What to eat before an early morning workout?

alimounce
alimounce Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Empty stomach is not for me ... whether I burn more calories or not, I'm not wanting to faint while working out!

I'd like to wake up at 6:00 a.m., eat something light enough to not make me feel sick during my workout but enough to keep me going during my workout! I would give myself until 6:35 to eat, wake up a bit and digest a little.
I do not eat dairy (basically no cheese or milk) and need some advice on what to eat. Protein shakes don't work as they have Whey Powder, and whey comes from milk!
My workout consists of 20 minutes Jillian Michaels program (light weights and cardio intervals), and 20-30 minutes recumbent bike riding varios levels. So I need some energy for sure!
Thanks in advance and don't forget, no dairy and no empty stomachs!

Replies

  • DenyseMarieL
    DenyseMarieL Posts: 673 Member
    I eat peanut butter on whole grain bread and half a banana a couple hours before a morning run. It sustains me quite well.
  • nexangelus
    nexangelus Posts: 2,080 Member
    I always did my 5.30 a.m workouts (an hour long) empty stomached...then ate a hearty brekkie when I got home...never felt energyless...maybe try this, see if it suits you too?
  • ash8184
    ash8184 Posts: 701 Member
    I grab a half of a handful (or a whole handful) of nuts. Great protein & doesn't weigh me down but keeps me full.
  • starjumper12
    starjumper12 Posts: 64
    same here... empty stomach, but food ready to go when i'm done!
  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    I have a few sips of water before my 5:00 am workouts (running or circuit training at home). I hate working out with anything on my stomach!
  • ahviendha
    ahviendha Posts: 1,291 Member
    spirutein is a great vegetarian protein blend of soy, pea and rice. my favorite flavors are chai latte, and chocolate peanut butter. once you get over the greenish tinge to your shake they'll be in your pantry for life. SO GOOD.

    sometimes i'll eat half a banana, eat the other half after my workout. or grapefruit.
  • alimounce
    alimounce Posts: 9 Member
    Oh thank you, but I know I can't go empty!
  • courtneylee31
    courtneylee31 Posts: 178 Member
    I was getting nausea from eating before my 5k training. So now I do it on an empty stomach, with some water here and there, and food right after. Works good :) ... Or 1/2 banana
  • mlclarke22
    mlclarke22 Posts: 551 Member
    I always did my 5.30 a.m workouts (an hour long) empty stomached...then ate a hearty brekkie when I got home...never felt energyless...maybe try this, see if it suits you too?
    me too!! then u actually burn more calories when you do eat your breakfast!
  • shammxo
    shammxo Posts: 1,432 Member
    1/2 cup of steel-cut or rolled oats and 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter.

    Soooo yummy! And gives me tons of energy!
  • alimounce
    alimounce Posts: 9 Member
    spirutein is a great vegetarian protein blend of soy, pea and rice. my favorite flavors are chai latte, and chocolate peanut butter. once you get over the greenish tinge to your shake they'll be in your pantry for life. SO GOOD.

    sometimes i'll eat half a banana, eat the other half after my workout. or grapefruit.

    Ali: thank you ... I'm going to look for this product! It's tough finding dairy free protein that's actually edible!
  • TinaBean007
    TinaBean007 Posts: 273 Member
    spirutein is a great vegetarian protein blend of soy, pea and rice. my favorite flavors are chai latte, and chocolate peanut butter. once you get over the greenish tinge to your shake they'll be in your pantry for life. SO GOOD.

    sometimes i'll eat half a banana, eat the other half after my workout. or grapefruit.

    Same here and I make with with unsweetened chocolate almond milk. (Sometimes I add PB or a banana if I want it sweeter.)
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    I work out at 4:45 am and do so completely fasted. I have a protein shake after my shower afterwards.
  • alimounce
    alimounce Posts: 9 Member
    1/2 cup of steel-cut or rolled oats and 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter.

    Soooo yummy! And gives me tons of energy!

    Great idea! I love rolled oats, never tried it before working out but I will now :):smile:
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,641 Member
    Granola bar, banana with peanut butter, or pretzels and fruit juice are some of my favorites. Don't forget to drink plenty of water!
  • paigemeggan
    paigemeggan Posts: 1
    I can't do protein shakes with whey, either, but Jay Robb has a great egg white protein powder. It tastes fantastic- just blend it with Silk, a banana (or other fruit), and ice.
  • NiagaraCheryl
    NiagaraCheryl Posts: 56 Member
    I also need to eat a little something before a morning workout. I find a banana and a small glass of water is sufficient.
  • TubbsMcGee
    TubbsMcGee Posts: 1,058 Member
    A banana!
    My gym always has a big basket of free bananas on Friday mornings for a pre-workout snack :)

    I used to do egg whites and a piece of multigrain toast, or a small bowl of steel cut oats and fresh fruit, but it was too heavy for me...all that sloshing around while I was running made me want to take a bajillion breaks to keep from hurling.
  • alimounce
    alimounce Posts: 9 Member
    spirutein is a great vegetarian protein blend of soy, pea and rice. my favorite flavors are chai latte, and chocolate peanut butter. once you get over the greenish tinge to your shake they'll be in your pantry for life. SO GOOD.

    sometimes i'll eat half a banana, eat the other half after my workout. or grapefruit.

    Same here and I make with with unsweetened chocolate almond milk. (Sometimes I add PB or a banana if I want it sweeter.)
    AWESOME IDEA! The Unsweetened chocolate almond milk would be a good way to mix it up! thank you!
  • newcs
    newcs Posts: 717 Member
    I used to do a crack-of-dawn bootcamp (ok, so it was 5:30am) and tried it without eating one day. Bad idea. Ate a decent sized breakfast another day...another bad idea. Finally I found that a half cup (4oz) of orange juice with a half an english muffin and a tablespoon of almond butter (with a tiny bit of honey) was perfect. The orange juice was quick sugar to get me going and the english muffin with almond butter was enough to keep me going without making me sick. When I got home I'd eat the other half of the english muffin with almond butter with my protein shake.

    You could also do the OJ with a hard boiled egg (which I would love but I'm slowly working my way out of an egg sensitivity). Basically my formula was quick sugar (with vitamins just because) and then some sustainable protein.
  • anmarshall5
    anmarshall5 Posts: 2 Member
    I always always ALWAYS eat oatmeal in the morning. I eat plain oats (but I add stuff) that I buy in bulk, or the big cartons of plain Quaker are fine too, just not the flavored sugared up kinds. It's the only thing that's gentle and easy on my stomach (for right before a workout, and especially early in the morning) and keeps me full (several hours) until lunch. It's a great source of fiber and long-burning carbs. Of course, I try to eat right after a workout too, a banana at least, sometimes a protein shake. I can eat a full bowl of oatmeal (I usually eat 1/3 cup) literally 5-10 minutes before long runs and hard workouts. I've eaten oatmeal immediately before a 5k I have found that having peanut butter (super source of protein) sometimes doesn't taste so good when you're running hard and you burp it. (Gross I know, but seriously it happens!)
    Have you tried soy protein for protein shakes? I make my oatmeal (1/3 c oats + 2/3 c water in microwave for 1 minute), add 2 fruits, either frozen blueberries (micro another 30 min) and sliced strawberries, or strawberries and bananas. Then you can sweeten it with turbinado (or splenda if you prefer) but instead of any sweeteners I use vanilla cream flavored protein powder to sweeten it and pump up the protein factor. I've used both soy and whey protein (not sure about your take on soy protein-dairy or no?). For me the tastes are comparable. So basically, I eat: 1/3 c oats, 1/4-1/2 c blueberries, 1 scoop of protein powder, then add whatever other fruit -strawberries, bananas, whatever. Also, bananas are high in sugars so just having bananas in it sweeten the plain oatmeal pretty well. It's also good to just use sweetener and cinnamon if you like it plainer. For me it's a good strong breakfast for around 300-400 ish calories.
    Good luck! I hope this works for you! Let me know if you have any questions or anything. I prefer steel cut oats over instant oats, they're less processed and have a better texture for my taste.
  • Pohudet
    Pohudet Posts: 179 Member
    When I used to work out early in the morning, I used to eat a piece of fruit and drink one small diet Red Bull in the car on my way to the gym.
    Now I only work out in the morning on Saturdays when I do not have to go to work. My class is at 9:30, so I have plenty of time to have a cup of coffee and a piece of toast with jam and butter one hour before the workout.
    I cannot eat my normal oatmeal breakfast because I do not want my stomach to be full while doing an intense workout.
    For your situation, I would drink a glass of water first thing, and then 30 min later a piece of fruit (but not a banana).
  • tommygirl15
    tommygirl15 Posts: 1,012 Member
    If I drink only coffee before an early workout, I have energy x 1000 and don't feel hungry. The eating part happens when the workout is over. Bananas are a good pre or post workout snack.
  • alimounce
    alimounce Posts: 9 Member
    I always always ALWAYS eat oatmeal in the morning. I eat plain oats (but I add stuff) that I buy in bulk, or the big cartons of plain Quaker are fine too, just not the flavored sugared up kinds. It's the only thing that's gentle and easy on my stomach (for right before a workout, and especially early in the morning) and keeps me full (several hours) until lunch. It's a great source of fiber and long-burning carbs. Of course, I try to eat right after a workout too, a banana at least, sometimes a protein shake. I can eat a full bowl of oatmeal (I usually eat 1/3 cup) literally 5-10 minutes before long runs and hard workouts. I've eaten oatmeal immediately before a 5k I have found that having peanut butter (super source of protein) sometimes doesn't taste so good when you're running hard and you burp it. (Gross I know, but seriously it happens!)
    Have you tried soy protein for protein shakes? I make my oatmeal (1/3 c oats + 2/3 c water in microwave for 1 minute), add 2 fruits, either frozen blueberries (micro another 30 min) and sliced strawberries, or strawberries and bananas. Then you can sweeten it with turbinado (or splenda if you prefer) but instead of any sweeteners I use vanilla cream flavored protein powder to sweeten it and pump up the protein factor. I've used both soy and whey protein (not sure about your take on soy protein-dairy or no?). For me the tastes are comparable. So basically, I eat: 1/3 c oats, 1/4-1/2 c blueberries, 1 scoop of protein powder, then add whatever other fruit -strawberries, bananas, whatever. Also, bananas are high in sugars so just having bananas in it sweeten the plain oatmeal pretty well. It's also good to just use sweetener and cinnamon if you like it plainer. For me it's a good strong breakfast for around 300-400 ish calories.
    Good luck! I hope this works for you! Let me know if you have any questions or anything. I prefer steel cut oats over instant oats, they're less processed and have a better texture for my taste.

    Thank you so much for this advice! I love oatmeal, usually the rolled oats kind but I'm going to give steel cut a try know that I know it exists! I stear clear of Soy (I've read some scary studies about Soy and women ...basically (and I'm no doctor) soy can effect the estrogen levels in women and since estrogen is a cancer feeding hormone, I'd rather not add to any risk I may already have of getting cancer) ... totally my preference and I'm sure there are many reports saying it's a myth, but I don't eat Soy. A lot of people have recommended a protein powder so I'm going to go looking for one that suits my allergies. And I never thought of putting it in oatmeal, fab idea! One thing you could clarify for me, do you add the protein and berries to your prework oatmeal, or are you saying you have a bit and then a bit more after with the protein and berries?!
    Thank you again, I appreciate your suggestion!

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