Breakfast...before or after exercise...??

schninie82

I wake up 6am and by 6:15am I like to start my half hour exercise....(whenever I can....) then sort myself out and it's breakfast with my two boys at 7am...school, work etc after... So for me, I don't really have time to have breakfast BEFORE my exercise or I won't get out the house in time.... I read that not eating first, makes the body eat into your muscles rather than burn fat!!! That's not what I want!! How do I stop it?? Is it true?? I don't know what to do now, I don't always have time in the evenings to workout and I work at a desk all day...I NEED my morning workouts!! Any suggestions people????

rnroadrunner

grab a banana or other fruit before then finish after. It works for me:drinker:

SLambertAlaska

hmmm. I've heard that its better NOT to eat before exercising so that you burn fuel already on your body, rather than just burning the food you just age for fuel. Guess I'd better poke around on the internet some . . .

WifenMom

I was reading last week while browsing different sites about weight loss - where someone called the "fitness jerk" said to get up, don't eat, don't brush your teeth, just get a COLD glass of water and get to it.
Supposedly the COLD water starts the metabolism, as does the workout, and your body will be an "inferno" for the rest of the day (granted you are fueling it with healthy foods, set frequently every 3 hours or so)
I did that the very next morning - I got up, got my cold glass of ice water and got on my resistance fan stationary bike for 20 mins.
Ate breakfast soon after -
What I can say is I then came to work, and I was HUNGRY every 2-3 hours. Ate well, and had a great day. Can tell that metabolism was revved up, much more so than today, when I got up and had coffee and waited too long to have breakfast. (about an hour and a half - too long- they say you should eat within 1 hour of waking)
Breakfast = Breaking the Fast
Hope that helps!

MirandaJayne

Check out this link. it is well put!

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/workingit/eating-mistakes-that-squash-workout-results-2488742/

AmyW4225

I just posted an article and this is what it said:
Exercising on an Empty Stomach
"It's physiologically impossible to burn pure body fat - during aerobic exercise you burn a combo of carbs and fat. When carbs aren't readily available, your body is forced to break down its own muscle mass and convert it into blood sugar. That means by skipping, you may end up eating away at your own muscle instead of building it!
The Fix: If you don’t like the feeling of food in your stomach when you exercise stick with a liquid, like a small smoothie made with unsweetened frozen fruit and organic skim or soy milk. "

ellensheldon

It is true...unfortunately. Try getting up just 5 minutes earlier to eat healthy carbs (something like a piece of fruit) for energy that your body will use as fuel instead of your muscle. It doesn't need to be much, just something. Hope this helps.

HeidiMightyRawr

As someone previously said, I'd grab a banana or something small before, it should give you a bit more energy for your workouts and a little substance there so you're not exercising completely on an empty stomach

ajbeans

I agree with the banana or something before the workout. Even just half a banana will give you some fuel. Or you could make a small smoothie the night before and keep it in the fridge, and drink that first thing. A little cup of yogurt, part of a breakfast scone, a couple of pieces of bacon, a handful of dry cereal -- it doesn't have to be a lot, just something to get you going.

lelliebugh

I do not like bfast but I believe in first hydrating with cold water bc you need to be hydrated after no fluids while you sleep. Then I make a,smoothie with nestle carnation instant bfast sugar free milk and a banana before working out. Then I eat 30min or so after my workout. This works great for me.

Atlantique

I wake up 6am and by 6:15am I like to start my half hour exercise....(whenever I can....) then sort myself out and it's breakfast with my two boys at 7am...school, work etc after... So for me, I don't really have time to have breakfast BEFORE my exercise or I won't get out the house in time.... I read that not eating first, makes the body eat into your muscles rather than burn fat!!! That's not what I want!! How do I stop it?? Is it true?? I don't know what to do now, I don't always have time in the evenings to workout and I work at a desk all day...I NEED my morning workouts!! Any suggestions people????

Have at least a little something. A yogurt, a piece of toast, a banana--something small and easily digested since you don't have a lot of time to let it settle before your workout.

NikkiTaber

I personally need to eat breakfast before I exercise. If I don't, I find myself with a massive lack of energy. I also tend to get dizzy while I work out. My daily routine is wake up at 7am, drink a glass of green tea, eat breakfast between 8-8:30 then get my workout going around 9am. Everyone is different though.

mom23nuts

I was told eat something small at least so you don't burn out something with a carb and a frotein like a banana with nut butter or a whole grain waffle with nut butter and then have something after too.

The trainer at the gym told me if you don't break the fast with having a breakfast even a small one and another small one later you will build cortisol a stress hormone that hangs on to fat.

dmest

I've read lots of conflicting reports on this, some say you should exercise on an empty stomach and some say you shouldn't. I've also heard you're supposed to eat at least a little something within the first hour after you wake up or your metabolism will slow down. I usually eat something small (between 100-150 calories) in the morning then walk my kids to school and then come home and workout. After that I have a mid-morning, late breakfast.

AngelsKisses75

There are millions of experts that can tell you what works for them, and what their opinion is on this subject. There is ONE person that can truly answer this question ... it is you. What works for you? Is this working for you?

Me personally if I am going to hit it hard I would rather go on an empty stomach, or atleast an hour or two after eating. This is what I find works for me. In fact I have found that I cramp up much easier if I drink cold water too soon before, during, or after a workout. Yet some people swear by it.

So my answer is ask the expert on you, your body. Does this work for you? If the answer is yes don't stress it! Rock your own thing do what works for you.

schninie82

Aww thanks guys, I really panicked then!! Half a banana a glass of cold water it is then when I wake, then I can exercise and have my porridge at 7 with the boys... Hope I don't get sick cos I don't really have time to wait 20 minutes to digest...!! Prehaps I might try the smoothie, see how that goes down.....hmmmmm thank you!!! xXx

schninie82

There are millions of experts that can tell you what works for them, and what their opinion is on this subject. There is ONE person that can truly answer this question ... it is you. What works for you? Is this working for you?

Me personally if I am going to hit it hard I would rather go on an empty stomach, or atleast an hour or two after eating. This is what I find works for me. In fact I have found that I cramp up much easier if I drink cold water too soon before, during, or after a workout. Yet some people swear by it.

So my answer is ask the expert on you, your body. Does this work for you? If the answer is yes don't stress it! Rock your own thing do what works for you.

I started working out in the mornings about a month ago... The first week lost 4lbs, the 2nd I lost 2. I usually loose 1lb per week... I do enjoy jumping out of bed and putting on a Jillian Michaels DVD, I feel great all day... The days I miss, I feel like crap, like I woke up mid-day or something!! It definitely works, but I want it to do my body some good...I'm trying to get definition, don't fancy the idea of my muscles getting eaten away!! Argh!

AprilVal

You need something in your belly, before exercising. Other wise you will wear out fast. Need to keep your protein, so that it gives you energy, and helps burn fat.

ajbeans

Aww thanks guys, I really panicked then!! Half a banana a glass of cold water it is then when I wake, then I can exercise and have my porridge at 7 with the boys... Hope I don't get sick cos I don't really have time to wait 20 minutes to digest...!! Prehaps I might try the smoothie, see how that goes down.....hmmmmm thank you!!! xXx

I often don't wait after eating to exercise. It's never been a problem for me. I mean, I wouldn't want to have a giant breakfast and then go right into jumping jacks, but half a banana shouldn't be a problem.

ajbeans

Something else you have to keep in mind too is that you're almost always going to burn SOME muscle -- you can't just burn pure fat. That's why strength training is so important, to counteract some of that effect and help you keep your muscle tone. It's not something to freak out and worry about, it's just something to be aware of.

HaveWill

Hey pals...I am so happy for joining MFP. I have the same question of what to eat before exercise. I ll start tomorrow but I usually feel so tired and dizzy doing any exercise. U r free to check my profile and food diary and if anyone has any comment , pls do u cause this will definitely help me. I am generally in love with carbs and I hate proteins as chicken and meat so u won't find them a lot in my food diary.

schninie82

Thank you guys, thank you AJ, I can always rely on you for info!! Xx