Dear Laura... I'm Struggling To Get Off The Couch After a Workout - HELP!

Welcome to ‘Dear Laura’ - a monthly column where I fashion myself as an agony aunt and answer the questions that readers submit. If you’d like to send in a question for me to answer next month, you can submit it here.

I’m happy to answer Qs about anti-diet nutrition, developing a more peaceful relationship to food and weight-inclusive health, annoying diet trends and news stories, body image challenges, and, of course, challenges with feeding your kiddos. Please give as much detail as you’re comfortable with and let me know if you’d like me to include your name or keep it anon.

Please remember that these answers are for educational purposes only and are not a substitute for medical or nutritional advice; please speak to your GP or a qualified nutrition professional if you need further support.

This month I'm answering two questions. Let's get into the first one:

I would love some ideas for post-workout recovery foods with the caveat that I am a fat person who has just started going to the gym for the first time in years and I go because I enjoy the movement/me-time/stress release and (for the first time in my life) not with the goal of losing weight. I've found that removing that intention and pressure has made it really enjoyable for me to lift heavy and actually do cardio, but I finish up and just want to collapse on the sofa for hours afterwards. Unfortunately I have to work so I would love some recommendations for easy things that I can grab to restore my energy levels afterwards. And I'd like to add that your newsletter has played a big part in me getting to this point where I'm doing something like this for my own enjoyment rather than societal pressure. So thank you!

Thank you for this great question and I’m really glad you’re in a place where you can move your body on your own terms and not because diet-culture is trying to convince you to make yourself smaller.

I also know that depleted can’t-get-off-the-sofa feeling after a workout that makes the rest of the day feel like a total write-off. 

I know you’re asking about post-workout snacks, but my experience working with people over the years is that often we’re not fuelling properly before a workout. Here’s a fun story I don’t think I’ve told before. Back in like 2017, I worked on a BBC1 documentary called Mind Over Marathon. It followed a group of 10 people who were training for the London Marathon as a way of supporting their mental health; obviously a problematic narrative but it made compelling TV. The participants worked with a couple of running coaches, there was a psychologist, and me, about as far from a sports nutritionist as you can get. It didn’t matter though, because when I tell you these folks didn’t have even the fundamentals down, I mean there was one woman doing The Body Coach low-carb whatever the fuck while training for a marathon.

My job was mostly to convince people to eat more, to stop trying to diet, and to explain that part of the reason they kept getting injured was because they weren’t eating enough.

I remember asking one participant about their pre-run fuelling. Now this guy was a yoga teacher, super athletic kinda dude. Thought he had it sussed. But he said he was hitting a wall in his long runs. A’igh brah, tell me what you eat before you go out. Oh, you have a granola bar after your run? Cool, that’ll do it. I asked him if he would drive a car without petrol. He obviously would not. And it’s the same thing here.

Where I see this most acutely is where people wake up and work out first thing in the morning. I get this instinct: it’s good to get it out of the way, it fits in with your schedule, it sets you up for the day etc… AND because it can be hard to eat first thing, people tend to workout on an empty stomach. But the problem then becomes that you end up in what’s known as a relative energy deficiency. You don’t have enough energy available to cover your needs and you end up feeling depleted for the rest of the day. This is also what happens when we’re dieting and eating like a little bird all day and why you might suddenly feel ravenous at 7pm and find yourself elbow-deep in a can of Pringles (no shade, just sayin’). Our energy needs are often a little higher in the morning (partly because you haven’t eaten overnight) and I so often see people under-fuelling themselves because of this. So first of all, and more important than worrying about specifics is this: eat enough. If you’re not sure how, give this a read.

When it comes to pre-workout meals and snacks, we want carbs that are going to fuel the workout. If you’re getting up and going to workout straight away and all you can manage is a banana, then fine. That’s better than nothing. But if you have time to let some toast and peanut butter or some granola with yoghurt digest, even better. Everyone is different but a snack/light meal 1-2 hours beforehand tends to work well. If it’s a bigger meal like a bowl of pasta, then you might want to give it 3 hours (which doesn’t really work for mornings but for afternoon/evening workouts).

When it comes to post-workout snacks, refuelling is also important. Like we recently discussed, a high(ish) protein meal or snack could be helpful here to help with muscle synthesis and recovery (especially if you're lifting). That said, some carbs are also helpful to prevent that completely drained feeling: something like eggs on toast or a bean burrito with cheese would be great. If you don’t want a full meal then a smoothie or bar is a great option to grab-and-go. 

Here are some more pre and post workout suggestions. Some go in both columns, but in general, you want carbs to fuel your workout and protein to support recovery. For more ideas, see our Gentle Nutrition Guide to Getting More Protein.

Pre-workout snacks or light meals:

Toast/bagels/muffins/crumpets/any bread item with spreads or fillings

Porridge/granola/cereal with milk or yoghurt

Bananas or apples with nut butter

Fruit salad and yoghurt

Energy bars/balls, cereal bars, malt loaf

Crackers, oat cakes with cheese/ham/spread

A Gentle Nutrition Guide to Getting More Protein

We do gainz differently

Can I Have Another Snack?Laura Thomas

Post-workout snacks or light meals:

Yoghurt with cereal/granola and fruit

Sandwiches with tuna/sliced meats/cheese/egg/hummus/avocado

Smoothies made with yoghurt/milk/plant-based milk

Eggs/nut butter and banana on toast 

Energy balls/nutty cereal bars to snack on with milky hot drinks/lattes

Here's our second reader question:

Hiya Laura - I remember on an episode a while back you mentioned about how one of the boundaries around food that you have in your home with your son is (something along the lines of) not wasting food. That's a huge value of mine... one my 3 year old is constantly testing. How do you make it work in real life? For background - I have a (very independent, refuses to be spoon fed) just-turned-1 year old and a classic picky eater 3 year old. Both are in nursery/preschool full time so midweek mornings are a rush. Midweek breakfast is a choice of cereal/fruit/yoghurt/toast. The 1 year old always has toast or banana sticks and yoghurt because I can give her that and she'll eat it by herself. 3 year old gets a choice - but inevitably makes her choice, then sees that either I or the baby have something else (still from the cereal/fruit/yog/toast lineup - I'm not giving her Weetabix then whipping up Nutella pancakes for me or anything!) and refuses to eat what she chose and wants what we have. I inevitably give in because I want her to eat something before she goes off for the day but it drives me crazy that we then waste a perfectly good breakfast portion. Sometimes I can save it for later, like if she's chosen Weetabix I can pot it and the baby might have it as an afternoon snack, but let's be honest, no one is eating 6 hour old cornflakes and milk. I don't want me and the baby to be bound by her choice each day (let's face it, the babe will have her own opinions on what she wants to eat soon enough!) but sometimes it feels like it would just be easier to let her dictate the menu for us all. Help please! Thank you.