Exhausted after workout

I don't know how long or hard your cardio work is, but carbs help me.

Recently started back to taking spinning classes. I don't want a lot on my stomach, but do want some energy to tap. Tried my usual string cheese...eh. Tried moving my bigger protein snack (cottage cheese) to before spinning. Still, eh.

3 dates seems to help a lot, quick sugar hit but doesn't increase my appetite or seem to give me a crummy drop in blood sugar. Not a lot of calories either.

I think you may have just closed your diary while I was looking. Your calories are too low most days. I'm seeing like...30 grams of protein once in awhile? You need to eat back your exercise calories as well.

I had the same thing - I work out in the morning and I'm not really a breakfast person. What works for me is that I make a smoothie (banana, berries, a couple handfuls of spinach, water, and maybe a date or honey) and drink half on my way to the gym and then have the rest when I'm done working out.

Maybe try something like that. You can make it the night before and keep it in the fridge so it's nice and cold - and make sure you're getting enough hydration too. Zumba will make you sweat

Zumba can make you really sweat. Are you making sure to get enough hydration? Are your electrolytes in balance? Either of those can make you feel lethargic.

Lennonluv2 wrote: »

Gotcha and tks! So let me now ask again. How does one eat if their not hungry? I have about 30 more pounds till goal btw.

There are a few little tricks you can try to add some calories without adding a whole lot of food eg: I put a tbsp of peanut butter in my oatmeal at breakfast, adds calories and (probably equally important) fat & protein without feeling like I've really eaten any more food.

At snack time I'll usually opt for a handful of almonds, calorie dense food but you don't need to eat a lot.

Takes a little trial and error and, of course, revolves around your own food preferences.

That's pretty awesome that you've already dropped over 90 lbs!

Lennonluv2 wrote: »

Hi! Happy Friday!

Can I get some opinions on my exhausted state post workout. Specifically after cardio. It lasts for hours, it's not just that my body is tired, my mind is mush as well. It has been suggested to me to carb load. When I google it I get alot of conflicting advice so now I'm turning here for more info.

This tired feeling has got to go! Thanks

I'm right there with you as far as 'conflicting advice,' but my husband has always been fit and active and has been a very avid runner for the past several years, so when I start to get confused or overwhelmed, he's usually where the buck stops for me. While every person is different (especially he and I - we have COMPLETELY different body types), he always gives me advice that at least makes for a good starting point. Anyway, one of the key things he harps on is that a) you have to have fuel to work out and b) the brain is one of the biggest energy suckers when you start putting in longer, harder work-outs (I think it kicks in at about 30-40 minutes). With that being said, if you're not properly fueled to begin with, it definitely makes sense that you're groggy afterward. I've seen several comments already about what/how to eat when you're not actually hungry, and I can definitely agree that nuts and nut butters are great snacks for me (especially post-workout), but I also think you should make sure you're getting the carbs in as well, since that's where your body is going to pull energy from first, and clearly you don't have an issue with having too many. Slow-digesting carbs are ideal for several hours before the workout (like dinner before, if you're a morning exerciser) but the stuff that is normally considered 'bad,' your quick-burning, 'white' carbs, are actually really good about 30-60 minutes before a work-out because they give you the instant boost you need and keep your body from running on empty. That bit of sugar (or carbs that will very quickly become sugar) might be just the kick your body needs to keep from sucking fumes by the end of your workout. I'm training for a half-marathon (next weekend - I just did my 12-mile run!) and while I used to not eat any less than like, two hours before a work out for fear of being sick, I now HAVE to have something closer to start time to get me through those long runs. A pb/banana sandwich on wheat has turned out to be my perfect pre-run snack, because it has the sugar (banana) to get me started, slower digesting carbs (wheat toast) to keep me going once the banana has burned off, fats and proteins (pb) to keep me actually feeling full, and potassium (there's that banana again) to help prevent muscle soreness. Of course, that came with a good bit of trial and error.

As far as not eating when you're not hungry, maybe you just need to adjust your meal schedule so that you WILL be hungry. I now eat a 300ish-calorie 'meal' (although the ones between traditional meal times are often more like snacks) every 3-4 hours, meaning I eat five times a day, bringing me in at about 1500 calories for a typical day, which after 'paying back' my work-out calories keeps me right at my target of 1200. If I don't work out, I still keep meal times the same, I just lower the number of calories at each one. With that, I'm eating very often, but sometimes that 300 calories comes in a relatively small package, so I'm never full. Satisfied, yes, actually full, no.