Hi there,

My birthday is coming up on August 4th and I was planning to eat a fairly large Maple Bacon cupcake that day. I also happen to have a Zumba class from 6-7 on the same day. Is there a best/better time to eat the cupcake (in relation to when I exercise/time of day)? I go to sleep by about 10pm, if that's relevant.

~Evastover

Happy Early B'day Wishes!!

Personally, I suggest NEVER, easy for me to say cause it's not my b'day! Exercising is not going to makeup for eating cake cause you Can't Outrun the Fork!

Can you find a none eating way to celebrate your b'day?? A nice mani/pedi, expensive piece of jewelry or a new outfit or all 3 'cause you deserve it since it's your B'day!

Whatever you decide, wishing you much success on your journey to a healthier YOU!

Piling on and agreeing with Jo that the best time to eat the cupcake is never.

Will one cupcake kill you? No. But if it doesn't derail you it WILL train your mind that you can eat a cupcake and get away with it. Then, the next time you see something carby you want your brain will remind you that you can get away with it. Then, the next time....and the next.....and so on until you either gain weight or get yourself back to a place where you don't eat carbage.

I speak from first hand experience of nearly throwing away 4 years at goal because of "getting away with it" occasionally - until I didn't any more.

What is a Maple bacon cupcake, anyway? Is it a low carb version? Can you make a scrumptious flax muffin-in-a-minute loaded with cheddar, bacon and chopped green onion, instead?

Evastover, I hope you stick around! I've had a "normal" desert a couple of times, and it didn't derail me, but you have to know yourself. But the time that I did have a good-size portion (someone else served me), I felt almost nauseous afterwards, and it wasn't really that enjoyable. My husband had bad gas all night from the same desert--too much sugar. So be careful if you've been eating "clean" for a while. And be aware that you may not find it as delectable as it sounds.

But to answer your actual question, the best time to eat it would be post-workout, ideally a glycogen-depleting one.

Thank you!!!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday and ENJOY your maple bacon cupcake which, by the way, sounds DELISH.

Just a quick note- I lost a pound the day after I ate the cupcake! :P