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Real Life Nutrition Questions Answered

Real Life Fitness Questions Answered

Emma Brown
Nutritionist

Janet Aylott
Nutritionist

Kelly Marshall
Fitness Consultant

Q.

What should I ate when exercising?

Today's tip was to have a protein/low carb snack about 15mins after exercise. Can you give me any suitable suggestions? Twice a week I go to two follow-up classes, firstly Pilates followed by Zumba. I usually have a banana in between along with my water. One is a morning session therefore I have a light lunch afterwards. The other is evening & I'm usually craving something like cereal afterwards but worry about overdoing my daily calorie intake if I snack in the evening - which I'm finding the hardest snack to give up whatever I have for dinner!

A.

Our expert says...

Hi there,

Thanks for your message.

Firstly well done on doing back to back exercise classes - no wonder you feel hungry afterwards! It's quite normal to crave carbohydrates after exercising because you will have used up all your stores of carbs during the class, so your body is telling you that it needs to replace the glucose (that the carbs give you).

The reason having a high protein snack is good is because it can help to build and repair your muscles. It also helps to fill you up for longer whilst satisfying the hunger you might be feeling.

Good choices of snacks might be:

- A couple of slices of ham or chicken

- A mini Babybel cheese (light version even better)

- Cream cheese on celery sticks

- Mackerel on a ryvita or cracker

- Tinned tuna and salad

- A glass of milk (low fat)

- A couple of spoons of cottage cheese

- Edamame beans

Any of these choices would be good for your daytime exercise or for your evening snack too. If you feel that you want to eat something like cereal, that's absolutely fine but just make sure that you're sticking within your calorie allowance and weighing out your servings.

I did notice that you have your activity level already set at moderate - that's great as the system has taken account of the activity you're doing by giving you extra calories. You just need to be careful that you're not then logging your activity again, and eating the calories as you'll be double counting the exercise, and then eating what you've done - does that makes sense?

Basically we've already given you extra calories because you are exercising, so if you then log your calories burned again, it may mean that you're having too many calories. The best way to look at it is to just keep an eye on your weight loss - if you're losing steadily and you're happy then don't change anything, but if at any point you feel like things are slowing down it might be something to keep an eye on.

In terms of your meals, try and make them rich in protein and complex carbs too - so base your meals around lean meat, or a veggie alternative, and add in wholemeal pasta, brown rice etc, then load up your plate with veg or salad. The protein and carbs should help to keep you full into the evening, and the salad / veg is low calorie and really good for you!

I hope this helps - if you're still struggling to find suitable snacks after exercise please do come back to me and I can give you some other suggestions.

I hope this helps! :)

Disclaimer
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