STARVING the day after exercise!

saintsteffers1

I did hard-core (for me) exercise yesterday - a 45 minute fast paced interval training video which had me literally drowning and soaked in sweat! ( yeah, attractive I know!) But I find that the day after I do hard-core sweat exercise, I am literally starving the whole day and its soooooo hard to stick to my cal allowance, and i totally crave carbs and sugar especially! I'm assuming this is related!
My question is, should I carry on doing the hard-core sweating exercsie even though it tests my will power to the max the next day, or should i stick to more 'normal' exercise that just gets me into a light 'glow' and mildly breathless and has a less-marked affect the next day. I'm just terrified that I'm gonna undo all the hard work the day before, and not only undo but add a heap load of calorie damage on top! Is it worth it?

Thanks, Steph

TheMaidOfAstolat

I took a look at your food diary. If possible (and I know it is) cut the junk food out and cut back on the breads...those are just eating up all the calories you have. I'm not saying to compleatly get rid of them, just cut back some. Keep the sweets to maybe once or twice a week.
Don't quit the hard exercise, since you only do it every so often it actually gives your muscles something different to do and therefor works them more efficiently.
Stick with it and be strong. :flowerforyou:

mmiller1272

I'm in a program called "Extreme Bodyshaping" and I do hard core excercise every other day (other days are spent doing resistance training). The number one thing they teach us is to EAT. Eat smaller portions 6 days a week and make sure you are balancing your carb and proteins. You won't reshape your body if you don't combine the two since they work together. For example, I eat 11-19 grams of protein and 34 grams of carbs per meal based on my weight and body fat index.

Keep in mind, the protein and carbs should be healthy (ex. whole wheat). I can't share their trade secret calculation, but I recommend searing for something similar on-line.

I lowered my body fat by 6.8% and lost 16.5 inches across the board in 10 weeks. This is not me advertising for the business (I didn't even use their name), but proof that what they say does in fact work.

blbeane

I took a look at your food diary. If possible (and I know it is) cut the junk food out and cut back on the breads...those are just eating up all the calories you have. I'm not saying to compleatly get rid of them, just cut back some. Keep the sweets to maybe once or twice a week.
Don't quit the hard exercise, since you only do it every so often it actually gives your muscles something different to do and therefor works them more efficiently.
Stick with it and be strong. :flowerforyou:

I totally agree. In my opinion, you need to make better food choices. You admitted these were cravings, which can be confused with hunger and your body's need for nutrition. Try to limit your intake of bad carbs and sugar. As time passes, you will "crave" it less. Another option is to find healthier alternatives to your cravings.

Don't use your hard work yesterday as an excuse to splurge today. My rule of thumb when trying to lose is "if you do what you always did, you will get what you always got." Rething changing things up.

LainMac

My body is also a bit slow. I too find myself super hungry the DAY AFTERI exercise at lot. So why don't you save most of the "extra calories" earned for the next day.

For example, you get 1200 cals. You exercise for additional 600 cals. You get 1800 for that day. You eat only 1300. You've got 500 left. Use some of them next day. (But not on junk but on things that have substance). So say you eat 1500. You are still 200 calories ahead.

I wouldn't suggest carrying over calories more than a day or so but if it is all within the 72 hours, why the heck not.

1200 + 600 + 1200 = 3000

3000 - 1300 - 1500 = 200

Not bad math for an English major!

saintsteffers1

Thanks for your help everyone... its true! i confess! i'm a total carb junkie... if you think my current food diary is bad heck you should have seen what i was eating before lol! (well explains why i got fat anyway hehe) I know i need to cut down on the sweet things, but having a mini pack of maltesers a day does help to keep my chocolate craving at bay, and for only 99 cals i think its a good option, even if its not the 'best' option. And it is working, all be it slowly...

I liked the idea of carrying cals over for the next day after hard core, i will try to do that.... and i will try to up my protein and down my bread.... as long as it doesn't make me wanna chuck the towel in completely which is what i worry about when attempting anything too extreme from my normal pattern of eating...

Thanks for your feedback and help
Steph

saintsteffers1

Thanks for your help everyone... its true! i confess! i'm a total carb junkie... if you think my current food diary is bad heck you should have seen what i was eating before lol! (well explains why i got fat anyway hehe) I know i need to cut down on the sweet things, but having a mini pack of maltesers a day does help to keep my chocolate craving at bay, and for only 99 cals i think its a good option, even if its not the 'best' option. And it is working, all be it slowly...

I liked the idea of carrying cals over for the next day after hard core, i will try to do that.... and i will try to up my protein and down my bread.... as long as it doesn't make me wanna chuck the towel in completely which is what i worry about when attempting anything too extreme from my normal pattern of eating...

Thanks for your feedback and help
Steph

LainMac

I liked the idea of carrying cals over for the next day after hard core, i will try to do that.... and i will try to up my protein and down my bread.... as long as it doesn't make me wanna chuck the towel in completely which is what i worry about when attempting anything too extreme from my normal pattern of eating...

Part of this process is to make a "new normal". It takes time. If you're a carb junkie ~ then become a whole grains carb junkie. I started journaling the food on June 26th. I'm not worrying too much about exercise for another week or two. I'm trying figure out what I can eat, that is healthy and is satisfying. I found that I need more protein and more fiber than the MFP standards, so I tweaked it a bit. I'm trying to watch my sodium noticing that I'm bumping against or going over the 2500mg limit.

It takes time to find the better normal.

aippolito1

Everyone needs more fiber & protein than MFP puts in automatically. Protein should be at least 30% and fiber 25-30g. I'm not saying everyone should abide by this but it's a general guideline that most can follow or tweak depending on how they feel their body reacting to it. I find I still lose weight even if I go over on fat 'cause most of my fats are natural so I'm at 45% carbs, 30% protein, 25% fat.

I agree with everyone else though, OP... better quality foods will keep you fuller LONGER... higher fiber and protein will help with this. Also, lots of water...if you feel hungry but it's not quite time for a snack or meal, chug a ton of water and see how you feel afterwards. Usually our body is just thirsty and we think it's hungry so we feed it and that's how we get fat.