Run down after Working Out - help!

I just started working out / counting calories again recently ( a few weeks ago), and I noticed that after I work out, if I don't eat quickly, I feel really fatigued, my head hurts, and I have a stomachache. 

I typically work out at 3pm until 3:45 or 4ish, doing 20 mins elliptical, 15 bike, and weightlifting.  I eat lunch at around noon and don't usually eat until dinner after that.  I'm around 1500 - 1700 cals / day.

Is this just a problem of not having enough food in my stomach, because I find if I work out after a snack I feel strange, too.  Should I be sneaking in an energy bar or apple with peanut butter directly after working out, or... I don't know!  It just sucks because when I get home it's around 4:15 and I hate to "spoil" dinner by eating so close to it (I work 6-8pm as well as before 3 - so there's no other chance of changing around dinner).  I typically drink around 2L of water while exercising.

Thanks for your input!

WHOA.  I think for me that would be way WAY too much water intake while excersizing.  Your body is already working hard exercising I would think that much water intake during excersize would seriously bog you down and make you feel sluggish and its more than likely why you have a stomache ache too. 

Wait until you are done excersizing to start drinking water.  There is no need to drink that much while working out.

Whoa.  I get super dehydrated while I'm exercising.  My mouth feels all... needing a drink and when I breathe through my mouth (more often than I'd like, I try to do the breathe through nose / out mouth) it feels dry.  I would hate to NOT drink water.

I assumed drinking H20 was good for you...?

I drink a ton of water during the day anyway... like at least 12 cups (or 3 nalgene bottles) worth.

Have I been in the wrong all this time? 

Definately too much water.  You should really eat something at least an hour before working out.  I always just eat a tbls of peanut butter to give you body just a little bit of a pick me up.

Drinking water is really good for you.  its just your body should be concentrating on getting through your work out instead of processing all that water.  For a 1 hour work out I maybe take 2 trips to the water fountian for a couple of gulps and then drink a big glass after I am done.  Drink a lot of water during the day but let you body do one thing at a time when you work out

I agree with agana that maybe less water during the workout would be good. But I would also suggest a snack right after your workout... even though it's close to dinner. Also, think about going back in and reevaluating your calorie intake given that kind of workout... 1500 seems a bit low, or it would be low for me.

absolutely... way too much water. As an athlete (hockey player, surprise surprise) during an intense 2 hour practice - and I mean intense, this is high level stuff - we used to lose 2-3 kg of sweat per practice, and the MAX that anyone would ever drink was 2 liters. usually more like 1 to 1.5. For you to drink that much in one hour, even if your workout is intense, is probably dangerous, it could dilute your sodium and potassium levels too much. I think drinking one liter in that timeframe should be your MAX, try for about 500 ml.

It does sound like a lot of water, BUT I caution to tell you to cut it way down. It's always wise to drink if you feel you need to. Plus certain meds can make you need more water, if you are unfit you may require more, if it's hot you need more. And I do think some of us are camels and some of us are not. I drink 1 bottle of water during a 30 minute run. I am always thirsty too and when I've tried to run without water, I get exhausted and headachy very quickly. I definetly need more water during a workout, if I haven't had much in the hours before it.

Anyway, back to your original question:

It's very important to eat within an hour - and no longer - of a workout. The reason for this is that this is when your muscles are most receptive to sucking up glucose and storing it as glyocogen, for the next day's workout.

It needn't be a full meal. What I do is eat, say, a small nonfat yogurt and a small banana. That's about right - make sure the snack is carb-rich, and has a bit of protein too. You will not be spoiling dinner.

On days I don't eat within an hour, I get headachy, feel exhausted, etc. Actually yesterday was just like that: I'd run up to the dentist, and then ran home afterwards. I wasn't supposed to eat for awhile. So I didn't eat for several hours. And the rest of the day i felt like crap.

What's more, the next day's workout is a lot harder!!

So experiment and play around with it, and see if it doesn't help to eat within an hour after your workout.

P.s., you should probably have your blood sugar tested. If you are constantly dehydrated and drink a lot of water, you might be diabetic or prediabetic.

Maybe try to switch up your routine or take a week off. i have heard it said on here every three or four weeks your body needs some time to rejuvenate and revamp. If you have issues with hydration I would say drink about 2 liters of water right before bed. We dont drink at ight and our bodies get dehydrated. So to keep water in your system drinking a bunch at ight might help. See a docot becuase of the diabetes thing. And dont drink less water. I caution agianst limiting the amount of water you drink. if you are thirsty drink.

I dont know how many times I have aid this on here but I will say it agian. I am an emt. I know a of emt's I was a medic in the army. Of all that time I have only heard of one case just one where someone drank to much water. And he only drnk to much becuase he had on OCD for water. Be worried more about dehydration becuase I have seen a lot of cases of that. And it is more common by about 500,000 to 1.

I agree with Angel. In August, I took two whole weeks off of running. I was on vacation. We still walked a lot - but I didn't do any formal or purposeful exercise and my running sneakers gathered dust.

When I returned, it took only 2-3 runs to get back into the swing of things, and I discovered that my pace dropped a full minute!! Go figure.

And I also agree with Angel about the water drinking. I'm not an EMT but from what I understand, the people who died of drinking too much water were drinking water according to a schedule, rather than their experience of thirst and listening to their bodies. This is because we've been told in recent years that if you wait until you feel thirst, it's too late, which was the wrong advice!!

Don't wait until after you exercise to drink.  That person is wrong.  You need to drink at least every 15 min while you exercise.  The important thing is not to upset your stomach.  2 L may be too much in 45 min.  Take small sips frequently and if your stomach starts hurting slow down on the water or stop exercising if you're too dehydrated not to drink.  One experiment is just to take a slow walk for 45 min but down 2 L in the process.  If your stomach still hurts you'll know it's from the water.

While you get into better shape your body will be more efficient and you won't need as much water - so it won't be stressful on your stomach to exercise.

If by chance it's not the water I would look at your nutrient intake.  Your calories sound sufficient for the exercise you do (assuming you're not supposed to eat 2500 calories or more to maintain your body weight) but you may be missing vitamins, minerals or electrolytes.  Try taking a multivitamin, eating more veggies and mixing gatorade into your workout water (1:2 ratio of gatorade to water) to see if any of it helps.  It may take alot of research and a few weeks for you to feel better but in the meantime if you start hurting, stop.  Your body hurts when it is suffering, and if it's suffering then it won't be able to recover from the exercise you do, so it won't be as benenficial.

Good luck!

I'd be concerned about diabetes as well.

Drinking too much water can dilute your sodium and potassium, as was already pointed out, and this is very important to keep in mind.  So a couple things I would try and see if they help are:

Before working out, say an hour before, have a half a small gatorade or something similar and half a banana.  Then after working out, have the rest to replenish your electrolytes. 

During a workout, if you get thirsty, which is normal, have a couple of small, slow, swigs of water -- don't chug it.  You may find that a small amount of water is more than enough to take away the dryness/thirst feeling and you can avoid over diluting your electrolytes. 

Make sure that you get around 500 mg sodium in your diet.  That is generally considered the minimum average a person needs to function properly.

If you sweat lots you need water.  Simple as that.  There is no set amount as some people produce more sweat than others, because of a hotter gym, harder exercise or just the way their body works.  If you are feeling thirsty, drink more.  I agree with all those who said take small sips though.  Also if you eat within an hour after exercise, it will stop you feeling so drained.  A banana or a bit of toast is ideal.  I also find that if i don't eat before exercise i feel ill so a small snack beforehand may also help.  however, don't overdo it or you will feel worse.

 

Back to your eating dilemma, if you get home @ 4:15 p.m., and go to work @ 6 p.m., and it generally takes 15-45 mins to cook a meal, why not start making dinner when you get home and eat dinner around 5?  It's within the "hour" window when you should eat after exercise, and should keep you full until you get off work.  If you feel that you start getting headachy before 5 p.m., make your salad first and eat that while the rest of your dinner is cooking.