Do you eat before or after your workout and what do you eat?

teamAmelia
teamAmelia Posts: 1,247 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Do you eat before or after your workout and what do you eat?

Replies

  • palmerar
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
    I think this varies from person to person, but I like to eat before a workout. I have been focusing on cardio recently so I usually have oatmeal or a granola bar or some other carb, to get fuel quickly. Also, if I run without having something in my stomach I feel weak and light headed. I also eat something about every 3 hours, so by default I usually fuel up before a workout anyways.

    On the other hand, there have been some studies done that say running on an empty stomach first thing in the morning is a better more effective work out....I don't know the science, search it on here or do some research on a reliebale website.
  • froggy77064
    froggy77064 Posts: 49 Member
    BOTH! i usually i have a protein shake and a banana(not all the time) at least 30 minutes before my workout, need some fuel for the workout. afterwards, i try to eat as soon as possible. usually about 30 minutes to an hour after.need to refuel after the workout. also helps with the recovery. sometimes i'll have another protein shake and maybe another banana right after the workout on the ride home. once home, what i eat will depend on if i had another shake or not. if i didn't have a shake or banana, i'll fry 3 or 4 eggs using non-fat cooking spray and 2 or 4 pieces of toast(wheat bread). if i did have a shake after my workout, i'll have a muffin(made using protein powder) and a banana. i work nights so this is my meal before i go to sleep
  • deanabailey
    deanabailey Posts: 124 Member
    I eat about an hour before and usually oatmeal and banana or eggs and 1/2 english muffin with pb.
    I drink and protein shake afterwards.
    I have found that I need those carbs before workout to fuel my body to push harder.
  • AverageUkDude
    AverageUkDude Posts: 371 Member
    I eat before lifting and HIIT sessions normally a phd iso 7 shake with some fruit, but i also do an hour or two of fasted low impact cardio (normally walking) a week.

    Like to mix it up.
  • mhk0719
    mhk0719 Posts: 255
    After. It looks like I might be in the minority on this one.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    I don't do this intentionally, but I usually end up eating a high-protein lunch 1.5 to 2 hrs prior to working out, except on fasting days.

    I eat a very high-protein dinner (sometimes more than 100 g) within an hour of finishing my workout.

    I don't do shakes, and I do not typically eat immediately before or after working out.
  • Scallyboo
    Scallyboo Posts: 126 Member
    Its always 8pm by the time I get any time to myself to do the 30ds etc. So I do it and then I have dinner. It couldnt be close to 9pm.

    Not ideal I know but its the only choice I have.
  • Richie2shoes
    Richie2shoes Posts: 411 Member
    I workout about an hour after dinner. I normally follow it up with something small like an apple with pb or cereal.
  • jcasebolt84
    jcasebolt84 Posts: 22 Member
    I work out at 5 a.m. as soon as I wake up, no time for breakfast before hand. I usually eat about an hour after my workout but it because I'm hungry and has nothing to do with the supposed "anabolic window" after a workout. Unless you are competing, I really don't buy into the idea that meal timing is that important. Our bodies are a lot more efficient than what most people want to give it credit for. The most important thing is meeting you marcos on a consistant basis and not how close you eating before or after a workout.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    In general, I agree that if you are getting enough protein in your diet, there is no real threat posed by not eating directly after a workout. The major exception would be people who train in a fasted state. For them, it is pretty important to eat reasonably soon after finishing the workout, and they typically plan their fasts so that they can eat a big meal right after training.
  • Mathguy1
    Mathguy1 Posts: 207 Member
    During the weekdays (M-TH), I eat dinner and work out in the evenings. On Friday (I leave work at 2pm) and Saturday, I work out in the afternoons and eat dinner later.

    Regardless of which day it is, after I work out I drink a protein drink. It's not necessary to do, but I'm hungry after working out and a protein drink is a convenient way to get 250 calories and 40g of protein.
  • jayche
    jayche Posts: 1,128 Member
    1 scoop of Whey ~30 minutes before working out, just keeps my mind off of being hungry until my workouts over.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    I drink 3/4 cup of orange juice before working out. Then eat my solid food after exercise, it's also when I take my supplements. I feel like I would have a stomach full of lead if I tried to get everything in before exercise.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    I do not correlate food intake with exercise above and beyond a whole diet thing (too low of carbs for example will really screw up my workouts, too low of protein will notably hurt my recovery).

    Eating or not eating before exercise does not affect my performance in any noticable way (running on a full stomach is a no no though, makes me want to hurl the whole time).

    Eating or not eating afterwards does not affect my recovery in any noticable way.
  • samanthalee87
    samanthalee87 Posts: 178
    I typically do my workouts in the morning before getting ready so I eat about an hour afterwards.
  • dawnna76
    dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
    Not by plan or anything but usually a hour or so before and a hour after. So both :smile: it just so happens I eat lunch around 2:30/3:30 ish and then get the kids from school and we go to the gym about 4 or 4:30 then a home to eat by 6:30.

    I can't do workouts in the morning or late at night because of family demands so afternoons just fit right for me.

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