What to eat before working out

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chris02jaliyah
chris02jaliyah Posts: 8 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I’m doing the Keto diet. Currently I eat less than 20g of carbs a day. I’m reading a lot and hearing from ppl doing Keto saying that I should not exercise on an empty stomach. Some say I need to eat something with carbs before eating. Does anyone have advice on what to eat before I exercise? I just started back really trying to work out consistently. I’m doing walking and running intervals on the treadmill following by weights.

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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    chris02jaliyah wrote: »
    I’m doing the Keto diet. Currently I eat less than 20g of carbs a day. I’m reading a lot and hearing from ppl doing Keto saying that I should not exercise on an empty stomach. Some say I need to eat something with carbs before eating. Does anyone have advice on what to eat before I exercise? I just started back really trying to work out consistently. I’m doing walking and running intervals on the treadmill following by weights.

    You don't need to eat anything before your workout..plenty of people train fasted. Meal timing around exercise isn't going to have any particular benefit to your average Joe/Jane who aren't elite athletes. Getting adequate nutrition and calories throughout the day is going to trump timing a meal around your workout.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    chris02jaliyah wrote: »
    I’m doing the Keto diet. Currently I eat less than 20g of carbs a day. I’m reading a lot and hearing from ppl doing Keto saying that I should not exercise on an empty stomach. Some say I need to eat something with carbs before eating. Does anyone have advice on what to eat before I exercise? I just started back really trying to work out consistently. I’m doing walking and running intervals on the treadmill following by weights.

    You don't need to eat anything before your workout..plenty of people train fasted. Meal timing around exercise isn't going to have any particular benefit to your average Joe/Jane who aren't elite athletes. Getting adequate nutrition and calories throughout the day is going to trump timing a meal around your workout.

    That^^

    I time my eating around when I'm hungry. ;)
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    Lunch at noonish, workout at 4:30, dinner at 7ish. I don't see any reason to change this. Do what feels good and right to you.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,267 Member
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    You might have to try different things. I'm not doing keto, so I don't need to look at a snack through that lens, but I definitely need a snack. My lunch is any time between 12:00 and 1:30. My workout starts at 4:30 and is either lifting or swimming laps. At 5:30 is an intense WaterX class. I'm home by 7:15. I HAVE to eat something around 3:00, or I won't make it. Usually, it's 2 hard boiled eggs. I tried that with an apple, but the apple didn't work out. What seems to work best is a Luna bar. It's got enough calories to get me through the workout, not enough to derail my goal, and protein to keep me filled up. I would rather just eat food than a convenience bar that is basically a candy bar, but shoot. It seems to be the sweet spot for me. Now, if I worked out first thing in the morning, I would work out fasted. Not only that, I'd be home three hours earlier and eating dinner by 6pm.

    There's no need to eat before your workout unless there's a need to eat before your workout. Don't eat just because you read somewhere that you're supposed to. Do what works for you.
  • sarahthes
    sarahthes Posts: 3,252 Member
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    If you bonk/hit a wall during your workouts, try carbs a bit before. There are plenty of low carb athletes out there who carb cycle around their workouts. If you're doing more endurance style workouts and are fat adapted you may not notice a problem. Probably won't be as fast as someone of similar ability & training level who uses carbs to fuel though.
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
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    Doesn't matter, all personal preference, I work out fasted because I work out in the morning.
  • TheMiniKeto
    TheMiniKeto Posts: 31 Member
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    Try different things and see what works best. If you don't feel hungry before a workout or don't feel starving after a workout you should be ok to workout without eating. Myself I feel I perform better when I eat a little something. I like to do fats before a workout (bacon or avocado) and protein after (usually either cheese, grilled chicken, or YQ Yogurt plain flavor).

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