To eat or not

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Do you eat before or after workout and howlKong before or after? What do you eat?

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  • zepeda602
    zepeda602 Posts: 18 Member
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    I mean how long after wards or before workout?
  • nuttyengineer
    nuttyengineer Posts: 112 Member
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    I try to eat something small before a workout that has some protein for a little bit of a boost (the last couple of weeks I've been on a string cheese kick). I workout during my lunch break and if I eat too much beforehand then I feel like I'm going to lose my lunch midway through my workout, but I have to have something or else I feel like I'm going to pass out.

    I usually will eat my lunch almost immediately after my workout (the contents of which vary greatly).
  • benboyd85
    benboyd85 Posts: 60 Member
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    I usually eat something about an hour before I workout, and then have a protein shake with my post workout in it right after I am finished working out.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    I usually eat after. I tend to jump out of bed and into my gym clothes and head out before I know what I'm doing. If I stopped long enough to eat, I'd likely talk myself out of going and go back to bed instead.
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
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    When I go to the gym I eat a protein bar before I get there and I eat something after too. When I do HIIT workouts in the evening, I eat an hour or so before and nothing after.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited March 2015
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    If I eat anything substantial in size less than an hour or two before workout, I mean anything bigger than a tablespoon of something, I get nauseous. So I either workout fasted or have a small square of chocolate if I'm hungry. After workout I'm not usually hungry until about an hour later, so that's when I eat a substantial meal of anything I feel like eating for breakfast that day. Eating before that makes me nauseous.
  • Soundwave79
    Soundwave79 Posts: 469 Member
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    I eat something small prior to the workout. I also take C4 and I find on an empty stomach it makes me a little shaky. So eating something small like a cheese stick helps prevent that and gives me a little boost during the routine. I also drink Amino X during the workout.
  • gamamunoz805
    gamamunoz805 Posts: 20 Member
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    zepeda602 wrote: »
    Do you eat before or after workout and howlKong before or after? What do you eat?
    It depends for example if I'm going to do cardio and I just woke up I would eat something small like a banana, Cant eat too much because my get stomach pain, but after the workout I need a regular meal
  • juleszephyr
    juleszephyr Posts: 442 Member
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    I get up at 5.45am to workout and exercise fasted. It works for me as I get stomach cramps if I try to eat beforehand. However on the weekends when I go for longer cycle rides I usually eat an hour or so before and maybe take a snack if we are going for more than a couple of hours.
    No right or wrong answer here it is what works for you and your routine...
  • sakuragreenlily
    sakuragreenlily Posts: 334 Member
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    I eat before and after I workout. I used to run on an empty stomach because it would make me sick otherwise, but now I eat a bowl of oatmeal (60 g = 1.5 servings), a banana, and some walnuts about 10 minutes before I run.

    When I do strength training I try to eat something small but substantial (e.g., a banana, an couple of eggs, a protein bar, etc.) then I try to get something with protein in after I lift too.

    Play around with it and see what works for you! :)
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    It varies for me, mostly I workout then I have breakfast and usually eggs in some form :smiley: . Some days I need the fuel before my workout. I go by how I feel, if my body needs fuel, then I feed it :smile:
  • scottacular
    scottacular Posts: 597 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I eat 2.5-3 hours before a workout, I change what I eat regularly so no typical meal for this. Coffee 30-60 minutes before, post workout shake of whey, dextrose, leucine and creatine monohydrate 30-60 minutes post workout. Proper meal about 2-4 hours after that. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer on this one if that's what you're looking for. Different bodies have different preferences, meal timing is entirely whatever makes you feel better. You might feel better having carbs and protein an hour before a workout. Or maybe even just fats and protein about two hours, experiment until you find what works best.
  • chetvr
    chetvr Posts: 17 Member
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    You might need to experiment to see what works for you. I usually don't eat before and I'm usually not hungry until 1-1/2 hours after. I know that isn't what is normally good, but my body works that way. I've tried to eat banana/peanut butter/oatmeal 30mins before a long run but always get sick. I stick to one slice of dry toast and found it works for me. Try some things out and see what works.
  • burnsgene42
    burnsgene42 Posts: 102 Member
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    I like to eat a porridge/peanut butter/raison breakfast a few hours before going for a ride. Lately I've found doing that and eating small amounts while I'm riding helps avoid the famished/exhausted feeling after a long ride.
    When I was younger and running I didn't eat before or during a run. Looking back it was probably a mistake.
  • slideaway1
    slideaway1 Posts: 1,006 Member
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    Some people used to believe that there was a mythical anabolic window where you needed to refuel with carbs and protein after a gym session to maximise your gains. However, I think this has now been disproved or is questionable at best. I just eat when I want to, but try to hit all my macros by the end of the day. Sometimes my workout can feel so intense that the last thing I want to do is eat afterwards as I would probably just throw it up. I prefer Intermittent fasting before working out too, so I don't really eat prior to working out. Just my preference though.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
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    After. About an hour. Change it up every day. Cheerios, almond milk & a piece of fruit; steel cut oatmeal with berries and toasted walnuts; Greek yogurt mixed with, unsweetened coconut, chia seeds, and ground flax seed; a poached egg with a slice of Canadian bacon on a low calorie toasted English muffin and fruit, toasted English muffin with peanut butter and a piece of fruit.
  • slideaway1
    slideaway1 Posts: 1,006 Member
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    Everybody has given really good advice. I think the main theme of the thread though is that everybody is different. There is no real right or wrong way. Just hit your daily targets and fit your meal timings around what suits your lifestyle and feels good.
  • zepeda602
    zepeda602 Posts: 18 Member
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    Thank you guys for all your replies. I was just wondering because I usually go to Zumba at 6:45pm but get home by 6pm so I am in a time crunch with having dinner with the family (my hubby usually has dinner done) so I will have to try a few different things because I don't really like doing Zumba on a full stomach. I might have to just have a bar or something.