Exercise before breakfast?

Lizsullie

Uhh I'm staying away from this one, ask your doctor! I don't know the ins and outs of diabetes.

+1 talk to your doctor first. I run before breakfast but I'm not diabetic.

Yes. Without a doubt talk to your doctor first. You can't accept general advice on this one. What other, non-diabetic, people do does not apply. Speak with a professional.

47Jacqueline

just from personal experience,i perform better with something in my stomach, but i dont think there is any harm in not eating, i know some people prefer to exercise on a pretty much empty stomach. just do exercise on a empty stomach to begin with and if you feel faint or tired you can try adding a light snack just before exercising

I exercise fine on an empty stomach, but you might want to check with your doctor since you have diabetes

cramernh

I tried this on a different forum, but no answers, so many I posted it in the wrong place, let me try again....

I am a type one diabetic, so I eat breakfast and lunch at roughly the same time every day. Typically, I wake up around 6am, have breakfast at 10am and lunch at 2pm. I want to start an exercise class at the Y, but it is at 9am.....is it ok to do an hour of exercise and then eat breakfast? Before ten am, all I have is tea and water.

Uhh I'm staying away from this one, ask your doctor! I don't know the ins and outs of diabetes.

Quick edit, I'm hypoglycemic, and I feel like crap if I exercise on an empty stomach. My body has no fuel, I have no energy. Even a banana will get me going right in the morning before a workout.

Yup!
Dont take advice here on MFP - you really need to go back to the physician/specialist treating your diabetes for this situation.

margojr4

Uhh I'm staying away from this one, ask your doctor! I don't know the ins and outs of diabetes.

+1 talk to your doctor first. I run before breakfast but I'm not diabetic.

Agreed. I have adult onset diabetes, my fasting blood sugars run 80-90 and will crash hard if I don't eat anything before a morning workout (exercise induced hypoglycemia)

Please talk with your doctor :flowerforyou:

rmegowen

I dont know much about the diabetic thing..... but you should put something in your body before working out. Maybe a protein shake or something. It will give you the energy, get your 'machine' pumping plus help you have a better workout too!

DrMAvDPhD

I routinely exercise before breakfast, but I don't have diabetes. I really think someone in your situation should consult a doctor about something this serious.

b1g_tun4

I like to fuel up on protein and carbs before I exercise. I find that I am less hungry throughout the day if I do this or less likely to pig out later on.

I would talk to my doctor if I had your issues...

Yukongil

talk to your doctor, talk to the person leading the class about your condition, then start slow. Keep some glucose tabs or juice on hand in case you start to crash.

I'm type 2 and I work out before eating all the time, though recently I've tried to have a little something in me prior. Like this morning I had half a banana, others I've done half a scoop of protein powder. Something light but energy dense as I think I may need the energy to complete the work out and avoid burning muscle, but I don't like a meal on my stomach when doing anything other than walking.

As someone else has said though, you have plenty of time to eat a meal and then digest before working out, so that too might be an option. But definitely do the work out, just find the right conditions for you, it helps so much with Diabetes, its almost unbelievable.

Italian_Buju

Thanks everyone for the replies....

I do realize that being diabetic changes things, but my question really was, does it make a difference if you eat before or after your exercise.....because I have heard both, that it is better to eat before, and to not eat before....I just want to make sure I am not sabotaging myself.....

Lots of mornings I start work before 7am, and still do not eat breakfast until 10am, so its not like I have not been active before breakfast, just an exercise class would be more active than running around a store…..

To answer about blood sugar going up upon rising, yes, that does happen, it is called Dawn Phenomenon, I do take a shot of insulin upon waking at 6am, just enough to keep my blood sugar steady until breakfast time. Then I take two shots at 10am with breakfast again.

Italian_Buju

One more thing, the problem is, it takes me several hours to be able to stomach food when I first wake up. 10am was the middle ground that the DR and I hit for breakfast time, before that, I mostly didn't eat until lunchtime, sometimes, dinnertime....so 10am is a big improvement.

I am not sure what it is, but there are even times I wake up starving because I have not eaten since 6pm dinner, but still cannot actually stomach the food without feeling sick. So, even if I am hungry, I do not eat until 10am. By then, I have had a couple cups of water and tea, and my stomach can handle food.

lmroessler

I am also a Type 1 and if I exercise in the morning it is ALWAYS before breakfast - I just make sure my blood sugar is high enough to sustain the workout. That said, I workout at 6 a.m. which is right after I wake up. If I were going to be up and active for an hour or two (which I think you said you would be), I would eat something. Then just make sure my blood sugar can handle the exercise. I am extremely sensitive to the insulin and my dr. says not to exercise if my sugar is below 200, and sometimes even if it's that high I'll drop really fast while working out. You just need to know how you react to exercise / eating / not eating because even among us Type 1's, we all aren't the same.

cramernh

Thanks everyone for the replies....

I do realize that being diabetic changes things, but my question really was, does it make a difference if you eat before or after your exercise.....because I have heard both, that it is better to eat before, and to not eat before....I just want to make sure I am not sabotaging myself.....

Unfortunately, you and your individual diabetic needs, treatments, etc, does make a difference to go right back to the treating physicians. Not all diabetics have the same care plan involved.

The only person who can appropriately tell you whether or not you will sabotage yourself is the treating physicians overseeing your care.

MFP is not a viable health/medical resource and they do not have access to your medical records, personal/family history, labs, medications, etc..... you will never get a valid response here because there are no clinicians available.

As someone who works in healthcare right now for 17+ years, even I would tell patients like you "do not go to a non-medical website - always discuss your health/medical questions with the physician who is treating you"... thats just good common sense...

lmroessler

And just now saw your response about your shots - I wouldn't drastically change your routine without a) talking to your doctor and b) keeping your monitor very close to keep an eye on how your blood sugar reacts at different times during the workouts. I'm on a pump so it's easier for me to manipulate my blood sugar. I've been diabetic for over 30 years and while I'm not an expert, I can pretty much tell how my body is going to respond to certain activites and/or foods.

jetabear10

I do a 6:10 class every morning without eating first....I don't get to eat my breakfast until around 8:30...

As a diabetic, you will need to listen to your body...if you need to eat, have something.

Good luck!