Eat before or after workout?

kayleexbabeex

So I thought it would be more ideal to have a piece of fruit etc before I workout but some people are suggesting it's better afterwards. So just wondering what do you do?

malibu927

Either or. Some do better working out on an empty stomach, others like to eat beforehand.

TavistockToad

Both!

not_a_runner

Both.
Just don't eat too much too close to the workout. Not fun.
I do a small snack before and large meal after.

Docbanana2002

I have been known to eat, before, during AND after..... Once I ran a 29 minute 5k while simultaneously eating a half dozen glazed donuts ha ha. (It was a silly challenge).

But seriously, it depends on a lot of factors. What types of workouts you are doing and with what goal? How long and how intense and how many calories burned? Are they usually timed so that you are hungry before starting (like working out after work but right before dinner) or at a time when you are full or neutral (in the morning after breakfast)? How does your body react to eating food before/during exercise? Do you experience any weakness/dizziness during your workout or stalled progress that might indicate your nutrition needs tweaking?

In general, you want fuel your body sufficiently for your activity level and get plenty of macro and micronutrients in your day. Bodybuilders tend to give more attention to optimizing protein intake in general, especially in the period after the workout, to support muscle growth. Runners and cyclists and other cardio obsessed types like myself tend to pay special attention to carb intake in the hours before and during long training runs in order to make sure we have enough fuel to sustain high intensity activity for a long period of time and not wilt midway. And of course have a nice balanced meal after, to replenish. For just regular walks and hikes and short runs and medium intensity workouts I don't even worry about doing anything special for my nutrition beyond just preferring to not exercise while at either extreme--very hungry or very stuffed--due to personal comfort. Some people are more sensitive to pre/during workout eating and will have nausea or stomach cramps after even a small snack. Me...not so much, I wasn't even affected by the half dozen donuts other than sucking a few fragments down the windpipe due to trying to chew and breathe simultaneously ha ha.

johnnylloyd0618

yes

roamingtiger

Both. I eat something one hour before, and protein within 30 minutes after the workout.

janicelo1971

both

TanyaHooton

I eat a banana or apple, usually a banana, before working out. I performance better with something in there, but I very specifically have go eat something small and...squishy. if the exercise involves any bending ocer, being upside down, squashing my belly like yoga positions or some core exercises, then I'll get vomitous. So bananas work best.

I try to eat protein afterward. I also go crazy with water. I can't drink much water during ir before, same reason as above. Makes me nauseous.

sijomial

Either, neither or both.

__TMac__

If it's a performance-type workout (intervals, race pace, etc.), I eat about 150-200 cal of carbs and protein before and after. If it's just moderate cardio, I work out fasted, and eat afterward. Experiment on yourself and see what works.

cwolfman13

Whatever floats your boat...

ninerbuff

Matter of preference. For me, I work out fasted. Then I'll eat like an hour or so after working out.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Sara1791

Both. Mostly carbs about 30-40 minutes before and mostly protein immediately following.

Sara1791

TanyaHooton wrote: »

I eat a banana or apple, usually a banana, before working out. I performance better with something in there, but I very specifically have go eat something small and...squishy. if the exercise involves any bending ocer, being upside down, squashing my belly like yoga positions or some core exercises, then I'll get vomitous. So bananas work best.

I try to eat protein afterward. I also go crazy with water. I can't drink much water during ir before, same reason as above. Makes me nauseous.

Yeah, this too.

spiriteagle99

It depends on time of day and how intense the workout is.

I rarely run first thing in the morning. If I do, I'll have a cup of coffee first and something very light. If I'm hungry, at any time of day, I'll eat a banana or a glass of juice. For a short easy run, I can eat something half an hour to an hour before and be fine. For a long or hard run, it needs to be a couple of hours between a meal and running. I only eat afterwards if it's meal time or if I've done a hard/long run.

rybo

Whatever you prefer as it doesn't really matter. Personally if I am doing anything strenuous, I can't have eaten any time soon or I'll feel it.

lseed87

Both. I have something small before and more protein filled food afterwards. Also a postworkout protein depending how hard I go

cgvet37

I fuel throughout the day.

Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Snack
Gym
Protein shake
Dinner
Snack

trudie_b

Docbanana2002 wrote: »

I have been known to eat, before, during AND after.....

Me too!! I generally go to the gym around noon, so I've already had breakfast, and won't make it through a hard hours workout fasted, so I take a banana with me and have bites every ten minutes or so. Then when I get home I eat lunch.

But I'm not the sort of person who can go more than a couple of hours without eating, I get low blood sugar. My husband on the other hand can go all day without eating, and is fine working out on an empty stomach. We're all different. You have to find out what your body works best on.

steph2strong

Ideally, I like to workout 2 hours after a nice hearty breakfast, then eat lunch within an hour of finishing the workout. I used to only workout in a fasted state but can no longer tolerate that, i find my performance greatly suffers.

SingingSingleTracker

kayleexbabeex wrote: »

So I thought it would be more ideal to have a piece of fruit etc before I workout but some people are suggesting it's better afterwards. So just wondering what do you do?

I eat before, during, and after. Today's ride is only 4 hours (probably about 55-65 miles). Big breakfast before I go, and I chow down on something every 30 minutes during the ride, and have a nice post recovery meal.

JBApplebee

I eat after, but that's because I get up & go to the gym first thing in the morning.

__TMac__

It depends on the purpose of my workout. If it's a performance-type workout (intervals, race pace, etc.), then I split breakfast into two and eat about 150 calories of carb and protein before and after. I can't get through the workout otherwise. If it's an easy day, I workout fasted and eat the whole breakfast after.

sardelsa

Before, during and after if I am lifting