Does it matter if you workout before or after breakfast?

captaincharisma24

just wondering.

hush7hush

You'll get mixed opinions on this.

I think it's better before, because working out while "fasting" (as in, have yet to break your fast from the sleeping hours) will burn more fat directly. Though really it doesn't matter, because either way you're burning calories. Depends on which way you have more energy, I guess.

kadins_momma07

I agree, you'l get mixed answers. With my personal schedule, I have just walk when I can, sometimes first thing in the morning, sometimes late int he evening. I am recently back on MFP and have been walking every morning this week. I have been waking up and going first thing int he morning. The first few days I was waking up, getting dressed and going...but I was pretty hungry when I got inside and wanted to eat a lot. So for the past 2 days I started eating a banana before/during my walk and it has helped me to not be so hungry and I don't scarf down a huge breakfast. Doing it first thing in the morning give me energy and it also kind of keeps me on track as far as calories go...with those added in I can go ahead and figure my meals for the day.

malk2651

All personal preference.

bpurc22

You'll get mixed opinions on this.

I think it's better before, because working out while "fasting" (as in, have yet to break your fast from the sleeping hours) will burn more fat directly. Though really it doesn't matter, because either way you're burning calories. Depends on which way you have more energy, I guess.

Not sure about that...I'm pretty sure with cardio, you're going to burn carbs initially no matter what (going from sedentary --> active, you use carbs) and then after a certain amount of time (15-20 minutes for most people, 10-12 for fit people), you start burning fat.

I like exercising before I eat because I feel energized after, and I feel like my breakfast is not only a start to the day but also a recovery.

I would say running after breakfast is probably optimal though, if you can only do one.

maru84

I would fall over dead if I worked out before breakfast, I wake up starving. I think it mostly just matters that you exercise, period.

Newfiedan

Ideally for men the later evening workouts (3-6 pm) is ideal if its a weight workout but we are not perfect so best answer is when you can fit it into your lifestyle. Any workout is better than none.

nahralynn

Good question, bumping to keep watch

xSophia19

Personally, I dont really think it matters if you workout either before or after breakfast. Either way you will be burning calories, soo whats the difference?:laugh:

I like to work out after breakfast, as I get stomach cramps working out on an empty stomach

hiker282

It's just personal preference. Either way your body should have an increased metabolic response from the exertion.

Brian_VA

Exercising is good no matter when you do it. Whether to exercise before or after eating depends on your goal.

If your goal is to maximize body fat loss, workout on an empty stomach, and allow time for recovery before eating. This will force your body to burn body fat as it has no options. You may not feel as strong when you exercise, but you are burning the most fat.

If your goal is to maximize exercise performance, eat first. If you eat first, you'll feel stronger on your workout and likely progress faster. But you will burn up the calories in the food you ate before your body touches the fat on your body.

I personally eat protein before a strength training session to maximize muscle gain, but don't eat before doing cardio first thing in the morning.

Newfiedan

I am going to have to disagree with you on that point, but to each their own. I find training fasted provides much better performance, I do not eat anything for 2-3 hrs preworkout I just fuel up post workout to get the most out of the workout for muscle gain.

Brian_VA

Whatever you are doing seems to be working! My comments about food enhancing performance were more targete at cardio exerise like running or biking. Eating an energy bar before or during can enhance performance.

wackyfunster

You'll get mixed opinions on this.

I think it's better before, because working out while "fasting" (as in, have yet to break your fast from the sleeping hours) will burn more fat directly. Though really it doesn't matter, because either way you're burning calories. Depends on which way you have more energy, I guess.

You're right: fasted training will burn more fat. Being in a fasted state increases metabolism, and makes the body draw more heavily from fat stores (basically, it mobilizes energy reserves to help you go forage/hunt). Supplement branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) before and after workout to prevent any loss of muscle (this is actually probably a good idea for anyone doing high-intensity cardio or resistance training, fasted or not) without ingesting enough calories to break the fasted state (metabolic hacks!)

I don't have any research handy for this right now, so consider this anecdotal.

Try it for a month, and you will see a noticeable change in results. I _hate_ getting up early, but it is completely worth it for the better results, IMO.

Cr357

Burning x amount of cals in a fasted state is the same as x amount burned in a fed state. A deficit is a deficit and a surplus is a surplus.

figurekat

^ what he said.. Also I'm assuming this only applies to cardio workouts as you never want to lift weights in a fasted state.

tataliciousd89

If you are just walking, hiking or going for a light jog then it doesnt matter, but for anything heavier than that I find that eating before decreases my performance.

perfectionsux

i personally, eat a fibre one bar or a yogurt before i work out... if i do more then that i get sick to my stomach... it depends on you as an individual in my opinoin

VVEXVVEX

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/phys-ed-the-benefits-of-exercising-before-breakfast/

amybowles

Dr. Oz used the best analogy when it comes to this question; (he uses a frying pan to signify our bodies), when we get up in the morning and start working out our frying pan heats up. He then demonstrated two comparisons by putting a cube of butter on one heated frying pan to reflect exercise with no breakfast. On the other frying pan he placed a piece of bread, then the cube of butter. It was a great way to show that without food, we used fat for energy, but with food, we go through the energy we have just placed there, then the fat.

I think no matter what, getting a work out in any time of the day is great, but his analogy made a great deal of sense....now if i could just get up and do my work out in the am....:0)

gp79

Do what works best for you.

Sidesteal

Fasted cardio can potentially mobilize fatty acids but mobilization is pretty much a non issue until you're already pushing ~15% -ish for bodyfat (for men). By this sites standards, that's already reasonably lean.

For more anecdote, I was able to get "lean enough" (~10%ish give or take) without any cardio at all, and I'm no special snowflake.

I firmly believe that you should go with personal preference. If you're already lean and prepping for a contest, then I can understand wanting to go the fasted cardio route. (But then again if you're already lean and prepping for a contest, you probably aren't getting your strategy on the MFP forums).


For the vast majority it really is not going to make any damn difference and you should do what is convenient.

wackyfunster

Fasted cardio can potentially mobilize fatty acids but mobilization is pretty much a non issue until you're already pushing ~15% -ish for bodyfat (for men). By this sites standards, that's already reasonably lean.

For more anecdote, I was able to get "lean enough" (~10%ish give or take) without any cardio at all, and I'm no special snowflake.

I firmly believe that you should go with personal preference. If you're already lean and prepping for a contest, then I can understand wanting to go the fasted cardio route. (But then again if you're already lean and prepping for a contest, you probably aren't getting your strategy on the MFP forums).


For the vast majority it really is not going to make any damn difference and you should do what is convenient.

Just did some more research on the subject, and it supports this. It doesn't seem to matter if you are >15% body fat (for men), or >20% (for women). I also agree that cardio is not necessary for fat loss (I've actually found weight training to be more effective, but that may be due to the fact that I am usually very limited in the time I have to work out). I have noticed a difference between fasted and non-fasted training (I do heavy resistance training e.g. squats, deadlifts, weighted chins etc. fasted, with BCAA supplementation) at <10% body fat.

heybales

Not sure about that...I'm pretty sure with cardio, you're going to burn carbs initially no matter what (going from sedentary --> active, you use carbs) and then after a certain amount of time (15-20 minutes for most people, 10-12 for fit people), you start burning fat.

Actually no.
At rest you are already burning about 30% carbs, 70% fat.
As you become more active the shift occurs.

There is no starting out with one, moving to the other. Unless you jump up and sprint as fast as you can, that's carbs totally, and then slow and walk to recover, that's fat again at maybe 60%

Shoot, even the so called "fat-burning zone" which is the low intensity stuff, is actually 50/50 split moving to 60% carbs burned.

You may be thinking of the fact that after you eat, the energy needs are met first by what you just ate.
If you ate something that really turned on your insulin a lot, or have a problem with that, then you may burn through what you ate and since fat storage mode is still on, you'll do carbs first.

But that is opposite of the question, not eating before workout.

dinosnopro

^ what he said.. Also I'm assuming this only applies to cardio workouts as you never want to lift weights in a fasted state.

does not mater if you lift fasted.


http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

read #6