STARVING after workouts!

K

KayM

Cathlete
I have figured out that in the mornings if I do an hour-long cardio workout, I am just STARVING the rest of the morning!!!

Does anyone else have this problem and if so how do you deal with it? I don't eat before the workouts, but this morning since my workout at 7 I've had a croissant with egg and cheese and 3 granola bars!!!

It took me a while to figure out that this was happening, but it seems like I have a hole in my stomach sometimes after big workouts.

I love my long workout, I don't wanna shorten them. Any suggestions appreciated!
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Dec-20-02 AT 12:44PM (Est)[/font][p]Maybe you could just eat some lean protein and something with a lot of fiber. I'd stay away from anything with sugar, if you granola bars contain a lot of sugar. Sugar makes me crave even more food. Maybe that's just me. That's funny, I am usually starving after a strength workout. The key for me is always eating something filling, and drinking lots of water.

Aimee
 
Hi Kay,

Aimee hit the nail on the head! You have to make your breakfast choice a filling one, with a combo of protein, carb and high fiber and it should really help keep you satisfied. I'm more hungry after strenght training, but I know what you mean, if I eat too lightly, like just a bowl of cereal, then I'm back munching on something an hour or so after that, so make your breakfast choice pretty filling right from the start, and you can always plan a mid-morning snack should you feel your breakfast wasn't going to be adequate enough to sail you into lunch.

Donna

Fitness~It's a journey, not a race!
 
Thanks for the suggestions. What do you guys eat for breakfast, and about how long does it take you to prepare? And what do you usually have as a mid-morning snack?

I usually try to eat breakfast after I get to work, hence the poor food choice because I eat what's available (I know, oldest mistake since time began). But I always figured the later I ate breakfast, the easier it would be to get through lunch. That time from 8-11:30 is the hardest for me in terms of snacking.

I am curious what you eat for breakfast, sounds like I need to change my routine. My strength training sessions don't last very long (I'm not very strong yet) so maybe that's why I don't notice it on those days.
 
I've also started, on the advice of some of the people here, eating before my workout. I realise not everyone can do this (some get an upset stomach) but I've had no problem with it. I eat a slice of toast with peanut butter and it seems to stabilize my blood sugar so I'm not ravenous afterwards. I find if I let myself get too hungry, I eat too much of the wrong things cause my body is screaming out for a quick lift.

Christine
 
Hi. I usually eat an egg and two pieces of high fiber bread. I make an egg sandwich. You can also do this with eggwhites if you don't want the yolk. I just eat the whole egg. I spray Pam in a bowl and microwave the egg -- make sure you puncture it and cover it. I use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray on the bread. The bread that I usually eat is Pepperidge Farm 9-Grain. Each slice has 3 grams of fiber. I don't usually need to eat until noon or 1:00. And then for lunch I'll have a meal with lean protein and high fiber to last me until dinner. Examples of the protein I eat for lunch would be tuna, chicken breast, boca burgers, etc. -- you know the drill. lol

Aimee
 
Hi Kay!
I usually have a medium sized bowl of granola for breakfast (4:30 a.m.) then work out 5 to 6 a.m. Then at 8 a.m. when I arrive at work I have another breakfast. I alternate that with e.g. a cup of lowfat cottage cheese with Fiber One cereal in it (actually reminds me of the taste of a canoli) or a Luna bar and a cut up apple.

Then at ten I have another big snack, or if I'm really busy I'll have a pre packaged EAS myoplex drink, that is if I really have no time. I'm a dental hygienist and staying on time is sometimes he11.

Then lunch at 1:00 and my meal sizes shrink as the day goes on, till an 8 p.m. snack always making sure to include protein in there.
 
My meals vary a lot Kay. I just "try" and make sure I don't let myself get too hungry, so eating about every 3-3.5 hours keeps me from "going off the deep end."

I WISH I could say I had my eating together like some of the above, but I'm still struggling with "good" choices, so most of the time I end up with something like:

I workout on an empty stomach most mornings because I workout about 30 min after I wake up and I'm just not hungry yet, plus, it might be mental, but I swear I just feel too "heavy" to move sometimes if I eat then try and do cardio (especially Cathe!), so I eat after my workout. So say it's 8am, then meal 1 might be an egg white omelet (Better N'Eggs or Egg Beaters), I'm not coordinated enough to do the remove the egg whites from the whole egg thing! Plus I have hubby's breakfast to do at the same time so it's just easier to pour the egg whites from the carton!
So I'll have the egg white omelet w/veggies inside + fat free cheddar cheese and some whole wheat toast, and a cup of coffee (no sugar/no cream) but I use sweet & low. Meal 2 will usually be needed about 10:30am-11:00am, and I might have an apple w/1T. peanut butter, or a fat free yogurt w/a piece of fruit.
Then I'm cool til lunch, which I usually have about 1:30-2:00 and I usually have either my standard salad or beans w/rice, or a lean meat sandwich of some sort on whole wheat (turkey, chicken, or occasionally a lean 3oz. hamburger) w/ baked chips, celery or carrot sticks. Then about 4pm I go for a light, hold me til dinner snack like a cup of diet swiss miss and a piece of fruit, or triscuits w/fat free cheese or just a HUGE mug of diet swiss miss (2 or 3 packets which =50 or 75 calories) and check out the forum which takes me til time to prepare dinner.
But 5 meals/day helps me not to binge on sweets, I just blow myself out the water when I miss the snacks or choose a snickers instead of the yogurt! (funny how that happens!) :) But my diet is still a "work in progress!"

Donna
Fitness~It's a journey, not a race!
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Dec-20-02 AT 08:35PM (Est)[/font][p]Hi Kay,

There have been a lot of good recommendations.. I've read that having some protein in the morning is better for keeping hunger at bay.

Since I don't like eggs, my breakfast is usually Kashi Go Lean Crunch (lots of soy protein & 8 gr of fiber) or oatmeal with a tbsp of peanut butter and a little Splenda. The PB seems so decadent when counting calories but the little bit of protein and fat really satisfies me.

Like Donna, I also do a midmorning snack, lunch, midafternoon snack, dinner, and after dinner snack. My goal is to never let myself get too hungry...thats when I tend to start grabbing unhealthy stuff.

Good luck!


~~ Sharon ~~
 
Everyone else is right- you gotta eat filling meals. I workout around 6 or 7pm so sometimes I don't eat much beforehand. After a tough spinning class, I come home and wolf down junk cause I'm so hungry. Then for the rest of the night I keep eating little snacks- and eat much more than I burnt off! It seems like I could eat forever!

Try to eat before your workout- even a little something- so you're not famished afterwards. And then be sure to sit down and eat a "real" meal. They say cardio makes you have less of an appetite, but I think tough cardios and not eating enough "fuel" can have the opposite effect.

You may be in the habit of eating tons of little things so it may take a few days to make the change.
 
I am just like you in that there are some mornings after a long workout that I just cannot seem to satisfy my hunger. I usually eat oatmeal for breakfast, then workout about an hour after that. Right after I workout, I have yogurt/fruit or cottage cheese/fruit to replenish my muscles. Then on those mornings that I am still hungry, I might just go ahead and eat an early lunch, or a peanut butter sandwich, banana, etc. I figure if I keep it healthy (fiber, fruit, protein) I am satisfying what my body really needs. You may find that if you feed your body plenty of good, healthy foods early, you may not be as hungry as the day goes on.

Rhonda
 
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