What to eat after evening spin class

Hi everyone,

I did not get a big response from the nutrition forum so I thought this might be better. I started a spin class two nights a week that ends at 8:00pm. I am hungry after and know I need to eat protien. I don't want to eat too much before going to bed however since it is best to not eat 3 hours before you go to bed. I had half and apple with peanut butter on it tonight and lots of water, any other suggestions??? I can stand to lose about 10lbs and don't want to over eat.

Thanks! Heather

The no eating 3 hrs before bed is a myth IMO. You need carbs and protein and electrolytes since you probably sweat a ton spinning indoors (at least I do). How much depends on what you're eating beforehand and when. I think your snack tonight was too light. At least the whole apple with PB. Assuming you ate dinner before class.

If your stomach gets upset by eating before bed, what about trying one of the many recovery drinks out there? Mixes that you add to water, like Clif Recovery?

At least once a week I climb indoors at a climbing gym, then I bike home and am back at 8 at the earliest. I don't like going to bed with a full stomach, but waking up hungry is a lot worse... I usually make a huge salad with boiled potatoes, chick peas or beans, and just about every kind of fresh vegetable we have. Works perfectly for me, the only hassle is all the chopping.

If I can't eat it all the leftovers keep fine til the day after.

Hey Heather;
I find a protein drink to be good value here. (I do not like eating alot in the evenings either and hate being hungry). Plus they come in yummy chocolate flavours, and it means I'm getting at least a good portion of my daily protein right when I need it. My muscles will thank me for it.

Cheers

Not eating before bed is a myth. the problem with eating later in the evening, is because most people will make UNHEALTHY choices as they get tired. they look for comfort, and often they are likely not hungry at all just bored sitting in front of the TV

if you had done a spin class, it is very important to replenish your body within 20-30 minutes of your class. Depending on when you go to bed after wards, you can have a small meal with some carbs, protein and fat. a smoothie is pretty good. it depends if you had a dinner before.

this means you might have to reschedule your eating for the day, so that you are eating some kind of small meal around 4 PM (i assume your class is at 7?) so you aren't famished at 8 PM. remember your body expects food every 4 hours. other wise you go into starvation mode and your body will start to store everything.

Definitely don't be afraid to eat at that hour.

All year long, I am lucky if I eat before 8:30 pm, and I typically go to bed at 10:00 pm. Because I am usually exercising in the evenings, and I don't eat a dinner before I do (usually grab a snack), I need to have my full dinner after my owrkout, and some nights this can be as late as 9:00 pm, depending on what I am cooking.

Your body definitely needed more to eat last night after a workout than just an apple with peanut butter. I came home from spin class and ate a homemade burrito, a few tortilla chips and some guacamole - all at around 8:30...

SheFly

I'm lucky if I eat dinner before 9pm most nights! After a good ride though, assuming I have already had dinner, I like a recovery drink. As others have said, you need to take it 20-30 min after riding. Right now I just have some whey protien from GNC that is strawberry flavored. It's not the best tasting, but mixing it with milk helps a lot. Once that is gone, I plan on trying Hammer Recoverite.

Whey protien helps reduce muscle soreness after workouts and just helps in recovery. It's not just for body buliders :)

We've been going to a salad-bar place after class at 8:15pm. If I could only stay away from the muffins, it would be great! Seriously, though, make sure you get some protein and carbs as soon as possible after class.

I have a long commute to and from work (like min of 2 1/2 hours driving per day). At the moment I'm going to the gym 2x week for upper body lifting and spinning on their bikes so I don't compromise my frame on the trainer. 1-2 other days a week I'm driving to a teammate's house to ride and/or our bike shop for a team spin class....another 35-40 min one way from home....or 2 hours drive straight from work.

All that being said, I basically live out of my car. Bike lives in the back seat as well as trainer in the trunk many days out of the week. The number one thing that enables me to do that is bars. I always keep 2 boxes of bars (cereal, nutrigrain, etc) in my car and usually a gel in my bag. This way on days that I'm going to the gym or riding somewhere other than my apartment, I have food with me at all times if I need to eat before, during, or after my workout. Most of the time I don't get home until 8:30pm at the earliest and eat dinner around 9. Since I'm eating dinner so late, I'll have a bar on the way to wherever and then eat another one on the way back. Each one has about 140 calories. If I'm working out somewhere other than home, I'll have 2 bottles with Cytomax (90 cal per bottle) or buy 2 bottles of gatorade.

My point is that consuming several smaller instances of calories and carbs (mainly) so when I do get home and get the chance to eat dinner - 1) I don't have to eat a ton of food to make up for the caloric deficit, 2) I have a small stomach so I don't have to physically eat a lot of food at that time, 3) I can still get to bed by 10:30pm with no problems feeling too full or uncomfortable.

I understand your situation is different but I wanted to offer my life as an example of a workaround from eating a big dinner right before working out or right before going to bed. :)

Make sure you get a good balance of Carbs and fat with your protein. I've read that if you don't get enough carbs and fat your body will use the protein for energy, then the protein can't be utilized as much for the rebuilding of muscle tissue.