Lots of exercise + lots of food = NO WEIGHT LOSS!
November 30, 2008 6:27 AM Subscribe
I workout a lot. I eat a lot. How do I manage both and my desire to lose 10 lbs?
I have been working out regularly for a little over 2 years. I am in better than decent shape, but probably 10 lbs heavier than I would like (35 year old female, a tall 5’6” and 158 lbs). My body has weighed 158 +/- 5 lbs for most of the last 5 years (minus two pregnancies).
I have recently added spinning classes to my routine. I spin on Monday nights at 6:30PM and Wednesday mornings at 6AM. Occasionally, when things aren’t too crazy at work or at home, I spin on Thursday nights at 6PM. Classes are 60-70 minutes, especially when including warm up and stretch.
In case it is significant: I lift weights 3 times a week, typically on Monday and Thursday morning (5:30ish) and Saturday afternoon for 30 to 40 minutes. I run for 30 - 40 minutes a few times a week also, typically on Tuesday and Friday morning and Sunday afternoon. I usually skip one of these workouts, so I do have a rest day. The rest day switches week to week, depending on what is going on. No matter what, I spin, lift and run two times a week.
Here is my problem: I don’t know what to eat before and after workouts, especially regarding spinning and weight lifting. I feel like it is too jarring to eat too much before hand, but if I wait until class is over, I make bad choices. I can run for a little bit on an empty stomach and feel just fine.
My after workout breakfast choices are: oatmeal with skim and frozen blueberries; special K with milk or peanut butter on whole wheat (the kind of bread that is very heavy and has 150 calories per slice). I usually eat breakfast an hour after workout. If I eat something before hand, it is usually a kashi bar (180 calories).
I fill my day with way too much candy, so I think I am compensating for either a calorie deficit or boredom or both.
Spinning in the evening is particularly difficult, as I don’t know how to manage a workout in the middle of dinner time.
To add more complexity to it: When I spin in the evenings, I take my kids to the gym child care. They enjoy going a lot. The reason this is significant, is that it adds a lot of time to the whole evening. I leave work at 5PM, only to rush home, help them finish the dinner that their dad started for me, get shoes/ coats on, fill sippy cups, rush to the gym, get them signed in, have class (which always runs until 7:35), clean up the toys in the play room, get their coats back on, get them home, bathed, in PJ’s and in bed. After I shower, it is 9PM. Not a great time to eat a whole lot, but if I haven’t eaten since lunch, I am extremely hungry and ready to eat the house.
So, my question is: how do I manage eating around my workouts? How do I fuel my workout routine and still convince my body that I don’t want to weigh 158?
I have been working out regularly for a little over 2 years. I am in better than decent shape, but probably 10 lbs heavier than I would like (35 year old female, a tall 5’6” and 158 lbs). My body has weighed 158 +/- 5 lbs for most of the last 5 years (minus two pregnancies).
I have recently added spinning classes to my routine. I spin on Monday nights at 6:30PM and Wednesday mornings at 6AM. Occasionally, when things aren’t too crazy at work or at home, I spin on Thursday nights at 6PM. Classes are 60-70 minutes, especially when including warm up and stretch.
In case it is significant: I lift weights 3 times a week, typically on Monday and Thursday morning (5:30ish) and Saturday afternoon for 30 to 40 minutes. I run for 30 - 40 minutes a few times a week also, typically on Tuesday and Friday morning and Sunday afternoon. I usually skip one of these workouts, so I do have a rest day. The rest day switches week to week, depending on what is going on. No matter what, I spin, lift and run two times a week.
Here is my problem: I don’t know what to eat before and after workouts, especially regarding spinning and weight lifting. I feel like it is too jarring to eat too much before hand, but if I wait until class is over, I make bad choices. I can run for a little bit on an empty stomach and feel just fine.
My after workout breakfast choices are: oatmeal with skim and frozen blueberries; special K with milk or peanut butter on whole wheat (the kind of bread that is very heavy and has 150 calories per slice). I usually eat breakfast an hour after workout. If I eat something before hand, it is usually a kashi bar (180 calories).
I fill my day with way too much candy, so I think I am compensating for either a calorie deficit or boredom or both.
Spinning in the evening is particularly difficult, as I don’t know how to manage a workout in the middle of dinner time.
To add more complexity to it: When I spin in the evenings, I take my kids to the gym child care. They enjoy going a lot. The reason this is significant, is that it adds a lot of time to the whole evening. I leave work at 5PM, only to rush home, help them finish the dinner that their dad started for me, get shoes/ coats on, fill sippy cups, rush to the gym, get them signed in, have class (which always runs until 7:35), clean up the toys in the play room, get their coats back on, get them home, bathed, in PJ’s and in bed. After I shower, it is 9PM. Not a great time to eat a whole lot, but if I haven’t eaten since lunch, I am extremely hungry and ready to eat the house.
So, my question is: how do I manage eating around my workouts? How do I fuel my workout routine and still convince my body that I don’t want to weigh 158?
Best answer: Drop the candy, other simple carbs, and high calorie bread.
Eat a protein bar or Cliff Bar on the nights you are rushed for time between work and gym. If it's 9pm and you're not too hungry, and not in the mood to cook a full meal, heat up a South Beach dinner. Or better yet, plan ahead. Have chicken breast or fish on hand, salad in the bag, canned beans, and the individual frozen vegetable packs you can heat in the microwave.
Before you work out have a little protein and complex carb. Peanut butter on 60-calorie whole wheat bread, banana and peanut butter, hard boiled egg and a piece of toast, etc.
I would drop the Special K and foods like it and eat more monounsaturated fats and complex carbs to keep you satisfied. A bowl of oatmeal sprinkled with ground flax might keep you satisfied longer. Cook with olive oil and use it on your salads. Add more avocado, nuts, salmon, olives, peanut butter with Omega-3, etc.
An egg or two with a piece of fresh fruit. Even steel cut oatmeal or Bran Flakes, is a better choice than Special K. The original Special K is low in calories and not whole grain. The skim milk has no fat. You're going to be hungry in no time.
Mini-meals like protein bars, apples, almonds and walnuts, Laughing Cow Mini Lite Baybell cheese, edamame, whole-grain crackers, etc. foods should be in your bag when hunger strikes and you're rushed.
posted by Fairchild at 7:03 AM on November 30, 2008
Eat a protein bar or Cliff Bar on the nights you are rushed for time between work and gym. If it's 9pm and you're not too hungry, and not in the mood to cook a full meal, heat up a South Beach dinner. Or better yet, plan ahead. Have chicken breast or fish on hand, salad in the bag, canned beans, and the individual frozen vegetable packs you can heat in the microwave.
Before you work out have a little protein and complex carb. Peanut butter on 60-calorie whole wheat bread, banana and peanut butter, hard boiled egg and a piece of toast, etc.
I would drop the Special K and foods like it and eat more monounsaturated fats and complex carbs to keep you satisfied. A bowl of oatmeal sprinkled with ground flax might keep you satisfied longer. Cook with olive oil and use it on your salads. Add more avocado, nuts, salmon, olives, peanut butter with Omega-3, etc.
An egg or two with a piece of fresh fruit. Even steel cut oatmeal or Bran Flakes, is a better choice than Special K. The original Special K is low in calories and not whole grain. The skim milk has no fat. You're going to be hungry in no time.
Mini-meals like protein bars, apples, almonds and walnuts, Laughing Cow Mini Lite Baybell cheese, edamame, whole-grain crackers, etc. foods should be in your bag when hunger strikes and you're rushed.
posted by Fairchild at 7:03 AM on November 30, 2008
More thoughts:
The George Foreman grill is great if you need to cook one piece of chicken or fish.
Write things down for a few weeks, or longer. Journal every morsel. Count your calories. This helps tremendously. Just do it. It works.
Good luck!
posted by Fairchild at 7:08 AM on November 30, 2008
The George Foreman grill is great if you need to cook one piece of chicken or fish.
Write things down for a few weeks, or longer. Journal every morsel. Count your calories. This helps tremendously. Just do it. It works.
Good luck!
posted by Fairchild at 7:08 AM on November 30, 2008
Can the kids' dad drop them off at the gym child care? I've no idea where it is of course, but that would mean that you would have time to have a light meal instead of rushing to get them from home before class.
posted by different at 7:18 AM on November 30, 2008
posted by different at 7:18 AM on November 30, 2008
I was going to post almost exactly what Fairchild posted. I especially want to emphasize the importance of fats to helping you feel satisfied for longer periods of time, and of keeping high-quality snacks with you at all times. If you can cut down on the candy and replace it with something more nutritious and slower-burning, you'll be able to drop some weight without feeling hungry. If you haven't already done so, try noting everything (and how much) you're eating during the day, and calculating how many calories you're taking in. I did this and discovered that wine was a significant part of my total caloric intake. I cut down to one or two glasses a week, and I've lost 8 pounds in the last two months.
FWIW, I'm 37 and 5'6", 135# and female.
And on preview...Fairchild beat me to calorie counting too!
posted by shrabster at 7:19 AM on November 30, 2008
FWIW, I'm 37 and 5'6", 135# and female.
And on preview...Fairchild beat me to calorie counting too!
posted by shrabster at 7:19 AM on November 30, 2008
Best answer: Drop the candy. Drop the simple carbs--no Special K and less bread. Drop the Kashi bars, they are essentially candy bars for the way your body is reacting to them.
You need more fat and more protein. MORE FAT, MORE PROTEIN. Eat nuts or eggs or something before your workout, and get protein immediately afterwards. If you can manage it from a whole food, like meat, great! If it requires that you get one of those low-carb protein shakes, that's fine too (make sure it's low-carb--a lot of protein shakes are stuffed with sugars).
Buy a tub of whey protein powder, scoop them into a water bottle, then add water and shake it up at the end of your class. BAM, instant post-workout meal!
I'm betting if you simply switched what you were eating--eating mostly vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats, and some fruits, getting rid of the grains--then you'd find your body composition changing quite readily.
posted by Anonymous at 7:31 AM on November 30, 2008
You need more fat and more protein. MORE FAT, MORE PROTEIN. Eat nuts or eggs or something before your workout, and get protein immediately afterwards. If you can manage it from a whole food, like meat, great! If it requires that you get one of those low-carb protein shakes, that's fine too (make sure it's low-carb--a lot of protein shakes are stuffed with sugars).
Buy a tub of whey protein powder, scoop them into a water bottle, then add water and shake it up at the end of your class. BAM, instant post-workout meal!
I'm betting if you simply switched what you were eating--eating mostly vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats, and some fruits, getting rid of the grains--then you'd find your body composition changing quite readily.
posted by Anonymous at 7:31 AM on November 30, 2008
Best answer: I recently had to lose 10-15 lbs for health reasons. The "just do it" paradigm is true. You obviously have plenty of discipline, so treat the candy snacking like any other rule - seat belts, marital fidelity, smoking - because a couple hundred calories a day and you're at a pound a week. The only way you drop the weight and keep it off is if whatever changes you make can be permanent. I was a work-day snacker as well, and getting myself away from that and onto a strict regimen from 7-4 (a snack of an apple and peanuts, a light lunch, and a refusal to partake in a post lunch handful of chocolate) has paved the way for my workouts to bring down the weight. Also, the longer you go without the candy the faster the cravings dissipate and the easier it gets, imo.
Keep up the weightlifting. It's critical.
I found, also, that trying to workout at night was too stressful. The task of planning my exit at work and traffic, and the way it impacted the nighttime schedule at home, was a monumental headache, and again, I knew it wasn't sustainable. Since you already get out of bed for a 5:30 workout, consider making it a daily event. There's no reason you can't get your calorie and exercise burden implemented with a 45 minute workout every morning. I would bet you, like me, would find that you see the exact same people every day there at the gym when it opens - the point being that this is the rule for lots of people, and they'll tell you the same thing over and over, that a morning workout is incredibly energizing, gives focus the rest of the day, and eliminates the stress of the evening planning debacle. Plus the gym is nearly empty relative to the evenings and you can be in and out in less time.
It took me about a month of forcing myself out of bed at 5, but now it feels as normal as ever, I sleep better, and never feel like my workouts are stealing time from my family. And truly, every morning I see the exact same 2 dozen men and women, almost as if that is part of what drives us to show up.
You are so close to losing the weight you probably don't even realize it. Get rid of a couple habits, and consider as well the fact that some people feel that eating later in the evening creates a tendency to store those calories much more likely as fat than burning them off.
Lastly, given your dedication to working out, what is your plan for the kids (and you) for each time they drag home the supervirus du jour from gym day-care? That element alone would be my number one reason for planning to get up early before work.
posted by docpops at 8:03 AM on November 30, 2008 [3 favorites]
Keep up the weightlifting. It's critical.
I found, also, that trying to workout at night was too stressful. The task of planning my exit at work and traffic, and the way it impacted the nighttime schedule at home, was a monumental headache, and again, I knew it wasn't sustainable. Since you already get out of bed for a 5:30 workout, consider making it a daily event. There's no reason you can't get your calorie and exercise burden implemented with a 45 minute workout every morning. I would bet you, like me, would find that you see the exact same people every day there at the gym when it opens - the point being that this is the rule for lots of people, and they'll tell you the same thing over and over, that a morning workout is incredibly energizing, gives focus the rest of the day, and eliminates the stress of the evening planning debacle. Plus the gym is nearly empty relative to the evenings and you can be in and out in less time.
It took me about a month of forcing myself out of bed at 5, but now it feels as normal as ever, I sleep better, and never feel like my workouts are stealing time from my family. And truly, every morning I see the exact same 2 dozen men and women, almost as if that is part of what drives us to show up.
You are so close to losing the weight you probably don't even realize it. Get rid of a couple habits, and consider as well the fact that some people feel that eating later in the evening creates a tendency to store those calories much more likely as fat than burning them off.
Lastly, given your dedication to working out, what is your plan for the kids (and you) for each time they drag home the supervirus du jour from gym day-care? That element alone would be my number one reason for planning to get up early before work.
posted by docpops at 8:03 AM on November 30, 2008 [3 favorites]
I'm no bastion of health.. but I'd agree with most of whats being said above. You sound pretty active already... modifying your food intake is probably the best place to focus efforts.
Back when I was working out 3 or 4 times a week.. my advice would be the following:
--agree with Schroedinger about dropping ALL candy, simple carbs or things like kashi bars. Seriously, be disciplined about it. Everytime you want a "bad food".. think about which you'd rather have: bad food or a hot body. (works for me :)
You might that eating smaller meals more often(say, 6 a day) is better for your busy lifestyle than actual sit down 3-meals a day.
Buy a nice packable tupperware dish and pack it with fresh veggies and fruits and keep it with you. whenever you get a snack urge, chomp some grapes or watermelon or unsalted nuts or little carrots. Eating smaller more frequent meals is healthier than large "I stuffed myself" meals. Eat slower and stop before you feel full.
posted by jmnugent at 8:04 AM on November 30, 2008
Back when I was working out 3 or 4 times a week.. my advice would be the following:
--agree with Schroedinger about dropping ALL candy, simple carbs or things like kashi bars. Seriously, be disciplined about it. Everytime you want a "bad food".. think about which you'd rather have: bad food or a hot body. (works for me :)
You might that eating smaller meals more often(say, 6 a day) is better for your busy lifestyle than actual sit down 3-meals a day.
Buy a nice packable tupperware dish and pack it with fresh veggies and fruits and keep it with you. whenever you get a snack urge, chomp some grapes or watermelon or unsalted nuts or little carrots. Eating smaller more frequent meals is healthier than large "I stuffed myself" meals. Eat slower and stop before you feel full.
posted by jmnugent at 8:04 AM on November 30, 2008
Response by poster: Everyone - thanks for the comments. I appreciate you taking time from your Sunday to read my post and comment. It may seem obvious but all of your comments are helpful!
Smiles to all!
posted by beachhead2 at 8:22 AM on November 30, 2008
Smiles to all!
posted by beachhead2 at 8:22 AM on November 30, 2008
Measure your bodyfat percentage, not your weight. Track your calorie intake and macronutrient balance with something like FitDay or Cron-O-Meter. Try to keep your carbs to first thing in the morning and immediately after your workout. Make sure you get protein post-workout. To lose fat, aim for (16 x bodyweight in lbs.) calories. If you're not losing after a week or so, knock off a couple hundred more.
posted by ludwig_van at 8:24 AM on November 30, 2008
posted by ludwig_van at 8:24 AM on November 30, 2008
Measure your bodyfat percentage, not your weight.
Seconding this. While it's probably a good idea to make the dietary changes that people suggested, with as much working out as you're doing, it's difficult to tell if you're actually overweight because a lot of that could be muscle mass. I say, make the dietary changes, but don't cut out calories too significantly and don't be too bummed if an active, healthy weight for you turns out to be 158 +/- 5 pounds.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:51 AM on November 30, 2008
Seconding this. While it's probably a good idea to make the dietary changes that people suggested, with as much working out as you're doing, it's difficult to tell if you're actually overweight because a lot of that could be muscle mass. I say, make the dietary changes, but don't cut out calories too significantly and don't be too bummed if an active, healthy weight for you turns out to be 158 +/- 5 pounds.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:51 AM on November 30, 2008
From my own experience, I agree with the recommendations for more protein and healthy fat and way fewer simple carbohydrates. For snacks, I'm a big fan of nuts--raw and plain, not roasted or anything. You shouldn't eat a lot of them, but you don't need to, because a handful will seem filling. Pecans or almonds are my favorites.
You might also change your approach to breakfast. I've had more energy since I switched from eating grains for breakfast to eating a big apple and sharp cheese, or an apple and a handful of nuts. If I'm out of apples, I eat leftover dinner or other "regular" meals for breakfast.
You might also Google "glycemic index" to see what kinds of foods to cut back on.
posted by PatoPata at 9:36 AM on November 30, 2008
You might also change your approach to breakfast. I've had more energy since I switched from eating grains for breakfast to eating a big apple and sharp cheese, or an apple and a handful of nuts. If I'm out of apples, I eat leftover dinner or other "regular" meals for breakfast.
You might also Google "glycemic index" to see what kinds of foods to cut back on.
posted by PatoPata at 9:36 AM on November 30, 2008
Best answer: I found that it was helpful for me to basically use the furnace metaphor when figuring out how to eat when I was doing a LOT of exercise. The trick, as others have said, is to keep the furnace burning generally speaking and not fill it with things that are sort of flash-in-the-pan fuels.
So before a workout [20-40 min of swimming generally] I'll eat some bowl of high protein cereal with skim milk and maybe some fruit. Then I go work out. Then afterwards I'll eat something that's a little more fat/carb based but not that high in calories [whole grain english muffin with natural peanut butter and a glass of milk for example] and then eat the next meal like normal. No candy in the house except maybe cough drop type things or altoids if I want something sweet. I drink a lot of iced tea.
You shouldn't have to change up your food intake for differing workouts too much. Just make sure to keep proteins high [like extra high I think, not just "make sure there's protein"] and don't eat junk at all. As docpops says, 100 extra calories per day is a pound a month. Losing 100 calories a day is losing a pound a month.
Other places where calories hide
- fruit juices & sodas
- extra-sweetened anything [high fructose corn syrup can boost calories in something like spaghetti sauce that doesn't really need extra sugar]
- "empty" calories like chips and whatnot really add up
Things to eat more of
- nuts, fresh veggies [no creamy dips, maybe hummus]
- broth-y soups
- teas and water
- low fat yogurts and cheese and milks
Get your body used to being hungry and eating something GOOD for it. I sometimes come back from a workout and just eat a bowl of lowfat yogurt, a scoop of protein powder, flax seed, nuts and maybe some maple syrup. It's a little gross but it makes me feel better and sated afterwards not ravenous.
posted by jessamyn at 9:46 AM on November 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
So before a workout [20-40 min of swimming generally] I'll eat some bowl of high protein cereal with skim milk and maybe some fruit. Then I go work out. Then afterwards I'll eat something that's a little more fat/carb based but not that high in calories [whole grain english muffin with natural peanut butter and a glass of milk for example] and then eat the next meal like normal. No candy in the house except maybe cough drop type things or altoids if I want something sweet. I drink a lot of iced tea.
You shouldn't have to change up your food intake for differing workouts too much. Just make sure to keep proteins high [like extra high I think, not just "make sure there's protein"] and don't eat junk at all. As docpops says, 100 extra calories per day is a pound a month. Losing 100 calories a day is losing a pound a month.
Other places where calories hide
- fruit juices & sodas
- extra-sweetened anything [high fructose corn syrup can boost calories in something like spaghetti sauce that doesn't really need extra sugar]
- "empty" calories like chips and whatnot really add up
Things to eat more of
- nuts, fresh veggies [no creamy dips, maybe hummus]
- broth-y soups
- teas and water
- low fat yogurts and cheese and milks
Get your body used to being hungry and eating something GOOD for it. I sometimes come back from a workout and just eat a bowl of lowfat yogurt, a scoop of protein powder, flax seed, nuts and maybe some maple syrup. It's a little gross but it makes me feel better and sated afterwards not ravenous.
posted by jessamyn at 9:46 AM on November 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
IANAsuccessful dieter, or nutrition expert. My sole comment is that you're handling your life and health better than about 97% of Americans. So I hope you can take some pride in that.
posted by JimN2TAW at 10:36 AM on November 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by JimN2TAW at 10:36 AM on November 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
You will be hungry after spinning, most likely. To do a little carb replacement (which is what my certified Spin instructor who also has a degree in biological science recommends) you can have a couple of fig newtons. Seriously. (And this instructor of mine has very little body fat plus he is incredibly knowledgeable about nutrition so I tend to believe him. He was very specific about the Fig newtons.)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 12:02 PM on November 30, 2008
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 12:02 PM on November 30, 2008
slightly off the topic of your question, but something that works well for me when i feel the need to lose a couple of kilos is to do a cardio workout before breakfast. it sounds like you do one a week, but i'd recommend every day, if you can manage it. for example, an orbital machine on the highest setting burns 600 calories in half an hour, which is roughly a third of your recommended daily intake. then eat a high-protein breakfast straight afterwards.
(note that this is not about *skipping* breakfast, but delaying it until and hour or so after waking up - having no fuel in your belly, your body burns fat instead. it also gives your metabolism an early boost for the day)
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:58 PM on November 30, 2008
(note that this is not about *skipping* breakfast, but delaying it until and hour or so after waking up - having no fuel in your belly, your body burns fat instead. it also gives your metabolism an early boost for the day)
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:58 PM on November 30, 2008
Best answer: I am generally reluctant to answer questions like these, because my perspective is radically different from those presented in this thread, and may not be welcome. But for some reason this question made me want to put in my two cents. So, I'm not sure if this will be helpful, but here goes.
First of all, you may not be able to "convince" your body to pick another weight. If its clung to a narrow range through hell and high water, there might not be much you can do about that -- except ask yourself why, with everything else going on in your life, and all the other ways in which you are taking such good care of yourself, it would be so important to you to lose weight. This is totally a personal thing, and I'm not telling you what the answer should be. But it might be something you want to think about. Hypothetically, if the voice of God suddenly rumbled through your brain and told you it was your destiny, forever and always, to weigh 158 lbs., how would you feel? What would you change about your routine, if anything?
My impression is that you're a busy person, with a career and a family, who also manages to devote over six hours a week to exercise. I hope you genuinely enjoy this exercise, because if not, that's another question you may need to ask yourself.
Along less philosophical, more technical lines: Given your size, age, gender, and activity level, by my rough calculations, you need somewhere around 2300 kcals per day (based on HBE with an activity factor of 1.5 or 1.6). I agree you likely need to be eating more energy- and nutrient-dense foods, and probably more often. I have no idea what this will do to your weight, if anything. Snacking on candy may indicate that you're hungry (or else you just really like candy, which is also pretty normal.)
You need snacks -- it's not good to go too many hours (my rule of thumb is about 4 hours) without eating, particularly for someone who is active and young as yourself. You need consistent meals and snacks at predictable times. The going between lunch to 9pm without eating is not a good idea. For lack of a technical term, you will scare the shit out of yourself if you get too hungry too often, and you might start to act weird around food (regularly craving or thinking about it when not actually hungry, even bingeing on certain things when the opportunity presents itself, routinely overfilling your stomach at meals because you're somehow afraid you won't get enough, etc.) Right now you're making "bad choices" at those times because you're too physically hungry for your higher judgment to kick in. You're physically incapable of making logical choices about food when you're that hungry -- the only choice that exists is TO PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH, NOW. (Which is as it should be, or the super health-conscious among us would debate over what to eat to infinity.)
To address things that have come up in other comments: it's not necessarily true that your body burns fat right away in the morning if you work out before eating. If you've eaten dinner the previous day, you're likely to still have glycogen reserves in your liver and/or muscle cells that can be used for exercise. I also don't know why anyone would want to eat anything "gross" just to fuel up their body post-exercise. Food is fuel, true; but it's more than fuel, too. It's important that, as part of taking care of yourself, you're also providing pleasure along with nutrition. If you don't, your body, like a crafty child, will make up for it at the candy bowl later. Personally, I find good old trail mix to be a lifesaver emergency snack to keep on hand. It's energy dense, nutritious, portable, and easy to eat (if sometimes a bit messy.) But I also like it.
One last thing: given the total confusion of answers you're likely to get online, it's a good idea to see a Registered Dietitian with questions like these. They actually know some shit about nutrition, and can back it up with evidence, which I daresay is more than we can do here, and is oftentimes more than a physician or a personal trainer can do when it comes to the science behind food.
Good luck and best wishes.
posted by peggynature at 4:05 PM on November 30, 2008 [6 favorites]
First of all, you may not be able to "convince" your body to pick another weight. If its clung to a narrow range through hell and high water, there might not be much you can do about that -- except ask yourself why, with everything else going on in your life, and all the other ways in which you are taking such good care of yourself, it would be so important to you to lose weight. This is totally a personal thing, and I'm not telling you what the answer should be. But it might be something you want to think about. Hypothetically, if the voice of God suddenly rumbled through your brain and told you it was your destiny, forever and always, to weigh 158 lbs., how would you feel? What would you change about your routine, if anything?
My impression is that you're a busy person, with a career and a family, who also manages to devote over six hours a week to exercise. I hope you genuinely enjoy this exercise, because if not, that's another question you may need to ask yourself.
Along less philosophical, more technical lines: Given your size, age, gender, and activity level, by my rough calculations, you need somewhere around 2300 kcals per day (based on HBE with an activity factor of 1.5 or 1.6). I agree you likely need to be eating more energy- and nutrient-dense foods, and probably more often. I have no idea what this will do to your weight, if anything. Snacking on candy may indicate that you're hungry (or else you just really like candy, which is also pretty normal.)
You need snacks -- it's not good to go too many hours (my rule of thumb is about 4 hours) without eating, particularly for someone who is active and young as yourself. You need consistent meals and snacks at predictable times. The going between lunch to 9pm without eating is not a good idea. For lack of a technical term, you will scare the shit out of yourself if you get too hungry too often, and you might start to act weird around food (regularly craving or thinking about it when not actually hungry, even bingeing on certain things when the opportunity presents itself, routinely overfilling your stomach at meals because you're somehow afraid you won't get enough, etc.) Right now you're making "bad choices" at those times because you're too physically hungry for your higher judgment to kick in. You're physically incapable of making logical choices about food when you're that hungry -- the only choice that exists is TO PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH, NOW. (Which is as it should be, or the super health-conscious among us would debate over what to eat to infinity.)
To address things that have come up in other comments: it's not necessarily true that your body burns fat right away in the morning if you work out before eating. If you've eaten dinner the previous day, you're likely to still have glycogen reserves in your liver and/or muscle cells that can be used for exercise. I also don't know why anyone would want to eat anything "gross" just to fuel up their body post-exercise. Food is fuel, true; but it's more than fuel, too. It's important that, as part of taking care of yourself, you're also providing pleasure along with nutrition. If you don't, your body, like a crafty child, will make up for it at the candy bowl later. Personally, I find good old trail mix to be a lifesaver emergency snack to keep on hand. It's energy dense, nutritious, portable, and easy to eat (if sometimes a bit messy.) But I also like it.
One last thing: given the total confusion of answers you're likely to get online, it's a good idea to see a Registered Dietitian with questions like these. They actually know some shit about nutrition, and can back it up with evidence, which I daresay is more than we can do here, and is oftentimes more than a physician or a personal trainer can do when it comes to the science behind food.
Good luck and best wishes.
posted by peggynature at 4:05 PM on November 30, 2008 [6 favorites]
A great & balanced comment by peggynature, there, especially about the confusion & contradictoriness of advice that always accompanies this kind of topic.
Also, evidence, evidence, evidence! You can't have too much of this. While I make a habit out of at least skimming just about any article on exercise or nutrition that I casually come across (in papers or magazines etc) there is a different angle or fad almost every single week, so I rely on those for background information, but on hard data for what does & doesn't work for me.
To that end, I've kept a spreadsheet on my training routine for the past four years or more. Nothing too detailed, but it's a record of what kind of training I've done each day (or noting down rest days, as the case may be), with weight & body fat readings done at the exact same time each week, on the same set of electronic scales. It sounds very anal, but only takes a few seconds per day to update.
In the past, I've also kept food diaries in conjunction with the spreadsheet, but once I settled on a reasonably standardised eating routine (times, foodstuffs etc) I only occasionally note down in the spreadsheat a huge pig-out as an exception, for reference (like thanksgiving the other night - *woah*, so much food & so fattylicious!). I absolutely recommend keeping a food diary for at least a while.
Back to the spreadsheet - if I could show you my weight v body fat graph for this year, the morning workout trend is clearly visible: it's a solid trend of half a kilo lost each week over three consecutive months. It kicks in at the end of the winter trend (too dark & cold for morning workouts) which is a plateau of weight but with steadily increasing body fat (=simultaneous decrease in muscle). Half a kilo per week is my target loss, because this kind of analysis over the years has convinced me that (for me) it's the most sustainable gradual lowering of my body weight "barometer" that won't result in rebound gains. So yeah, that's all a result of a trial-and-error sciencey approach based on measurable evidence.
Back to the actual food question...what works for me (based on the "science" above, and focusing a lot on having the required energy to work out, and not to feel dull & lifeless the next day) is:
* high protein breakfast after morning workouts
* banana and / or a light sandwich around 1.5 hours before afternoon exercise (martial arts, normally) for energy; protein & some carbs afterwards for recovery.
* i haven't been lifting weights much this year (different goals) but when i have, it's protein before, carb & protein afterwards.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:17 PM on November 30, 2008
Also, evidence, evidence, evidence! You can't have too much of this. While I make a habit out of at least skimming just about any article on exercise or nutrition that I casually come across (in papers or magazines etc) there is a different angle or fad almost every single week, so I rely on those for background information, but on hard data for what does & doesn't work for me.
To that end, I've kept a spreadsheet on my training routine for the past four years or more. Nothing too detailed, but it's a record of what kind of training I've done each day (or noting down rest days, as the case may be), with weight & body fat readings done at the exact same time each week, on the same set of electronic scales. It sounds very anal, but only takes a few seconds per day to update.
In the past, I've also kept food diaries in conjunction with the spreadsheet, but once I settled on a reasonably standardised eating routine (times, foodstuffs etc) I only occasionally note down in the spreadsheat a huge pig-out as an exception, for reference (like thanksgiving the other night - *woah*, so much food & so fattylicious!). I absolutely recommend keeping a food diary for at least a while.
Back to the spreadsheet - if I could show you my weight v body fat graph for this year, the morning workout trend is clearly visible: it's a solid trend of half a kilo lost each week over three consecutive months. It kicks in at the end of the winter trend (too dark & cold for morning workouts) which is a plateau of weight but with steadily increasing body fat (=simultaneous decrease in muscle). Half a kilo per week is my target loss, because this kind of analysis over the years has convinced me that (for me) it's the most sustainable gradual lowering of my body weight "barometer" that won't result in rebound gains. So yeah, that's all a result of a trial-and-error sciencey approach based on measurable evidence.
Back to the actual food question...what works for me (based on the "science" above, and focusing a lot on having the required energy to work out, and not to feel dull & lifeless the next day) is:
* high protein breakfast after morning workouts
* banana and / or a light sandwich around 1.5 hours before afternoon exercise (martial arts, normally) for energy; protein & some carbs afterwards for recovery.
* i haven't been lifting weights much this year (different goals) but when i have, it's protein before, carb & protein afterwards.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:17 PM on November 30, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
Don't do this.
I fill my day with way too much candy
Or this.
Hope I don't sound snarky, but you know what to do. You just have to do it.
posted by TypographicalError at 7:00 AM on November 30, 2008 [1 favorite]