How do you eat your exercise calories late in the day??

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connie96
connie96 Posts: 22
in Food and Nutrition
Okay. So I need to eat my exercise calories. I get it.

I plan my meals/snacks for my set amount of calories. *IF* I workout, it happens in the evening when I get home from work. So, I'm at the end of my planned calories and I need to add about 200 or so more.

I don't want to "carb up" that late in the day, but I don't want a protein shake either. I want real food that's nutritious and not carb-heavy.

Suggestions??
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Replies

  • Edestiny7
    Edestiny7 Posts: 730 Member
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    You need to plan them throughout the day earlier. If not, eat them the following day. It will all balance out.
  • randa_behnam
    randa_behnam Posts: 488 Member
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    Eggs! great source of protein after your workout!
  • EllyK09
    EllyK09 Posts: 75
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    Bump
  • papastu
    papastu Posts: 737 Member
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    Okay. So I need to eat my exercise calories. I get it.



    why?
  • AHealthierRhonda
    AHealthierRhonda Posts: 881 Member
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    I also exercise at night. I usually don't eat all my exercise cals, but will try to eat more during the day, maybe a larger lunch or p.m. snack to pre eat for the exercise coming. This also makes me want to exercise if I know I already over ate. After exercising, I will eat a bowl of cereal with fruit or yogurt and granola either one with a glass of milk. Gotta have milk after a sweaty workout for me! Weird I know!
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
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    That's one of the things that helps me to workout every day. I plan my calories ahead of time in anticipation of burning 400+ calories at night. That way I've eaten enough to have energy during my workout, and I'm not eating a ton of calories at night. Think of it as a way to keep you on track with your exercise plans so you don't go over your calories.
  • orange_avocado
    orange_avocado Posts: 232
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    A quarter cup of almonds is a great way to add calories without being carb-heavy.

    Like EDestiny said, I try to plan my meals and workouts for the day, and tell myself "If I burn X calories, I can have X with dinner" so that I know I need to work out. But honestly? Somedays I'm just not that hungry, so I only eat 1300 and burn 400... oh well, I carry them over and eat a little more the next day during my 'rest'. Your body isn't *that* smart, it can manage.
  • udallmom101
    udallmom101 Posts: 564 Member
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    I like to have low fat cottage cheese, because I can't stand FAT FREE, with some fruit and veggies. Cottage cheese is a great way to get protein, but it is high in sodium if you are watching sodium. You can also just add it through out the day, go over calorie count, then when you do your exercise and add it in, it will all even out.
  • kbanzhaf
    kbanzhaf Posts: 601 Member
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    Yogurt and a piece of fruit? An apple with some peanut butter? A handful of nuts?
    All are filling, not a ton of calories.
    Kaye
  • DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo
    DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo Posts: 296
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    nuts & apple cider
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
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    Eggs! great source of protein after your workout!



    Completly agree. And it's been posted in magazine articles as well!!! Def. eggs!!!
  • healthydoseofglitter
    healthydoseofglitter Posts: 532 Member
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    peanut butter .. sometimes I just have a spoonful of that if I am low on calories :) ... I LOVE when that happens LOL
  • lolareina
    lolareina Posts: 13 Member
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    Bump
  • Sarahr73
    Sarahr73 Posts: 454 Member
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    You need to plan them throughout the day earlier. If not, eat them the following day. It will all balance out.

    I do this exact thing somedays. I try to eat more throughout the day if I know how much exercise I am going to do, but some days I do more than I was planning. I am actually just trying to keep within a net calorie goal each week of 8400-9450. That's an average of 1200-1350 per day. 1350 is what I get per day but I am not always hungry enough, even if I don't exercise, to eat them all. So, try that if you need to. It's called zig zagging calories. Just make sure you don't go below 1200 for more than a couple days a week so your body doesn't think it's going to starve. Good luck!
  • mzenzer
    mzenzer Posts: 503 Member
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    I've lost over 30 pounds eating late in the evening, often right before bed. It's not the eating before bed that is bad, it's the sitting in bed with a tub of ice cream that is bad. We still burn calories at night, and eating before bed being bad is a myth. Just don't over do it. If you have a couple hundred calories to make up, make it your after dinner/before bed snack. If you are not hungry, just have a hearty breakfast then the next day. There is no really right or wrong way to do it, but rather it's what we take in that is right or wrong. For me, I usually have a small but calorie dense snack such as almonds, or a protein shake.
  • CaraRadz
    CaraRadz Posts: 169 Member
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    I try to plan out my food intake throughout the day to preemtively account for my exercise calories. I plug in my food for the day first thing in the morning, and if I know I'm going to be working out that evening, I beef up my snacks and meals throughout the day. Right now, for example, my food diary says I'm going to be a bunch over my calories today. But once I add in my exercise, I'll be under.

    I've found that this approach really helps me plan my day. Seeing my food diary say I'm over calories also gives me extra motivation to actually go to the gym as planned so that I don't end up being over for the day.
  • Sarahr73
    Sarahr73 Posts: 454 Member
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    You need to plan them throughout the day earlier. If not, eat them the following day. It will all balance out.

    I do this exact thing somedays. I try to eat more throughout the day if I know how much exercise I am going to do, but some days I do more than I was planning. I am actually just trying to keep within a net calorie goal each week of 8400-9450. That's an average of 1200-1350 per day. 1350 is what I get per day but I am not always hungry enough, even if I don't exercise, to eat them all. So, try that if you need to. It's called zig zagging calories. Just make sure you don't go below 1200 for more than a couple days a week so your body doesn't think it's going to starve. Good luck!

    I forgot to mention. You can look at my food diary if you want to see how I am tracking it. I may not be doing it the best way, but it might give you an idea on how you want to track it. This is the first week I am officially doing it, but I do have a few days in my notes.
  • AllyS7
    AllyS7 Posts: 480 Member
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    I second the planning ahead with your meals. In the beginning when I wasn't so excited to work out, I'd see that I was over by 200 calories or so, so I had to work out until I burned that many. (Kind of dangerous to play that way but it worked for my mindset.)

    Now, I still do the same sort of routine but I enjoy exercising and find that I end up burning too many.. if that happens my go to is almonds. I've also been told that chocolate milk after a workout is a great recovery drink.
  • connie96
    connie96 Posts: 22
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    Thanks everybody. :-)

    Nuts (almonds or walnuts) have been my go-to evening snack for the last couple weeks and I've been enjoying it. I was just wondering what other ideas were out there.

    Eggs are a great idea, although I do have an egg with breakfast most mornings, so I probably wouldn't have more in the evening.

    I understand that I could bump my calories earlier in the day, but honestly, I just don't trust myself. I know that exercise may or may not happen depending on how my day goes. I used to be *committed* to running three days a week and I loved it, but I'm recovering from an injury and can only do non-impact stuff these days (blah!!).

    Anyway... thanks for all of the input. I'll keep checking those suggestions and see what I can use. This process is so different for everybody. Even if your suggestions don't work for me, I'm tickled to pieces that they're working for you. :-)
  • LovelySnugs
    LovelySnugs Posts: 389
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    Okay. So I need to eat my exercise calories. I get it.



    why?


    www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

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