Medical Reports: Fattening Gym Snacks

WSVN -- Stephanie Happ: "I used to spend about two hours a day in the gym."

Before each work out, she would head straight to the gym's snack bar, loading up on protein bars and smoothies.

Stephanie Happ: "With a smoothie I really felt it had the fruits, and I packed it with protein."

Stephanie thought she was giving her body an extra boost.

It turns out those pre-workout snacks were the exact reason she wasn't seeing any change in her body.

Stephanie Happ: "I was absolutely consuming too many calories."

Look at what we found at this gym snack bar: cake, cookies, chips. Most of us know to stay way from that stuff, but there are some foods at the gym that aren't as obvious.

Yvonne Castaneda: "Look at what you're eating, don't assume it's going to be good for you."

Smoothies are one of the biggest offenders. Most contain 400 to 500 calories, and if you add protein, tack on even more.

Yvonne Castaneda: "For the average person who has a sedentary lifestyle, they're probably not going to burn more than 200-300 calories every time they come to the gym, so again, a 500-600 calorie smoothie is a mistake."

Protein bars can also be a no-no. Unless you're a body builder or spend hours at the gym, they can contain loads of calories you don't need.

Yvonne Castaneda: "A lot of the protein bars, although they are good, they are high-calorie, high-sugar, high-carbohydrates."

Trainers suggest fruit, like oranges for a workout pick-me-up.

And look for other ways to get protein besides those bars.

Yvonne Castaneda: "So here we have some hard-boiled eggs, great source of protein. Have one yolk and the rest just eat the whites."

How you keep hydrated at the gym can also hinder your exercise plan. Trainers say to avoid energy drinks and even flavored water.

Yvonne Castaneda: "I strongly recommend you look at the sugar content. Most of those drinks have 2.5 servings, so you have to multiply that sugar by two and a half."

Stephanie has backed off her old eating routine, and her trips to the gym are now doing what they're supposed to do.

Yvonne Castaneda: "By cutting out the energy bars, by cutting out the protein shakes, focusing more on fresh fruits, I have been able to get a 20-pound weight loss."

Trainers say before you snack on something at the gym, think about what you've eaten all day. Add it all up, and you'll see how a high-calorie snack could put you way over the limit of what you're burning at the gym.