WHEN should I eat my exercise calories?

lillebanon

I usually exercise at night, typically before dinner. If I know that I am going to go for a run that will burn 800 calories that evening, should I try and "pre-eat" the extra calories earlier in the day? I obviously don't want to try and cram in a 1200 calorie dinner right before bed. Or should I just try and make them up the next day? Does it make a difference if you eat the extra calories before or after the exercise? Or if I know I typically burn 3000 calories a week exercising, should I just spread that out over the entire week, increasing my daily net goal, even though the majority of those calories are burned on only 2 or 3 days?

susannamarie

Any of those could work. Personally I eat a conservative estimate of my exercise calories in advance and then if it's an unusually vigorous class I add a few more afterwards. If class is cancelled I hit the gym instead so I'm not off.