eating and exercise

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bigmamafagin
bigmamafagin Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
Are you supposed to eat before or after you exercise? How long before or after should you wait? Anybody have a clue?:huh:

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  • bigmamafagin
    bigmamafagin Posts: 8
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    Are you supposed to eat before or after you exercise? How long before or after should you wait? Anybody have a clue?:huh:
  • memaw66
    memaw66 Posts: 2,558 Member
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    I have the Jillian Michael DVD for beginners and they recommend to wait at least 3 hours after eating a big meal and 2 hours after a snack. I usually wait at least an hour. If I still feel really full I wait a little longer. If I don't wait long enough, I will feel like throwing up during my work out.
  • nightangelstars
    nightangelstars Posts: 337 Member
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    I just generally wait until I'm not full, for comfort reasons, which isn't very long these days. I'm not sure if it's better to work out before or after, strictly speaking, but I have a suspicion that it's better to work out after. I haven't investigated that yet though.
  • rheston
    rheston Posts: 638
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    Whether you eat befoe or after exercise is an individual thing -- no matter what the web tells you and those selling their products.

    When I coach soccer kids from 5 to 18 I always ensure they have oranges on hand to eat for the natural sugars and energy they provide the kids in between sessions on the field. There's often no time between eating and chasing a ball.

    When I was at my running peak I would eat my breakfast ,do 6 miles, come home and have a snack before getting into the shower and heading to work. Even today there are times when I'll have breakfast before I work out.

    Now if your just asking the question because you're trying to do something correctly then my suggestion is that you try working out before eating. If that makes the workout tough to do then try having an orange before you work out and then eat later after you've cooled down.

    This isn't exactly like swimming -- but there are those who do experience cramping if they eat and then work out.

    I probalby didn't help your decision did I?:tongue:
  • jessneill
    jessneill Posts: 380 Member
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    If I don't eat a quick processing carb, like rheston suggested oranges are great, about half an hour before working out, then I definitly feel a difference in my energy level.

    I then have lunch after working out. Which is probably about half an hour later with showering and getting back to my office.

    If you are weight lifting you should have some protein right after to help with the muscle repair and to minimize soreness.
  • rou_pl
    rou_pl Posts: 7
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    right! you should have some carbs before you work out, but not right before. i like to wait more then an hour after eating. it feels better when you exercise while you are not really full. however it's rather personal thing. some of my work out friends feel weak if the don't eat and work out. and so do i.

    i've read somewhere that you shoud eat about an hour after exercising. especially protein. it helps your muscle. also, your metabolism is working full speed at that time.

    good luck!
  • bigmamafagin
    bigmamafagin Posts: 8
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    Thanks for the input everyone. I'm new to the diet and exercise scene and truly feel like a duck out of water.:wink:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    I always eat a small carbohydrate and protein meal (as little fat as possible) right after lifting. It helps speed muscle repair by supplying plenty of amino acids. Melathon (sorry if I misspelled your name!) had a great thread about post-workout nutrition.

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