what to eat when you add all those exercise calories back?

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kenexa11
kenexa11 Posts: 21 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everybody!! Today I worked out in the morning doing circuit training for a half an hour and then this evening I'll be taking an hour zumba class. That adds about 450 to 500 (at least) calories to my day. I'm finding it hard to know what I should eat! It's almost 3pm and I still have 1000 calories left to eat...but this is including what I would burn in Zumba. I've been eating crackers or pretzels (only the serving size) or I eat cheese or yogurt. Does anybody have any tips on what to eat throughout the day without eating too many carbs or dairy? Or should I just be eating back half of my exercise cals? Any suggestions would be great, thank you!! Hope everybody is having a fabulous day!!

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  • Rompa_87
    Rompa_87 Posts: 291 Member
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    You can see my exercise diary.

    Generally fruits, veg, legumes, nuts etc are good healthy foods to add some calories
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
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    raw nuts. yummy and good for you.
  • lilybug13
    lilybug13 Posts: 154
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    Peanut butter on celery? Or Hummus on veggies?
  • kkova811
    kkova811 Posts: 89 Member
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    Im actually having the same problem, I have like 1400 calories to eat (not including dinner) so itll probably end up being like...800-900...and ill eat some almonds and a yogurt but still!
  • TheYoungRetiree
    TheYoungRetiree Posts: 84 Member
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    I eat all day and space my "mini" meals out. I estimate my total cals (including exercise) in the morning and go over knowing I'll be adding in the exercise later.

    I snack on grapes, a couple ounces of chicken, rice, kraft cracker cuts cheese slices, hummus and naan or carrots. You just have to feed your body right for the workout you'll be doing. Maybe some almonds? I snack on Planters NUTrition mixes after track time.

    I'd say mini meals all day is the way to go. I just started and it's working for me so far.
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
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    what about protein? eggs, chicken, beef, turkey, duck, bison, lamb, goat ....

    fruit, veggies???
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
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    900 some calories to go, plus 100 or exercise calories coming from strength training tonight. Planned food:

    4:00pm - 7:00pm
    Chicken - Breast, meat only, cooked, roasted, 100 g
    Generic - Sliced Bell Peppers/Red/Yellow Strips Frozen (Safeway), 3/4 Cup
    Cheese - Feta, 25 g
    Ancient Harvest - Quinoa Organic (Corrected 10/02/10), 1/4 cup DRY (46g) ... though I will cook them
    Generic - Yam - Baked In Skin (No Salt), 2 in. dia x 5 in. long
    16 oz. decaf coffee w/ almond milk, 2 serving(s)

    7:00pm to 12:00am
    Safeway Select - Mocha Almond Fudge Light Ice Cream, 1 Cup
    Basic gold protein shake, 1 serving(s) (skim milk + protein powder)

    Total calories - 976

    Easy peasy.
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
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    Same stuff you would be eating in the first place, just slightly higher proportions.

    But I have to admit it's easy to "fill in" calories with calorie-dense things like peanut butter, cheese, olive oil. Just watch that you don't blow your fat way out of proportion.
  • bigdaddycowgill
    bigdaddycowgill Posts: 120 Member
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    Costco has this really good Trail Mix with nuts, raisins, & M&Ms to get a little treat with your healthy snack.
  • WiiFitFan
    WiiFitFan Posts: 156 Member
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    There are several studies out that say that drinking low fat chocolate milk after a workout is better for your muscles than a sports drink. Might be a good way to add some calories, too!
  • WWhitaker
    WWhitaker Posts: 309
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    You also need to find what works for your body. I've found that eating back my exercise calories was causing me to maintain my weight. Now that I've not been eating them back for the last 2 weeks, I can see a tremendous difference in my stomach and other areas. Though I haven't weighed yet, so this trial hasn't been completed. Just FYI. And almost anyone on here will tell you that when you eat your exercise calories back, you don't necessarily have to eat them all, just enough to NET at least 1200 calories. Good luck!
  • kenexa11
    kenexa11 Posts: 21 Member
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    Thanx so much everybody!! I am eating raw almonds as I write this and I eat a ton of watermelon and apples for fruit, maybe I need to add to my lunch I usually only do a small salad but with chicken on it. I'm also cooking some hard boiled eggs right now to eat before my class. Thanx again for all the input...I'm writing this all down!! :-)
  • chelelee96
    chelelee96 Posts: 13 Member
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    Don't force yourself to eat those added calories unless you are actually hungry. If you are hungry and have earned those extra calories, salads are a great way to go. You could make a huge salad with different types of lettuce and veggies. I find the salads very satisfying if there is a lot of variety such as lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, onions and/or radishes. I also add a slice or two of fat free turkey breast lunchmeat chopped up. This is an amazingly healthy way to use up all those extra calories without overdoing it on fat or carbs. Hope this helps.
  • amfmmama
    amfmmama Posts: 1,420 Member
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    glass of milk. It is particularly good after working out. Protein to rebuild muscles.
  • Humphrizzle
    Humphrizzle Posts: 60 Member
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    protein.

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