Exercise before breakfast?

I think it's fine if you're doing cardio. I have heard that it can be beneficial (though I won't quote anything being that I don't remember).

If it's strength I would eat first, but that's just me.

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.

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 don't know. I would try it- see if I feel like I'm dying- if so then eat a protien bar/shake before class. Try the 9AM class- if it's fine then, well, fine. If not then eat a little something before class. I doubt it will hurt to try it a few times both ways and see what works for you. Or ask your doctor/nutritionalist- since I have no clue how the eating time thing affects diabetes but they do.

I am the opposte- hypoglycemic- I have to eat pretty much as soon as my feet hit the floor to keep from being all dizzy/headachey.

I typically workout before I eat. I get up as 6, drink some water, and then workout from 6:30-7:30 after which I immediately (within 10 minutes) have breakfast. However, if you're getting up at 6 and not working out til 9, you really should have something. Even a small banana would be good. Actually, *they* say it's important to eat breakfast within an hour or so of rising. Waiting 4 hours to eat breakfast seems close to skipping breakfast and going straight to a mid morning snack.

I'm not sure how your diabetes will affect everything though so it may be good to talk to your doc. But I'd recommend having a banana or something similar around 7 or 8 before you workout. Heck, you could really have a full healthy breakfast at 6:30 and have plenty of time to digest before you workout at 9. The only reason I don't eat before I workout is that I simply don't have time in the morning to do so. If I didn't have to workout until 9, I'd eat breakfast when I got up at 6.

I hope that's helpful!

I don't know a whole lot about diabetes, so I'd ask the Doc first. But from my personal experience I love working out before breakfast, I do have a small snack though. I'm at the gym for 5:30 am usually. I have a banana or two (I'm a big guy, so its not much for me) before depending on how I'm feeling, and I don't eat three hours before I go to bed.

I like to jump up and get into my exercise and then have a nice breakfast like oatmeal.

You might want to talk to a physician first. (I know, I sound like the beginning credits of a workout dvd:) But because you have diabetes, I don't know how working out and then eating will effect you. For me personally, I like to work out first when I wake up, just because food makes me feel heavy and I usually don't feel like working out after I eat. Also, I eat much less if I've worked out first.

You will get a lot of varying answers to this one. Personally, I have 1-2 cups of coffee first thing in the morning, then do my workout and then i eat. It works for me but as i say, you may find people out there who disagree with me. My reason for doing this is just that i have never felt like eating first thing in the morning and i like to do my workout early.

Eating before working out helps you to have more energy to get the most out of your workout, but it's important not to have too much if you are going to eat before. For short bursts of exercise, eat a faster release sugar about 30 mins before but for longer workouts, like a football game etc its a good idea to have a slower release sugar about an hour or two before.
Some people find they experience cramping if they eat before a workout. This could be because they are eating the wrong foods or not waiting long enough between eating and exercising.

Whether eating before or not, its important to drink water during your workout and to re-fuel effectively afterwards with a carbohydrate, water and protein source to replace glycogen lost during exercise and protein to help repair and maintain muscle mass.

Do what works for you, but always listen to your body at all times!
Jx

Also: as you're diabetic, see your GP or dietitian to be sure you're doing the best for your condition.

I'm not qualified to comment on your particular situation, but exercising in a fasted state is great for fat burning so long as it is low-intensity, like going for an hour walk. Low-intensity exercise primarily relies on fat stores for energy.

High intensity exercise is dependent on glucose. If the body's glycogen reserves are low, the body has to convert amino acids, among other things, to glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis. This can pose a risk to muscle.

Many people who engage in fasted exercise, no matter the intensity, often supplement with branched chain amino acids to avoid muscle loss.

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

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:

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.

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.