Do you ever skip a workout if you missed a meal?

dillmilk
dillmilk Posts: 88 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Some days I'm strapped for time and I'll just have a cinnamon bun for breakfast before I head out the door, but then I end up skipping my workout because I feel like it would be pointless since I already know I'm not going to hit my protein goal for the day and I would probably be burning the calories I need for weight gain. I read somewhere that diet is 80% of the battle. I would rather miss out on a workout than meals, but most days I miss out on both. It's a struggle I've been having a lot recently, and it almost makes me lose motivation. What do you guys do? Do you workout anyway? Is it better than doing nothing?

Replies

  • chelseafxx
    chelseafxx Posts: 251 Member
    I'm confused by this question. IMO doing 5% is always better than doing 0%. If I take a test I'd rather get a C- than an F, yes? Diet can take time to get down. Work on your goals little by little and you'll get better at it all
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    edited April 2016
    No...that's ridiculous. whether I hit my protein target or not has no bearing on whether I train or not...
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,339 Member
    Its like the chicken and the egg for me...if I workout, I HAVE to eat, it's mandatory, my body gives me no other option. As for not working out because you've already eaten less healthy, that's kind of silly. Would you throw away your car because one tire was flat? I highly doubt it. Those are excuses one makes to oneself, but the problem is excuses don't lose weight, hard work and consistency loses weight.
  • dillmilk
    dillmilk Posts: 88 Member
    Ok good... There's so much 'science' out there about when to workout, how to workout, what to take for a workout, and when to take it, that it can be very overwhelming and misleading for beginners like myself.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,339 Member
    You're in the right place, then!! May I suggest you spend an hour or two cruising these forums, read some of the more serious posts, there is so much information a beginner can glean and use for their own benefit. Good luck! xo
  • dillmilk
    dillmilk Posts: 88 Member
    Also, Tracy, thank you for your post. I just want to point out that I'm not trying to lose weight, I'm trying to gain weight (that's why I posted on this forum) and that's part of the basis behind my logic. Sometimes I'll skip a workout because I'm afraid of losing weight if I didn't eat enough that day.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,339 Member
    I hear you, and missed that, my apologies. But the reasoning to my chicken and egg theory still stands, if you exercise, you will make yourself hungry...I understand your struggle, have actually been there once in my life. I know it's actually harder to gain weight than it is to lose, and I feel for you! Maybe you can start your day with a quickie protein shake instead of a cinnabon......you can fill it with yummy fruits, some veg, and even peanut butter...the protein shake I've been using recently has 23 grams of iron in each serving on top of the protein, that's a nice start to the day. Just an idea..good luck, I wish you the best of success!! xo
  • autumnblade75
    autumnblade75 Posts: 1,660 Member
    There's room in your dirty bulk for both the cinnamon bun and a high quality protein meal. If you want to gain, you're going to have to put the calories in. If you want the gainz to be muscle, you're going to have to train your muscles.
  • dillmilk
    dillmilk Posts: 88 Member
    A shake for breakfast... Good idea.
  • diverroboz
    diverroboz Posts: 61 Member
    Dylan, think of your nutrition as the foundation of your (body) building, pun intended!
    There are many bricks to the foundation, the building will not fall over if you remove some!
    Your body is more of an ECOSYSTEM less like a machine, where if a part fails the machine stops, or performance is severely affected!
    You store fat and cars to buffer any fluctuations in nutrient intake. Example, eat tons of ice cream, chocolate and other high calorie foods for a day or two in a row (hypothetical), your body weight will not change in the days afterward! My point is that muscle, fat and other indices have a time lag built into them of weeks or months! Read the Success Sores Section ALL share the same basic attribute that maintains much effort and time before any TRANSFORMATION or significant changes occur!
    Your question is not silly, in fact it appears you are at the beginning of gaining wisdom, and reading lots about optimisation of training and nutrition! It shows you are taking it all in and getting the information... just realise it takes a little time to gain perspective! I hope i have not confused you!

    Bottom line the other replies were right, keep training hard, but don't forget nobody is perfect, listen to your body and spend time learning perfect form and technique before attacking heavy weight. Ask more questions and stay with logging everything on your MFP App! Choose the compound movements over isolation in training, big weights can be moved with a dead lift or squats - it's satisfying, and has tremendous systemic effects, stimulate hormonal changes leading to protein synthesis everywhere in the body. Example - virtually nobody trains neck, but did you ever see a skinny neck on a 300 pound monster athlete? NO! Think about that, the body puts mass on pretty darned symmetrically!

    Ask any big bodybuilder 200 lbs plus how much he lifts, they will blow your mind how strong they are! Strength and size are very closely corelated almost without exception! So don't faf about going crazy on dumbbell kickbacks or preacher curls, isolation movements, they are not much good untill you are an intermediate or advanced lifter!
  • call3na
    call3na Posts: 33 Member
    I definitely get more hungry after a workout - not always the same day but definitely the next day! Whereas before logging my food and making sure I am eating enough aswell (as exercising regularly), I could happily go until 11am before eating, my body now wants feeding much earlier.

    I wouldn't worry about your protein intake specifically on that day being under - I'm sure it can cope if you eat more on the following day and balance out. I just find it easier to try and hit the daily targets rather than having loads extra to eat the next day. You could top up with a protein bar or smoothie with protein powder if you are low for the day - thats what I do, and take along mini bags of 25g of nuts for added protein for snacking wherever I am.
    :)
  • drxw10
    drxw10 Posts: 10 Member
    I work out regardless and then just eat a ton after.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    I don't skip workouts no matter what I've eaten the day before. Some exercise is better than none, plus I feel so much better after working out. And maybe buy protein bars instead of cinnamon buns. Quest has a good cinnamon bun protein bar :D

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