Eat before or after you exercise?

You're both right! You need to fuel your body for the workout, especially in the morning. You will bottome out if you don't and will quit half-way through. It will also help you loose weight more effectively. The whole point of breakfast = break the fast. Think of your metabolism as a fire. If you don't feed it, it will go out!

I have found that a bagel (half before, half after) my morning run is perfect for me. Cereal bars are another quick & light option. Avoid heavy proteins before a workout and stick with simple carbs/sugars (meaning fruit); they will break down faster to give you the energy you need for your workout. Do the protein with lighter carbs after workout (you should eat within about 30 min after your workout).

The other key is fluids. Agian, most people get up and go to the bathroom first thing. You need to drink before, during and after your workout! If you feel lightheaded or woozy, your blood is probably moving like sludge. Hydrate to alleviate hydrostatic issues!

And let me know how the heck you motivate for morning workouts... 4am :noway: you're nuts!

I work out at 5.30 am I like to get it over and done with first thing then I don't have it hanging over my head all day I think if you eat anything it has got to be fruit you get and instead sugar kick and you can't really exercise with a full stomach which is why the morning is good. I take the attitude hungry or not I got up at the crack of dawn for a reason I will be damned if I will give up half way through there would be no point getting up early if you don't give it your all. Also drink a glass of water before you start and have a ready supply while you workout and when you are finished have a big glass of cold water and breakfast when you are ready your metabolism will be higher if you eat after you exercise and should burn of the calories easier.

Good luck

I have always read that working out first thing in the morning before you eat is the best way to go. Jump-starts your metabolism and burns fat, and it is also supposed to help you keep your food choices in mind at the start of your day. I can't seem to get myself out of bed to do that unfortunately. So, I work out when it is convenient in my day...usually when I get home from work before I eat dinner. I always drink half a glass of water before I work out if it is first thing in the morning, though, or I feel like crud.

To your question to eat before or after excercise:
You should do BOTH
It is important to eat something small Before your cardio in the morning (such as 1/2 a banana, 1/2 bagel, or another piece of fruit for your carbs).
After you workout (especially if you are doing strengthtraining with your cardio) you need to refuel your body with certain foods 30-45 minutes after working out. Now, I'm not talking about eating an entire meal here... After your workout you should refuel with a few carbs and protein (such as the other 1/2 of the banana or a small yogurt).

I personally wake up at 6:30, drive to the gym and eat 1/2 a bagel or 1/2 a banana on the way to the gym. i do my cardio from 7:00am-8:00am and yes, at first i felt sick from eating but you can train your body to do anything and after a few days.. maybe even a week it felt good to have that little meal in your belly before working out in the AM.

* Everybody is diferent... do what works for your body!*

I agree with amandareid. It is important to break the fast before you start working out, then you have to give yourself a quick shot of carbs and protein immediately afterwards. The after meal is to replenish the glycogen that you burn out of your muscles during the work out. This prevents you from burning muscle during recovery. It also helps you recover quicker so that you are ready for the next work out.

I use powdered protein mixed with water before working out. I have an energy drink that has about 130 calories of carbs before and during the work out. This does not cause the bloat common with eating breads before hand.

I take a little more protein powder and some cereal as soon as I can afterwards. Just remember all of these calories count.

My son is a weight trainer/body builder, so I asked him. He tells me that Cardio should be done on an empty stomach or right after a strength training workout. then high glycemic food should be eaten and a protein. somehow that works best for cardio. it gives you the most benefit from it. don't know why. there were bunches of reasons. but...well, after awhile all the words jumble together and I hear circus music. :bigsmile: on the other hand, a protein and a low glycemic should be eaten 30 mins to one hour before a weight training work out and the appropriate protein and glycemic after as well. he recommended bodybuildingdotcom website. I went there, and there is tons and tons of information. sifting through it all and then trying to apply it to my life was very daunting. lots of good exercises tho.

That's exactly right! In the AM, if you're going to perform resistance training, go ahead and have something small--a protein and a low GI carb, a small amount of fat if you like--before. If you're just doing cardio, there's really no need. After your workout, if you've done cardio, you can wait to eat or eat another low-GI food with a protein. However, if you lifted, do consume a high GI carb and protein; that's very, very important for recovery.

I'm a member of bodybuilding.com flachix There is a great wealth of information there!

Keep in mind that bodybuilding regimines are totally different from weight loss regimines. Bodybuilders consume higher calories and work toward high muscle mass. For the average person on this site, the goal is weight loss. If you do not want to add bulk (muscle mass) you need to focus on metabolism. Not eating before a cardio workout means... O.k. here comes the physiology terminology.

When you begin activity, your body uses ATP, a quick release, short lasting form of energy. Once that is done (less than a minute) your body kicks over to carbohydrates for energy. Once those are depleted, you move into fat. The last energy source is protein (you don't want to burn up your heart muscles to workout right?). If you add a small dose of carbs in the morning, you will have energy to begin your session. By consuming a small amount, you will burn through these and move into the fat, which is my goal. The point of consuming protein powders is to supplement your existing protein so that your body uses it (think of it as first found, first used) rather than breaking down your own body.

So, everyone here is corect, depending on your goals!

This is a little inaccurate actually...ATP is used at all times. All forms of nutrients--fat, protein, and carbs--are turned into ATP by various metabolic pathways. It is THE energy we use. What you're probably thinking of as the 'quick' energy is glucose, which is stored as glycogen in the body. Short, anaerobic burst of energy, like sprints, use glucose because, since there is no oxygen present, the Krebs Cycle can't provide any ATP so it's only Glycolysis that provides it, and that only uses glucose. If you're performing lower intensity cardio--like jogging, elliptical, or walking--you can use the Krebs Cycle. In that case, glucose is still the main source of ATP, but fatty acids (from our fat) can also supply some.

The chances that you will use any skeletal proteins for amino acid gluconeogenesis (turning amino acids to glucose) are so slim that it's actually almost impossible if you're eating carbohydrates on a daily basis. What glucose you don't use from a meal is stored as glycogen in your muscles, and that is liberated as is needed during activity. If you're low on glucose, glucagon will be released, which calls for either glycogen breakdown or lipolysis (fat breakdown). If you ate dinner the night before, you will be absolutely fine jogging the next morning. You'd literally have to do many hours of cardiovascular activity to deplete glycogen stores enough to break down skeletal muscle for amino acids, and even then you'd have to have no dietary protein available either.

And besides...muscle mass *increases* your metabolism, and fat loss doesn't. It's important to focus on both.

Ah, I suppose I just interpreted it that way when I read the 'burning heart muscle for fuel' section. That doesn't happen until the late stages of anorexia and extreme caloric deprivation, so it certainly won't happen on a normal morning jog. I went without carbohydrates for 9 months, and with an increase in my fat and protein intake to make up the caloric difference, saw no decrease in muscle mass even with high amounts of cardio. It's really up to the individual whether they want to eat first thing or not; they're not going to lose any cardiac muscle if they are free of eating disorders.

Song, from what I understand, and its just a fraction of what I should. the body burns carbs as fuel first. so, after a fast, say sleeping, or depleteing your carbs via weights, then the cardio will burn fat as energy. which assist in fat loss. I think other wise all cardio is good for is to make you sweat. :grumble:
I truely hate cardio, but I get up at 5:30 to do it every morning before I eat. its nice to have it out of the way though. then I have just begun (again) to do some easy weight training he sent me. I love weight training compared to cardio. I actually feel stronger when I am done. even my posture is better. thanks for all the imput. the bodybuilding website is a fantastic place to go. and then I come here to get someone to explain it to me. laugh. thanks

What I do before cardio first thing in the a.m is I eat a hard boiled egg. I am never hungry after I work out so I wait about 2 hrs and then have something to eat. It works for me anyway. I am not a breakfast eater (I know,I know - I do force something down though) so I am not the best person to reply on this.
My only really good advice is:.......to get the best out of your workout, eat something, anything! If you go for a run on a very empty stomach - just like a gas tank - you will run out of gas really quickly!

My son is a weight trainer/body builder, so I asked him. He tells me that Cardio should be done on an empty stomach or right after a strength training workout. then high glycemic food should be eaten and a protein. somehow that works best for cardio. it gives you the most benefit from it. don't know why. there were bunches of reasons. but...well, after awhile all the words jumble together and I hear circus music. :bigsmile: on the other hand, a protein and a low glycemic should be eaten 30 mins to one hour before a weight training work out and the appropriate protein and glycemic after as well. he recommended bodybuildingdotcom website. I went there, and there is tons and tons of information. sifting through it all and then trying to apply it to my life was very daunting. lots of good exercises tho.

That's exactly right! In the AM, if you're going to perform resistance training, go ahead and have something small--a protein and a low GI carb, a small amount of fat if you like--before. If you're just doing cardio, there's really no need. After your workout, if you've done cardio, you can wait to eat or eat another low-GI food with a protein. However, if you lifted, do consume a high GI carb and protein; that's very, very important for recovery.

I'm a member of bodybuilding.com flachix There is a great wealth of information there!

hey, song, so, is that right about the carbs burning first? so do cardio in a depleted (for lack of a better term) state?