advice - exercise/breakfast question

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findingabetterme
findingabetterme Posts: 31
in Fitness and Exercise
I need advice -
I wake up at 7am and am usually slammed with getting four kids off to school. Im usually not hungry and so do not eat right away. I do take a medication right when I wake up that is supposed to be taken on an empty stomach.

My exercise time is about 9am/930am time fram each day (5 days a week).

I have heard that it is good to exercise in the morning before eating (to allow your body to burn stored fat rather then using what is in your stomach as fuel)....with my schedule would I be better off eating something say 8amish and then exersicing at 9-930 or would I be better exercising at 9-930 and eating afterwards?

Also -- I have been incorporating a protein shake (milk/protein) into my day -- would this be an ok 8am "breakfast" if that is the better route to take.

Im 5'7" - weigh 157 right now -looking to lose 15-20 pounds...but short term looking to lose 10. :-) thanks

Replies

  • TaoWine
    TaoWine Posts: 6 Member
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    Metabolism:

    Most experts will tell you to eat as soon as you wake up (after your medication). You'll burn more calories kickstarting your metabolism early in the morning. If not, your body goes into fat storage mode, instead of fat burning mode. So I've been told.

    I just started doing this myself, we'll see if it works ;)
  • s704a191
    s704a191 Posts: 30
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    I personally prefer to exercise early in the morning before my little ones wake up. I also usually try to eat very shortly afterwards, kind of hard to do, but I feel like I eat better proportion sizes this way. As a bonus my metabolism is still all rev'd up from the work out. After all of that I then I wake up my eight year old to get ready for school. Once she is up and around then I get my 2 year old up and they eat breakfast while I clean up. It can make for a long day, but I feel like the earlier I jump start my metabolism the better.

    Good luck to ya!
  • corrinnebrown
    corrinnebrown Posts: 345 Member
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    What type of workout are you doing? If its high intensity, where your heart rate is close to anaerobic then you should eat. I am doing p90x and the days that I have the very intense cardio workouts I try to at least eat a protein bar before working out because I have noticed that I can get light headed if I don't eat and I am working very hard. I would try the protein shake around 7-8 and then work out around 9-930 and eat a protein bar or your breakfast after that. Hope this helps, GOOD LUCK!
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
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    I don't know about most "experts" I've heard the other way, and personnaly I like to exercise in the morning on an empty stomach, if you eat first I would waite a couple hours at least before exercising, lets it start digesting, you will get no energy from food in your stomach.

    Try this, exercise first, then within 30 min after exercise drink your protien shake. The combination of exercise and protien will/should curb your appetite for a good time after.
  • feathers1981
    feathers1981 Posts: 69 Member
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    I read on Jillian Michaels website that the exercising on an empty stomach thing was a bit of a myth but I just did a search and couldn't find the right reference to point you too!

    The theory behind this is that your blood sugar levels are low when you're in a fasted state (after going all night without eating) which targets more fat burning.

    The problem is that just because you're using more fat as fuel doesn't mean you're actually burning more fat off your body. Burning fat is more about overall calorie expenditure, not just about the type of energy your body is using for your workout. Another problem is that you may not be able to workout as long or as hard if you're hungry, which means you may end up burning fewer calories than if you'd eaten something and worked harder.

    There are other benefits to eating before your workout:

    •It can boost recovery and strength gains
    •It can help you sustain longer, more intense workouts
    •It can help you avoid low blood sugar, which can make you feel dizzy or nauseous

    Your protein shake shoudl really be had after your exercise (as it's purpose is to help you muscles recover) but there is nothing wrong with having say half before and half after (I sometimes do), although some carbs would do you better i.e. a banana or a small cereal bar. Also there are now some low calorie sports drinks that contain carbs around (like lucozade etc). These would give the carbs you need and you might be able to sip it around your schedule and find it easier to digest if your not used to brekkie.

    If you can work out on an empty stomach then I see no reason not to continue, I can't and you may find that you can work out harder/for longer if you eat something! The best answer to this is to do what works for you. Don't go hungry just because you think you're burning more fat...after all, if you cut it short or lower the intensity because of low energy, how much fat are you burning anyway?
  • erh2278
    erh2278 Posts: 19
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    I am in the same boat as you-kids, meds, and just not hungry. I have been skipping breakfast for as long as I can remember and lost a little bit of weight here and there. However, I have been lately been making sure that I eat something (even little) before the gym and it really has made a difference. I have not only bumped up my lbs lost per week by over .5 but I also find I have more energy to workout harder after I have eaten. I try to eat about an hour before I go and I like things that are easy to hold (so I can continue my chaotic mornings) a balance bar or half english muffin with peanut butter topped with half a banana sliced.

    I know this small change has made a difference with my weight loss. I hope you find what works for you and knock those lbs to the curb! GL
  • wiggleroom
    wiggleroom Posts: 322 Member
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    I split my breakfast before and after my workout. I'll eat a cup of yogurt or a piece of fruit, and drink one cup of my half-caf coffee with milk. Then I'll work out, and after my shower I'll drink the rest of my coffee and eat some oatmeal with fruit and either nuts or a nut butter.

    I used to wait to eat until after my workout, but since I've changed things (several months ago now), I find that I have a lot more energy for my workout, so I work out much harder, and it's a lovely reward to get to eat a good meal afterwards!
  • Leigh_D
    Leigh_D Posts: 356 Member
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    Listen to Feathers!

    I joined a Run/Walk program, and one of the things we get is seminars on Nutrition. Do a search on a reputable source (like Mayo Clinic, Web MD or something) and read up on GLYCOGEN. When you exercise, you want your body to have easy energy available, so it does not start to break down muscle to get glycogen.

    Based on what I have learned in the nutrition seminars I attended, this would be the advice:
    7:00 am ~ Take that med on your empty stomach as soon as you wake up
    8:00 am ~ Have a breakfast of simple carbs (oatmeal and juice, perhaps?)
    9:00 am ~ Do your workout and follow up with some complex carbs, quality protein & fat (like nuts) within half an hour after. Your protein shake sounds good! There are some brands that are JUST protein, and others that have carbs as well.

    http://www.boiserunwalk.com/nutrition.html


    GO GET 'EM! :)
  • street_wi
    street_wi Posts: 15
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    I'd say... If you're waking up at 7 and not exercising for a couple of hours you should definitely eat something, even if it's just a banana. That would be a lot of time between meals. I love eating 1T peanut butter on toast or a waffle an hour or so before my workouts. Going all night without eating and then waiting until after you exercise before eating will leave your body feeling tired and may impair your workout. After you can have your protein shake and whatever else you'd like.

    Getting a high quality workout in is much more important than worrying about burning a few extra fat calories by working out on a very empty stomach. =)
  • corpus_validum
    corpus_validum Posts: 292 Member
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    To the OP, there are so many variables in play that it's hard to give you one best answer:
    -type of early morning exercise
    -intensity of the exercise
    -duration of the exercise
    -what body goals you want to achieve: muscular and fit or just lean
    -and so on and so on

    If you plan to do any sort of strenuous cardio exercise (over 70% of your max HR) for a prolonged time, then the suggestions here to take in carbs about an hour before your exercise and a protein shake after would be well taken. The only downside to this is that you would likely be diminishing some muscles as a result too. Bear in mind, more muscles boosts your resting BMR so as to burn calories/fat. But if you're not looking to bulk up, this may be a fair compromise in order to achieve fat loss. And you can certainly get terrific results in a short span of time (e.g. 60-90 days if you go intense like Insanity or P90X).

    If you only plan to do light activity (e.g. walking) where you only hit up to 60% of your max HR, then it would be fine to go without a meal pre-exercise as long as you don't get easily fatigued or light-headed during the exercise, which shouldn't be a problem at low intensities. And there is a lot of evidence (theoretical and real results) that suggests that exercise in a fasted state, such as early morning, can burn fat most effectively. Here's one cited reference: Jensen, M. Fate of fatty acids at rest and during exercise: regulatory mechanisms. Acta Physiol Scand. 2003 Aug;178(4):385-90. The downside is that you'd have to spend a long time (hour or more) of performing a monotonous activity (unless you enjoy walking, hiking or biking in new areas) over several weeks to notice a physical difference. But hey, a slow and steady approach still beats doing nothing and may prove most enjoyable over the long haul. And if building muscles is a top priority, then the light cardio approach would be best implemented in that effort so as not to burn any in the process.

    Hope this helps. And always, your results may vary.

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