Exercising in regards to eating?

I have heard it said that there are better times to exercise and eat. Has anyone found this to be true? Any suggestions? Some have suggested eating before exercise, while others are eat 20 minutes before.

Replies

livingleanlivingclean

It's personal preference, and may depend on the exercise you're doing.
I do mainly weight training and prefer to train fasted (or having eaten 3ish hours beforehand).
If I do HIIT, I need to do it later in the day when I've got some food in me...

lindzgayle

I train fasted mostly because it's first thing in the morning and I don't want to wake up earlier.
I agree that it's personal preference. When I work out after eating I feel like it weighs me down and I get nauseated with intense cardio.

jjpptt2

livingleanlivingclean wrote: »

It's personal preference, and may depend on the exercise you're doing.
I do mainly weight training and prefer to train fasted (or having eaten 3ish hours beforehand).
If I do HIIT, I need to do it later in the day when I've got some food in me...

That.

The actual timing will have no impact on your progress/success. But it can most definitely impact how you feel, how hard you work out, or how easily/consistently you stick to your dietary goals... and those things MOST DEFINTELY will impact your progress.

So eat when works best for you, such that you are able to stick to your calorie/macro goals. Work out when works for you, such that you are able to give your best effort to that workout.

Penthesilea514

Agree with the above about it being personal preference. Timing is more about how I feel and recover from my workouts then anything else. I tend to do cardio fasted and lift with a little something on the stomach, and then I eat my dinner after I workout. My stomach can be sensitive, so I even lifting I tend to keep any food on the lighter side beforehand. Some people need to eat a lot more in order to feel fueled before a workout.

Do what feels best for you. That is the best way to optimize your workouts.

lindzgayle wrote: »

I train fasted mostly because it's first thing in the morning and I don't want to wake up earlier.
I agree that it's personal preference. When I work out after eating I feel like it weighs me down and I get nauseated with intense cardio.

I am honestly the same way.

steveko89

What I've read suggests there may be some benefit to targeting certain times for different sort of workouts depending on one's goals, be it fat loss, strength gain, etc. However, the fractional edge gained from this timing is given back if it makes the workouts inconvenient and effects your consistency in actually doing it. Between our work schedules it works best for both my wife and I to exercise in the mornings.

Fasted exercise is to be fractionally better for fat loss, though depending on activity, energy levels and performance may suffer as a result. It really is all personal preference. If I'm lifting I just have my preworkout with some BCAAs, though if I'm running a 5k or something I'll have a piece of PB toast or granola bar.

I agree with lindzgayle in that if I eat a full meal it causes issues, if I have anything it's liquid or a light snack.

firef1y72

I like to eat a main meal at least an hour before training otherwise I'll feel like I'm going to throw up. But will often have a small, high Calorie, high protein snack between classes.

jenilla1

The best time for me is when I feel like it. The last thing I need is to add any kind of complication to my life. I'm not a professional athlete, so I don't need perfection in my training and nutrition plan. I just like to go with the flow...

In terms of exercise, there's no particular time that's better for me. It's just when the mood strikes. And in terms of food, I like to have a little something in my stomach (not a full meal) 20-30 minutes before working out, otherwise I'll crash and burn, and then something with extra protein after. Nothing rigid in my methods, though.

Luckily, exercise feels really good to me, so it's not a struggle to get myself to do it. If it was, I'd probably have to be more strict with my planning. Just do what works best for you and don't worry about what anybody else is doing.

MeanderingMammal

wdedoelder wrote: »

I have heard it said that there are better times to exercise and eat. Has anyone found this to be true? Any suggestions? Some have suggested eating before exercise, while others are eat 20 minutes before.

In practice there is little benefit either way.

Personally my running training is based on time of day, generally mid week runs are in the evening so generally having not eaten for 6-8 hours. If I'm doing a midweek long I might snack about 1600 out so.

Weekend runs tend to be longer, beyond 10 miles and for more than 16 I'll definitely have some breakfast before going out. They're generally in the forenoon.

jondspen

For high performance athletes, perhaps this comes into play. But for the rest of us, who are just trying to shed a few pounds, or keep them from creeping back on, it really doesn't make that much of a difference IMHO. I personally eat/exercise when it can best fit into my schedule, and just keep an eye on calories in/out and Fat/Carbs/Protein ratio.

AnvilHead

wdedoelder wrote: »

I have heard it said that there are better times to exercise and eat. Has anyone found this to be true? Any suggestions? Some have suggested eating before exercise, while others are eat 20 minutes before.

Yes, it's absolutely 100% true.

The best times to exercise and eat are the times that it fits best into your daily schedule in terms of personal preference, satiety and adherence. Because adherence over time is what drives optimal results. Anything beyond that is majoring in the minors for 99.99% of people.

Elite athletes have tightly controlled diet/exercise regimens. That's because they've pretty much reached the pinnacle of performance and are trying to squeeze out any slightest advantage they can get. A .01% difference in performance/results is significant to them. For most of the rest of us, a .01% difference is .01% of nothing, and not worth being concerned about.

TimothyFish

wdedoelder wrote: »

I have heard it said that there are better times to exercise and eat. Has anyone found this to be true? Any suggestions? Some have suggested eating before exercise, while others are eat 20 minutes before.

Usually the reason people don't want to eat too close to exercise is because it makes them feel bloated and uncomfortable. Also, it takes a few minutes for food to digest to the point where your body can use it for energy. But unless you are exercising for more than 90 minutes or two hours it doesn't make much difference. Beyond that you will do yourself a favor if you eat about every thirty minutes.

cwolfman13

wdedoelder wrote: »

I have heard it said that there are better times to exercise and eat. Has anyone found this to be true? Any suggestions? Some have suggested eating before exercise, while others are eat 20 minutes before.

It's personal preference and also would depend on what you're doing, how you're recovering, etc. I don't eat immediately before exercise...I'd be puking everywhere and just generally feel full and heavy.

In the summers I typically ride in the early morning to beat the heat and I ride fasted. The primary benefit of fasted riding is that from a fitness standpoint my body gets more efficient at burning fat for fuel for endurance events...it really has no bearing on weight loss.

In the spring and summer I ride in the evening when I get home from work...obviously I've eaten throughout the day but it's been a good few hours before my ride. Winter it just depends...I'm on the indoor trainer a lot of the time so I can ride whenever.

I just eat normally afterward...breakfast after a morning ride...dinner after an evening ride. The only time I concern myself with recovery food is when I'm out 25 miles or more, then I get a chocolate milk.

Eating enough to support your training throughout the day is going to far more important than eating at some subscribed time before or after training...

zcb94

As a diabetic, failure to eat before doing anything strenuous is self-harm.

riffraff2112

Its personal. I kind of fall in the middle. I like to weight train about an hour after eating. Cardio, maybe two hours. I almost never workout on a completely empty stomach, or immediately after eating.

Avidkeo

I make sure I have had at least a snack, like a piece of fruit and some almonds, about an hour before doing anything like running or HIIT because I really notice I don't have as much energy if I have left it too long after eating. Other than that, the rest is simply down to personal choice. I do my running before lunch so its often been about 2.5 hrs since my last snack, and thats just too long, I make sure I have lunch straight after my workout though. and in the evening I exercise about 1hr after dinner anyway so its perfect timing for me.

But thats what works for ME. You need to find what works for you.