Eating before or after exercise?

MrsTattie

I am aiming to set my alarm early tomorrow and do an exercise DVD. Should I eat before or after this? If before, should I have my usual bowl of porridge ( oatmeal) or half that amount. Or just some juice?
Generally I exercise in the evening - again should you eat before or after that? I usually eat around and hour and a half prior to this, but sometimes still feel a bit full, but I can't imagine lasting till after the exercise 9:30pm.

Thoughts, please! Thank you

sweetbeckymarie

You should eat 30-60 minutes before exercising, nothing too heavy since you'll be moving around. You don't want to cause a stomach upset. A small bowl of oatmeal is good, as are nuts, fruits, or eggs.

seekingstrengthX2

Most experts will tell you to eat both before and after. I think it varies by person as to how it effects them. I think it depends on the intensity of the workout also. If I'm doing 30 minutes of something, no big deal. If I'm going for a 10 mile run, then yea, I definitely need some food in my belly. Experiment and see what makes you feel best. If I eat too much before a workout, I feel weighed down. Most folks say carbs before, protein after.

schmadia

i've heard the same -- eat a light meal leaning more towards carbs and proteins before working out and then eat a light meal after leaning more towards protein (ex., protein shake). i used to get gestational diabetes when i was pregnant and what they i noticed was that if i didn't eat before working out, my sugars would crash afterwards and i would (not surprisingly) overeat. so the trick is to divide and conquer -- eat a light snack before and a protein-heavy meal after.

Porcelain1981

Ditto, plus before aim for nutritiuos carbs (as above), after get some good protein in to feed your muscles and help replenish i.e. Egg whites, tuna or if yourre out and cut short a good protein bar/shake. Bananas also good after to help with potassium.

HauteP1nk

You should eat before and after a workout - something small.

Carb & protein before hand - such as a slice of bread with peanut butter... and then a lean protein afterwards. The protein will help repair the muscles after.

After a workout I usually have a yogurt...or maybe a handful of nuts.

kmshred

i love fasted work outs! try without eating - if i can't bare it, i'll have a shake.

if i eat solid food before, or even thirty/sixty minutes before, i cramp up real bad!! doesn't work for me.

MelissaGraham7

For me, when I run or exercise first thing in the a.m. I don't eat or I will be queasy. I think really you'd be fine without eating unless you are talking about running 10 miles or more, etc. A workout DVD (which is great!!) isn't really going to work you out long enough that lack of eating is going to cause you any performance deficit.

DinaRobin

I do all my exercise first thing in the morning. If it's the 30DS, I just drink water, do it, shower, then breakfast. When I go to a boot camp class, I get up earlier to eat oat/bran small breakfast 1 hour before, do the class, shower, get to work and have another breakfast!

ArcticNomadd

I would sugest if you eat first that you have something light such as a yogart and a glass of juce. It is better to workout first this forces your body to burn fat rather than blood energy but if you can't you can't stomach cramps hurt LOL. So eat first but not much

breezee313

I workout in the morning and I usually eat a banana about 15 minutes before I workout. if I run or do something intense, I will also have 1/2 cup of cottage cheese. When I workout really hard I will start to feel sick, so I need to eat.

fteale

I wouldn't eat before doing an exercise DVD, just have a glass of water. I only eat before if I am doing an hour run or longer, as I know I start feeling dizzy around the 8 km mark if I don't.

MrsTattie

Thanks so much for your quick replies, folks!
I think I will have to eat something - I normally can't function prior to breakfast. I'm actually quite excited about this! (I hope that enthusiasm lasts!)
Rgds

ArcticNomadd

protine after

CyberEd312

I agree with the posters that said before and after, this is what I do but what works for some may not work for others... I work out in the morning and then again in the evening.. I have type 2 diabetes and must eat when I awake (blood sugars are low from overnight) so I eat immediately when I wake up (breakfast is normally by biggest meal of the day) then when I come home from my workout I have a cup of almonds with a glass of 1% milk... evening workout is around 5:30 so I will eat a Kashi energy bar on the way to the gym and I use the G2 Gatorade low calorie grape powder for my water.... then when I get home have supper and then a snack at bedtime...

189andFalling

Eating before can cause an insulin spike meaning your body won't burn fat mass while exercising. Personally I don't have time anyway in the morning to eat (and I get cramps if I try) before exercising. Can run 7k or cycle 20 miles on an empty stomach with no issues.

189andFalling

http://fitnessblackbook.com/dieting_for_fat_loss/high-insulin-levels-stop-fat-loss-and-cause-weight-gain/

moonsforeyes

I do both! I eat before and after working out. I think porridge is a great pre-workout meal because it is carb loaded. I'd die doing cardio without carbs! After working out/showering I also eat because otherwise, I get quite dizzy.

BIGJIMMYU

I usually eat a banana before exercise. The potassium rush and sugar energy helps. Then a protein snack after for recovery. Never acidy juice though. This will upset my stomache every time if I am doing cardio. Water is best.

jennieemily

Everyone is different, so try experimenting and see what is best for you. This is what works for me: carbs before a workout, I like to have a small sweet potato and water. I tend to work out long and hard just because it feels great, so I've started bringing a small energy bar and some Gatorade to the gym, otherwise I get shaky. Then protein afterwards. If I didn't work out as long or as hard as I'd planned, I can offset the calories I had before and during by having a smaller protein meal after the workout. I usually have either a turkey sandwich or cottage cheese and Wasa Flatbread crackers.
Good luck in your experimenting!

MrsTattie

Well! Set alarm - easy! Got up minus kids and did my DVD (not so easy, but fine once started!) only having water and felt fine. Just tucking into a great breakfast, not sure if I will manage every day as the kids woke up too and were trying to get in to the room!
Thanks for comments folks.