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Original poster

Tell me your honest opinion of this post-exercise food pls

87 replies

tulips27 · 19/11/2022 20:32

I've exercised all morning today and for some reason I've got really ravenous and I think I've undone all my work (although I'm not exercising for weight loss in particular).

Breakfast: two black coffees
Cycle 5 miles
Swim 45 minutes

Post swim snack: banana from my bag, a few nuts (so far so good)

Now at this point I would normally go home and eat nothing till my evening meal, but because the weather was so nice I treated myself to a Tesco meal deal which I never do because I can't afford it! I just got carried away.

Meal deal: Brie and cranberry sandwich, hot chocolate

Cycle 5 miles

Evening meal: two samosas and a side salad (no dressing)

Then (!) I was still hungry and this is where things got out of control, I've just demolished another samosa and a small bag of kettle chips from the meal deal that I was saving.

So if you look at it, I've ended up putting away a lot of unhealthy food and probably lost my gains from exercising at all. But I was soooo hungry, I still am. I could eat another dinner right now if I'm totally honest. 😩

Regular exercisers, where am I going wrong? I'm starving. Any advice welcome.

OP posts:
redbigbananafeet · 19/11/2022 22:41

You need to eat protein to fill you up.

PickAChew · 19/11/2022 22:41

tulips27 · 19/11/2022 21:57

When I says gains I don't mean in a fitness/gym sense, I just mean generally in trying to be healthier.

I mean If I'd stayed at home and not exercised but eaten normally I would have been better off overall.

Yes I'm vegetarian, I thought I had protein covered with the nuts but maybe not.

The nuts are good protein for a snack or light meal but not a whole day. Have the samosas, if you must, but with a bowl of dal and an egg or some paneer. If you normally eat dairy, keep on eating dairy

TomTraubertsBlues · 19/11/2022 22:40

Do people who aren't regular exercisers suddenly decide to cycle 10 miles and do 45 mins of openwater swimming in November? And then express surprise that they're hungry?

TomTraubertsBlues · 19/11/2022 22:39

Tbh, the more I look at this thread, the more I think that it's a wind-up, designed to bring the MN undereaters out ("A whole samosa! That would keep me fed for a week, even after a 10mile run!")

lljkk · 19/11/2022 22:36

You went open water swimming today for 45 minutes but live in a house without heating?!!

There are people (sometimes) at my pool who swim 1-2x/day in the north sea for 9-10 months a year. They sure as hell don't stay in 45 minutes in November AND I bet there's nice heating in their homes.

Pretty sure they / we all eat like pigs. Drink like fish too I suspect.

I'd need 2100-2300 kcal to do all the stuff OP did today (and not lose weight).

PickAChew · 19/11/2022 22:35

I think you're being ridiculous expecting to function at max power on fresh air.

PiggyInTheLidl · 19/11/2022 22:33

Exercise is good, no matter what we eat. It wouldn’t have been better to stay at home.

10 miles cycling and 45 mins swimming (especially in open water) IS a good lot of exercise.

3 decent meals. I understand about not wanting to use lots of energy to cook. A sandwich with good quality wholemeal bread, cheese or hummus etc and salad is a good meal. Two sandwiches, even.

Good lunch options include oat biscuits with cheese/ hummus. Lentil soup, microwaved. Microwaves are lower energy than the cooker. Chick pea salad, with tinned chick peas, chopped onion, tomato etc.

TomTraubertsBlues · 19/11/2022 22:33

I mean, the only veg you ate all day was the small amount in the samosas! And this is you "trying to eat healthy"?

TomTraubertsBlues · 19/11/2022 22:32

tulips27 · 19/11/2022 22:14

No, not at all :)

But you would normally eat nothing but coffee, a banana, and a few nuts until your evening meal? And you would then have essentially an unheated snack for your evening meal?

I think most people would see that as disordered. You're not fuelling or nourishing your body, even if you were sedentary all day.

MrsMorrisey · 19/11/2022 22:32

If you're hungry after exercising than eat.
I would eat tuna, eggs, cheese, avocados, nuts, smoothie etc
I wouldn't worry about the calories, just the density of nutrients.
Exercise is about so much more than burning calories.

MrsJamin · 19/11/2022 22:21

I think you need to read up on healthy diets and how exercise fits in to health. You don't seem to know a lot and may be causing more harm to your body by not fuelling properly for the physical activity you're doing.

Original poster
tulips27 · 19/11/2022 22:17

*using energy

OP posts:
Original poster
tulips27 · 19/11/2022 22:17

Sorry, everyone! I have left out a key point which is the reason for having the bizarre samosas and salad meal is nothing to do with eating/diets etc., it's that I'm avoiding using heat to save money on the electricity bill.

OP posts:
Original poster
tulips27 · 19/11/2022 22:14

No, not at all :)

OP posts:
BIWI · 19/11/2022 22:12

Do you have a history of disordered eating @tulips27?

Original poster
tulips27 · 19/11/2022 22:12

@Pineappleskies That's OK, I didn't mention it :) It's true, I need to get back in the pool and put in more work. I can't just use the fact that it's chilly outside to excuse myself.

OP posts:
Original poster
tulips27 · 19/11/2022 22:09

*are

OP posts:
Original poster
tulips27 · 19/11/2022 22:08

Thanks everyone. Some points I'm getting from your advice is:

  • Samosas are neither healthy nor nutritious (I thought they were about neutral)
  • Omelette is a great idea, thanks! I never have eggs but it could work. Also high-protein yoghurt and chickpeas (not together!)
  • Having a full evening meal to prevent binge eating later
OP posts:
Pineappleskies · 19/11/2022 22:06

Ok open water swimming for 45 minutes is a lot.

I didn't mean to be rude about the amount of exercise...sorry I was rude.

I just meant that the issue isn't really about undoing good work, or how to eat when exercising, so much as you need to think of three meals a day that are nutritious and filling (meaning vegetables and protein).

If doing strenuous exercise supplement with fruit i find is best because you need those sugars then.

HowDoYouOwnDisorder · 19/11/2022 22:02

Trying to sustain yourself until dinner on just black coffee and one banana and 3 nuts is obviously a crazy plan to start with

eat some normal food (toast, eggs, yoghurt, muesli, fruit whatever) and don’t be so weirdly restrictive

setting yourself up for a fail

Original poster
tulips27 · 19/11/2022 22:02

I couldn't swim longer because it was in open water so I got too cold, I do agree it's not that much.

OP posts:
YukoandHiro · 19/11/2022 22:00

"You're snacking because your actual meals either don't exist or are processed, low nutrition junk so your body wants more."

Yes, this. You need protein three times a day with that amount of exercise, not just a handful of nuts. You also need more low GI carbs to give you consistent energy.

A coffee and a banana isn't going to see you through two hours exercise!

Pineappleskies · 19/11/2022 21:59

That's not much exercise really.

You should eat three meals a day though. Porridge made with skimmed milk, mushroom and spinach and cheese omelette for lunch, Dahl and prawn curry for dinner.

Thats what I'd eat on a day like that. You don't need snacks unless you're exercising a lot more, eg 20 mile bike ride, 10km run or two yoga classes.

You're snacking because your actual meals either don't exist or are processed, low nutrition junk so your body wants more.

Original poster
tulips27 · 19/11/2022 21:57

When I says gains I don't mean in a fitness/gym sense, I just mean generally in trying to be healthier.

I mean If I'd stayed at home and not exercised but eaten normally I would have been better off overall.

Yes I'm vegetarian, I thought I had protein covered with the nuts but maybe not.

OP posts:
MagpiePi · 19/11/2022 21:56

You don't need any additional protein other than you'd get from a normal, balanced diet for such a relatively small amount of cardio exercise.