food patterns on workout vs non-workout days

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RebeccaH2011
RebeccaH2011 Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Have any of you come up with strategies around eating on workout vs non workout days? Part of the reason that I do work out is that I really enjoy eating. It seems like on rest days I really have to switch gears food patterns wise. Any ideas would be appreciated.

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  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,387 Member
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    I eat in the same basic pattern most days, and the variations have more to do with social commitments than workouts. On workout days, I usually add calories in one of two ways: I eat more of the less protein-dense foods I enjoy that happen to be higher-calorie (cheese, nuts, pasta, seeds, avocado, etc.), or I include treats (usually ice cream, wine, or IPA, but occasionally something like chips/crisps). Sometimes those extra foods are grazing/snacking, sometimes in meals, - depending on appetite and the day's schedule.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    You don't have to drastically change your eating patterns from one day to the next. Just average out your calories over the course of the week.
  • debtay123
    debtay123 Posts: 1,327 Member
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    With mfp- I usually can add more foods on workout days because that is the way it is set up. When exercise is added in then I can eat more- so I do try to walk or something because I only have a small amount of calories- I am short-
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    i dont really eat back my exercise calories so .... its pretty much the same.
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
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    I use the TDEE method for this reason. I use my average daily burn for my intake. Some days I'm in a deficit and others I'm in a surplus or at maintenance. It all evens out in the end.
  • Neiross1
    Neiross1 Posts: 42 Member
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    RebeccaH2011 wrote: »
    Have any of you come up with strategies around eating on workout vs non workout days? Part of the reason that I do work out is that I really enjoy eating. It seems like on rest days I really have to switch gears food patterns wise. Any ideas would be appreciated.

    I don't have rest days because I am not smart, but if I did I would try to walk as much as possible on off days.
    1. Don't use the car if it is less then 2 miles.
    2. Stairs
    3. Go for a walk

  • funjen1972
    funjen1972 Posts: 949 Member
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    I usually eat less on workout days, just because I'm not as hungry. On days I'm not working out I usually have social activities so my calorie intake is typically higher. Everything averages out over the course of a week or so.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
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    Usually, I have fewer calories on cardio days because it suppresses my appetite. On lifting days, I eat more. I follow a weekly calorie average.
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
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    Unless I’m taking a week or more off (which is rare!), I eat the same regardless—same foods, at the same times, for roughly the same number of total calories.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    In the end you should do what works best for you and allows you to adhere to your deficit.

    For me it's eating less on rest/cardio days, moderate on lifting days and most on weekends... in the end it averages out to a deficit (that is the goal at least).
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    My food patterns are roughly the same. I basically roughly map out what I'm going to eat for main meals to my base calories every morning, and any extra I earn through exercise goes into snacks, or a larger meal if I'm still feeling hungry. I don't always use them all up, and in that case I bank them for a hungrier day.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
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    For me I am less hungry when I don't workout, so I just naturally want to eat less.
  • no6016
    no6016 Posts: 44 Member
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    Every day for me is mysterious but I agree with the keeping it the same or eating like 200 less (for me a 129lb 5 feetish female) on non workout days.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    My food intake is the same on a rest day or work out day. I use the TDEE method.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    I don't differentiate. I eat to my average exercise load to keep things simple and have the same amount of calories every day.

    It definitely helps that my workout schedule is pretty regimented and certain so I always know about how many calories I'll be burning in any given week. On the rare week where I'm not sure of my workout load, then I will just eat my calories on a daily basis and adjust for exercise in real-time.
  • elizabethmcopeland
    elizabethmcopeland Posts: 167 Member
    edited June 2018
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    I change how I eat on days I train (90-120 min weightlifting) vs days I don't. On both training and non-training days, I may do cardio but I don't change how I eat based on it.

    I'm in a deficit right now, so I shoot to average 2000cal per day over the course of a week. On training days, I eat often the same things as non-training, I just add more calories and more carbs, with the carbs mostly around when I worked out.

    On non-training days, I eat a little fewer calories and I focus on lean protein and produce. I still eat carbs, but not as many and not as focused. On non-training days, I also have the tendency to only drink black coffee and wait until 10-11am to eat so my meals are a little bigger and I feel full.

    Typical non-training Day

    Breakfast: Smoothie with protein, spinach, strawberries
    Lunch: Some protein, bag of frozen veggies
    Dinner: Some protein, vegetables, peanut butter or something if I'm low on fat

    Typical Training day

    Pre-workout: black coffee, pop tart
    Breakfast: Make smoothie like above, add sachet of oatmeal
    Lunch: Protein, frozen veggies, carb like rice or potatoes
    Dinner: Same, maybe some carbs

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