Excercising before breakfast

NNE16

This is one of the ones I have heard since I was young.. if you excercise before you eat breakfast it is far more effective and you will do your body a lot of good.. does anybody know if there is any scientific research put into that either way?

I was considering planning a morning workout routine (of sorts) for about thirty min before I had breakfast, thinking that if I was to eat after that it would be within an hour of waking, which would be ok.. but you find so many times with sayings that the opposite has been true.. I thought I should ask

Michellerw1

The time you work out does not affect calories burned. That is a fact.

I have always been of the opinion that for me, personally, my workouts are more effective if I have eaten before hand, as I have more fuel to work harder. That is just my personal opinion and I do not know if there is scientific fact backing it up.

tazlady

I am the same way. If I do not eat before the workout I find that i get weak and cannot finish the workout . blood sugar need to be stable not depressed.. thanks for your input.

NNE16

Is there anything unhealthy about excercising before you have eaten anything that day though? Assuming you feel ok doing it?

EKarma

peole who work out in the morning tend to exercise more consistently.. Also working out before breakfast helps get your metabolism going, then you eat b-fast and that revs it up too..

I've been doing that for about 6 months now and I'm very satisied with the results..:happy:

NNE16

The consistancy was the main reason I was thinking of it too.. I think it will be an easier time of the day to fit excercise regardless of whether it is a work day. Getting my metabolism going is definitely a plus too

Thanks guys

sunnysmile

My husband and I work out in the mornings. We head to the pool. He eats a slice of bread and some OJ before he goes, but he also checks his blood sugar as he's diabetic. I just take my vitamin C before I go. He swims very vigorously and I go at it for 35 minutes, whicih is all my skin can handle in the pool. After that I go home, eat breakfast, and start work. It feels good to get my exercise in early and have the whole day ahead of me to know I have accomplished something good for myself. Plus I always see nice people in the locker room.

antiadipose

peole who work out in the morning tend to exercise more consistently.. Also working out before breakfast helps get your metabolism going, then you eat b-fast and that revs it up too..

I've been doing that for about 6 months now and I'm very satisied with the results..:happy:

exactly... when id say ill go to the gym later, that never happens!

i go early morning and get it out the way =]

mapnerd2005

I eat a very light breakfast before heading to the gym (a plain english muffin) to fuel my morning workout. By the time I'm finished with my workout, shower, dress, and walk from the gym to work, it's been about two hours and I'm ready for a snack, usually fruit and yogurt.

selbyhutch

I work-out in the mornings & love it. Typically I don't eat anything... just not in the mood. If I wake up later (weekends) then sometimes I'll have a few almonds.

lilchino4af

I prefer morning workouts; if it's going to be rigorous, then I eat a banana beforehand and then my main breakfast afterwards. I like getting it done and over with so nothing pops up preventing my workout from getting done later.

PoisonSugar

Exercising before breakfast forces your body to burn excess fat as opposed to metabolizing the food that you've just consumed with breakfast. I've heard this from every personal trainer I have ever met.

Mayo Clinic (reputable source) offers this advice: (You may have to cut & paste the link)

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/hq00594_d

I hope this helps! Good luck.

aproc

From what I've gathered, you should not workout before you eat. You need the fuel to get through the exercise. At least I know I do. I don't have the energy to push myself through it without eating before hand. Plus, eating breakfast helps get your metabolism going better for the day since its been going around 12 hours with no food....

dj_stevie_c

I work out before breakfast, I tend to eat as soon as I finish (it's about a 3 min walk to work from the gym).

Been doing this the past few weeks, and so far I must say that not only do I enjoy the atmopshere of the gym at that time of day (it's usually empty) but also my results have been far better than when I go later in the day. I'd say try it and do whatever you prefer

canstey

Exercising before breakfast forces your body to burn excess fat as opposed to metabolizing the food that you've just consumed with breakfast. I've heard this from every personal trainer I have ever met.

Mayo Clinic (reputable source) offers this advice: (You may have to cut & paste the link)

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/hq00594_d

I hope this helps! Good luck.

So what does your body burn after the workout and the food was used up during exercise? Everything I have seen from real research indicates your body will burn the excess fat when there is a deficit in calories for the day whether they are from exercise or simply living and it does not matter what time of day.

The Mayo clinic article simply mentions that it is a good idea to eat before a work out but not too much so you have maximum energy available. If you don't eat or eat too much your work out will not be as effective.

arewethereyet

Not a professional, but what I have learned along the way.

1. If you exercise 1st thing in the morning, you have little time to make up excuses and not do it.
2. You will burn more calories.
When you work out you turn on your fire.......engine...your metabolism increases,burning more calories for a few hours after your done. The harder the workout, the longer it burns. So if you work out at night, you go to sleep and burn calories
Still good.......but not the best advantage.
3. There are usually more machines open, less traffic, it is cooler........


I did a test on this and the only thing I changed was the time of day I worked out. My jeans were looser after the week of working out in the morning.

And NOW you have got me to thinking!!

Thank you very very much! I think you may have just given me the answer as to how to lose my last 10 pounds. Thanks again~!

arewethereyet

Exercising before breakfast forces your body to burn excess fat as opposed to metabolizing the food that you've just consumed with breakfast. I've heard this from every personal trainer I have ever met.

Mayo Clinic (reputable source) offers this advice: (You may have to cut & paste the link)

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/hq00594_d

I hope this helps! Good luck.

So what does your body burn after the workout and the food was used up during exercise? Everything I have seen from real research indicates your body will burn the excess fat when there is a deficit in calories for the day whether they are from exercise or simply living and it does not matter what time of day.

The Mayo clinic article simply mentions that it is a good idea to eat before a work out but not too much so you have maximum energy available. If you don't eat or eat too much your work out will not be as effective.

when I went to a trainer she told me to eat 1/2 banana and a tsp of pb 1 hour before I worked out with her. IF you are lifting weights, you must have some energy to do so. Or at least this is what she told me. I went in one morning and was sent home because I had not eaten.

I wonder if any PT are on here? Opinions?

NNE16

Exercising before breakfast forces your body to burn excess fat as opposed to metabolizing the food that you've just consumed with breakfast. I've heard this from every personal trainer I have ever met.

Mayo Clinic (reputable source) offers this advice: (You may have to cut & paste the link)

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/hq00594_d

I hope this helps! Good luck.

So what does your body burn after the workout and the food was used up during exercise? Everything I have seen from real research indicates your body will burn the excess fat when there is a deficit in calories for the day whether they are from exercise or simply living and it does not matter what time of day.

The Mayo clinic article simply mentions that it is a good idea to eat before a work out but not too much so you have maximum energy available. If you don't eat or eat too much your work out will not be as effective.

when I went to a trainer she told me to eat 1/2 banana and a tsp of pb 1 hour before I worked out with her. IF you are lifting weights, you must have some energy to do so. Or at least this is what she told me. I went in one morning and was sent home because I had not eaten.

I wonder if any PT are on here? Opinions?

Thank you for the link PoisonSugar.

It does sound like it is best to eat something for breakfast before you work out, but nothing too heavy. I frequently find I have a banana for breakfast anyway so that really sounds good.

NNE16

Not a professional, but what I have learned along the way.

1. If you exercise 1st thing in the morning, you have little time to make up excuses and not do it.
2. You will burn more calories.
When you work out you turn on your fire.......engine...your metabolism increases,burning more calories for a few hours after your done. The harder the workout, the longer it burns. So if you work out at night, you go to sleep and burn calories
Still good.......but not the best advantage.
3. There are usually more machines open, less traffic, it is cooler........


I did a test on this and the only thing I changed was the time of day I worked out. My jeans were looser after the week of working out in the morning.

And NOW you have got me to thinking!!

Thank you very very much! I think you may have just given me the answer as to how to lose my last 10 pounds. Thanks again~!

Lol you are welcome let us know if it works

relicsloft

if you are going to be out in the neighborhood then maybe you should think about half a piece of bread before you go... its not going to get to your system for a little bitt and then you can start your burn still on empty if you want... or just take some crackers with you in case you get light headed, some days are different than others. i worry because my boyfriend in college past out after station one of curcit training (he was a very fit guy, hockey player and we had been training together for over 8 weeks at this point) he often had not eaten before we met up, but after he got up to go to the next machine and fell forward on his face, he was out for a few seconds and weak after that. he said he did not feel weak until just before he fell... it would be awful if you fell on your face out on the street, alone, and then had to get home again... all because you wanted to get the jump on a few calories....
Morning routine is the best time do something you want to remeber and get done everyday, its always when doctors tell girls to take the pill, or gosh if i think about it anybody all kinds of meds, because once the day starts things change and stuff gets shifted around. dont forget your meds and dont forget to work out, do it in the morning!

aippolito1

I've always heard if it's a light exercise, you should be fine not eating, but if it's intense or you're running for a long time, at least eat a banana or something just to fuel you. This morning, I planned to walk/run for 30 minutes on the treadmill so I ate a banana as I was driving to the gym and ended up going for 2.7 miles and running 8 of the 30 minutes. No side cramps, nausea, I had plenty of energy to get through it, then once I was done, I was famished so I ate a normal breakfast and I've been feeling great ever since!

LittleSpy

I try to eat something small with a little protein -- 1/2 a protein bar, greek yogurt, or an egg are my 3 go-tos. I work out pretty hard in the mornings these days, though (30-40 minutes strenuous cardio and 20-30 minutes hard strength training). Then I get some protein in shortly after my workout for recovery.

When I used to just get up and put in 30 minutes on the bike, I rarely ate beforehand. But now that I workout a lot harder, yeah, I have to eat before... and shortly after. And that pretty much stands whether I go to the gym in the morning or at night.
I like to eat. :laugh:

unknownndoll

I prefer to excersize in the morning on a empty stomach before i shower. It is more consistant as others have said and easier for me not to have to figure out something to eat, then wait so i dont get a tummy ache, etc. i just do it, shower and then have my coffee, get ready for the day and so on.

Yurippe

When you work out on an empty stomach you burn fat. When you work out after eating you burn carbs. That being said it doesn't really matter that working out on an empty stomach burns fat since your net calorie deficit is what determines your fat loss anyway.

You are more likely to get in a good workout (and burn more total calories) if you fuel your body with food first. Some people complain about getting an upset stomach if they work out too soon after eating so you might want to wait a 30 min to an hour before working out.

I usually eat a banana or toast about 15 min before a workout and see a higher calorie burn on my HRM when I eat first. I feel slugish and crappy when I try to work out without eating and my calorie burn is always less.

canstey

When you work out on an empty stomach you burn fat. When you work out after eating you burn carbs.

That is an extreme oversimplification. You almost never burn 100% fat or 100% carbs empty stomach or not.

Here is a link to an article that explains the research on this topic.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/04/health/04real.html

The short version is that technically you do burn a negligible amount more fat on an empty stomach but are much more likely to stop exercising early due to fatigue so the net result is less fat burned.

Eat before and workout harder.

determined99

ive been working out in the morning for the last 8 years and i have to admit there is nothing like it! not only i terms of weight loss but its an amazing feeling when you are done for the day, u feel energized and ready to face the day.Also you are more likely to eat healthy all day knowing how much effort you put into your work out in the morning

SassyStef

If you wanna burn the fat you are gonna have to eat something before you work out no matter what time of day. Your body is in a fast over night and store the fat, you need to break that so when you work out in the AM your metabolism gets going and burns the fat.

I have half of a protein shake, or cliff bar before I go then the other half and a banana on the drive home. I love working out in the AM gets my day started and I totally feel energized to care for my daughter. I do nap tho cuz I wake up at 4am lol but it works for me

ErinMarie25

I usually eat before working out because I hate feeling hungry while I work out. It's an uncomfortable feeling. Today though, I worked out before I ate.

TrainingWithTonya

Okay, a little primer on how the body works for fueling any activity (even organ function while sleeping). No matter what you use to fuel the body, it has to be chemically converted to ATP which is what the body actually uses to produce the movement. The first way to produce ATP is the Creatine Phospate--ATP system which can only provide enough ATP for about 60 seconds of movement. It is basically using what little ATP is already in the muscles and creatine phospate to produce a little more. When you jump up to catch a falling baby or run a 40 yard dash or something else that is quick and explosive movement, that is the CP-ATP system. For movement longer then that, you have to use glycolysis, either anaerobic or aerobic. Glycolysis can provide energy for up to 20-30 minutes of exercise. You're basically converting stored glycogen and glucose to ATP. There are three places in the body where you can store glycogen and glucose; glycogen in the liver and muscles and glucose in the blood. The majority of the glycogen is stored in the muscles and the muscles don't share. So, if you aren't using the biceps for example, you can't pull the glycogen from the biceps for the glycolysis process. There is only about 400 calories of glycogen and glucose in the liver and blood to fuel movement, so when you are sleeping, you deplete those before you wake up. When you burn fat, that is done through the Krebs Cycle and Electron Transport Chain. You can't get to those steps in the production of ATP without going through glycolysis. At the end of glycolysis, one of the by-products is Pyruvate. If there is oxygen present, then you can take the Pyruvate on to the Krebs Cycle and Electron Transport Chain to start burning fat. If oxygen isn't available, the pyruvate is converted to lactate (aka lactic acid) and no fat can be burned because you can't go on to the Kreb's Cycle. If you deplete your available glycogen/glucose, then you can't burn fat. So, if the body gets low on glucose/glycogen, like at night when you are sleeping and not replenishing carbs, then the body starts to break down protein to make glycogen/glucose. The only storage source of protein is in the muscles. So, about halfway through your sleep cycle your body releases cortisol to tell the muscles to break down to produce glucose for the blood and glycogen for the liver. When you workout first thing in the morning without eating first, you aren't burning more fat then if you were to workout in the afternoon or evening. You are just breaking down more muscle to burn the same amount of fat from your workout because of a lack of available carbs to start the fat burning process. The loss of muscle is what shows up as a greater weight loss on the scale, which is why the general population tends to believe it is better because they trust the scale. If you don't mind losing muscle, it will help the scale go down faster. If you are looking at wanting to maintain your muscle, however, this is not a good thing. First of all, if you want to look solid and defined, then you have to maintain that muscle. Even if you aren't wanting the body of a bodybuilder, though, you want to maintain that muscle so that you burn more calories at rest because muscle does burn calories at rest just to maintain itself. And the breakdown of muscle to convert protein to glucose/glycogen causes the body to be acidic (The Ketosis that low carb diets talk about.) which can actually damage your organs, specifically the kidneys and liver from trying to get rid of the nitrogen in the protein. To prevent this muscle breakdown, some athletes actually get up in the middle of the night and have a quick carb heavy snack so that they don't have any muscle breakdown in the middle of the night.

So, for those reasons, I actually recommend to my clients to eat something, preferably mostly carbs, about an hour before they workout. That isn't always feasible for everyone, though. Most of the time it is a time constraint that prevents them from having an extra hour to wait before working out. If you can workout right after eating something, that's okay too. You just won't have the carbs available for all of the workout. There are some people, though, who can't workout with anything on their stomach or they get sick. If you are one of those people, you can workout in the morning, but know that you will eventually slow your metabolism from the loss of muscle unless you are doing other things to prevent muscle loss. That will require something like heavy weight lifting later in the day with adequate protein in the diet to build muscle to have it to break down in the mornings.