Question: How do I stop messing up my intake after lifting?

[Jona]

Hello folks 
I've been doing pretty well these past couple of weeks. I first wanted to fix my intake, then start working out again. You know, so I wouldn't have to face too many battles at once.

My intake was going well, it wasn't a hassle for me anymore. But somehow I messed up my intake right after working out (legs, if you were wondering). Not sure what to do. The day after the same thing happened: All is well until right after working out. I literally crave carbs. So much so, that I went to the store, got pasta, prepared it and indulged. Like, a lot. 
Do you have any tipps or tricks that might help me? I'm a bit clueless.

 

p.S.: do you think caloric restriction might be my issue here? I've been restricting a bit.. maybe a bit too harsh.

p.p.S.: As you might have noticed, I already posted this question in a wrong forum. Sorry about that.

[navis]

I take it your overall goal is to lose weight? Just how severely are you restricting? Do you know your TDEE?

 

A little more info would help, however if you're working out now whereas you previously weren't ; the general rule is you should increase your calorie intake to account for the additional energy expenditure.

 

It's normal to be hungry and crave carbs after a workout.  You need it to make up for the energy depleted and overall better recovery.
Ideally a post workout meal should be made of carbs and protein. I like to have a big smoothie (protein powder, oats, banana...) but you can do solid foods (sweet potato and eggs, chicken and rice...).  The portions will be specific to you and your goals.

 

Rule of thumb is control comes from preparation, so plan to have something with you or at home you can quickly throw together.

[Jona]

5 hours ago, navis said:

I take it your overall goal is to lose weight? Just how severely are you restricting? Do you know your TDEE?

 

A little more info would help, however if you're working out now whereas you previously weren't ; the general rule is you should increase your calorie intake to account for the additional energy expenditure.

 

It's normal to be hungry and crave carbs after a workout.  You need it to make up for the energy depleted and overall better recovery.
Ideally a post workout meal should be made of carbs and protein. I like to have a big smoothie (protein powder, oats, banana...) but you can do solid foods (sweet potato and eggs, chicken and rice...).  The portions will be specific to you and your goals.

 

Rule of thumb is control comes from preparation, so plan to have something with you or at home you can quickly throw together.

 

Hey there.
Yes, I'd like to lose fat. My BMR is 1400 calories, my TDEE was (without exercise) at 1680. Now it should go up to 2170 calories per day. I was having around 1400 calories. Shouldn't that be enough? I wasn't working out until that evening last week. 

I should maybe give some more slack to my carb intake, right? (To be honest, I thought carbs would only be necessary before working out, not right afterwards.)

Thanks for your help.

[navis]

To cut, you should look at a 250~500 calorie deficit per day.  With a  2170 cal active TDEE that means a minimum intake of 1670 calories per day.  Too low and there'll come a point when your body is underfed, you won't have enough energy to get the most out of your workouts AND you won't be losing any weight either because your body will hold on to whatever fuel it does have (I'm oversimplifying).

 

Your BMR is the absolute minimum your body needs to function, so you should definitely be eating above it now that you're exercising.

 

As for carbs, timing and type are important:

• Pre workout: to give your body the fuel it needs, choose low to medium GI carbs (e.g. yogurt, apple, peanut butter...)
• Post workout: to quickly restock energy spent, go for high GI carbs (e.g. banana, pasta, sweet potatoes...)

You can experiment with reducing/cutting carbs in other meals -- opinions vary on what's most effective, and at the end of the day it's down to the individual.

If you find yourself ravenous and regularly needing to carb-binge, then you are likely missing something in your diet.

 

Keep us posted on your progress.

[Elastigirl]

Maybe having something ready as soon as you finish working out so you can eat right away will help. Smoothies are great for this. Sometimes I get so hungry after eating out. If I have a planned amount to eat (like a smoothie) I will eat that, then drink some water. If a half hour later I'm still hungry I will eat more.

[Jona]

Thank you. I'll try my best.

[Mike_d85]

On 11/20/2016 at 7:32 PM, Elastigirl said:

Maybe having something ready as soon as you finish working out so you can eat right away will help. Smoothies are great for this. Sometimes I get so hungry after eating out. If I have a planned amount to eat (like a smoothie) I will eat that, then drink some water. If a half hour later I'm still hungry I will eat more.

 

I started doing this just because if I didn't I'd be starving all day until lunch.  Somehow getting a protein shake and some fruit and nuts in me ASAP keeps me from being uncomfortably hungry all day.  Maybe you just need to get ahead of the issue and feed your face before you're hungry?