Donating Blood

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bear2303
bear2303 Posts: 252 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Should I up my calorie intake if I donate blood?

I am on a 1260 a day limit and I am not planning on working out today. Should I plan to go a little over my calorie intake today?

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  • annie7hudds
    annie7hudds Posts: 199 Member
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    No. I don't see why. If you are going to the session on a fairly empty stomach it might be a good idea to have a small snack first, so you don't feel faint. But that's all.

    Well done on being a blood donor. I used to do it, but can't now. ):
  • JustAnotherGirlSuzanne
    JustAnotherGirlSuzanne Posts: 932 Member
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    One of my MFP friends donated blood and had it recorded as 800 calories burned. I've never looked into it beyond that, but I do believe that it is a workout for your body. My suggestion is that if you're hungry then you should eat lots of healthy snacks, especially after donating blood.

    ETA: Not sure that 800 calories burned is accurate, but I do know that I sure needed to eat a fair bit after donating to regain my strength.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    just eat the snacks they give you, and dont bother logging them. as the above user said donating blood equals burning a few hundred calories since your body has to work to replenish the blood lost
  • MyCabbages
    MyCabbages Posts: 33
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    The professionals at the blood bank/drive will tell you to eat extra and drink 2x as much water as normal. You should follow that advice, up to a point. Don't go crazy on sweets or anything like that, but do allow yourself an extra meal or snacks to keep your blood sugar up. Especially if you don't donate very often. You will need those extra calories. If you don't follow these guidelines, you may feel extra tired and sluggish and maybe even dizzy.

    If you donate on a regular basis, you may be able to get away with not eating as much food, but you should still drink a TON of water.
  • BigVeggieDream
    BigVeggieDream Posts: 1,101 Member
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    When I give blood, they won't let you leave until you've had a glass of OJ and a small snack, so I imagine you should be okay.
  • stephanne13
    stephanne13 Posts: 212 Member
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    I donated blood once in 1991. Am not allowed to do it anymore since I lived in Germany in the eighties... Because they are still waiting for those Mad Cow symptoms to surface. :0/
    I don't know why they did not ask if I lived overseas at the University where I was able to donate.
  • bear2303
    bear2303 Posts: 252 Member
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    Thank you for all the feedback! I googled it as well and it says that you do lose about 600 ish calories which seems like a lot! I don't know that I buy it but it makes sense to eat a little more to compensate for the blood loss.

    I haven't donated in a while either and never when I have been restricting my diet at all so I was a little concerned I might pass out! I'll make sure to eat a good little snack before I go. I donate in about an hour!
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    Thank you for all the feedback! I googled it as well and it says that you do lose about 600 ish calories which seems like a lot! I don't know that I buy it but it makes sense to eat a little more to compensate for the blood loss.

    I haven't donated in a while either and never when I have been restricting my diet at all so I was a little concerned I might pass out! I'll make sure to eat a good little snack before I go. I donate in about an hour!
    The burn is based off of rebuilding the blood cells that you are missing, and it will take a lot longer than 1 day to do that (several weeks/months). Don't eat a full 600 over, but take them up on the cookies and juice when you finish. If at the end of the day you want to gnaw your arm off, have another reasonable snack.

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