Is it okay to exercise after a heavy meal?
Last night, we celebrated dad’s Chinese birthday and had a seafood feast. And, I’m afraid that I will gained weight. So, I planned to exercise after that meal just before going to bed. Like, doing the Jane Fonda’s Step Aerobics video. But, I googled and found that…
“… if you’ve eaten a lot, then exercising after eating a meal isn’t a good idea - when you eat, a significant amount of blood is diverted to the stomach and intestines to help digestion. This means that less blood is available for muscles, and as a result, you may experience cramping.”
“Going for a brisk walk shortly after eating is much more feasible than taking a strenuous high impact class…”
Reference: Exercising after eating a meal
So, I decided not to do the Jane Fonda but instead walk around the house for 30 minutes.
I’m afraid I am a obsess with weighing scale. Every morning, I would check my weight to see my progress. I know it’s not a good habit. I should just checked my weight on a weekly basis. But, I just can’t help it. Last night, after that heavy meal I stepped on the weighing scale and…. I’m 221.54. Wow, I gained 1.5 pounds? But, alas there’s nothing to be worried about it’s just water weight it would go away. I know that a pound is 3,500 calories. And, my “heavy meal” is not a 3,500 calories. More, I was calmed down by this article.
“….. if you’re talking about one special meal, don’t despair. If your scale shows an increase of 3 pounds after one “celebration” meal, perhaps with a few cocktails, it’s water weight, not actual fat. It will disappear in a few days, if you just return to your healthy eating habits.
To gain a pound, you need to consume 3500 more calories than you burn. Three pounds would be 10,500 calories, or about the amount in 5 pounds of prime rib, 10 “loaded” baked potatoes, a gallon of salad with bleu cheese dressing, PLUS 4 servings of chocolate mousse.
A wise suggestion is to weigh yourself once per week, not immediately after a heavy meal.”
Reference: If you gain up to three pounds off of one meal what should you do?