Eating before or after working out

jamieparadis20
jamieparadis20 Posts: 129 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,
I was wondering if you guys eat before or after working out? I've heard that working out in a "fasted" or hungry state is great for weigh loss because it forces your body to get energy from fat reserves. But I normally don't feel satisfied if I eat after working out because I'm more hungry and I normally eat so much more. What do you think?

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    jamieparadis20 wrote: »
    Hi all,
    I was wondering if you guys eat before or after working out? I've heard that working out in a "fasted" or hungry state is great for weigh loss because it forces your body to get energy from fat reserves. But I normally don't feel satisfied if I eat after working out because I'm more hungry and I normally eat so much more. What do you think?

    It doesn't matter...working out fasted is a great way to train your body to more efficiently use fat as fuel...this would be beneficial to, say, an endurance athlete. It doesn't really do anything from a weight loss point of view...if you are in a net energy deficiency you will burn fat...if you're not, you won't.

    I train fasted regularly as I'm an endurance cyclist...I'm in maintenance...I maintain training often in a fasted state...because I eat to maintain.

    Your body is constantly cycling between burning fat and storing fat...what matters is your net position at the end of the day/week/month, etc. You burn more fat as fuel sleeping than anything else...but I'd hardly call sleeping a weight loss plan.
  • Misssynth
    Misssynth Posts: 179 Member
    There is evidence for both being good. A lot of it is what works best for you. Personally I do ALL of my workouts fasted, because I perform better and can push harder without feeling sick, but then I also don't feel more hungry than normal afterwards so I don't overeat from that
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    For weight loss there's no difference. Your fat loss comes from a calorie deficit over an extended period of time - it's the deficit that "forces" your body to use your energy reserves.

    Do what fits in your day best and helps you perform the best.
  • Grey_1
    Grey_1 Posts: 1,139 Member
    Fasted all the time for me, but primarily because it just fits best into my day and I enjoy a good workout after I wake, usually around 3am or so. Regarding the hunger, I have a whey protein shake immediately after finishing. It seems to help with muscle recovery/less soreness, and it keeps my appetite in check. I'll generally have breakfast around 2 hours later, which gets me off to a decent start for the day.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,781 Member
    I'm a runner, who primarily runs in the afternoon. So I'm not fasted, but I also don't run immediately after eating. For a short easy run, I can eat an hour before. For a harder longer run I run 2 or 3 or more hours after a meal. Sometimes if I'm hungry and have no energy, I'll eat a banana or drinks some orange juice just before I head out.
  • BeeerRunner
    BeeerRunner Posts: 728 Member
    I don't think when you eat matters, but it is good to make sure you have protein after a workout.

    I do both, depending on the workout and time of day. If I'm just doing a short 3 to 5 mile run early morning, I won't eat before hand. If I'm doing a long run, I'll have a 1/2 an English Muffin and some Greek yogurt before hand. If I go straight to the gym after work, I don't eat anything beforehand. If I come home first, I'll often have dinner and then go work out. As long as I'm not eating anything really heavy, I do not have issues working out with food in my belly. Many people do though.
  • jessjhwhite
    jessjhwhite Posts: 2 Member
    Personally I really struggle with fasted cardio! I don't eat much before a workout but I try to at least have either a banana, some porridge or a slice of brown toast with some peanut butter. I think it comes down to personal preferences and what works best for you :)
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories