Exercising before or after eating?!

PocahonTee_
PocahonTee_ Posts: 8 Member
edited November 14 in Fitness and Exercise
Which is more effective? Exercising after a meal or before your next meal?

Replies

  • _runnerbean_
    _runnerbean_ Posts: 640 Member
    Both would burn the same amount of calories. However I find if I exercise straight after a meal I get a stitch in my stomach- too long after a meal and I feel faint. A gap of about 2 hours after a meal is perfect - you may have to experiment to find your own perfect timings.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,745 Member
    Effective in what sense?

    I usually run either an hour or two after breakfast or an hour after lunch. I like to give my meal some time to digest before I head out. Sometimes I run just before dinner. If I'm going long and hard, I'll wait two hours before running. I don't like running first thing in the morning unless it's a very short run (i.e. on vacation) because I need time to wake up. If I'm doing an exercise dvd or stationary bike, I'll do it an hour or two before dinner because that's a convenient time or me. By the time I'm done and showered, it's time to start cooking.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    More effective for what? Boils down to personal preference and moreover what fits in your schedule and when you can fit exercise during your day.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Effective how?

    Weight loss is about being in a net deficit position on a consistent basis...it has nothing to do with whether or not you exercise fasted or not.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    More effective for what? Boils down to personal preference and moreover what fits in your schedule and when you can fit exercise during your day.

    ^^ Nailed it.

    I prefer to workout fasted (well, after drinking coffee) first thing in the morning. If I try running within 2 hours of eating anything substantial my stomach bothers me. I can, however, cycle shortly after eating.

    Best suggestion is to find what works for you. In respect to fat/weight loss there has been at least one study that I'm aware of that suggested that there was a marginal increase in the proportion of fat burned when exercising fasted but it was a very small sample size and the source of fuel (fat or glycogen) is immaterial in respect to weight loss, it's about energy balance.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,330 Member
    Personal preference.
  • PocahonTee_
    PocahonTee_ Posts: 8 Member
    _runnerbean_ wrote: »
    Both would burn the same amount of calories. However I find if I exercise straight after a meal I get a stitch in my stomach- too long after a meal and I feel faint. A gap of about 2 hours after a meal is perfect - you may have to experiment to find your own perfect timings.

    Thank you! I'm going to try it out and see if that's good for me.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I think it depends...this summer I walked 3 miles first thing in the morning without any food.
    If I run right after I eat I get a stitch
    I prefer to lift before I eat but ensure I have a yogurt or something
    My walks after I eat because I am hungry after I lift.

    It is all really a personal thing.
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