Working out in the morning question

cristina3980
cristina3980 Posts: 44 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
If you choose to get your workout in, before you start your day do you eat first or exercise then eat breakfast? I want to start working out in the mornings before work but I wake up every morning starving & feel like I won't have the energy to complete a workout. Thanks :)
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Replies

  • ameliaannakin
    ameliaannakin Posts: 344 Member
    It depends what I am doing. If I am doing a long run, I try to eat some granola and greek yogurt or porridge an hour and a half to two hours before, if I am just doing a smaller gym workout or a 5k, I don't always have food before but I do find it affects my workout because I don't feel as strong. Hope this helps.
  • asaw00
    asaw00 Posts: 1,904 Member
    I have a cup of coffee before my morning workout and eat later.
  • marikevr
    marikevr Posts: 389 Member
    I eat if I run anything longer than 10k. I work that 'extra' breakfast into my daily allowance.
  • RipperSB
    RipperSB Posts: 315 Member
    My morning workout - Mon-Wed-Fri are whole body weight training (chest, back, legs) for 60 mins and Tues-Thurs is aerobic workout (elliptical) for 35 mins. As a rule I do not eat before. My usual meal after is a light one consisting of a chewy Kashi bar, a banana & coffee.
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  • balancingactx2
    balancingactx2 Posts: 10
    If you want to wait but are starving, grab a quick banana first. They can be filling, and the potassium helps me so I don't end up with charlie horses after biking.
  • KidP
    KidP Posts: 247 Member
    I'm not sure about the technical answer to this question, from a nutritional point of view. For me the problem isn't that i wouldn't have energy if i didn't eat, it's that i'd probably go into a rage and eat the first person/animal that stepped in front of me if i didn't eat breakfast beforehand. If i eat breakfast, i'm a happy morning person. If not, Hulk smash.

    Now that i'm done breakfast, time to go workout!
  • prium01
    prium01 Posts: 306 Member
    I workout empty stomach in the morning! It makes my day...Also read somewhere burns 20% more fat!
  • Mateo1985
    Mateo1985 Posts: 153
    I usually eat first thing when I wake up and then by the time I come to the gym it's already been about an hour to 1.5 hours before I hit the weights so I don't feel to full yet still have energy to workout. Then after the work out I eat my second breakfast!!!

    If you just want to run thou then there is an opinion that you should run first then go home and have breakfast.
  • Hoover8it
    Hoover8it Posts: 107 Member
    I was told by a very wise person not to eat first. Your body will prey on fat that is already stored in the body.
  • bri0628
    bri0628 Posts: 86 Member
    I've tried both before I run and I have found that I do better if I don't eat.
  • JezzD1
    JezzD1 Posts: 431
    I usually do some green shake or Greek yogurt and coffee. Working out without eating in the am usually results in a half a@@ workout cuz I lack energy.
  • xynyth
    xynyth Posts: 89 Member
    I roll out of bed and head straight for the gym, but right now I am only doing cardio. If I eat beforehand I feel sick and heavy so I just eat within an hour after I finish my workout. I might have to change that when I start strength training, but then I'd have to get up even earlier and I already get up at 430 lol.
  • gotpita
    gotpita Posts: 15 Member
    When I used to workout in the am I would do it immediately upon getting up.. Because of work I had no time to waste.. I always felt good.. If I waited too long I would get too hungry.. I would only do a 30-40min workout.. Then I'm ready for breakfast..
    On weekends I have a snack, wait like an hour then workout .. I just hate the feeling of food in my stomach when working out.
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
    Depends on the intensity of the workout and the amount of time you have.

    High intensity = eat something
    Low intensity = empty stomach
    Day off work/school = eat something
    Have to go into work/school = empty stomach

    Again, it depends all on the time you have. I sometimes have a high intensity workout and a day off school/work and still choose to have just coffee or a pre-workout supplement.

    The answer to most questions in life = depends.
  • epie2098
    epie2098 Posts: 224 Member
    It really depends on what happened the day before for me. If I've had a late dinner, or with-TV snacks (relatively healthy ones) which is often my Friday night routine, I can get out the door for a morning workout on Saturday/Sunday with no breakfast - without coffee isn't happening...

    If I worked out the evening before and didn't snack after dinner, which is my usual state of being, I need something light before I workout. For me, a piece of toast with pbj does the trick. Light enough to not weigh me down, but substantial enough to give a bit of energy.
  • rumplesnat
    rumplesnat Posts: 372
    Nope. I'm up at 5am to work out, so I don't eat first. I really want coffee, but that's my motivation to get the workout done and over with! :drinker:
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    I don't ever eat until after noon on any given day, and I work out in the morning any time my schedule allows. I don't do any kind of sustained high intensity aerobic stuff, but I do lift heavy barbell compound lifts.
  • lilyhel
    lilyhel Posts: 77
    I split my breakfast in two. I usually eat a banana before exercising and yogurt with granola after....
  • jazzcat55
    jazzcat55 Posts: 164 Member
    I have always struggled with this and have yet to find a really good solution. I'm not hungry first thing in the morning and just have coffee. When I've been up for about an hour and half or two, I have a banana and a half cup of OJ, then exercise. But I sometimes get low blood sugar attacks and have to cut the workout short, which really annoys me. I've had the low blood sugar problem my whole life and have had all the tests. I'm not diabetic or have any other issues that I know of. It's just a big PITA!!

    Maybe I should try a protein bar beforehand. I definitely don't want to eat a full-size breakfast because I think it would slow me down or cause cramps, and I just naturally prefer to eat breakfast later in the morning.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    Experiment and see what works for you.
    I do cardio followed by strength, so I didn't want my stomach feeling full.
    I used to eat nothing.
    Then I went to eating a protein bar in between cardio and strength.
    Now, I eat fat free yogurt before cardio and then the protein bar before strength.
    That seems to work well for me.
  • cristina3980
    cristina3980 Posts: 44 Member
    Thank you so much everyone! I usually do my workouts in the evening but sometimes I find by the time I get home from work & spend time with my family I'm so tired & don't want to workout so I want to try working out in the morning to see if it'll help!
  • ShellGetsFit
    ShellGetsFit Posts: 604 Member
    I get up, eat a banana and then do my workout. After my workout, shower and getting everyone else ready for the day, I eat an actual breakfast. I tried to do it on an empty stomach once, I felt so sick! So banana it is!
  • slimgoody05
    slimgoody05 Posts: 25 Member
    I work out early in the morning as well. I have been experimenting to see what works best for me. I lift weights M, W & F, so I make sure I have something small like 1/2 banana or a protein shake. I drink another protein shake when I am finished and then eat breakfast once I get to work. (almost a hour later) On the days where i do cardio first, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday mornings, I have been running on an empty stomach. This week, I will try the protein shake 1/2 hour to hour before my runs to see how I feel. I guess it all depends you the person like a few of the other posters said. Experiment and see how you feel.
  • wilddavid
    wilddavid Posts: 33 Member
    I get up at 5am and jump straight on the stationary bike, then I grab a coffee to drink on the way to work and usually only eat breakfast around 9am... Terrible habit I now.
  • lynn413
    lynn413 Posts: 40
    Its whatever works best for you. If I do my treadmill before work I usually have a coffee first, do the treadmill for 30 minutes and then have my 2nd coffee when I'm done. Then I shower, do my makeup and hair, eat breakfast, get my lunch ready, get dressed and then out the door I go.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I'm usually up at 4:45 and working out by 5am - I don't eat anything first and do fine with the exercise (30 minutes of dumbbells & 20 minutes of kickboxing). I can also run 3-4 miles on nothing but water, but if I'm going farther than that, I will have a little something - granola bar, banana or toast with peanut butter, etc.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    I forgot to add that I work second shift, so I'm not going to work right after the gym.
    I drop my daughter at school and eat the yogurt around 8:00 or so.
    I take two classes from 9:15-11:30, with a 15 minute break in between which is when I eat the protein bar.
    But I do go home and have lunch before I go to work.
  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 827 Member
    I'm in the minority here but I eat breakfast before I go to spin class. I have oatmeal about an hour or an hour and a half before class. It's such an all out workout that if I don't eat, I tend to get light headed!:noway:
  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
    I get up at 2:30 a.m. so I can work out in the gym at work before I have to start work. I have a 40 minute commute. I eat after I get done.

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