| Energy | 279 kcal | 545 kcal |
| Protein | 23 g | 44 g |
| Fat | 13 g | 17 g |
| Carbohydrates | 12 g | 47 g |
Couscous with turkey
Turkey is sometimes cited as a superfood for sleep, due to its unique amino acid composition and high tryptophan content. Include it in your post-workout meal in the evening and you will improve the quality of your sleep. Pour boiling water over the couscous with the addition of good-quality thickened stock. Serve the couscous with cooked or grilled turkey and vegetables.
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| An evening meal for weight loss | An evening meal for weight gain |
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| Couscous (50 g) + jarred stock (10 g) + turkey (120 g) + pepper (140 g) + curry | Couscous (100 g) + jarred stock (20 g) + turkey (150 g) + pepper (140 g) + chickpea (100 g) + oil (10 g) + curry |
| Energy | 320 kcal | 723 kcal |
| Protein | 30 g | 48 g |
| Fat | 2 g | 14 g |
| Carbohydrates | 41 g | 91 g |
Sandwiches with high-protein egg paste
You don’t have to cook anything fancy to meet the requirements of a good meal after an evening workout. Here’s a quick egg paste made from boiled egg, yoghurt, mustard and chives. Eat it on sandwiches with lettuce.
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| An evening meal for weight loss | An evening meal for weight gain |
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| Egg + skyr yoghurt (80 g) + chives (10 g) + 2 slices of rye bread (90 g) + lettuce (20 g) + mustard (10 g) | 2 eggs + skyr yoghurt (120 g) + chives (10 g) + 4 slices of rye bread (180 g) + mustard (20 g) + lettuce (20 g) |
| Energy | 331 kcal | 631 kcal |
| Protein | 21 g | 36 g |
| Fat | 7 g | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 43 g | 84 g |
Lentil pasta with tuna and capers
Pasta made from legumes is a very good source of protein, and on top of that it only takes a few minutes to cook. Throw the tuna, tomato puree mixed with water and flavour-enriching capers into the boiled pasta.
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| An evening meal for weight loss | An evening meal for weight gain |
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| Lentil pasta (80 g) + tuna (80 g) + capers (20 g) + tomato puree (20 g) + tomato (100 g) | Lentil pasta (180 g) + tuna (100 g) + capers (20 g) + tomato puree (20 g) + tomato (200 g) |
| Energy | 410 kcal | 791 kcal |
| Protein | 42 g | 70 g |
| Fat | 2 g | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 53 g | 112 g |
