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Exercising before or after eating?!

PocahonTee_
Posts: 8 Member
Which is more effective? Exercising after a meal or before your next meal?
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Replies
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Both would burn the same amount of calories. However I find if I exercise straight after a meal I get a stitch in my stomach- too long after a meal and I feel faint. A gap of about 2 hours after a meal is perfect - you may have to experiment to find your own perfect timings.2
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Effective in what sense?
I usually run either an hour or two after breakfast or an hour after lunch. I like to give my meal some time to digest before I head out. Sometimes I run just before dinner. If I'm going long and hard, I'll wait two hours before running. I don't like running first thing in the morning unless it's a very short run (i.e. on vacation) because I need time to wake up. If I'm doing an exercise dvd or stationary bike, I'll do it an hour or two before dinner because that's a convenient time or me. By the time I'm done and showered, it's time to start cooking.2 -
More effective for what? Boils down to personal preference and moreover what fits in your schedule and when you can fit exercise during your day.1
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Effective how?
Weight loss is about being in a net deficit position on a consistent basis...it has nothing to do with whether or not you exercise fasted or not.1 -
More effective for what? Boils down to personal preference and moreover what fits in your schedule and when you can fit exercise during your day.
^^ Nailed it.
I prefer to workout fasted (well, after drinking coffee) first thing in the morning. If I try running within 2 hours of eating anything substantial my stomach bothers me. I can, however, cycle shortly after eating.
Best suggestion is to find what works for you. In respect to fat/weight loss there has been at least one study that I'm aware of that suggested that there was a marginal increase in the proportion of fat burned when exercising fasted but it was a very small sample size and the source of fuel (fat or glycogen) is immaterial in respect to weight loss, it's about energy balance.1 -
Personal preference.0
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_runnerbean_ wrote: »Both would burn the same amount of calories. However I find if I exercise straight after a meal I get a stitch in my stomach- too long after a meal and I feel faint. A gap of about 2 hours after a meal is perfect - you may have to experiment to find your own perfect timings.
Thank you! I'm going to try it out and see if that's good for me.
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I think it depends...this summer I walked 3 miles first thing in the morning without any food.
If I run right after I eat I get a stitch
I prefer to lift before I eat but ensure I have a yogurt or something
My walks after I eat because I am hungry after I lift.
It is all really a personal thing.1
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