Eating before working out?
kiela64
Posts: 1,447 Member
i keep reading from a google search that you're supposed to wait 2-4h after eating before working out.
I wanted to hit the gym at 4 but I got delayed eating my afternoon snack (1/2 cup Greek yogurt & 1/2 cup blueberries) and didn't eat it until 4. I was going to head straight out the door after eating, but now this is worrying me. Should I wait until 6? How long do you usually wait?
I wanted to hit the gym at 4 but I got delayed eating my afternoon snack (1/2 cup Greek yogurt & 1/2 cup blueberries) and didn't eat it until 4. I was going to head straight out the door after eating, but now this is worrying me. Should I wait until 6? How long do you usually wait?
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Replies
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if my body doesn't mind, i'll eat nothing to a full meal before I go do an aerial yoga session. even hang upside down. other people don't like to eat at all before
some people don't mind eating before a run. it makes me queasy so I don't. I eat after
in short, it's really up to you and your body0 -
I have a Yoplait yogurt and sometimes a banana with it before I run or cross-train in the morning. Usually, I am hungry first thing in the morning. I see no reason to deprive my body of a very light meal, even if it is right before a workout. If I were to eat a heavy meal, that would probably detract from my workout in several ways.
Your body and place in fitness is different from every body else. Do what works for you meal wise before a workout. Your body is better at guiding you on the correct path than Google search.0 -
You might get a little queasy if you were eating a large meal and then had a heavy workout, but we would be an extinct species if exercise after eating caused problems.0
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i keep reading from a google search that you're supposed to wait 2-4h after eating before working out.
I wanted to hit the gym at 4 but I got delayed eating my afternoon snack (1/2 cup Greek yogurt & 1/2 cup blueberries) and didn't eat it until 4. I was going to head straight out the door after eating, but now this is worrying me. Should I wait until 6? How long do you usually wait?
This is utterly ridiculous. Go work out, you will be fine. Some of us eat WHILE training... don't know how waiting is supposed to work in that case.0 -
Eat and see how you feel, it's not going to hurt you. The train of thought is that on average it takes approximately 90-minutes to digest what you're eating and you don't want your body focused on digestion during exercise, you want that energy for exercise not digesting your food. Give it a shot and see how you feel, some people it has no affect upon like glevinso above. I know I cannot eat too soon before I workout or I feel sluggish. If you do find that it negatively affects you, try drinking a Gatorade or two.0
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2 aspects.i keep reading from a google search that you're supposed to wait 2-4h after eating before working out.
I wanted to hit the gym at 4 but I got delayed eating my afternoon snack (1/2 cup Greek yogurt & 1/2 cup blueberries) and didn't eat it until 4. I was going to head straight out the door after eating, but now this is worrying me. Should I wait until 6? How long do you usually wait?
1. If you eat too close, you might want to throw up or feel queasy. Thats more based on amount i.e full big meal. Its not the same for everyone.
2. Sometimes we eat food so that we have enough energy for the workout and that takes time for it to work through.
Its personal but id go after 30 minutes. For many people who workout under an hour or have eaten within2 hours then a pre workouts food is not needed and many work fasted. its personal. I will eat a banana either before or during workout, so i wouldnt worry.
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i keep reading from a google search that you're supposed to wait 2-4h after eating before working out.
I wanted to hit the gym at 4 but I got delayed eating my afternoon snack (1/2 cup Greek yogurt & 1/2 cup blueberries) and didn't eat it until 4. I was going to head straight out the door after eating, but now this is worrying me. Should I wait until 6? How long do you usually wait?
That's a light snack, I'm sure you'll be fine by the time you get to gym. I train straight after work so I've usually had something light (green smoothie, piece of fruit etc) about 1-2 hours beforehand and I'm fine. It's very personal. For example, I can't drink coffee on an empty stomach and then train because it makes me feel nauseated but I can eat! If you had a huge meal and then worked out hard you might feel a bit sick but it won't hurt you.Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »Eat and see how you feel, it's not going to hurt you. The train of thought is that on average it takes approximately 90-minutes to digest what you're eating and you don't want your body focused on digestion during exercise, you want that energy for exercise not digesting your food. Give it a shot and see how you feel, some people it has no affect upon like glevinso above. I know I cannot eat too soon before I workout or I feel sluggish. If you do find that it negatively affects you, try drinking a Gatorade or two.
Why would Gatorade help? It's basically sugar water.0 -
meh. I've worked out right after eating, and I've worked out without eating. It's really about how you feel. Try different things, and find out what your happy place is.0
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oh_happy_day wrote: »That's a light snack, I'm sure you'll be fine by the time you get to gym. I train straight after work so I've usually had something light (green smoothie, piece of fruit etc) about 1-2 hours beforehand and I'm fine. It's very personal. For example, I can't drink coffee on an empty stomach and then train because it makes me feel nauseated but I can eat! If you had a huge meal and then worked out hard you might feel a bit sick but it won't hurt you.
Why would Gatorade help? It's basically sugar water.
Ah, okay. I was thinking it was a "small meal" bc it was ~200 cal. (And I agree with you about the Gatorade, it may help serious athletes but I don't need extra sugar in my life).
But I did go work out! And kind of overdid it haha because I had so much energy! I waited about 30min at home before taking the bus to the gym. I started with a warm up/stretching/sit ups/squats thing, then did some weight machines. After I wasn't sure if I was going to swim but I did for just under 30 min because there was an empty pool (and who can say no to a practically empty pool?). I stopped at 30min because my knee started hurting
and I did end up with no queasiness but some minor acid reflux right at the end. I'd say from this experiment, more time is ideal but this much wasn't bad & shouldn't keep me from going to the gym.
Thanks everyone for the responses!0 -
i keep reading from a google search that you're supposed to wait 2-4h after eating before working out.
I wanted to hit the gym at 4 but I got delayed eating my afternoon snack (1/2 cup Greek yogurt & 1/2 cup blueberries) and didn't eat it until 4. I was going to head straight out the door after eating, but now this is worrying me. Should I wait until 6? How long do you usually wait?
This is utterly ridiculous. Go work out, you will be fine. Some of us eat WHILE training... don't know how waiting is supposed to work in that case.
Its not ridiculous at all and is highly specific to the individual. There are many who can do as you do with no issues and there are many (such as myself ) who have to eat at least an hour and a half before a workout -even with a light meal- because if not then I'll have indegestion, heartburn, etc. During my workout. The OP should simply try it out to know how their body responds.0 -
oh_happy_day wrote: »That's a light snack, I'm sure you'll be fine by the time you get to gym. I train straight after work so I've usually had something light (green smoothie, piece of fruit etc) about 1-2 hours beforehand and I'm fine. It's very personal. For example, I can't drink coffee on an empty stomach and then train because it makes me feel nauseated but I can eat! If you had a huge meal and then worked out hard you might feel a bit sick but it won't hurt you.
Why would Gatorade help? It's basically sugar water.
Ah, okay. I was thinking it was a "small meal" bc it was ~200 cal. (And I agree with you about the Gatorade, it may help serious athletes but I don't need extra sugar in my life).
But I did go work out! And kind of overdid it haha because I had so much energy! I waited about 30min at home before taking the bus to the gym. I started with a warm up/stretching/sit ups/squats thing, then did some weight machines. After I wasn't sure if I was going to swim but I did for just under 30 min because there was an empty pool (and who can say no to a practically empty pool?). I stopped at 30min because my knee started hurting and I did end up with no queasiness but some minor acid reflux right at the end. I'd say from this experiment, more time is ideal but this much wasn't bad & shouldn't keep me from going to the gym.
Thanks everyone for the responses!
That's great! I'm glad you went, it sounds like you had a nice workout. Totally agree about the Gatorade, unless you're sweating buckets for hours I don't really think it's necessary. I also meant that the snack is light in the sense that it's quite digestible and not stodgy. It's not like you had a bowl of pasta sitting in your stomach. Try not to over think it (ie 200 calories = light meal not a snack etc). Listen to your body - are you feeling satiated and energised, or are you full to the point of sluggish? You'll get the hang of it.0 -
oh_happy_day wrote: »
That's great! I'm glad you went, it sounds like you had a nice workout. Totally agree about the Gatorade, unless you're sweating buckets for hours I don't really think it's necessary. I also meant that the snack is light in the sense that it's quite digestible and not stodgy. It's not like you had a bowl of pasta sitting in your stomach. Try not to over think it (ie 200 calories = light meal not a snack etc). Listen to your body - are you feeling satiated and energised, or are you full to the point of sluggish? You'll get the hang of it.
Thanks, yeah me too! It's the best workout I've had in a while, actually.
Ahh, I don't really know what is digestible vs what sits in my stomach. I did feel quite full right after I'd eaten, and I think it was a good thing to wait that 30min because I felt significantly less full then (which is why I went). Hopefully! & thanks again 0 -
If I do eat before working out its usually something small. I would wait about 30 minutes or more. Just depends.0
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I get queasy if I have any dairy before I work out but if I'm getting up and working out in the morning I try to have a light snack, around 100 cal. If I'm working out later in the day it depends on how close to my lunch or dinner it is. I try to have something light no more than an hour before a mid day or evening workout.0
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I used to be afraid of eating after my workouts, both because i was very hungry before them (i didn't lunch much back then so by 4-5 pm i'd dine, i was ravenous. workouts/classes were around 6) and also because i had a digestive problem of some sort, and eating late at night didn't feel comfortable at all.
But to be honest having an entire meal 1h before working out made me feel kind of weird and i had trouble moving my butt at first since i was still digesting and all...not comfortable at all. Sometimes i would almost feel totally sick and running around like i needed to do was a real chore.
Now I always workout either in the morning (at least 3 hours after breakfast, by then my stomach is empty) or in the late afternoon, then again i had lunch a few hours ago so i'm empty. I have dinner right after, i'm not scared of eating around 7-8-9 anymore. It works sooo much better for me to exercise on an empty stomach! The feeling of lightness really helps. As long as i'm not actually hungry at first (at the end it's okay if there's like less than 30 minutes left but you know, it's less fun to go through an entire hour of working hard if your stomach hurts and is growling for food...)
But whatever suits you, I guess. Everyone should experience all kinds of eating/working out schedules and see what works best for them, there's no actual formula.0 -
Everyone's a little different. Some can't eat before a workout and some can eat during.
Myself, I usually have a Greek yogurt and half a cliff bar about 60 mins before working out. Settles my stomach and gives me carbs for during. Then I eat right after lifting, usually something I made at home ~300 cals and a protein shake to top it off.0 -
You need energy for your workout. My trainer encourages me to eat at least an apple about 1 hr before workout.0
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It goes along the same lines of "wait an hour after eating before swimming." You shouldn't eat a full course meal right before going in to workout, but you should eat something because your body needs energy to perform. I'll usually eat a carb/protein snack (fruit or oatmeal and peanut butter or whey protein) about 30 minutes to an hour before my workout.0
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oh_happy_day wrote: »i keep reading from a google search that you're supposed to wait 2-4h after eating before working out.
I wanted to hit the gym at 4 but I got delayed eating my afternoon snack (1/2 cup Greek yogurt & 1/2 cup blueberries) and didn't eat it until 4. I was going to head straight out the door after eating, but now this is worrying me. Should I wait until 6? How long do you usually wait?
That's a light snack, I'm sure you'll be fine by the time you get to gym. I train straight after work so I've usually had something light (green smoothie, piece of fruit etc) about 1-2 hours beforehand and I'm fine. It's very personal. For example, I can't drink coffee on an empty stomach and then train because it makes me feel nauseated but I can eat! If you had a huge meal and then worked out hard you might feel a bit sick but it won't hurt you.Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »Eat and see how you feel, it's not going to hurt you. The train of thought is that on average it takes approximately 90-minutes to digest what you're eating and you don't want your body focused on digestion during exercise, you want that energy for exercise not digesting your food. Give it a shot and see how you feel, some people it has no affect upon like glevinso above. I know I cannot eat too soon before I workout or I feel sluggish. If you do find that it negatively affects you, try drinking a Gatorade or two.
Why would Gatorade help? It's basically sugar water.
Because it provides you energy in a short amount of time. Don't get so caught-up on the sugar content, it will be used to fuel your workout.
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2 aspects.i keep reading from a google search that you're supposed to wait 2-4h after eating before working out.
I wanted to hit the gym at 4 but I got delayed eating my afternoon snack (1/2 cup Greek yogurt & 1/2 cup blueberries) and didn't eat it until 4. I was going to head straight out the door after eating, but now this is worrying me. Should I wait until 6? How long do you usually wait?
1. If you eat too close, you might want to throw up or feel queasy. Thats more based on amount i.e full big meal. Its not the same for everyone.
2. Sometimes we eat food so that we have enough energy for the workout and that takes time for it to work through.
Its personal but id go after 30 minutes. For many people who workout under an hour or have eaten within2 hours then a pre workouts food is not needed and many work fasted. its personal. I will eat a banana either before or during workout, so i wouldnt worry.
This is my personal experience. If I eat a meal too close to a hard workout, I feel queasy during the workout and everything seems to take more effort. If I haven't had anything to eat for too long before the workout I'll eat a banana and drink some water - that helps.0 -
I get sick if I eat before workouts usually. If I have to eat before, I try to only do a snack two hours before, and I have to avoid dairy. The only time I purposely eat before is if I am running for more than an hour. I need some extra carbs and protein for that, so I tend to eat a banana and some almonds about an hour before.0
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I've found I have to eat a small snack 45 minutes to an hour before lifting, otherwise I have less than half the strength and stamina for weight sessions and I begin to feel miserable fairly quickly. Whey protein and fruit are perfect for me. Hypoglycemia might play a roll in my case.
It sounds like you got quite an energy boost for your workout from your snack.
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