Exercise before or after breakfast

ahoward76
ahoward76 Posts: 21
edited September 22 in Fitness and Exercise
Those of you that exercise in the morning, do you do it before or after breakfast and why? Thanks!

Replies

  • lovinyoutwo
    lovinyoutwo Posts: 37 Member
    i was doing it before i eat but now I eat then I wait 20 min befor my workout
  • I always eat before exercising, especially in the morning... I think it is really important because you risk the chance of passing out if you don't.
  • nalia08
    nalia08 Posts: 252
    I do both. It depends on the day and time. I prefer after a heavy meal to workout out then because my body will hopefully burn the calories and not store them overnight.
  • I've heard good and bad about both. I always workout before eating though. I've heard that your body is a calorie torching machine for about an hour after you workout so I usually wait 20 minutes or so after and drink a big glass of water and then eat. But some people do like to eat before exercising to give them energy. So its up to you I guess. Good Luck! :flowerforyou:
  • When i exercise in the morning..i will have a little snack...nothing too heavy..I don't want to cramp. If I exercise after breakfast I usually wait an hour so I don't get cramps too..nothing more annoying than a cramp in the middle of your 5K run :)
  • Eevuh
    Eevuh Posts: 5
    Before. It is difficult to jog on a full stomach and I feel sluggish after eating.
  • cef957
    cef957 Posts: 86 Member
    I eat after for several reasons 1) I am getting my kids ready for school (I go to the gym the moment my youngest gets on the bus) 2) If I eat before I feel to full to work out - especially on my run days
  • I always eat about 30 mins before exercising just so i know ive got the energy :D x


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  • jheller
    jheller Posts: 194
    Before. I usually have a glass of water to help rehydrate after the night but I don't eat anything unless I plan on something really strenuous where I might need some fuel. I don't like to exercise for at least an hour after I eat and that doesn't work in the morning when I have to go to get ready for work right after I'm done.

    After I'm done I'll eat a little, maybe 1/2 banana or piece of toast before I hit the coffee otherwise it'll upset my stomach.
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
    You should always eat a little something before a workout, more importantly if your going to be doing some weight training, or some higher intensity cardio. When you wake up in the morning, your glycogen stores are low & your system is in a catabolic state. That means your body will start breaking down muscle tissue.

    If you're doing steady state low intensity, it's not as important as the body will then use fat stores, but I would still eat something small. Maybe split your breakfast in 2...eat half of it before & after your workout.
  • Lesliet05
    Lesliet05 Posts: 148
    I have my coffee and wake up than do my exercise and than have my breakfast. Still getting used to eating breakfast. for years my only breakfast was coffee. So that is what works for me
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
    I will have something small, like half a banana or a granola bar. Drink water.. usually 20 minutes before working out. Then I work out and have a good breakfast afterworks. I find that I am too faint if I exercise on an empty stomach, but feel like I'm going to throw up if I eat a full breakfast.

    It all depends on the person. You have to find out what works for you. I don't think there is a right or wrong thing to do though.. Not that I know of anyway.
  • EE0710
    EE0710 Posts: 8
    i always try to eat something about 30 minutes before I workout...no matter when I exercise. It gives me the energy and my workouts seem to be more effective.
  • jmmtaylor
    jmmtaylor Posts: 225
    I get up and work out then eat. If I don't do it that way I won't work out. Plus, they do it in basic training, they get up and do PT and then eat and not many of them pass out from it. Plus what I do is like half the intensity of the army, but I also do the same workout there is and artical that says that people working out on and empty stomach works out for less amounts of time...i do the exact same full or not.

    http://www.helium.com/items/448303-will-exercise-before-breakfast-burn-more-fat
  • Romba
    Romba Posts: 164 Member
    I try to do it before if possible. You burn alot of calories while you sleep. You can go stronger and harder if you have re-fueled. The only problem I have is getting up in time! I have to get up at 5:00am for work if I DONT work out...so I do my workouts in the evening.
  • ginnyroxx
    ginnyroxx Posts: 763
    I was eating before but then finding i was more hungry afterwards. So now I drink a liter of water, do my work out, and then eat my oatmeal.
  • cduell
    cduell Posts: 5
    Ditto on JenniferOrtiz's post. Your "fat burning" continues after you've completed your workout, so by exercising before breakfast, your body is digesting while it is in a higher metabolic rate... you burn what you ate and it is not stored.
  • kimjoan
    kimjoan Posts: 192 Member
    I think that you need to figure out what works for you. If I exercise in the morning I find that I have more energy for a better workout if I eat a little something - not a full breakfast. I'll usually have something like a yogurt or one of those snack size Zone bars. Just enough energy to get through the workout but not so much that I am exercising with a full stomach.
  • I'm pressed for time so I wake up around 5:15, drink a cup of coffee and workout around 6am. I eat after I shower and get ready for the day.
  • brityn
    brityn Posts: 443 Member
    I wake up, drink a cup of coffee, workout pretty strenuously, but always make sure I've had a shake or some type of protein within 30 min of my workout. Then I eat breakfast within an hour after that. This is what works for me. My trainer is always pushing me to eat before he trains me, but the two times I actually got up 1.5 hours before my session and ate something light, I threw it up within thirty minutes of starting to workout. My stomach just didn't like it. I personally think it would be healthier to eat before....but I couldn't handle it!
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