Strength training? What to eat when, to lose weight

Last May, 27-year-old Icelander Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, renowned for his role as "The Mountain" Gregor Clegane, in "Game of Thrones," won the World's Strongest Man competition. At 6 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing over 390 pounds, Bjornsson eats eight meals a day, while lifting tons of weights.

His meals consist of lean meats, grains, vegetables and healthy fats found in avocados and peanut butter. He's said: "I eat quite healthy for a big guy ... but you get sick of eating all the time. Today, I was supposed to have chicken with sweet potatoes and greens. Because I didn't want that, I had salmon. We have very good fish in Iceland."

It's true that high-protein foods are good to eat after resistance exercising to encourage muscle building. But did you know that eating protein after working out --if you eat the right amounts -- also can help you lose weight? That is effective because refueling with protein after your muscle-strengthening activities increases the amount of energy-burning muscle mass you build, and that uses up extra calories. Just make sure you don't eat ever-more total calories as you exercise more!

To take advantage of the muscle building and weight loss:
-- Eat protein up to two hours after working out to take advantage of the protein synthesis it fuels.
-- Enjoy protein from salmon, trout and skinless chicken.
-- Eat 20-30 grams of protein (it's the equivalent of 4 ounces cooked salmon or 3.5 ounces grilled chicken breast).

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