Post-cardio meal ideas?

Hey everyone, fellow fitness enthusiasts and people who actually care about staying active.

So, here’s the deal: I’ve put on about 22 pounds and it needs to come off. I hit the gym starting February 1st and I’ve been training based on my current fitness level and whatever my body can handle when it comes to strength work.

I set up a meal plan with three meals a day. Breakfast at 11:00 AM, lunch at 3:00 PM, and dinner at 7:00 PM.

I’ve cut out pizza, fast food, McDonald's, sweets, alcohol, coffee, and soda.

The menu is pretty standard. I don't follow a hyper-specific diet plan, but I make sure to include carbs, protein, and fats. It’s mostly eggs, grits, canned tuna, chicken, turkey, and rice—though I’ll occasionally have a sandwich with some deli ham, salami, or cheese. I figure having those twice a week won't kill me. Naturally, the portions are much smaller now. Sometimes it feels like I’m barely eating more than a single bite.

I head to the gym after dinner, about an hour later, around 8:00 PM.

I start with strength training first—hitting arms, legs, chest, back, and so on.
Then I move into an hour of cardio via power walking. I start at a 9.0 incline and 5.0 speed. It’s a solid workout; it isn't overly taxing, but it burns roughly 800 calories. I stick to this routine Monday through Friday, take Saturdays off, and use Sundays for a light jog.

My main question is: what should I be eating after a session like that? For the first three days, I just had two oranges and a glass of yogurt, but today I grabbed a protein bar. That’s roughly 200 calories.

I’d appreciate serious responses only.

I forgot to mention that I'm currently between jobs, which is just another strike against me.

Hi there. I suppose you’ve been a bit vague about all of this..

So, you're hitting the gym, which is great, and your goal is weight loss....

To get where you want to be, it really comes down to a calorie deficit; basically, you'll need to consume fewer calories than your body actually burns..

Since you're also doing cardio, I guess you have a little more breathing room with your caloric intake..

The list of what you eat doesn't tell us much yet, since you didn't mention any portions, just the types of food...

1. You should probably check the total calorie count for everything. I wouldn't suggest going below 2,000, given how active you are, though if you can lose weight eating more than that, that might be even better for your progress..

2. What you choose to eat after your workout depends on what you ate beforehand—meaning, how many calories you have left for the day... BUT, since you did both weights and cardio, it would be IDEAL to get some protein and maybe some...

Just fruit and yogurt isn't quite enough, I think. I'd probably opt for a solid meal with more protein; fruit is fine, maybe two or three pieces, but it all depends on your daily total again..

So, I guess the answer is a bit complicated.

Larry Phillips72 said:Hey. You're being pretty vague about all this...

Alright, you're hitting the gym, which is a good start, and your goal is weight loss...

To get where you want to be, it really just comes down to a caloric deficit—meaning you have to consume fewer calories than your body burns...

Since you've added cardio into the mix, you actually have a bit more breathing room with your food intake...

The list of what you eat doesn't tell me much because you haven't mentioned quantities; you've just listed types of food...

1. Figure out the total calorie count for everything. Personally, I wouldn't drop below 2,000, especially since you're quite active. If you can lose weight while eating more than that, even better, because it gives you more fuel to make progress.

2. What you eat post-workout depends on what you ate earlier in the day—basically, how much wiggle room you have left in your daily limit. But since you're doing both weights and cardio, it would be OPTIMAL to hit some protein and maybe some...

Just fruit and yogurt won't cut it. I’d aim for a solid meal with higher protein content. Fruit is fine—you could have two or three pieces—but again, it all circles back to your total daily calories...

So, there isn't a simple answer. It's a bit more complex than that.

Thnx for the response and the advice. Let's put it this way: I've been sticking to under 1,000 calories a day since I started training. I've cut bread down to an absolute bare minimum—just two or three slices of whole wheat at most per day. I didn't specify amounts before, but I was trying to say I barely eat anything to stave off hunger.
I should also mention I eat a fair amount of soup. Like I said, I'm capping it at a maximum of 1,000 calories a day.

My plan for the next three or four months is to ramp up the intensity on the treadmill. Right now, I'm at a 9 incline and 5 speed; next month I'll bump it to 9 incline and 5.2 speed. In March, I'm aiming for 9.5 incline and 5.2, and by April, I want to hit 9.5 incline and 5.5 speed.

hollowsailor19 said:Look, let's just say I've been eating maybe 1,000 calories a day since I started hitting the gym.

What

What? 1,000 calories? That's going to spike your levels immediately, which I guess could be pretty risky for your health.

What could possibly be dangerous about that? Someone who thinks three slices of bread constitutes a "minimalist diet" isn't just failing to hit their calorie goals—they're fundamentally bad at math.

Then they probably don't know how to track their intake properly. I guess anything under 2,000 calories would be incorrect given this level of activity.

quietharbor50 said:What’s actually dangerous isn't just the calorie deficit; it's the math. When someone claims they're eating "the absolute bare minimum" but their idea of three slices of bread somehow fails to add up to 1,000 calories, they aren't just undercounting—they're completely delusional about the numbers.

Larry Phillips72 said:Then they clearly don't know how to do basic math. Given that level of activity, anything under 2,000 calories would be a total mistake.

Trust me, there’s a math error somewhere in here. Four slices of whole wheat toast come out to about 266 calories—that's based on the 100g serving size listed on the box. That’s basically my daily bread allotment. Once I add everything else up, I’m landing somewhere between 500 and 1,000 calories a day.

I know it’s risky and honestly pretty minimal, but like I said, I'm not working right now. I can't bank on burning off a ton of calories at the office like I used to.

Thanks to The Terminator for the advice. 👍

You’re burning somewhere around 1,700 to 2,000 calories just existing—and that’s if you spent all 24 hours lying on the couch staring at a wall. I guess any daily intake that falls below your basal metabolic rate is actually pretty bad for your weight loss goals. Food isn't the enemy here.

hollowsailor19 said:I forgot to mention I’m currently unemployed, so that’s another strike against me.

It depends on your perspective. The downside is you aren't moving much and life can get pretty dull. The upside? You have all the time in the world for training, and your recovery days are actually productive because you can just rest. No stress, plenty of sleep. It's a trade-off.

@hollowsailor19/">@@hollowsailor19, what kind of crazy 500-1,000 calorie daily limit are you talking about???
How did you and everyone else figure out that’s seriously dangerous for your health? Yeah, you’ll lose weight for sure, but you’re gonna torch all your muscle mass too, and your strength and cardio will just tank... Calculate your basal metabolic rate plus your activity level—training or just moving around—then subtract maybe 500 calories from that total. That’s your daily target. I bet your math lands somewhere around 2,000 calories, maybe even higher. Don't go looking for instant results; do this the right way. Make sure you're hitting your protein goals, too. Bottom line: don't freak out over calories and starve yourself like that. Plenty of people end up with anorexia doing exactly that...

The Terminator diet.

hollowsailor19 said:Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well and staying active.

So, here’s the deal:

I usually hit the gym after dinner—about an hour later, so around 8 PM.

My question is, what should I be eating after a workout like that? For the first three days, I just had two oranges and a glass of yogurt, but tonight I grabbed a protein bar. That’s roughly 200 calories.

I’d really appreciate some serious advice on this.

Wait, you're training after dinner?
If dinner is your last big meal of the day, snacking late at night right before bed isn't really great for anyone, especially if you're trying to burn off some extra fat.

Ideally, you’d want to move your workout earlier, maybe sometime before 8 PM.
If you can't change your schedule, though, I’d suggest rearranging your other meals so you don't actually have to eat anything after your workout. That’s what I would do, even if some gym "rulebook" tells you that you absolutely need a protein shake immediately after lifting.

Look, 6oz of low-fat cottage cheese and some turkey deli meat with a tomato—what else do you even need for dinner? It's loaded with protein and definitely won't make you gain weight. 🤣

Calories don't really matter in isolation—it's the weekly average that counts.

If you feel like you've been slipping lately—just take one "light" day to reset and call it a day.

For example, I'm running a 500 calorie deficit right now—my TDEE is sitting around 2500.

I'm hitting 2000.

Sometimes I go over, especially on the weekends.

But then on Monday, I'll drop down to 1200-1500 calories—and it all evens out in the end.

Yesterday I ate 1300 kcal and crushed a 60-minute full-body lifting session—6 exercises, 3 sets of 5.

And even while cutting, my weight is dropping and my bench, deadlift, and squat numbers are actually going up. 👍

I'm just gonna grab two hard-boiled eggs and whip up about 200g of rice with some peas 👍