Excercise before or after dinner?

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NattyJayne1991
NattyJayne1991 Posts: 25 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
It's probably going to be different for everyone. But does anyone find that they lose more weight exercising before you eat your dinner or after?

I've tried both and found exercising beforehand made me want to eat less and lose more!

Replies

  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    I work third shift hours and exercise in the morning, which is technically right before bed for me. I don't have much time for anything else, and that's what works for me.

    I think it is definitely going to vary per person, but there is one thing we will all have in common. We lose weight when we do the exercise at times that is most convenient for us. If we try to do exercise at times when we don't really want to, then we are more apt to just dog the workout and not burn as many calories.
  • ThatOperaGirl
    ThatOperaGirl Posts: 138 Member
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    I'm not sure about how it affects weight loss for me, but I prefer to exercise early in the mornings before breakfast! (I'll usually have a coffee and a hard-boiled egg or a banana or something to give me a bit of workout fuel, but I won't have my "proper" meal until afterwards.) I find that exercising before eating puts me in a great health-positive mindset for the rest of the day, and mornings are also when I have the most energy :smile:
  • UNLESS19
    UNLESS19 Posts: 118
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    i'm not sure! I TRY to do it in the morning, so it's a case of before or after breakfast for me! Sometimes i HAVE to eat first and wait a while as i wake up with a rumbly tummy! However, i then still feel a bit slugish even after waiting for my food to go down, sometimes feel ill and less motivated!
    However, if i do it before food (if i can) i can get through it until the end or near the end where a feel a bit ill and hungry- i can't win!! haha
  • fayis
    fayis Posts: 1 Member
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    because i start work early, i usually work out in the evenings - but always before dinner or i get side stitch really bad.
  • Boogage
    Boogage Posts: 739 Member
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    I don't think it really matters. Exercise does curb appetite but I didn't have enough energy during the day yesterday but after a late night protein rich meal (about 10pm) I had the energy to start working out at midnight and I killed it :)
  • Nicky0811
    Nicky0811 Posts: 3
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    I have tried both as well, it just depends how you feel. At lunchtime I prefer to do my long brisk walk before I eat my lunch whilst I am at work, but then at night I tend to have my tea before going out with the dog again, otherwise I would be starving!
  • paulperryman
    paulperryman Posts: 839 Member
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    the only difference it makes is if you eat first you'd have more immediate energy but you'd have the food you just ate still in your body if you ate immediately b4 the training so you may feel bloated or could feel sick, eat atleast 1-2 hrs b4 training is the best bet to give time for the body to digest. If you don't eat first you will probably have less energy possibly feel light headed with lower blood sugar levels and you'd also have to deal with possible hunger pains which is uncomfortable if not annoying.

    either way this whole eat on an empty stomach is purely upto you, i use to do it when i was doing Karate 7 days a week i couldn't stomach eating breakfast or within a few hrs b4 so i'd train with nothing more then water coming in then eat big afterwards.

    now i goto the gym 6 days a week, 2 days of that is in the mornings 4 days after work I eat breakfast without fail either way and only eat a small snack afterwards til the next meal. During the M-F trainings i have a protein shake and maybe some fruit or nuts on the way from work to the gym just to put something in the stomach.
  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
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    Before usually works better for me schedule-wise, but I don't think that has any bearing on how much weight I've lost.
  • GrannyGwen1
    GrannyGwen1 Posts: 213 Member
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    BUMP
  • blah2989
    blah2989 Posts: 338 Member
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    Well I try to do it through out they day. On a really good day, I get to walk in the am, run in place or do some aerobics around lunch time and do a mile run and walk in the evening. But usually I just end up exercising in the house and running in the evening since I have the kids with me. 2&3, they are a workout in themselves.
  • rfihn
    rfihn Posts: 35 Member
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    I exercise before. This is partially because if I workout too late I can't sleep but also because I always feel sluggish after dinner no matter how healthy I eat. Generally I have the 2nd half of my nutrition bar right after I eat which gives me enough fuel to relax for a bit, shower and then make dinner. After I do all of that I'm perfectly hungry to eat dinner and I won't be too full when its time to go to bed.
  • astralpictures
    astralpictures Posts: 218 Member
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    I'm the same way. If I workout within an hour or so after eating, I get a horrible stitch after 5-10 minutes and can't continue. There are proponents of Intermittent Fasting who recommend exercising in the morning before eating anything because burning calories in a fasted state may burn more fat than in a non-fasted state. I don't know the exact science behind it without doing more research, but I do know that I feel more energetic personally if I workout on an empty stomach.
  • KateK8LoseW8
    KateK8LoseW8 Posts: 824 Member
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    I exercise before breakfast, and sometimes again in the afternoon. I think for the average joe who doesn't need to worry about strategic refeeding, the best time to exercise is whenever you are most likely to do it.

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