Monday Morning Math Class

I was flipping through a magazine the other day and read the following Fitness Q&A:

Q. Is it true that overweight people should exercise after they eat and that those who are healthy should exercise beforehand?

A. No. You should eat before and after you work out, no matter what your weight. About 1 1/2 hours before activity, eat an easy to digest meal or a snack of 300 to 400 calories. blah, blah, blah...

(Okay, I added the blahs!)


I shook my head when I read this advice. 300 to 400 calories seemed way too high. I researched a number of sites and here's what I found, (based on a 150 pound woman):

Daily calories needed = 1800 (that 300 calorie "snack" = 1/6 of daily caloric intake)

Calories burned in 30 minutes
Walking at 4 mph (15 minutes/mile) = 170
Running at 6 mph (10 minutes/mile) = 340
Cycling at 15 mph = 340

If you had a 400 calorie snack, then walked for 30 minutes, your net would be 230 EXTRA calories. No wonder people get frustrated when they start exercising and don't lose weight. Yes, you will burn more calories than if you were sitting on the couch, but not an extra meal's worth!


Hammer Nutrition suggests consuming 200-300 calories before an endurance event of 2 hours or more, consuming an additional 100-150 calories an hour after 2 hours. That same 150 pound woman would burn over 2000 calories cycling for 3 hours! FYI ~ Before my ride on Saturday morning I had one serving of Hammer gel for approximately 80 calories. It was plenty for a ride of just a little over an hour in which I burned 612 calories.


I'm not suggesting anyone become an endurance athlete ~unless you want to! I just wanted to share from experience how easy it is to overeat and tell ourselves "I exercised today." Please don't start with the "but muscle weighs more than fat" argument - go here for the truth! No matter how you count them, calories in versus calories out will determine weight loss, gain, or maintenance.

Class dismissed.