If I Exercise… Then I Can Eat Whatever I Want?

There are many myths about training and its link to diet. Many people wonder if, after exercising, they can eat whatever they want, based on the theory that they’ve already made the effort at the gym and deserve an ice cream, a hamburger, or a chocolate. We will tell you more in this article.

Exercise and eating: a close relationship

There is a belief that after exercising, you can eat whatever you want. Although there are people whose metabolism “accepts” those allowed, in others, it is not advisable to go for fast food or go to a bar after sports.

In addition to the fact that you should control what you eat (exercise or not) and that excess food is never good, the question of permission to eat is valid if you have already trained.

It is important, then, to talk about calories burned and consumed. Of course, it all depends on the goal we want to achieve, but, for example, if our intention is to lose weight, the balance of the first must be greater than the second. In contrast, to gain muscle or gain weight, the equation is reversed.

Exercise and “allowed”

If we exercise regularly, we may have an “allow” from time to time, as this would not affect our weight or return us to where we started.

In other words, a chocolate, ice cream or pizza portion every now and then won’t add to the pounds you’ve already managed to lose.

However, many take advantage of the training excuse to indulge in huge meals. The idea is: “I’ve already done an hour on a bike, treadmill and elliptical… so now I can eat whatever I want and go have a beer with my friends”.

If you do this once or twice a month, no problem. But if it’s a daily program, the training you’ve done will never be able to make up for all these excesses, and instead of losing weight, you’ll gain weight.

That’s right. You can gain weight even by going to the gym every day.  It’s true that, in these cases, the weight gain will be less than if you didn’t do physical activity, but you won’t get results and, what’s worse, you will give up the exercise thinking that it has no effect.

To eat what you want, you must do a much more demanding routine.  And even that won’t save you weight gain because the body needs good quality energy to carry out its activities and execute them correctly.

Plus, we can’t spend the entire day at the gym to burn off the calories from yesterday’s dinner.

exercise and appetite

So, when leaving the gym or returning home after crossing the park, we’re not allowed to eat a packet of fries or a hamburger.

It is essential to know our body and our metabolism to choose the foods that help us recover  and prevent the ravenous appetite from attacking us after exercise.

When training ends, it’s normal to feel hungry. The body expended a lot of energy and burned a lot of calories. Fuel is needed, as with the car.

Now what kind of fuel will we offer? We can choose a low quality one that, in the short or medium term, destroys the engine (according to this study carried out by Northern Arizona University, USA), or one with excellent characteristics that will allow you to travel a greater distance and not suffer from wear and tear.

If we choose the first option, it is normal to opt for junk food, sweets and fried foods. In contrast, for the second alternative, we have fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, vegetables, whole grains, skim milk… in this way, the body can recover in a healthy way and you can reach your goals.

Myths about exercise

In addition to the question of being allowed to eat whatever you want after sport, there are other exercise-related myths that are worth knowing.

1. Stretching before improves performance

In fact, stretching before exercise prevents us from hurting ourselves if our muscles or tendons are “cold”. But it has nothing to do with performance.

Visit this article: Tibetan Exercises to Work All Your Muscles in 10 Minutes

2. When you stop training, what used to be muscle becomes fat

If you don’t go to the gym anymore, you will lose muscle mass and your metabolism will decrease. Over time you can gain weight, but in no time your muscles will become fat because they are two different types of tissue.

3. If the scale shows more pounds it is because you are gaining weight

This may sound obvious, but it’s not. In reality, it all depends on our goal and the type of training we do. Fat and muscle do not have the same density. So if you weigh the same or more, it could be because you’ve burned fat and increased muscle.

Now that you know it’s best to eat something healthy after exercise, we recommend that you find out which ones are best for achieving your goals. Well, it’s not the same to want to gain muscle mass and lose weight.