What to eat on running days?

Lizzypb88

I normally never really ate back exercise calories, or maybe only 100 or so calories because I was never that hungry...
But after completing the C25K, I'm running 2-3 miles 3x a week and at the end of the days I run I have a mini binge, so my weight has stayed the same for 5 weeks.. I'm craving sweets, cookie/frosting/etc so I'm wondering, should I eat back ALL of my exercise calories, or just half, and is it okay to budget for those sweets on exercise days, or will it not move the scale since it's still sugar? I'm looking for some advice to help me on eating back calories on exercise days and to curb the sweets cravings after I run, thanks!

jordandills

Doesn't matter if the calories are all sugar or not. Budget some of your exercise calories (I usually eat back 50-75% to allow for bad estimations) for your running days, eat what you want to fill those calories.

jjpptt2

As long as your overall cals are where they should be, you should continue to see progress. I would experiment with some different things to try to keep a handle on the cravings/binges...
- try having something right after your run
- try saving cals for later in the day when you typically have your cravings
- try different types of foods (salty vs sweet vs fatty vs...

There's some trial and error here to see what works for you the best, but at the end of the day progress comes from consistency over time, so that should be your end goal.

TavistockToad

Yes eat back your exercise cals, the following formula is pretty accurate for cals burnt:

Bodyweight in lbs x 0.63 x distance in miles

Depending when i run i either go fasted if its a couple of miles first thing, a fairly large bowl of protein enriched cereal an hour before going out if it's a weekend long run or a snack of peanut butter/cheese/crackers/whatever i fancy if its an after work (before tea) run.

kgirlhart

It won't matter what you are eating as long as you stay in a deficit. I would eat back your exercise calories. You can either eat all of them back and after about 4 weeks reevaluate. If you are not losing then you know you should eat back less of them. Or you can start by eating half back and reevaluate after 4 weeks. If you are losing faster than expected eat back more, if slower or not at all then eat back less. My go to snack after running are frozen bananas, gatorade or something with peanut butter like peanut butter crackers or a sweet and salty nut bar.

girlwithcurls2

I agree about eating before you run if possible. I try to do that on days when I run or swim. On days that I swim, I pack a banana to eat afterward so that I don't eat the steering wheel of my car on the drive home...

vespiquenn

Others have given good feedback, but I just wanted to add something that some find success with. You could possibly cycle your calories.

On days you run or feel that extra hunger, eat a bit more to compensate while taking away a 100 or so calories from a different day can sometimes assist with hunger issues. This is all completely assuming you a properly fueling in the first place and logging accurately.

But anecdotally, I am never hungry on the days I run, and my shortest runs are 5k. I might indulge in a beer or two, but my hunger or consumed calories are lower than normal. I don't fret because I know the following day.. I'm a ravenous beast. Even though I didn't work out that day, my body just wants the extra calories for recovery. As long as my weekly deficit adds up, and I'm not creating too steep of a deficit on any given day, it works for me. So you could allow yourself more on those running days while taking away from less active days.

Of course, it's completely personal preference.

Running_and_Coffee

Timing is everything with running. For long runs (6+ miles) I need to eat something simple first and something very soon after stopping. Example: coffee and Ezekial bread with peanut butter pre-run, protein shake with banana right afterwards. I don't really need to eat that much more than usual if I do this. Also, hydration the day before is really important!

spiriteagle99

2-3 miles doesn't burn that many calories, so you need to be careful about not overeating to compensate for the extra exercise. Also, make sure you aren't dehydrated, because thirst can make you feel more hungry.

For short runs, I generally run either an hour after a meal or shortly before a meal, so the meal takes care of any hunger I feel. Eating a mix of protein and carbohydrate can help assuage hunger better than eating a cookie or other high sugar food which may just make you want more. Many runners like chocolate milk, but Greek yogurt or a half sandwich can ease hunger and give some protein as well without adding a lot of calories. With a short run, you aren't running low on glycogen. That takes a lot more miles than you are running now.

As you get used to running and start running more miles (assuming you do) you'll stop being extra hungry when you do short runs. Longer runs, OTOH, will still make you want to eat more. It's just that the trigger point will change. At this point, I'm usually fine with runs 6 miles or less. I don't get real runger. I enjoy the extra calories but don't feel starving if I don't eat them all. When I run 8+ I get seriously hungry. On a long run (12+) I get hungry enough I almost always eat more than my day's calories, high as they are. Fortunately, I only do that once a week or so.

DebLaBounty

I eat back most of my exercise calories on the days I run, which like you is about 3 miles every other day. Right after I run, I tend to eat half a banana. Later, I might snack on an apple and some cheese. I budget for a sweet dessert in the evening because I don't go over my calorie allotment and sometimes you just gotta have chocolate or pie. I've continued to lose weight doing it this way.