Eating carbs at night for morning workouts?

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nomnomgoodies
nomnomgoodies Posts: 25 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I prefer working out in the morning at around 5AM. Because of school, I don't have time to eat before I workout. Is it possible for me to eat carbs at night, so I can have energy for my morning workouts? Will this cause any unwanted weight problems?

Also, if I can eat carbs at night, what types of food should I eat? For example, would fruit be okay or should I eat something else?
Thanks for the help!

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    You can eat your carbs at night and train without food, no issues. Well - try it! I don't like eating carbs the meal before I train, I feel sluggish so I eat them after. I have protein and fat (in coffee) before I train whether that's morning or evening.

    I eat most of my carbs at night - usually a mix of vegies, and fruit, sometimes rice, with no issue. Granted, it is after training, but it works for me and when I do morning training my performance doesn't suffer...
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    Yes you can. This is why there's always pasta dinners the night before big road races.
  • nomnomgoodies
    nomnomgoodies Posts: 25 Member
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    I've tried exercising with a dinner of mainly protein and veggies the night before, but the next morning, I had absolutely no energy during my workout. It was harder than usual to finish.
    Would eating fruit be okay? Or should I be eating more complex carbs? Does my body not use up the carbs at night?
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    I've tried exercising with a dinner of mainly protein and veggies the night before, but the next morning, I had absolutely no energy during my workout. It was harder than usual to finish.
    Would eating fruit be okay? Or should I be eating more complex carbs? Does my body not use up the carbs at night?

    Fruit is OK but some complex carbs would be better. Bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, that kind of thing.
  • nomnomgoodies
    nomnomgoodies Posts: 25 Member
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    Okay, thank you! I'm sorry, last question. Will the carbs affect body composition, since I'm eating them and then sleeping? Or is there no relevance?
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Yeah, complex carbs. I am not a morning person but on the rare occasion that I have a morning tennis match or something, I do pretty well with some energy gel and a single egg. I'd suggest you try some BCAA caplets and energy gel. Get just a little bit of protein in there.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    Okay, thank you! I'm sorry, last question. Will the carbs affect body composition, since I'm eating them and then sleeping? Or is there no relevance?

    No relevance. Just balance your macros out throughout the day and it's fine. It would only make a difference if those evening carbs/calories were putting you over your overall limits.
  • nomnomgoodies
    nomnomgoodies Posts: 25 Member
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    Alright. Thanks for the help!
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    yes it's fine. There is a whole diet named "carb backloading" based on it. (with some dodgy references to studies in the book but I won't go there)
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
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    that's what I do when I have early workouts.. eat them carbohydrates at night
  • charlieibeling
    charlieibeling Posts: 93 Member
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    it all depends on your goals and your training. without knowing the details my rec is get about 30g of low glycemic carbs at night, take in bcaa's in the morning and eat about 30-40g of carbs after your workout.

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