Exercise before or after food??

stephx4
stephx4 Posts: 810
in Health and Weight Loss
Just need some advice on whether I should eat my dinner before or after I have exercised. I am trying to lose weight not build muscle etc. Anybody able to help me??

Replies

  • ChantalAguiar
    ChantalAguiar Posts: 55 Member
    I can't eat a full meal prior to working out at anytime throughout the day. I have to have something in my stomach I usually drink half a protein shake before and then the other half after.
  • tigersfan90
    tigersfan90 Posts: 5
    I like to eat then wait a little while, then work out. The reason I do that is because I don't like working out and then eating because I feel like I'm just canceling out my workout. Maybe that's just me, but that's my advice! Good luck! Feel free to add me. I'm always looking for new friends. :)
  • bobf279
    bobf279 Posts: 342 Member
    I normally eat after
  • BluLotus2
    BluLotus2 Posts: 87
    I like to eat then wait a little while, then work out. The reason I do that is because I don't like working out and then eating because I feel like I'm just canceling out my workout. Maybe that's just me, but that's my advice! Good luck! Feel free to add me. I'm always looking for new friends. :)

    I do the same!!
  • Cassierocksalot
    Cassierocksalot Posts: 266 Member
    My workouts are pretty intense so if I eat within 1-2 hours of one, I will vomit. So I eat after.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    If I'm hungry before my workouts I'll have a snack, but I really don't like working out on a full stomach. It just feels wrong to me. I'll usually eat a more substantial meal after the workout though.
  • psych0kitty
    psych0kitty Posts: 313
    It really doesn't matter when you eat. Just eat when it's comfortable for you and your workout schedule.
  • o2bADyer
    o2bADyer Posts: 208
    I eat after but that is primarily because I get home late and if I sit down, my motivation to work out goes down the drain...quickly!
  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,170 Member
    normally an hour before else i have no energy at all!
  • Birddog6424
    Birddog6424 Posts: 29 Member
    There isn't really a difference as far as weight loss is concerned. There is certainly a difference between fasted and fed, but at the end of the day, the time you consumed your calories makes little difference.

    As others pointed out, eating to close to your workout can be uncomfortable. I usually need at least 90 minutes for my food to settle.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    before so i have energy
  • balogda1
    balogda1 Posts: 21 Member
    Before, During, and After! Lol
  • cityjaneLondon
    cityjaneLondon Posts: 12,711 Member
    I find if I exercise without eating beforehand I go all hypo and then feel awful and light headed for the rest of the day. I like to exercise in the morning so I have a bowl of muesli with fruit and semi skimmed milk. When I used to go swimming I could feel my breakfast repeating on me and the cod liver oil I take every day, but that doesn't seem to happen with the gym machines and I am quite comfortable. I do bits of yoga and dumbbells throughout the day whenever I have a quiet moment, like waiting for something to cook.
    I couldn't do serious exercise on a completely empty stomach, but everyone is different
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    I would personally eat after. I don't know how much the meal timing actually matters if you're training around dinner time, but I wouldn't want a belly full of food at the gym. :sick:
  • NikoM5
    NikoM5 Posts: 488 Member
    Doesn't matter much. Do whatever is more convenient.
  • stephx4
    stephx4 Posts: 810
    I just thought that if I ate afterwards then the calories I would have burnt I could potentially be putting them back on.
  • Jessicarenelaw
    Jessicarenelaw Posts: 19 Member
    Half of the time I work out so I can earn a few more calories ^_^
  • NikoM5
    NikoM5 Posts: 488 Member
    I just thought that if I ate afterwards then the calories I would have burnt I could potentially be putting them back on.

    It doesn't work like that. Unless you are dead (and even then) you have energy stored in your body. That is what exercise uses for fuel.
  • Sharkington
    Sharkington Posts: 485
    Both! I eat about an hour prior to working out, then I eat again after I work out.
  • stephx4
    stephx4 Posts: 810
    Oh ok I thought it would have used the food for fuel. I really need to educate myself on this type of thing.
  • NikoM5
    NikoM5 Posts: 488 Member
    Oh ok I thought it would have used the food for fuel. I really need to educate myself on this type of thing.

    The only way timing your eating will affect weight loss is when it comes to energy. If you have some food in your stomach, let's say you eat something starchy about an hour to 45 min prior to working out, this will give you elevated blood sugar levels and thus more readily available fuel (energy) for your workout. That could in turn result in a better workout and more calories burnt and weight lost.
  • willdob3
    willdob3 Posts: 640 Member
    I can't workout on an empty stomach. If I do feel tired & my workouts suffer. Bad workouts are not good for fat-burning.
  • sally_jeffswife
    sally_jeffswife Posts: 766 Member
    I like to eat something before to give me fuel and then after about a half hr later or so will eat a 100 calorie cottage cheese double with fruit. And drink plenty of water. Cuz the protein in the cottage cheese helps a ton with sore muscles.

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