Eat or not to eat prior to morning workout?

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amdawells
amdawells Posts: 76 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Curious ... what's your pre-workout appetite like? Should you eat before a morning workout?
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  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    Since I work out at 5 am I don't eat before. I'm not that hungry that early anyway. I think its a matter of personal preference if you want to eat before working out or not.
  • tjohnoconnor
    tjohnoconnor Posts: 58 Member
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    I workout at 5 am and my appetite is not very good, but I eat a little something anyway. Like 1/2 of a protein bar. A real protein bar, not a carb bar. I do this primarily because I prefer my blood sugar not to spike or drop. Drops or spikes in blood sugar levels can affect metabolic rates and the ability to burn fat effectively. It still comes down to personal choice I suppose. For all the data to show why you should eat, there ill be data to show that it is not important. Pay close attention to your own body. If you are working out and feel hunger pangs you should have ate something before starting.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    It depends. If your goal is fat burning then studies have shown your best bet is to just workout before eating anything. Whereas, if your goal is performance then you should probably have some liquid calories or something light to give you energy.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    You should do whatever floats your boat.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    I like to do both, I like to add in a fasting workout at least once a week.
  • MelissaH0910
    MelissaH0910 Posts: 67 Member
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    I'm usually in the gym by 4:15 or 4:30 a.m. and I just don't have an appetite that early. If I do eat first, it's something small like 1/2 a banana or a few crackers with peanut butter. Anything more would require getting up earlier, and that ain't gonna happen.
  • jetortola
    jetortola Posts: 198 Member
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    For me, it depends what time I wake up. If I get up early (@5:30am) I just have a very small glass of orange juice with my iron supplement, and then eat breakfast right afterwards (I also only workout for 30 mins). If I don't get up until later, I have to eat first, or I'll get light headed.
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,789 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I work out on my lunch break and I've found that I do better if I have a little breakfast in the morning. If I'm just doing cardio I'll have something small and carb-y (bagel thin or half an English muffin with cheese), if I'm doing weights I'll have something small and protein-y (protein shake, Greek yogurt with fruit, hard-boiled egg and turkey bacon). I'm not really a breakfast person but I want good gym performance, so this is my balancing act.

    ETA: I'll also often have a mid-morning snack, and I use that to load up on fats/protein with an eye to workout fuel, too. Almonds and Slim Jims feature prominently here. ;)
  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
    edited May 2015
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    You should do whatever floats your boat.

    ^^ This. (linked is to Brad Shoenfeld's latest study) http://www.lookgreatnaked.com/blog/my-new-study-on-fasted-cardio-and-fat-loss-take-home-points/

    "A single study is simply a piece in an evidentiary puzzle and can never considered the final word on a topic. What I do think is clear from our study, however, is that if there are any benefits from fasted cardio (still highly equivocal), they would be minor at best. So the best advice for those who are simply looking to get lean is to focus on total energy and macronutrient balance; whether you perform cardio fasted or fed should depend entirely on preference."

    So one could extrapolate that whether its cardio or weights or whatever exercise...do whatever you prefer doing.
  • micheledemetroff
    micheledemetroff Posts: 21 Member
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    I work out at 530. I have half a banana and 1/2 tbsp of nut butter (or 8 nuts). It fits in my macros for the day. I have worked out fasted and my energy isn't as good. I lift weights and then 30 mins of cardio.
  • amdawells
    amdawells Posts: 76 Member
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    I truly appreciate all the input! It's interesting to see what everyone is doing. I'm still trying to figure out what's right for me & I've tried both actually!
    My workouts are cardio right now & primarily in the a.m. after I take my kids to school. (I'm on week 5 of Insanity.) In the beginning I didn't eat anything before my workout & everything was fine. As time went on I noticed I was more fatigued. Now eating a bowl of oatmeal or having eggs an hr. beforehand makes a big difference in my endurance.
    I still feel I should have a smoothie afterwards but if I have a big breakfast beforehand, should I have something high calorie/high protein after? As it is I'm having issues with eating enough calories for the day & I rarely go over.
  • Albertrud
    Albertrud Posts: 12 Member
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    amdawells wrote: »
    I truly appreciate all the input! It's interesting to see what everyone is doing. I'm still trying to figure out what's right for me & I've tried both actually!
    My workouts are cardio right now & primarily in the a.m. after I take my kids to school. (I'm on week 5 of Insanity.) In the beginning I didn't eat anything before my workout & everything was fine. As time went on I noticed I was more fatigued. Now eating a bowl of oatmeal or having eggs an hr. beforehand makes a big difference in my endurance.
    I still feel I should have a smoothie afterwards but if I have a big breakfast beforehand, should I have something high calorie/high protein after? As it is I'm having issues with eating enough calories for the day & I rarely go over.

    High protein/carb post workout will help you recover. If you don't feel sore the next day then no you won't need it.
    With insanity being a runners workout, high cardio you'll get less benefit then if you lift.

    Take note of your own body and change when you need it.
  • SkinnyMiss053
    SkinnyMiss053 Posts: 65 Member
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    Depends from person to person. Personally I eat before I work out otherwise I feel like I can't get through it. I just eat a medium sized breakfast so that I don't get sick while exercising hehehe.
  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
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    Just depends. I'm usually not hungry at 4:30am, so typically during the week I'll wait 'till after to eat, and that way I tend to be less hungry throughout the morning. If I happen to be hungry that early, I'll eat something before. On Saturdays I usually make breakfast first, and sometimes feel I have more energy that way.
  • zooeyd
    zooeyd Posts: 4 Member
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    Eat for energy!! My preworkout is 1cup white rice, 1/2 cup beans and egg sooooo good!! 8hdrd483xmtf.jpg
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    I don't have time to let my stomach settle so I just have a cup of black coffee or water and eat breakfast when I get back.
  • KatieMusselwhite92113
    KatieMusselwhite92113 Posts: 98 Member
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    I don't eat until after!
  • mandykent111
    mandykent111 Posts: 81 Member
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    I prefer to take my morning supps then workout on an empty stomach. My friend competes and she is all about her fasted cardio sessions. If you can do it, then I would recommend it.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    ahamm002 wrote: »
    It depends. If your goal is fat burning then studies have shown your best bet is to just workout before eating anything. Whereas, if your goal is performance then you should probably have some liquid calories or something light to give you energy.

    I disagree with this. Schoenfeld and Krieger recently posted a meta analysis that basically showed no differences between fasted and fed training.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    cajuntank wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    You should do whatever floats your boat.

    ^^ This. (linked is to Brad Shoenfeld's latest study) http://www.lookgreatnaked.com/blog/my-new-study-on-fasted-cardio-and-fat-loss-take-home-points/

    "A single study is simply a piece in an evidentiary puzzle and can never considered the final word on a topic. What I do think is clear from our study, however, is that if there are any benefits from fasted cardio (still highly equivocal), they would be minor at best. So the best advice for those who are simply looking to get lean is to focus on total energy and macronutrient balance; whether you perform cardio fasted or fed should depend entirely on preference."

    So one could extrapolate that whether its cardio or weights or whatever exercise...do whatever you prefer doing.

    ^ That.

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