Eating after working out

Lately my appetite has been more after an intense workout.  Sometimes even something as small as a quick 5K seems to make me hungry like I am usually not.  On days I don't exercise there are times I forget to eat.

To top it off I can't eat that large of a portion usually so I do eat more frequently and supplement protein more to increase my total protein.  I'm not sure if it is all in my head or not, and it really has me nervous as I really start increasing milage. Because I feel I am still weigh below on My RMR Tested at 2100 like 6 months ago.
So working through the numbers I will have a total caloric burn of 3277 between exercise and RMR I might eat 1800 leaving me at about a 1400-1500 deficit.

You guys think this is still to high a deficit?


Anyone else go through this?

You would feel better and can continue to lose slowly if you dial that defecit closer to 500. The talking heads say that is about the point your body is comfortable with and doesn't think it's starving. Also the more intense the workout the more carbs you "need" to give back to your body. Right after an intense workout is when you can cheat a little and get away with it (especially after a hard weight session).

Yup, what Nate said.  Generally after exercise the hunger you feel is real.  Feed that poor starving body!! (no Oreos!)

Kim

Hi Paul, 

I notice the same thing. On days when I am really working out hard, I do try to add more protein as well as some more calories to my day (usually it's a peanut butter craving). If I don't my weight loss stalls out.

Meg

 as you ramp up it gets crazier.  After a 4 hour bike with a brick, I am ready to eat pretty much anything in reach.  As a lapbander, its a very bad place to be, because I almost always get stuck as I inhale way too much way too quick - so then I am tired, hungry and puking ;)  

I kept my deficit as high as I could until I got to goal. I knew I would get dieting fatigue at some point so I wanted to get the weight off as fast as I could. My goal was to eat enough that I could get through my daily activities without having to take naps and dragging from lack of energy but not 1 calorie more.

I did increase my eating as my workouts increased but I was operating with a uch higher deficit than 500 calories. Now that I'm at maintenance I eat around 1800-2100 a day on average depending on what I'm training for.

I'm no expert and reletively new to exercise.  But thought I would put in my two cents.

I started to have a snack before my workout because I was getting very fatigued and sick during and after my workouts.  So I added a health carb snack with a little protein.  I eat 4 apple slices and a table spoon of peanut butter...about 30-45 minutes before my workout.  Then after my workout I drink a protein shake.  Specifically, I drink chocolate Muscle Milk.  It doesn't taste the best but I need to have a protein boost within 30-60 minutes after my workout and I can't get home fast enough so I needed something I can drink while I drive home.  My little snacks have helped me feel better and I can push myself harder.    

I would think the extreme hunger is your body's way of saying "OMG you worked me out and I need some food!!!"   

I recommend Fluid Recovery Drink, specifically the Chocolate Wave flavor. It's MUCH tastier to me than Muscle Milk and it has the branch-chained amino acids that our muscles need for recovery.

I remember training for my first half -- OMG, it was unreal how much I was STARVING!! I thought my pouch was broken!! : ) I finally embraced it and just fueled the fire after my long runs usually something was peanut butter!! About two weeks after my big day, it died back down some...

Good luck! *** seriously, btw, this time last year did you think you'd have this problem? )