Eating back your calories ..

swest222

So I've been here almost 2 weeks now, and everywhere I've read says you need to eat back your calories.
Good right? Maybe. But I have a question!
I work fulltime during the day so the only chance I get to workout is in the evenings after my children have gone to bed.
So I usually begin my workout around 8pm. Then afterwards, I do the household chores (dishes etc)
By the time I sit down for the night it's about 930pm, log my journel etc.

So my question is, should I really be eating back 400 calories at 10pm??
Everything I've been told is that you shouldnt eat after 7pm.

Im afraid to eat them earlier throughout the day incase I dont get in my exercise that night (even though I havent missed a night yet!)... but you never know what life might bring especially with 2 kids!

weallhaveastory

bump

cdthom

No but if you know for sure you are going to workout and what you are going to do enter befor had earlyer in the day so you get the chance to eat them back

n0pants3ver

The rule of thumb is not to eat two hours before bed. I go to bed late. So i'm eating up until 11pmish.

leomom72

i have 2 young kids of my own, so i totally know what you mean. i have heard many times, it doesnt matter when you eat, because calories are calories either way..then again, i have also heard at a certain time, body starts slowing down..i say go ahead..best of luck

sarah44254

Your body doesn't give a care what time of day you eat. If food enters the body, the body breaks it down the same way no matter what time of day it is. No matter if you are sleeping, if you are running, if you are sitting on your butt at work.

I suggest eating 100-200 more during the day, then you will only have 100-200 left to eat after your workout (easily done with a handful of peanuts)

If for some reason you didn't finish your workout, being 100-200 over for the day isn't really that bad.

lisapickering

You should eat your exercise calories back. You should try and eat them throughout the day. If you've eaten them you will make time to workout! lol!!

leomom72

No but if you know for sure you are going to workout and what you are going to do enter befor had earlyer in the day so you get the chance to eat them back

but she just said she is never sure if she will have time to or not..that's why she is scared to

ladyhawk00

Really doesn't matter if you eat late, unless you're someone who doesn't sleep well after eating late.

You can add some in throughout the day, and then have a glass of milk or protein shake, or peanut butter, etc after your workout. Or you can just add some extra cals to the next day.

coppercurlz

see: www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

also, if you know you are going to work out then budget them in throughout the day, not lumping them up at night. i personally can't sleep well if I eat a big meal then try to lay on it!

the thing to remember is that MFP is a good "tool" in your healthy lifestyle, not the ultimate judge. If you go over or under with calories a couple days a week, it's not going to tack on extra pounds instantly. The point is learning healthy habits/portions/learning to recognize nutritional values without looking them up...at least it is to me....not being a slave to numbers

Kudos for regular exercise though! Rock on!

LovelySnugs

Your body doesn't give a care what time of day you eat. If food enters the body, the body breaks it down the same way no matter what time of day it is. No matter if you are sleeping, if you are running, if you are sitting on your butt at work.

I suggest eating 100-200 more during the day, then you will only have 100-200 left to eat after your workout (easily done with a handful of peanuts)

If for some reason you didn't finish your workout, being 100-200 over for the day isn't really that bad.

this.

Windi38

I'm all for eating back the calories, since MFP builds a deficit into your calories for the day, letting you know how many calories you should eat to lose weight WITHOUT working out. and then tacking on the work out calories when you do work out.

However, keep in mind that 'counting exercise calories' in general is a numbers game, and if you go by the numbers here, you could either be over estimating or underestimating your calories. Sometimes by quite a bit. I know when I got my heart rate monitor, I found out that I use quite a bit LESS calories than the estimated numbers built into this website. Some people have found out that they use a lot MORE calories than is estimated.

Also, counting food calories is also a numbers game, unless you go so far as to weigh and measure every bit of food, and verify the built in information in the system.

Personally, I assume that I've underestimated my food calories and overestimated my work out calories (even with an hrm) so I do not ever eat back ALL my calories.

I refuse to weigh and measure my food, and be a slave to the numbers. This site is very helpful, but you have to realize that it's still an estimate, and everyone is different!

PaleoIsPossible

Firstly, why are you waiting until 10? Instead of doing dishes after your work out and THEN sitting down to eat between 9:30 and 10, you should be eating right after you workout. Your metabolism is raging for 30 minutes after you work out, and it's the perfect opportunity for you to load your body with nutrients and have them digested optimally.

But, as far as late night eating.... It really depends what it is that you're eating. As a dietetics major, I've learned that eating before bed doesn't necessarily cause you to gain weight - that's a secondary effect. Rather, the issue is the food sitting in your stomach doesn't digest as well, which can cause discomfort and gas the next day, which causes you too look more bloated.

A side effect of eating before bed though is that because you're body is using so much energy to break down that food (which is why some people get so hot when they're sleeping), your body may not be able to get that deep, truly relaxing sleep it needs and desires. As a result, you end up being sleep deprived (even if you slept 8+ hours, the quality still wasn't adequate), and this can cause you to put on weight in the long run, as it's proven that lack of sleep leads to weight gain for stress and other various reasons, such as in my next paragraph.

From feeling sleep deprived, and sluggish, people may tend to eat more in order to "gain energy" (which doesn't work by the way), causing them to overeat, or eat sugary foods/energy drinks/etc, ultimately causing them to put on weight.

SO - in conclusion, after all of that... If you are hungry before bed, eat something that is easy for your body to digest. No starches and no proteins and definitely no nuts! You don't want to eat a baked potato or a chicken breast before bed. Instead, eat something like broccoli (doesn't that sound yummy as a midnight snack? ;] ), berries, etc. that your body can break down more easily. But you definitely need to replenish your body after a workout, especially if it's a tough one! Just make sure its a GOOD food (and strive to eat within 30 minutes of finishing up that workout!!).

I hope I helped!

anubis609

Metabolism doesn't stop unless you're dead. So, eating at night isn't going to be detrimental. If you're uneasy about doing so, as others have already stated, just eat a bit more earlier on in the day. A serving of nuts, fruit, dairy, toast with peanut butter, i.e. calorie-dense foods are good snacks to have.

Charice

I don't know if this is sound advice or not, but what if you ate the calories earned in your workout the next day? If you don't get a workout in then the next day you don't eat the extra. Look at it over a weekly average, not a 24 hour period of time, and it will all balance out. Good luck!