Workout in evening - eating calories back

crazycranberry

Need some advice;

When I work out at home it is always in evening once my son is in bed and I have done chores and by the time I've done workout, showered etc it can be 9.30-10pm. I find that I am struggling to eat back my calories at that time of night without feeling slightly sick. I just find it hard to eat that amount at such a late time.

I cannot guarantee on a set day I will get a workout in the evening either so I find it impossible to eat the calories in the daytime in preparation for my workout later on.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.........

ANeWcRe8N

I would say if you arent hungry then dont eat them all.. maybe just try and eat some so you wont be to under calorie goal.

Xaspar

Lowfat chocolate milk has been recommended as a great post-workout drink ... protein, carbs, and fats in decent percentages without too many calories. Isn't too filling and is definitely something to look forward to. I make mine with dark chocolate so it isn't AS sweet and has a few less calories.

joamarelo

I agree with jglvam

beachbumdoug

Hello, i am in the same spot as you. I can only workout after the kids go to bed and by then it's too late to eat back the calories. I usually go over my calories during the day, i find this forces me to workout even when i dont really have the time. Only prob is that some nights i have trouble falling asleep after a hard workout.No choice for me really since the kids and everything else in life has to come first. If you find a decent solution, let me know.

darkhorse43

I eat more during the day when I know I'm going to workout at night.

alleyag

My bedtime shake is 12 oz skim milk two scoop chocolate protein one tbls almond butter and 1 tbls natural peanut butter. This will give you 600 calories a ton if protein and the fat from pb and almond butter will slow down the digestion. It's. Like a peanut butter chocolate mistake. It shouldn't make you feel sick. Hope this helps

Wimpey

What type of exercise and how long for?

If you do some resitance training, weights then have mainly some food with proteines, or a protein shake.

If you doing 30' cardio, then just a small balanced snack would be ok

However if you are going out for a hour and half hard run, you would need to eat up quite a bit to help your body recover...

I think you need to put it in prospective lenght/intensity of work out etc...

ChantalGG

Some milk, almonds, hummus or avocado... will get you there quick. I like peanut butter on saltines with a glass of milk. it is comfort food for me.

MommyLumpkin

Lowfat chocolate milk has been recommended as a great post-workout drink ... protein, carbs, and fats in decent percentages without too many calories. Isn't too filling and is definitely something to look forward to. I make mine with dark chocolate so it isn't AS sweet and has a few less calories.

Fab idea! Maybe a whey protein shake if you're not big on dairy. Sounds like the best solution to me too!

webbed1

I am a little suspicious of the idea of adding back one's exercise calories. But for sure, it doesn't have to be AFTERWARDS. But if you must afterwards, Walmart brand Equate (for Ensure) is 250 balanced calories in a delicious shake, strawberry choc or vanilla. Milk with protein powder is easy to pour down too; add half a banana--but MATH OUT THE CALORIES! I doubt most people burn more than 300-500 calories an hour. So eat back half that and watch the pounds shed.

Why am I wary of "adding back exercise calories" ? I've seen LOTS of people talk about it, make a big deal about it, I hear everytime I go to the gym, and a year later I can't see much if any progress. I suspect they ate too much before, didn't quantify it accurately, but boy they sure quantify the number of calories they need to eat after exercise.

AudgePaudge

I've found that going to bed by 9pm and waking up around 6am is easier for me to work out. I get enough sleep at night, and I'm never too tired in the morning to work out.

crazycranberry

What type of exercise and how long for?

If you do some resitance training, weights then have mainly some food with proteines, or a protein shake.

If you doing 30' cardio, then just a small balanced snack would be ok

However if you are going out for a hour and half hard run, you would need to eat up quite a bit to help your body recover...

I think you need to put it in prospective lenght/intensity of work out etc...

I did 60 mins Zumba and my HRM said I had burnt 560 or so calories. Then did 15 min arm work out with dumbells.

crazycranberry

I am a little suspicious of the idea of adding back one's exercise calories. But for sure, it doesn't have to be AFTERWARDS. But if you must afterwards, Walmart brand Equate (for Ensure) is 250 balanced calories in a delicious shake, strawberry choc or vanilla. Milk with protein powder is easy to pour down too; add half a banana--but MATH OUT THE CALORIES! I doubt most people burn more than 300-500 calories an hour. So eat back half that and watch the pounds shed.

Why am I wary of "adding back exercise calories" ? I've seen LOTS of people talk about it, make a big deal about it, I hear everytime I go to the gym, and a year later I can't see much if any progress. I suspect they ate too much before, didn't quantify it accurately, but boy they sure quantify the number of calories they need to eat after exercise.

My HRM said I had burned 560 ish calories after 60min Zumba. That means if I am only eating1200 cal per day anyway I am WAY below my calories for the day. I don't want to under eat cos I know that will not help me lose weight.
Just went into my local health food shop and they were useless when I asked them for advise.
I just don't know

webbed1

See my points 1-9 for a PRECISE way to ascertain the answer to your question. It is a VERY good question, too much or too little, or even too fast.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/248809-how-do-i-know-when-i-am-eating-too-few-calories?page=1#posts-3290627

Wimpey

[/quote]

I did 60 mins Zumba and my HRM said I had burnt 560 or so calories. Then did 15 min arm work out with dumbells.
[/quote]

I think you will benefit from taking in some food to refuel after 1 hour work and some resistance. As you are already creating a deficit of calories in your diet you want to ensure that you put back something in or you risk to run your tank on low and sabotaging your diet.
You want to build a lean and healthy body and have energy, so you need to help your body repair itself and prepare for next day.

Some yoghurt, fruit and nuts, a cereal bar anything you do not find too hard to digest. Rice cakes with peanut butter and cottage cheese if you want more proteins than carbs.

You may not need to eat all the 560 calories back, but this would be your choice. My experience is that I get a better recovery and night sleep by balancing the accounts (I am an endurance athlete so I need all my calories back to fuel my next day's training, but find the MFP target spot on to loose fat and maintain bags of energy for training) You might find your need differ.

Good luck!