Food After Weight Training

lb628

So I am a collegiate athlete (vball), and I lift heavy weights 3 times a week. Each workout is around 45 minutes and consists of a couple olympic lifts (Hang Cleans, Squats, Split Squats, Dead lift) plus a couple of circuits (pull ups, dumb bell row, glute ham raise, etc.). I also have open gym twice a week for 1.5 hrs. I'm 6' tall and about 170 (may have gone up with all these weights. my lowest was 153. i felt much better about myself at this weight but was running all the time - not much muscle and not helping the vertical)

I've found when I don't lift weights (I had about 10 days off), I can hit my fat loss calorie goal easily. I actually at times find it hard to meet my calorie goal. However, every time I get back to lifting I can't stop myself from eating. Almond butter is probably my biggest weakness. I'm wondering if this is something that's bad for me: I lift at 6 am every morning. i eat an apple before to get me through it. And then the second I get home, I'm starving and eat anywhere from 1500-2000 calories within like 30 minutes. like this morning i had 8 pieces of toast, some with jelly, some almond butter, honey straight, plus special k cereal and smart start, plus a tbs of peanut butter and almond butter with a spoon from the jar....I like to just eat it plain.(i make my own though - almond meal and almond milk. helps lower the calories) The rest of the day I eat pretty light: couple of yogurts, turkey wrap, veggies, brown rice. Has anyone experienced this urge to eat so much after lifting? How bad is it for me and what can I do to stop?

DrJenO

It's only bad for you if it is causing you to go over your calorie goals and giving you results you don't want.

Maybe try subbing more protein in for your breakfast? Eggs instead of cereal to go with the toast?

Are you cutting or bulking?

lb628

I'm always trying to cut to be honest..but I'm just finding it really hard to hit 2000 when I'm training this hard. We lift very heavy, and I think my body's too smart to keep me from wanting to eat. I crave peanut butter and almond butter, and I can eat it huge quantities. I never would crave these when I wasn't lifting and was doing more cardio/yoga. I don't really have a choice on my work out regiment though

beertrollruss

Weightlifting definitely stimulates the appetite. You're young and playing a sport, so you need a lot of calories. This app can help you figure out how many calories you need daily. I recommend you set your goal to maintenance and log consistently for 2-3 weeks with weekly weigh-ins. If you gain weight, cut back a little and if you lose weight, you'll need to increase your calories. Once you figure out your daily calories, try to spread your meals out evenly. Spreading your meals out will help reduce the binges that may lead to unhealthy habits later in life. Try to have some protein, fat and carbs in each meal.

I like your exercise choices and I think they'll really help you with your sport. If you want some additional exercise advice, I highly recommend Stack.com. You probably have some good resources at your school too.

I also really like that you make your own almond butter.

Since you're in college, I'm going to recommend some ways to save money. Less expensive protein options are tuna, dark meat chicken, ground beef, eggs and protein powder. Meal replacement drinks cost 3 times as much as a scoop of powder. If you can cook, you'll save some money. Buying in bulk and cooking a week's worth of food in one day can help save money and time. Men's Health likes chocolate milk a lot and they recommend drinking it up to 3 times a day.

Good luck!

ChunkLaFunk

Impressive! You're doing workouts most people on this site can only dream about. Eating after intense exercise is a good thing, especially in the 1st 45 minutes. Ideally you want a 3:1 ratio of protein to simple carbs, no added fat. A whey protein shake with added carbs is ideal for this. Afterwards, you can have your big breakfast. This allows you to take advantage of the anabolic state the intense exercise creates, as well as helping extend the anabolic state. Your overall daily protein should be somewhere between 0.9-1.25 gr./lb. of body weight, accounting for 26% of your calories. Carbs should be 41% and fat at 33%, something like that. How does this compare with what you're doing currently.

In terms of getting cut, start by reducing your Daily Caloric Expenditure intake by 100-200 calories per day. First you need to accurately calculate your Daily Caloric Expenditure. If you have a strength coach, perhaps they can help you with this. The more info you put in, the more accurate the number will be. After two weeks, evaluate weight loss and adjust calories as needed.

Oh, you may want to take in a small amount of whey protein pre-workout, 5-6 grams.

You're definitely doing all the right things. Perhaps the puzzle pieces need to organized a little differently.

DrJenO

Do you mean that you have trouble getting up to 2000 cal or staying below? Because I am losing on just under 2000 per day, and I don't work out nearly as hard as you. And I'm a girl. And older.

Plug your numbers into scooby's or something and tell us what your TDEE is.

lb628

Do you mean that you have trouble getting up to 2000 cal or staying below? Because I am losing on just under 2000 per day, and I don't work out nearly as hard as you. And I'm a girl. And older.

Plug your numbers into scooby's or something and tell us what your TDEE is.

I have trouble staying below like 2800 on training days. What concerns me is that about 70% of that is eaten in around a 30 minute period.
I think my TDEE is around 2400-2500? I'm 6' tall, about 170 and probably around 22-23% BF
I'm a 21 year old girl

fitzman84

Doesnt matter when you eat your calories... Its actually better that you eat that much after your training.

As far as trying to cut on 2000 calories, thats probably not enough food... which is why your body is craving peanut and almond butter.

Here's what I would do - Eat around 2500 calories for one week and track your weight in the morning before eating or drinking anything. After one week at 2500 calories, see if you gained or lost weight. If you lost weight you can try and add more calories (like 200 more) and see where that gets you the following week. If you gain weight, just do the opposite and subtract about 100 or 200 calories - rinse and repeat until you get the results you want.

This is basically a reverse diet - google the term and you'll find more info. Hope that helps...

cwolfman13

It doesn't matter when you eat your calories...that said, I would substitute much of that toast for more protein...have some eggs and stuff.

lb628

Thanks. Yeah I don't know why I was craving toast, but I get the 40 calorie per piece toast, so I can eat a lot of it with fewer calories. I'm all about the volume

Another interesting note is that I'm always fatigued. I've been sleeping more than usual, yet have also been more tired than usual. Anyone know what this could mean? I'm assuming it's because I eat so much food at once, and my body has to work hard to digest it..