Question For Those That Workout First Thing In the AM
JRadd14
Posts: 206 Member
I've been reading numerous articles on the pros/cons to eating before working out when you workout first thing in the morning. Currently I haven't been eating beforehand since I must get up at 4/4:15am in order to workout in the am and once I'm up I start my workout within 15-20 min of waking. This leaves little time to really get anything into my system, but I'm finding I'm lagging a bit during my workouts and not feeling so good after. ( I do Tracy Anderson which consists of 30 min mat work [repetitive motions to tone] and 30 min intense cardio.)
I know lots of people don't eat prior hoping to burn more fat. From what I read, since we usually are in a bit of a fasting state when we wake up having not eaten for 8+ hours, not eating before an am workout may result in some muscle (not just fat) being burned for fuel and can be really hard on the body. I read this in numerous places.
I'm thinking I need to eat a little something before my workout, suggestions were half a banana and fruits with high water content (mellon, watermellon, etc.) and hydrating pre and post workout. My only concern is that I have less than 30min between waking and working out..
Do you eat before your am workout? How much time do you have between waking and working out? Have you experimented with eating/not eating and saw a difference??
TY for the feedback -
~j
I know lots of people don't eat prior hoping to burn more fat. From what I read, since we usually are in a bit of a fasting state when we wake up having not eaten for 8+ hours, not eating before an am workout may result in some muscle (not just fat) being burned for fuel and can be really hard on the body. I read this in numerous places.
I'm thinking I need to eat a little something before my workout, suggestions were half a banana and fruits with high water content (mellon, watermellon, etc.) and hydrating pre and post workout. My only concern is that I have less than 30min between waking and working out..
Do you eat before your am workout? How much time do you have between waking and working out? Have you experimented with eating/not eating and saw a difference??
TY for the feedback -
~j
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Replies
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I work out as soon as I get up of a morning. I don't eat before because I have a very sensitive stomach and frankly I'm afraid that eating and then immediately working out will result in throwing up. And since I have a serious vomit phobia, I just don't. I do, however, drink water throughout my workout. I find that as I'm working out, even though I initially wake up really hungry, my hunger goes away almost as soon as I start my program.0
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In the real world, it doesn't really work like that (burning more fat when fasted, etc etc etc). The body is constantly shuttling energy for different needs - when you need energy for a workout, the body will find it. When you need energy to digest food, the body will find it. etc. So the idea that you can burn more fat workout out at a certain time of day either fed or fasted is highly overstated.
Most people will see SIGNIFICANTLY better results working out when they can give the greatest effort and maintain the highest intensity. If that means fasted first thing in the morning then great. If that's fed later in the day, that's great too.
Results are MUCH MORE about the effort you give than they are about the method/program/timing you choose.0 -
In the real world, it doesn't really work like that (burning more fat when fasted, etc etc etc). The body is constantly shuttling energy for different needs - when you need energy for a workout, the body will find it. When you need energy to digest food, the body will find it. etc. So the idea that you can burn more fat workout out at a certain time of day either fed or fasted is highly overstated.
Most people will see SIGNIFICANTLY better results working out when they can give the greatest effort and maintain the highest intensity. If that means fasted first thing in the morning then great. If that's fed later in the day, that's great too.
Results are MUCH MORE about the effort you give than they are about the method/program/timing you choose.
I agree - but I want to have optimal workouts for optimal results and not do things that would have negative gains. So you don't buy in to the "burning muscle for fuel" if working out first thing in the AM without eating? I would think having a little to eat and somewhat digested would allow your body to use that for enerfgy instead of looking for other sources (without food, that would be the body)... and I just can't imagine the body would just target fat stores - I think it's plausible that it would use some muscle as well and I don't really want to have that happen.
I agree getting "caught up in the minutia" can be silly and unproductive - getting in a good workout is sometime hard enough! I'm just trying to feel my best and optimize my results... no harm in that...
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Before I exercise in the morning I have a fruit, usually an apple or a banana. Otherwise I feel dizzy or unable to work out as hard.0
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I don't eat anything, just have a little water. I find if I eat, I don't feel well during my workout. Just my experience.0
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If i'm just taking the dog for our 2 mile 30 minute run, I wait until we get home. If I plan to do a more intense workout, i'll mix some protein powder in juice, milk or water (depending on my mood) before I workout so I have energy to sustain me through the workout then eat breakfast.0
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If i'm just taking the dog for our 2 mile 30 minute run, I wait until we get home. If I plan to do a more intense workout, i'll mix some protein powder in juice, milk or water (depending on my mood) before I workout so I have energy to sustain me through the workout then eat breakfast.
Besides a small bit of fruit I've read liquids are a good option... I might try a mini protein shake...0 -
I also work out first thing in the morning. I am up at 5:15 and at the gym by 5:30. I don't eat because I am afraid that I will throw up if I do. I usually eat within a half hour of working out and that seems to work for me. I know some people will drink a before workout drink that is suppose to help with their energy.0
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I work out first thing in the morning, about the same time you do. I eat a Larabar or have a banana with a little peanut butter as soon as I wake up, then get my clothes on, put my hair up and go. I don't feel sick or sluggish when I workout, and the food will be fairly digested when you need it to kick in (even if it is not the optimum 45 mins to an hour, it's close enough). I found myself hungry during my workouts when I didn't eat anything, and it was just an extra discomfort that I didn't want to deal with ;-). I think if there were a significant difference, in terms of weight loss, fasting vs. non-fasting before a workout, the two sides of the issue wouldn't be so muddied. If you HATE working out hungry, that is going to affect your attitude towards doing it, and I don't know about you, but I don't need another reason to dislike it - getting up at 4 AM is tough enough....0
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In the real world, it doesn't really work like that (burning more fat when fasted, etc etc etc). The body is constantly shuttling energy for different needs - when you need energy for a workout, the body will find it. When you need energy to digest food, the body will find it. etc. So the idea that you can burn more fat workout out at a certain time of day either fed or fasted is highly overstated.
Most people will see SIGNIFICANTLY better results working out when they can give the greatest effort and maintain the highest intensity. If that means fasted first thing in the morning then great. If that's fed later in the day, that's great too.
Results are MUCH MORE about the effort you give than they are about the method/program/timing you choose.
I agree - but I want to have optimal workouts for optimal results and not do things that would have negative gains. So you don't buy in to the "burning muscle for fuel" if working out first thing in the AM without eating? I would think having a little to eat and somewhat digested would allow your body to use that for enerfgy instead of looking for other sources (without food, that would be the body)... and I just can't imagine the body would just target fat stores - I think it's plausible that it would use some muscle as well and I don't really want to have that happen.
I agree getting "caught up in the minutia" can be silly and unproductive - getting in a good workout is sometime hard enough! I'm just trying to feel my best and optimize my results... no harm in that...
I buy into it for really lean individuals who are doing brutal workouts. The average MFPer who has a bunch of weigh to lose and isn't working out at 80-90% of their max doesn't have to worry about it. Especially if they eat afterwards.
Most people will have plenty of cals available from dinner/evening snacks the night before to properly fuel a workout the next morning.
A lot of the intermittent fasting approaches actually advocate working out truly fasted.
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I have to eat before I work out. I usually just have a little bit of Greek yogurt. Enough to not have me starving/shaking, but not too much. I usually only have about 5-10 minutes between eating and working out.0
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My morning workout is a run between 6 and 10 miles. For years, I had oatmeal before I ran and it worked out fine. Then, I stopped eating before I run and it's worked out fine. To me, there has been no noticeable difference.0
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I workout at 3am, get ready and get to work by 5am and then eat at work. I dont have too many issues with that.0
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I am up at 5:20 a.m. and working out by 5:30. I usually eat a 1/2 slice of bread and about a teaspoon of PB. I am one of those people that can get shaky if my blood sugar is low.0
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I do FAR better not eating before a morning workout. Whether it's a run or strength training.0
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I get up at 4:50 for boot camp and am out the door 15 minutes later. I eat a protein bar or banana on the way to the gym. Cuz I'm hungry. On weekends when I do long runs I eat oatmeal - but I make sure to eat it at least an hour before my run.0
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I only eat before a morning workout if I know it is going to be longer than a hour.0
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I am usually at the gym between 6-7. If I don't put something in my stomach it will begin to eat itself so to speak. I make a morning shake with the following ingredients.
Protein powder 30g
Flaxseed 13g
Psyllium Husk 7g
Raw Spinach 4oz
Strawberries 6oz
Banana 3-4oz
Almond Milk 12oz
I'll usually drink about 1/3 - 1/2 before I work out and the rest after.0 -
I thought about doing that too... Making up a protein shake and just drinking half before and half after... great idea!0
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I buy into it for really lean individuals who are doing brutal workouts. The average MFPer who has a bunch of weigh to lose and isn't working out at 80-90% of their max doesn't have to worry about it. Especially if they eat afterwards.
Most people will have plenty of cals available from dinner/evening snacks the night before to properly fuel a workout the next morning.
A lot of the intermittent fasting approaches actually advocate working out truly fasted.
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[/quote]
My workout is brutal, but I'm not that lean... yet... ;o)
Did I see that you tried IF for 6 weeks and didn't see a significant difference?0 -
Perhaps some experimentation is in order.... 0
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I eat a decent amount before & after morning workout. In fact, more than half my daily calories are consumed well before noon. I lost 50 pounds that way and maintained it for 2 years (I got sick last year & put on a little, but that had nothing to do with this).0
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I wake up at 5:30 AM, get to the gym at 6 AM on weekdays and I almost always eat something before a workout. My pre-workout snacks are usually no more than 70-150 cals....a piece of toast, half a banana, a few crackers or whatever else I'm in the mood for. I've found when I don't eat beforehand my energy levels are really low, I feel faint and I can't concentrate on workout because I'm too distracted by my growling tummy.
The only exception is when I run outside, which I started doing recently. For some reason, sometimes eating before a run -- particularly an intense one -- upsets my stomach so to avoid that I'm experimenting with not eating before a run and so far it seems to help. That said, my outside runs right now last no more than an hour...when they go over that I plan on eating something.0 -
I het up at 6.30am, and get to the gym for 7-7:15am. And I go on an empty stomach, except for a glass of 2 of water. Personally, I found if I ate before hand, I was all bloated, and struggled with they gym. But now I go on an empty stomach, I find I can push myself more, and lift more weight. Personally, I found my muscles getting bigger, and fat disappearing, so for me, it works this way. Then when I get home, I have a large bowl of bran flakes, with some flax seed and whey protein.0
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I buy into it for really lean individuals who are doing brutal workouts. The average MFPer who has a bunch of weigh to lose and isn't working out at 80-90% of their max doesn't have to worry about it. Especially if they eat afterwards.
Most people will have plenty of cals available from dinner/evening snacks the night before to properly fuel a workout the next morning.
A lot of the intermittent fasting approaches actually advocate working out truly fasted.
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My workout is brutal, but I'm not that lean... yet... ;o)
Did I see that you tried IF for 6 weeks and didn't see a significant difference?
Yes and yes.0 -
I agree - eating majority of calories earlier in the day is better than later... Thanks for the reminder!0
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I agree - eating majority of calories earlier in the day is better than later... Thanks for the reminder!
It is? Why?0 -
If you can't eat before your workout, try having what you would have had pre-workout right before you go to bed instead?0
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I don't eat anything, just have a little water. I find if I eat, I don't feel well during my workout. Just my experience.
Same. I usually have a protein shake mixed with water. I feel like milk before a workout is barf waiting to happen.0 -
I normally work out fasted just because I'm not getting up any earlier to eat. Sometimes I'll have a Special K protein water mix-in before hand, but usually just water, and coffee if I'm really tired. When I was taking kickboxing classes, I had to eat something or I would've passed out, because we did HIT before we hit the bags.0
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