Should I eat before or after my morning workout?

daughterphoenix
daughterphoenix Posts: 3
edited September 24 in Food and Nutrition
Hey guys, I'm new here. Nice to meet you all. :)

I go to the gym early in the mornings - 6 or 7am for an hour -- and I was advised to eat before I went, so I did. But I burned off 260 of the 300 calories I took in for breakfast, and now it's only 9 am and I am HUNGRY! Morning people: what do you do to avoid this situation? Do you eat after the gym, or eat twice, or what?

Replies

  • bjmk19047
    bjmk19047 Posts: 123
    When I walked in the mornings (when it was nice out) I didn't eat till after I was done. That's just me though.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I eat 6-7 times a day every 2-2.5 hours starting first thing in the morning (6:40 am) I usually have a lite snack prior to my workout and a meal after.
  • in_it_2_win_it
    in_it_2_win_it Posts: 144
    Well see i work out at 7am.. I eat before I work out.. but right now I have myself on a routine where breakfast is 7.. I work out for a while and then lunch is 11.. I HAVE to eat early.. cause I have to take a medication with food.. so I would say in regards to you, do what feels right. eating before my workout is right for me.. so do what feels natural to you
  • wiggleroom
    wiggleroom Posts: 322 Member
    Yes. =)

    I eat a bit of carbs before (yogurt, fruit, cereal), and then a more complete meal after (oatmeal with almond butter and berries or banana; or a breakfast wrap with eggs and vegetables).
  • Anathema13
    Anathema13 Posts: 27
    I started splitting my breakfast into two. I usually only have 3/4 cup of cottage cheese and a cup of coffee in the morning but I'd drink some of my coffee on the way in to the gym and have about 1/3 of a cup of cottage cheese before my workout and then I'd eat the rest after my workout. The idea of eating when you get up is to jump-start your metabolism. Don't skip your breakfast in the hopes that you'll miss the calories later. Eat something small to start your metabolism going and then have the rest of your breakfast after your workout if you need to. It seems to work for me. Sometimes I get hungry but not nearly like if I ate everything before my workout.
  • bobball
    bobball Posts: 57
    Everyone's body is different but nutritionists and physical fitness experts agree, you should eat before you work out. A balance of protein, carbs and fat. Small is good though before a workout so your stomach isn't too full. Then eat again afterwards, same type of meal, balanced.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    It's really up to how you feel. A lot of people just have a banana or a piece of toast maybe some coffee- something to give them the carbs to get through an hour of cardio- and then do regular breakfast after. For me- it upsets my stomach so I usually only do about 40-50 min cardio on no food. It's all about how it works for you.
  • Tonya84
    Tonya84 Posts: 18
    I heard its better to workout before you eat breakfast... That you burn more fat...
  • sadblonde
    sadblonde Posts: 26 Member
    I heard that it's best to eat as soon as you wake up to get your metabolism going.
  • currlygirrl
    currlygirrl Posts: 82 Member
    I work out pretty hard in the morning.( I lift free weights and run on the elliptical for about and hour total) and burn close to 500 calories.If I'm hungry I'll eat something light, like some greek yougurt or a piece of fruit, but ususally I don't eat anything until after I'm done. I just make sure that I'm eating a good amount of protein in that meal to help recover my muscle tissue form the workout.
    If I eat too much before hand I feel like it is sloshing around in my stomache the whole time.
  • mowrynation
    mowrynation Posts: 91
    I usually have a shake before I work out and a fizz tab to help curb my appetite and give me a little boost. I will eat afterwards if I am really hungry, most times I can wait for lunch. Just go with what your body is telling you :-) Just had a training session with a fitness instructor who said that you will continue to burn calories for about 40 minutes after a Good workout!
  • Thorneapple
    Thorneapple Posts: 154
    You should eat something small before you work out: a banana, protein bar or a small yogurt. Then eat your actual meal after.

    You need something to give you energy for the workout but depending on how vigorous your workout is, a full meal before might not be pretty.
  • atthebeach08
    atthebeach08 Posts: 63 Member
    I could be wrong and someone correct me if I am but this is what I read. If you workout before eating you are burning Fat.If you eat before working out you are burning those calories and make room to eat more later in the day. Which I took as if I want to lose more wieght If not eat first and burn the fat.
  • MeliciousMelis
    MeliciousMelis Posts: 458 Member
    Both. You need energy to sustain your efforts, and a good protein/carb combo to recover.
  • savimal
    savimal Posts: 37
    I hear you. I have also started working out early in the morning. It was a feeling out process for me.

    A couple of different times, one time, I did not take any food prior and I worked out for about 30-40 mins. Did not exactly feel exhausted post workout, but managed to not take in extra calories before the work out. On another day, I thought I will try taking half of a cereal bar (70 calories) to see if it will make any difference in extending my workout by a few more mins. Did not think it made much of a difference for me.

    So I ended up not eating anything pre-workout during the mornings.

    Again this is a day to day basis. If my stomach is growling when I wake up, I rather eat that banana or half a cereal bar, so iI will not starve and end up dizzy during the workout, forcing me to give up half way through.

    Again eating a dinner high in protein, seems to have helped, because of the slower digestion through the night and the tummy is not starving for food as soon as I wake up.

    Hope some of this has helped.
  • DaddyMantz
    DaddyMantz Posts: 145 Member
    I know there are very smart people who firmly believe in doing fasting cardio every morning. What has worked for me personally is to have something to eat before I workout. Maybe half a protein bar but if I have nothing, I feel awful if I try to have an intense workout.
  • jimmydeanbakker
    jimmydeanbakker Posts: 333
    I eat after my morning workouts. I drink a low calorie high protein shake as soon as I'm finish with my workouts. I eat approximately six small meals a day, but that after workout protein shakes curves the appetite in ways you would not believe, feeds the muscles, and makes me feel full longer.

    For me, I don't have a problem with working out on an empty stomach in the morning time. I can get a better calorie burn overall in the morning hours. I can push myself a lot harder too. With that said, it doesn't matter when it comes to weight-loss the time that you eat. What matters is how much you eat. As long as you don't go over your calories, you're gonna lose weight.
  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
    I exercise in a fasted state - without food - as it is supposed to burn your fat, rather than the food you just ate!

    Google it!

    If you're exercising first thing, why do you need food to kick start your metabolism?? That's what the exercise does?

    Also, exercising with food in my stomach just gives me indigestion and slows me down. But I know some people are more tolerant. And other people feel faint if they dont have some carb booster before exercise. We are all different.

    Why dont you try it all ways and see how you feel? I dont think there's any right or wrong way, as long as you're exercising and eating at some point, then you should be fit and healthy :bigsmile:
  • charity_
    charity_ Posts: 5 Member
    When I run my long Saturday morning run I eat before, wait about half hour, get the run in and eat afterward. Sometimes I will bring some goo chomps with me if its longer then 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
  • nlucero
    nlucero Posts: 14 Member
    I just started eating every 2-3 hours since Jan 25 and have lost 9 lbs. This was per the advise of my nutritionist. I'm meeting with her for an hour on Thursday because I just shared MFP with her and she noticed that I'm consuming too much sugars. In spite of that, I've lost 9 lbs. eatting 5-6 times every 2-3 hours and doing cardio (zumba) every other day. Make sure to eat before your body goes into hunger mode. This is where you tend to eat more and have less control.
  • laramie2
    laramie2 Posts: 1
    I always eat after since then I am not as hungry and my metabolism is still up . During my work out I usually consume 33 ounces of H2O so I am not as hungry.
  • _Bro
    _Bro Posts: 437 Member
    I think fasted cardio burns more calories -- *kitten* your tolerance level. If it fits your schedule and does not mess up your workout it's prob a good thing.

    Personally I do both
    On my high cardio days I do fasted cardio, sometimes with a little
    protein (during workout)

    Weight + Cardio days I load up on good carbs pre workout

    I always have a meal/snack post workout

    I try and allow 30mins pre workout for my expresso shot (homemade -yum)
    Night/ before bed I eat a slow digesting protein / casein to make sure I have energy for the am
  • daughterphoenix
    daughterphoenix Posts: 3
    Yes. =)

    I eat a bit of carbs before (yogurt, fruit, cereal), and then a more complete meal after (oatmeal with almond butter and berries or banana; or a breakfast wrap with eggs and vegetables).

    Good idea! Never really occurred to me that I could have a mini-breakfast and then a real one afterwards.
    I started splitting my breakfast into two. I usually only have 3/4 cup of cottage cheese and a cup of coffee in the morning but I'd drink some of my coffee on the way in to the gym and have about 1/3 of a cup of cottage cheese before my workout and then I'd eat the rest after my workout. The idea of eating when you get up is to jump-start your metabolism. Don't skip your breakfast in the hopes that you'll miss the calories later. Eat something small to start your metabolism going and then have the rest of your breakfast after your workout if you need to. It seems to work for me. Sometimes I get hungry but not nearly like if I ate everything before my workout.

    Sweet....That was going to be my next question: whether or not coffee is a good idea before a workout. So glad I won't have to give that up. :D

    I'll probably do a yogurt/cereal with coffee before and an omelet with berries after and see if I'm still as hungry as I was today. Thanks so much for the advice, guys!
  • JudyArazoza
    JudyArazoza Posts: 13
    !You should definitely eat before a morning workout!

    Have mini breakfast of with carbs and maybe a bit of protein. If you work out in a fasted state your performance (read here calorie burn) will not be as great as if you have a little elevated blood sugar. Assuming your intake and is the same either way, you are going to have a larger calorie deficit with a fuel available to your muscles before the workout.

    Suggestions: a piece of fruit and/ or Ezekiel bread toasted or a non fat/ no sugar added Greek yogurt with or with out a piece of fruit. After the workout, it is important to refuel with carbs and protein. Studies recommend refueling within 20 minutes. I find this hard to achieve, but aim for it. Each mini breakfast ( pre and post workout) should not be a ' full size American breakfast" I personally eat roughly 90-150 cal before a workout and 90-200 cal after a workout.
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