Did I make a huge mistake here?? Did I blow my workout?? sad...

Okay so I had a GREAT day today in terms of eating and working out.

And after working out (cardio and lifting), I decided to have an apple (medium sized). Then.... I had one of those optimum Slim-Fast shakes (190 cals), but I drank like 80% of it. Then I had a very thin slice of whole grain wheat bread (~60 cals), then as a halloween treat, I had a fun-sized 3 musketeers (63 cals). So in total, I probably had 300 calories.... it was healthy (besides the funsized 3 musketeers but it was a small treat), but I just feel a little down. I burned around 450 cals from working out and I just feel like it kind of went to waste :(  Although I heard that it's necessary to have a protein/carb enriched post-workout snack/meal. Heck, even the sample ones listed on Fitness.com are like 250 cals each! I need some help here! I get discouraged easily as you can tell....  :/

bump bump

Ok, I'll say this for perspective: You're making way too big a deal of it.  I'm sure you were still planning on eating more after your workout, right?  So, that's just part of the daily calories.  Until you start really going over what you set calorie goal is per day, you're fine.  I do some strength training and after am super hungry because of it.  It's the body's way of saying it needs some sort of nourishment.  It means you were listening to your body.  That's always a good thing.

Original Post by liza413:

Ok, I'll say this for perspective: You're making way too big a deal of it.  I'm sure you were still planning on eating more after your workout, right?  So, that's just part of the daily calories.  Until you start really going over what you set calorie goal is per day, you're fine.  I do some strength training and after am super hungry because of it.  It's the body's way of saying it needs some sort of nourishment.  It means you were listening to your body.  That's always a good thing.

Yes. liza413 is right.

Food is food. There are better choices that we can make (whole grains, veggies, etc.) and less "saintly" food choices (potato chips, candy, etc.). All of it feeds and nourishes our bodies, although I would argue that a twinkie has very lttile nutritional value.

That said, I suggest you keep two things in mind. 1) One of the reasons that most of us work out -- in addition to the health and body benefits -- is to have a bit more wiggle room in our diets. So you ate more than you thought you should. From what you've written, the choices weren't even that bad. I eat chocolate 3 or 4 nights a week. I plan for it (calorie wise) and enjoy every darn bite. Keeps me sane. Same with wine and REAL italian pecorino cheese. 2) A single day won't make or break your diet. It's the weekly deficit that matters. 

So lighten up on yourself. You're human, you're working out and you deserve to enjoy what you're eating and not feel guilty about it.

One more thing quick: you can't BLOW your workout in my humble opinion. Working out is a cumulative good for your body and your mind. It's not just a question of burning 500 calories with working out -- working out helps increase your metabolism, helps your body burn fat, helps your muscles get stronger and more efficient. This is the true benefit from working out and it is something that is much more "lasting" than the simple 500 calories you burn in any given day.

other than the 3 musketeers (which is a reasonable indulgence), your post workout snack was great. (You really can afford to eat more after a work out! your body would have been tapping into its reserve energy sources, and a good meal after your workout would really help to replenish those)

some good things to have after a workout would be some easy to digest protein (your shake should do it), and some carb stuff that breaks down more easily (your apple) so that you can restore the glycogen in your body (reserve energy) that was used up during your workout! it sounds like you picked out really healthy stuff too, so don't beat yourself up for it!

also, the benefits of a workout really isn't weight loss! it's about getting fitter, improving your blood circulation, becoming more mentally alert, revving up your body, and feeling much better generally! (: besides, to build up that muscle tone from working out (especially lifting), you'd probably need to eat more as well!