Help with eating five small meals and exercise

Funky_Munky

Put the kettle on
Ive started doing a lot of exercise (only zumba mind - not like im training for a marathon or anything!) and have noticed since doing this i am more hungry and tired. Its been suggested to me i try having five or six small meals to keep my energy up. Im worried if i did this id just have five normal meals a day and put on weight!!

I do work shifts and cos of that sometimes have long days. Usually i have three normal meals and a snack of a few pieces of fruit or my syns as i need it. The last few days ive been having double this amount of fruit. Ive also been having mainly red days and am wondering if i would be better on ee or green to get enough carbs.

Im just worried about undoing all of my hard work with exercise by eating more than i need!! But i dont wanna go hungry either. Id appreciate ideas from those who are exercising how they manage with it!!
 
Beautifulmess said:
Hey. I don't have the hungry thing yet but boy am I tired since I started doing an hour a day!!

Tell me about it. I dont think it helped yesterday id been up since 430am, in work since 6am and did an 8hr day!
 
Hi there

I am exercising a lot more now, and after reading the Jillian michaels books (she of biggest loser USA) I eat 4 meals a day -well, its 3 meals and 1 snack (although the snack is pretty much a meal) -I eat 4 times at set 4hrly intervals an nothing extra as she reckons that eating any more often doesn't give your body time to burn what has been eaten previously and to start work on the excess -BUT eating any further apart makes your body stress and panic and hold onto the food -thats a basic explanation by the way :p

so on the days Im at the gym (Im there about 8am) -i will have something like (ooh Im nearly always red days and I have a carb curfew too):-
6am
grapefruit and a boiled egg
10am
28g oats (B), natural yoghurt, mixed berries, banana
2pm
227g jacket (B), salad, tuna/cottage cheese/meat
6pm
meat, salad or veggies, stirfry
my heA will be milk/feta -syns go on avocado, nuts, dried apricots that I stick on the end of meals

on the days I workout at home its more like :-
8am
2 weetabix (B) 250ml semi (A) fruit
12pm
home made mixed bean salad (B)with fish or feta (A)and lots of salad veggies
4pm
dried apricots, nuts -using up my syns
8pm
roast meat/poultry/fish with salad, veggies, stir-fry

I know it wouldn't suit everyone -especially those with busy lifestyles but it has really suited my system and Im still losing well and feeling amazing even after a hard workout..
this week I have planned
Sun - rest day
Mon -gym, walk home
Tues- gym, 1.5hr badminton
wed -gym, walk home
thu -res day
fri -gym, walk home, 1.5hr badminton
Sat 1.5hr badminton

With you working shifts etc -could you increase the protein in your meals? even just adding a boiled egg as protein is said to keep you feeling full longer.
 
CAPRICORN said:
Hi there

I am exercising a lot more now, and after reading the Jillian michaels books (she of biggest loser USA) I eat 4 meals a day -well, its 3 meals and 1 snack (although the snack is pretty much a meal) -I eat 4 times at set 4hrly intervals an nothing extra as she reckons that eating any more often doesn't give your body time to burn what has been eaten previously and to start work on the excess -BUT eating any further apart makes your body stress and panic and hold onto the food -thats a basic explanation by the way :p

so on the days Im at the gym (Im there about 8am) -i will have something like (ooh Im nearly always red days and I have a carb curfew too):-
6am
grapefruit and a boiled egg
10am
28g oats (B), natural yoghurt, mixed berries, banana
2pm
227g jacket (B), salad, tuna/cottage cheese/meat
6pm
meat, salad or veggies, stirfry
my heA will be milk/feta -syns go on avocado, nuts, dried apricots that I stick on the end of meals

on the days I workout at home its more like :-
8am
2 weetabix (B) 250ml semi (A) fruit
12pm
home made mixed bean salad (B)with fish or feta (A)and lots of salad veggies
4pm
dried apricots, nuts -using up my syns
8pm
roast meat/poultry/fish with salad, veggies, stir-fry

I know it wouldn't suit everyone -especially those with busy lifestyles but it has really suited my system and Im still losing well and feeling amazing even after a hard workout..
this week I have planned
Sun - rest day
Mon -gym, walk home
Tues- gym, 1.5hr badminton
wed -gym, walk home
thu -res day
fri -gym, walk home, 1.5hr badminton
Sat 1.5hr badminton

With you working shifts etc -could you increase the protein in your meals? even just adding a boiled egg as protein is said to keep you feeling full longer.

Thanks for that capricorn! It gives me a good idea of fitting things in. Ive moved to red days to try and get more protien and help my losses. I have eggs most mornings for brekkie with a heb, lunch ive been having chicken/steak/turkey etc salad and tea ill have some kind of meat with veggies and heb spuds.

I think tbh im afraid of eating more when i just need to be a bit smarter with timing it all around my exercise and watching the portions if i eat more often.
 
Thanks for that capricorn! It gives me a good idea of fitting things in. Ive moved to red days to try and get more protien and help my losses. I have eggs most mornings for brekkie with a heb, lunch ive been having chicken/steak/turkey etc salad and tea ill have some kind of meat with veggies and heb spuds.

I think tbh im afraid of eating more when i just need to be a bit smarter with timing it all around my exercise and watching the portions if i eat more often.

Hi there I don't know if it would help you but I also now break up my syns differently... on rest days I have a max of 10 syns... when Im going to the gym or doing a DVD at home I have a max of 15 syns and then when Im going to the gym and playing badminton I have 20 syns...
it still adds up 110 syns max -but it means I can eat more on the "hungry" days without just filling up on masses of free stuff... so Im not technically eating more -if that makes sense :p
 
You need to plan your meals around your exercise
I know that I have had to stop in the middle of exercising as I was totally drained and it was due to not eating, I also cannot exercise after a full meal

Always eat something at least 20mins before exercising this could be free or super free and try and get something to eat within 20mins of finishing I.e a banana

Your body is using calories as you work out and will continue to burn for a period after you stop so give your body some good food to work with

I tend to have some fruit 20 mins or so before I start and get my dinner straight after whenever possible I tend to work out at home so can do this

Basically feed your body before and after your workout, but if you are starving fill up on your free foods don't blow all your effort with something off plan

Good luck and keep it up
 
Thanks for your suggestions everyone. Having thought about it today i am going to plan my meals/snacks around eating every four hours. I also need to sit down on a day off and plan out my workouts for the week, then plan my meals around this and my shifts. It will probably work out best if i can exercise before my evening meal, and try to have a meal with a heb after exercising.

Im determined to make sure i stick with it cos it was being hungry all the time and craving high sugar things that stopped me exercising and running in the past!
 
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