Calories when throwing up food

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Sunjenk
Sunjenk Posts: 139 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Post answered: Thanks guys :) Im going to count the calories still, but if I get hungry later I wont deprive :P

So about an hour ago I ate dinner, and within about 20 minutes I was working out (C25K week 1 running).

I know now I shouldn't have exercised so soon after eating, but I threw up what appeared to be a majority of my dinner.

I feel better now, I know it was just from running really hard and being really hot, but I don't know if I should eat something so that my calories are back up, or if I shouldn't count throwing up as losing the calories?

Replies

  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
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    if its within 20-30 minutes I wouldn't count it or not all of it if what you saw again looked undigested. You will have absorbed a little but not much. I'd eat if you are hungry
  • lclarkjr
    lclarkjr Posts: 359 Member
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    If you can stomach it, I would try and eat something to make up for the nutrients lost due to vomiting.
  • fromaquasar
    fromaquasar Posts: 811 Member
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    Personally I wouldn't minus anything. There is no way at all to tell what you have and haven't absorbed. Second you don't want to create any kind of reward for throwing up. I know you didn't mean to but you don't want it to be "positive" behaviour that allows you to have extra calories. So I would leave your cals as is.
  • RyanWicklund
    RyanWicklund Posts: 5
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    I would eat if I were you. Personally I'm more worried about nourishing my body, especially post workout, than strictly counting the calories. I would probably subtract half of the calories because I like to err on the side of caution. I wouldn't see it as rewarding yourself for throwing up, unless you are really super weak in the mind and can trick yourself into an eating disorder ;)
  • Ty_1227
    Ty_1227 Posts: 40
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    No offense, but I think it's a bit absurd to consider eating afterwards as "reinforcing bad behavior". This pretty clearly sounds like she just underestimated the time needed to digest and the intensity of her workout which I think a ton of us have done before.

    The bulk was probably undigested so you could easily bring back in about 75% of what your original intake was. For future reference though, at the absolute minimum, treat working out like the old swimming adage - wait an hour after eating. Depending on your sensitivity and the size of the meal, it's probably even better to wait an hour and a half.

    Besides the obvious issues of not wanting to throw up, you should keep in mind that when your body operates at a higher level because you're exerting itself to workout it prioritizes it's resources of bloodflow etc. Good ol' fight or flight biology still comes into play. Consequently, it's going to detract from the benefits of your workout if your body is still trying digest because that means it is diverting resources from your muscle / cardio to your stomach or vice verse it diverts blood away from your stomach and digestion to keep you moving :( Either way it's no good all around.

    If you're starving before a planned workout Google some suggestions for pre-workout snack. Surprisingly things like a small bar of dark chocolate have some good nutritional merit before you workout (key word being small - otherwise your calories will negate the workout). I personally prefer a small cup of yogurt with either a bit of chopped banana or granola. Remember the name of the game is to keep it light and packed w/ some simple carbs to fuel you through the workout and should be eaten AT LEAST 30 mins before you start your warm-up. This way you'll curb the hunger, fuel your workout, and then after you've cooled off and showered can sit down for a good meal to maximize your gains!
  • Sunjenk
    Sunjenk Posts: 139 Member
    Options
    No offense, but I think it's a bit absurd to consider eating afterwards as "reinforcing bad behavior". This pretty clearly sounds like she just underestimated the time needed to digest and the intensity of her workout which I think a ton of us have done before.

    The bulk was probably undigested so you could easily bring back in about 75% of what your original intake was. For future reference though, at the absolute minimum, treat working out like the old swimming adage - wait an hour after eating. Depending on your sensitivity and the size of the meal, it's probably even better to wait an hour and a half.

    Besides the obvious issues of not wanting to throw up, you should keep in mind that when your body operates at a higher level because you're exerting itself to workout it prioritizes it's resources of bloodflow etc. Good ol' fight or flight biology still comes into play. Consequently, it's going to detract from the benefits of your workout if your body is still trying digest because that means it is diverting resources from your muscle / cardio to your stomach or vice verse it diverts blood away from your stomach and digestion to keep you moving :( Either way it's no good all around.

    If you're starving before a planned workout Google some suggestions for pre-workout snack. Surprisingly things like a small bar of dark chocolate have some good nutritional merit before you workout (key word being small - otherwise your calories will negate the workout). I personally prefer a small cup of yogurt with either a bit of chopped banana or granola. Remember the name of the game is to keep it light and packed w/ some simple carbs to fuel you through the workout and should be eaten AT LEAST 30 mins before you start your warm-up. This way you'll curb the hunger, fuel your workout, and then after you've cooled off and showered can sit down for a good meal to maximize your gains!

    Thanks soooooo much :)
  • chipmunk116
    chipmunk116 Posts: 4
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    I really liked what Ty said too. I'm not sure "scientifically" one way the other about the calories, and really I use that as a guideline but if I'm hungry and eating something nourishing in a reasonable quantity I'm not fussing over a few calories here or there. I have read some research that eating following a work out, particularly protein can have a lot of benefits.

    I prefer to work out before I eat, one because sometimes I eat and then food coma keeps me out of the gym. I do find, since I primarily work out after work, that I need some kind of snack between work and the gym. I like an apple and an ounce of cheese and I could bore you with a bunch of science as to why it works and all, but mostly its tasty. I usually splurge and buy some super good tasting maybe slightly expensive cheese but I'm eating an ounce, I want it to be a delicious one. Then after I work out I'll have a sensible diner usually higher on protein and lower on carbs.

    I thought at first working out would make me hungrier and I'd over eat at diner. That hasn't been the case, initially I'd just get tired and want a shower and bed instead of desert. Once my energy started to pick up it seems I get full easier after the gym. That's just my experience and yours may be different.

    Side note on the intensity of a workout, make sure to stay hydrated and if you are working to hard to drink, you should probably dial it back a notch. I find it much more effective to work out longer at a reasonable pace then to destroy myself on a sprint.
  • chipmunk116
    chipmunk116 Posts: 4
    Options
    I really liked what Ty said too. I'm not sure "scientifically" one way the other about the calories, and really I use that as a guideline but if I'm hungry and eating something nourishing in a reasonable quantity I'm not fussing over a few calories here or there. I have read some research that eating following a work out, particularly protein can have a lot of benefits.

    I prefer to work out before I eat, one because sometimes I eat and then food coma keeps me out of the gym. I do find, since I primarily work out after work, that I need some kind of snack between work and the gym. I like an apple and an ounce of cheese and I could bore you with a bunch of science as to why it works and all, but mostly its tasty. I usually splurge and buy some super good tasting maybe slightly expensive cheese but I'm eating an ounce, I want it to be a delicious one. Then after I work out I'll have a sensible diner usually higher on protein and lower on carbs.

    I thought at first working out would make me hungrier and I'd over eat at diner. That hasn't been the case, initially I'd just get tired and want a shower and bed instead of desert. Once my energy started to pick up it seems I get full easier after the gym. That's just my experience and yours may be different.

    Side note on the intensity of a workout, make sure to stay hydrated and if you are working to hard to drink, you should probably dial it back a notch. I find it much more effective to work out longer at a reasonable pace then to destroy myself on a sprint.

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