Before OR After Eating?

NewMe80xoxo
NewMe80xoxo Posts: 172
edited September 22 in Fitness and Exercise
I was wanting to know if its better to workout before or after I eat! My mom and I used to walk a mile every night and we wanna get back to doing that. Its just we don't know if we should eat dinner before or after we walk! In the past after we ate we felt so full we werent hardly walking fast enough to get any effect out of it!

But we wanted to know what yall thought about it!!!???!!!

Amanda

Replies

  • MissEllie0426
    MissEllie0426 Posts: 40
    I am curious to see the responses to this...I have wondered this very thing.
  • Wolfena
    Wolfena Posts: 1,570 Member
    My personal experience:
    If I walk before I eat, I eat less.... if I walk after I eat, well - the walk often doesn't get done because I get lazy.

    I don't think the calorie burn will be much different if you're walking the same amount of time or distance, I'd imagine it's just a personal preference.
  • lesleybritton
    lesleybritton Posts: 41
    I exercise before but that's just me. I find that if I wait until after I cook, eat, get cleaned up, etc... somehow I don't end up exercising. It's much easier for me to just get my workout out of the way as soon as I get home from work. But that's just me...
  • dad2jandm
    dad2jandm Posts: 11
    I'm not actually sure and was wondering the same thing.....because I've kinda looked at it 2 ways:
    1) If you exercise BEFORE eating it is suppose to curb your appetite and you won't eat as much.
    but
    2) If you exercise AFTER eating you would burn a lot of calories that you just consumed.

    For me I eat late (my wife doesn't get home until normally after 9pm) so we eat our "supper" at that time.....which if you eat and then just sit and watch tv followed by going to bed, you haven't worked off any of those calories you just ate which in turn would pack on the pounds, right?!?!?

    I have a lot to learn about eating right and exercising right...so I'm glad I found this place when I did! :)
  • SparkleKittie
    SparkleKittie Posts: 127
    Eating large meals before you exercise is always going to feel like a burden, and should be avoided. Exercising in the morning is ideal because activating muscles, and making them burn, helps you burn fat throughout the day. Just eat healthy foods (vegetables, fruits, grains) after you exercise. This will pump up your metabolism and keep you energetic throughout the day.
  • curvykent
    curvykent Posts: 140 Member
    Just from personal experience I would say do your walk before dinner. You can probably walk at a quicker pace this way and are less likely to pass it up. A walk after a meal is a good idea to help with digestion but if you're walking for exercise I'd suggest doing it before you eat. I walk a lot, I walk 4-5 miles 3x a week but sometimes I'll do smaller walks to help keep me from eating during that slump time of day and to help with anxiety or anger. Walking is great so keep it up :)
  • mykaar74
    mykaar74 Posts: 253
    well considering that your last meal should probably be no later than 6pm you might have dinner before going for your walk. However if you are eating to the point where you are feeling sluggish, I would say try to have a smaller portion of your meal, and then after your walk have the other half as the evening snack. I personally walk and exercise after dinner, and then I look forward to my pm snack just to refuel, and so that when I get up in the morning I won't be so starved that I pig out for breakfast. Well I hope you find something that works for you. Hang in there try experiment with eating first then walking, or walking then eating to see how it works. Best wishes
  • MsLisaB
    MsLisaB Posts: 256
    A general guide is not to eat in the hour prior to exercising. Generally though, food is better tolerated during lower intensity activities (e.g. walking), or sports where the body is supported (e.g. cycling) than sports such as running where the gut is jostled about during exercise. If you feel too full to walk at the pace you want after a meal then I'd suggest waiting until after your walk to eat.

    The Australian Institute of Sport has an interesting fact sheet on eating before exercise.

    http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/competition_and_training2/eating_before_exercise
  • ashley_d78
    ashley_d78 Posts: 39 Member
    i would switch it up entirly and walk in the morning before you eat breakfast, your bosy burns more fat this way becuase it has used up all of its glycogen reseves during your "fast" when you sleep so you end up burning fat insted of the stored sugar, because uts already gone!
  • carl1738
    carl1738 Posts: 444 Member
    I usually try to do my cardio workouts before I eat, but my weight training after.
  • size3again
    size3again Posts: 17 Member
    You should eat both before and after exercise! When you eat before exercise, you're giving your body immediate energy to use. This isn't to say though that you should have a six course meal. Something light light a flax seed whole wheat bagel with a chicken breast (white meat, no skin, no bone, no cold-cuts) If you don't eat properly before hand, your body will start to take the fat from your internal organs (instead of that midsection). After you've finished your exercise (especially if you've been doing weight lifting), it's important to eat something rich in protein and light in carbs. If you don't, your body will go into a state of hunger, and you'll be even more tempted to inhale the contents of the fridge.. or binge eat the next time a meal comes up.
    You should wait 1hour to do your exercising. Just like when you want to go swimming ... Otherwise, your muscles will cramp!

    You are actually supposed to eat AFTER exercising, as your metabolic rate has increased and will use all the energy and fats from your food immediately. also, eating prior to exercising really is only working of what is still in your digestive system, and is really ineffective. make sure you eat as soon as you can AFTER exercising.
  • melani75
    melani75 Posts: 14 Member
    I walk in the morning and it seems like I have more energy/can do more if I eat breakfast first. I eat a pretty small breakfast though. Not sure how I'd feel if it was in the evening...I'd probably walk first.
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