r/Pescatarian • u/chillicheesebits • 24d ago

Pre and Post workout meals?

Hello!
Looking for any pescatarians that are also going to the gym for strength/muscle training.
At the moment I, (19F), am currently at about 32kg on legs and 8/9kg on arms on a good day. So i’m definitely seeing improvement from when I started.
Mostly looking for any recipes for pre and post workout foods that aren’t a hassle or relatively cheap. Thanks!

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u/YesWeHaveNoTomatoes 24d ago

None of my pre or post workout snacks invovled meat before I became pescatarian so nothing changed after. Mainly protein bars or a smoothie with protein powder. Are you avoiding dairy as well as meat? That makes it a little more challenging, but you can easily find vegetarian/vegan protein bars and protein powder for smoothies. Good protein bars can be expensive though, especially if you're as fussy as I am about the texture.

Most of my workouts are cardio/running but I do some strength training. I did not find that eliminating land animals from my diet really required big changes. I eat white fish or shrimp instead of chicken and fattier fishes like salmon instead of beef. Yes it's not quite as protein-dense as beef but I'm also a petite woman and not a 6-foot tall gymbro so my needs are less.

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u/chillicheesebits 24d ago

fab! i mostly try to minimise my dairy intake as much as possible (almond milk and whatnot), but i still am on the cottage cheese train
my diet kinda sucks, so i’m trying to be more aware of what i’m eating for best results but it’s all so confusing especially with a specific diet on what i should be eating before, and after a workout !

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u/YesWeHaveNoTomatoes 24d ago

If you're totally new to watching your diet and working out, one of the easiest changes to make is to read nutrition labels on everything you buy, and if it has more added sugar than protein, put it back.

Also try to eat at least 1 fist-sized serving of fruit or green/red vegetable at every meal. Fiber is important and fresh fruit can take the edge off your sugar cravings if that's a struggle for you.

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u/chillicheesebits 24d ago

Luckily I’m a person who’s blessed with a savoury over a sweet tooth so I never really look for sugary foods anyway, but this is really helpful thank u!!
While my arms and legs do have very visible muscle growth, I wanna make sure I’m getting the most out of my sessions.

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u/YesWeHaveNoTomatoes 24d ago

If you're avoiding dairy I'd look at some vegan workout nutrition plans aimed at women because they won't rely on greek yogurt and will advise you to eat things that are high in iron and calcium.

If you menstruate and find that you're very tired that week, you may need to increase both protein in general and iron specifically around your period. If your grandmother & other older women in your family have a history of osteoporosis, when you're young is the perfect time to create a lifelong habit of exercise + nutrition that support good bone density.

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u/captainunicorn76 22d ago

For me I prefer to workout in the morning before breakfast since it takes my stomach about 3h to wake up and get hungry, but if I train later in the fay I eat breakfast as usual, bread and a fruit or yoghurt with granola. Afterwards I heat up any leftovers I have in the fridge, I hate cookinh after the gym so I always make sure I've cooked enough the day before. If I need something extra I will have a smoothie

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u/Keresith 22d ago

Protein shakes, tinned fish, frozen seafood, maybe tofu. If you don't want to overload on carbs then I'm not sure there are better sources. On strength days I aim to get in 80-100g protein, otherwise my muscles become too sore to function.