For those who exercise in the morning...

carcar03
carcar03 Posts: 23 Member
edited September 25 in Fitness and Exercise
Do you eat before your workout? I’ve read several articles this week that suggest exercising in the morning on an empty stomach burns more calories because your body will burn fat instead of the carbs consumed from your breakfast. Does anyone follow this philosophy?

My morning workout lasts up to 2 hours and I usually have a small breakfast beforehand to give me energy to last through my workout. However, is exercising on an empty stomach in the morning more beneficial for your body? What are your thoughts on this?

Replies

  • ChrisWag
    ChrisWag Posts: 169
    I actually just read an article about this in my Women's Health ~ It said morning workouts are best, but to wait to eat the "real" breakfast till afterwards, that before have something small, like a protein shake, or some fruit. Eating the normal breakfast can weigh you down. It didn't mention anything about claories burned or not, just that eating big before a workout can make you sluggish.

    hope this helped :)
  • staciekins
    staciekins Posts: 453 Member
    Yes, exercising on an empty stomach in the morning is more beneficial. Don't just switch from eating to not though. You may get sick or have stomach pains. Start off by drinking a protein shake or OJ before workout then drink half before/half after, then switch to all after...
  • beccafertig
    beccafertig Posts: 61 Member
    I'm a morning exerciser, although not as hardcore as you. Two hours is awesome! I vary from 30 to 60 minutes. I don't usually eat beforehand. On very rare occasion I will eat something small before I start, but only if my body is telling me I need to or I'll fall over.
  • JoJo1953
    JoJo1953 Posts: 182 Member
    My workout starts at 5:30 am so if I eat anything it's just a half a banana. If I ate my breakfast then, I feel I would burn all my calories up and then I would have to eat another breakfast other wise I would be starved before lunch and I heard eating after a workout you speed up your metabolism!
  • FatDoctor
    FatDoctor Posts: 40 Member
    Ok.. Lets compare your energy storage (that is body fat) to your bank account (also reserve). On the long run, is it important what you have spent some significant amount of founds during the morning or afternoon? The drop will be felt over the upcoming days. That means - the difference is only significant on the day of the event and is not important for the long term weight loss.
  • sharonuk10
    sharonuk10 Posts: 277
    I eat then go out for a 1hr+ walk. It works for me.
  • stitcherbeth
    stitcherbeth Posts: 52
    I eat some whole grain crackers within an hour of getting up. Once the kids are off to school, I work out for an hour or so, Then it is a shower and a real breakfast or lunch., since it is between 9 and 10:30 by then. I can't go without eating in the morning, and the whole grain crackers settle my stomach and give me a little energy to hold me over until I can eat. The mid morning meal is usually a protein and a carb to recover from the workout. It is what works for me.
  • Susan77
    Susan77 Posts: 70 Member
    I exercise in the morning on an empty stomach...
  • whateverdamnit
    whateverdamnit Posts: 130
    I always have breakfast before working out because I wake up really hungry. :D
  • lynne_p
    lynne_p Posts: 173 Member
    I exercise in the morning and I always eat first.
  • kymarai
    kymarai Posts: 3,731 Member
    I would say listen to your body. On most days, I don't eat breakfast until I have been up a couple of hours. While I may wake up hungry in middle of night (oops) I rarely wake up in the morning hungry. I exercise then eat.
  • biggiwig
    biggiwig Posts: 76
    I tried to work out before breakfast before, but it doesn't work for me. My workouts are very intense. Without food in my belly I could only last about 30 minutes, then I would feel weak and shaky. I always wait at least 1 hour after eating before I work out. Then I have the full energy for a long workout.
  • halphord
    halphord Posts: 379 Member
    I heard from a trainer to eat some whole wheat toast or something along those lines before working out and then eating a real breakfast after working out, like eggs or oatmeal.
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
    If you're going to exercise for 2 hours, your body will need some energy to make it through that tough workout.

    Eat something small that contains all of the essential macro nutrients (carbs, fat, protein). Like a slice of whole grain toast with peanut butter, or a small bowl of oatmeal with fruit, 1 egg with a slice of dry whole grain toast, cottage cheese with fruit, a protein shake, or steamed/raw veggies with 1-2 oz. of meat (tuna, chicken, turkey).
  • jewelzz
    jewelzz Posts: 326 Member
    I never eat before my workouts but only because It makes me feel sick if I do.but there is a debate as to whether you should or should not eat before morning workouts.Some say yes because it starts the metabolisim some say it dosent matter.I drink water before.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    If I exercise before 10am I don't eat beforehand. I don't do more than an hour, though, as I know I'll burn out if I do too much on an empty stomach. I did once go for a 2 hour run in the morning and about an hour and 15 mins in I knew it was a bad idea.
  • reallivefitness
    reallivefitness Posts: 99
    I like to wait at least an hour after I eat to work out, and my schedule doesn't afford that right now, so I work out in the morning on an empty stomach. Usually I'll have like a bite-size candy bar or something just for a little sugar boost to get me going. :-P
  • AGSawatzky
    AGSawatzky Posts: 27
    It depends on the time of my workouts....if I do the 5 am bootcamp then I have 10 almonds and water before and a regular breakfast after. If I do the 9am bootcamp then I will have Kashi Go Lean cereal around 7 - 7:30 that way I have a good hour & half before working out. That provides me the energy to get through the workout and I don't feel sick doing it. Afterwards, I usually have a yogurt &/or almonds to get me though to lunch.
  • lovetowrite73
    lovetowrite73 Posts: 1,244 Member
    I workout on an empty stomach. I'm up at 4 in the morning to do Insanity. My alarm wakes me up, I get dressed and get it on. I don't know what is more beneficial but what I'm doing seems to be working for me. You have to try different things and see what works. :smile:
  • Nigel99
    Nigel99 Posts: 498 Member
    I usually eat a little something before I work out - granola bar, banana, apple...something like that. Then I will eat my full breakfast after that.
  • adhillman01
    adhillman01 Posts: 206
    I had a biochemistry professor tell me that you should not exercise on an empty stomach in the morning. Your brain's primary fuel source is glucose. By morning you have been fasting for 8-12 hours so you don't have any glucose left from food. Your liver stores glycogen to release glucose during fasts and maintains your blood sugar overnight. By morning your liver's stores of glycogen may also be close to being depleted and exercise will deplete it further. If your brain can't get glucose from food or your liver then it turns to muscle because fat can't be used to make glucose. So you may be breaking down muscle to get fuel for your brain. I think this works out in theory, but I'm not sure of it's significance. I think with such a long workout, though, this may come into play. I don't usually eat before my morning work outs if they are going to be short (1 hr or less), but if I'm going for a longer run I try to eat something before my workout.
  • Mike523
    Mike523 Posts: 393 Member
    There are many opinions on this topic, and most of what you'll read in these forums will be just that... opinions. I have done a ton of reading on this subject, and have found so many articles, blogs, forum posts, etc. with every opinion under the sun. I've also read articles that quote scientific research as evidence for both sides of the argument.

    In the end, since there seem to be valid arguments for both sides, I decided to let my body decide for me. I work out at about 6:15am. I have experimented with doing my workouts on an empty stomach (just some water), and while I felt pretty good starting off, I started to lose energy and intensity at about the 30 minute mark. I tried just having a cup of coffee with milk before working out, and the result was similar, although I lasted a little longer before bonking. And what seems to work best for me is what I do now - eat a small snack about 30 minutes before working out, and sip 16oz of water during that 30 minutes to rehydrate myself after sleeping for 7-8 hours. The snack varies but here are some examples:

    1 Tbsp natural peanut butter and a couple of Triscuits

    1/4 cup of plain yogurt and 1/2 a banana

    1/4 cup of plain yogurt and some berries

    1 apple and 1/2 cup of low fat milk

    1/2 oz of natural almonds or walnuts and 1/2 cup of low fat milk

    You get the idea - on average it is about 100-150 calories, which isn't much, but for some reason it gets me through my workouts without fading out. I then eat a normal breakfast about 45 minutes to an hour after working out.

    I say let your body decide. Try different things for at least a few days each, and see how your body reacts. Remember that if you're working out for 2 hours, you might want to make the snack a little larger than what I described. My workouts are generally under an hour.
  • Hiker_Chick71
    Hiker_Chick71 Posts: 11 Member
    My personal trainer always told me....Mornings are great for exercise but any time of the day is better than none at all. He also encouraged me to start eating at 6am and every 3 hrs...eat something so it was a total of 3 main meals and 3 snacks and then I worked the exercise in on whatever time frame I had for the day!
  • MamaReebs
    MamaReebs Posts: 240 Member
    I started my morning workouts on an empty stomach. However after a couple of weeks I learned that I needed to get up a little earlier and eat a small snack before my workouts to really be able to get the full benefits of the workout. Then I have my "real" breakfast about an hour or so later.
  • hofdog
    hofdog Posts: 269 Member
    Cardio - Empty Stomach
    Weight Training - Shake of protein and carbs (Scoop of whey and raw oats in water)
  • VTXNUT
    VTXNUT Posts: 6
    I try to atleast eat a banna or apple and a glass of water.
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