Giving Blood and Dieting?

FatPandaBandit
FatPandaBandit Posts: 33
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a blood drive coming up at my school soon and I was wondering, on that day should I stick to my calorie limit or throw that out the window for the day? I can see both ways.. I mean, it might be just any other day, but I could also need more calories for energy since I will have less oxygen to move my muscles, therefor my body would be working harder. I know I shouldn't exercise afterwards. Any thoughts?

Replies

  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    You also expel a LOT of calories pushing the blood out, as well as iron. Go out for a steak afterwards and try to stick to your calorie limit but get lots of water, DON'T exercise and rest.
  • indianaangel
    indianaangel Posts: 41
    I have no idea, but I would love to know the answer as well because I donate blood whenever I can :)
  • Amy_B
    Amy_B Posts: 2,317 Member
    I don't count calories on days I give blood, but I try not to go hog-wild either. If you allow a weekly cheat day, this might be a good day to do it.

    I will be using this info for myself tomorrow (no cheat though) tomorrow. :smile:
  • Uerzer
    Uerzer Posts: 273
    yes, you will need more calories to get those red blood cells back!... eat, drink water, and enjoy the feeling of helping a fellow human being who really needs it :flowerforyou:
  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
    Good question! I dont really know the exact answer but my guess would be to see how you feel. They usually give you sweet tea and biscuits straight after to get your glucose levels back up, but if that's not enough and you feel light headed at any point, I would just eat and not bother about deficit that day.

    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Have you given blood before? I mean do you know how it affects you? It never affected me at all. Some people might need some extra food to recover but not necessarily.
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    Take the day off! I have given blood 4 times and blacked out 3. I went off my diet and exercise for the day, especially since they were feeding me all of this food to get me back to "normal" haha...thank you for donating and enjoy the cookies after! :D
  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,024 Member
    I always eat what I need to on donation days.... and definatly no workout that night. I even feel the effects on my workouts for the next 3-4 days before I am back to normal

    Great job giving!
  • gierej
    gierej Posts: 14 Member
    I always exercise early and than give blood in the evening and it has never bothered me. I stick to my diet as usual. Lots of fluids is important though.
  • rudegyal_b
    rudegyal_b Posts: 593 Member
    i dont see a reason to not count that day, just allow yourself a little more, and maybe skip exercising

    maybe bring your own sweet high protein snack instead of eating those cheap cookies they give you afterwards
  • mallorybriann
    mallorybriann Posts: 1,380 Member
    I wouldn't throw it out the window, but I would eat more if you feel like you need to, but don't go crazy!
    I would rest, just to be safe.


    (Love the tat and the picture in your signature!)
    You also expel a LOT of calories pushing the blood out, as well as iron. Go out for a steak afterwards and try to stick to your calorie limit but get lots of water, DON'T exercise and rest.
  • adjones5
    adjones5 Posts: 938 Member
    I have given blood many times and tried both. If you don't eat enough the day that you donate you will feel like **** and not be able to work out the next day so you might as well give your body what it needs on donation day so you can get back under the calorie goal the next day.
  • FatPandaBandit
    FatPandaBandit Posts: 33
    Have you given blood before? I mean do you know how it affects you? It never affected me at all. Some people might need some extra food to recover but not necessarily.

    I've given blood twice before. First time I remember my legs feeling very tired and that was it. The second time I don't know if it affected me, as I immediately ate my cookies. O.o I guess I will grab one of their snacks and take it to my class to eat it whenever I need to. Basically my plan will be to attempt at sticking to my limit but go over if needed.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    The day I give blood, I give myself 350 more calories....it help with the extra juice and all that. The lady at the blood bank told me that it take 600 calories to rebuild the blood lost to donation. I didn't exercise for 24 hours after.

    You are doing a great thing
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    Not a clue...I would ask one of the nurses at the drive. They would know best.
  • maab_connor
    maab_connor Posts: 3,927 Member
    remember that you've already made that blood, so unless you're donating first thing in the morning, i don't change that day. i change the NEXT day to the extra cals. i donate after work, so that works for me. if you're at 1200 then DO have a steak and other iron-rich foods so that you don't pass out. i also don't bother to log the water and animal crackers. stay hydrated too!! that will also make you an easier stick!

    edited to add: THANK you for donating! you're saving a life or three.
  • skinnyjeanzbound
    skinnyjeanzbound Posts: 3,932 Member
    Mayo clinic website says you expend 650 extra calories over the 48 hrs following blood donation. I give about every 8 wks and always add an extra 325 the day of and the day after donation. I log it in my exercise diary as "blood donation."
  • significance
    significance Posts: 436 Member
    I, too, have read that it's worth about 600 calories. Also remember, that if you don't eat well before a donation, you might have trouble donating. The last two times I went to give blood, they failed to get the full usual amount (the 2nd time, it was so little they just had to throw it away). My blood pressure was down a bit because of the diet, though I had eaten breakfast and lunch (about 750 calories total) and had had >1.5L (>6 glasses) of water that day, and it was only 2pm.

    I've been told next time:
    1) Drink extra water every day for 2-3 days before the donation;
    2) Eat a bigger lunch (or a bigger breakfast, if it's in the morning); and
    3) Avoid too much exercise before the donation on the day.
  • slainjaberwock
    slainjaberwock Posts: 2
    I am planning to give blood soon and found this thread in the course of doing some research on blood donation and calorie counting. Here is what I learned.

    According to an article I found in Science Focus magazine ( http://sciencefocus.com/qa/when-i-give-blood-how-many-calories-does-my-body-use-replacing-it ) your body uses 600-650 calories replacing the blood that you lost. It uses these calories to create more red blood cells at a rate of about 2 million per second to replace 2.5 trillion lost. At that rate it will take your body about 14.5 days to replace the red blood cells you lost. (This number is much higher than the 48 hours someone else cited from the mayo clinic but the red cross website also says some blood components are manufactured by your body in a few hours but others take weeks to replenish. )

    If you want to replace the calories your body is using to manufacture red blood cells at roughly the same rate they are being used you should increase your calorie intake by 40-43 calories per day for the day you donate and the next 14 days.

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