working out in the mornings opposed to the evenings

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tbisca1
tbisca1 Posts: 142
in Fitness and Exercise
I normally complete my workout after I get home from work Monday through Friday and on weekends I do my workout in the mornings. Well for the next several weeks I am working different hours at work and will not have time to do my workout when I get home in the evenings. So today I did my workout at 5am and will do that until my hours go back to normal. My question is will I see a weight gain since I am working out early in the morning and then eating my meals after that, especially my evening meal?

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  • brianna626
    brianna626 Posts: 156
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    I prefer working out in the mornings and I think it gives your metabolism a boost all day!
  • beverlyl64
    beverlyl64 Posts: 381
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    You shouldn't, and I bet you start liking the am workout, it's a great way to get fired up for the rest of the day.
  • Hoteffinmess
    Hoteffinmess Posts: 121
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    You shouldn't see a weight gain. I'm the same way. I work out in the afternoons when I work and in the morning when I'm off. No change. As long as your calories in and calories burned are around the same as usual, you should still lose. :)
  • Crooks0204
    Crooks0204 Posts: 189
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    I work out in the mornings and it has never made a difference on the scale (negatively) for me. Best wishes!!!
  • TiffieLovex3
    TiffieLovex3 Posts: 11 Member
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    You are actually supposed to workout right after you wake up so you burn actual fat instead of just what you ate during the day.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    Don't sweat the small stuff, just make sure you get to the gym one way or one time or another. :wink:
  • 46and2
    46and2 Posts: 167
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    i'm in the gym at 4:30 am and it really picks me up for the rest of the day.

    as far as how your body will react, your body doesn't have an alarm clock on it to determine what time of day it chooses to burn or build. you'll do fine early in the mornings. Plus, usually very few people go early so you don't have to slow down your circuit training to wait for someone else!
  • iamMaLisa
    iamMaLisa Posts: 278 Member
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    its a prefence thing, i cannot work out in the morning, i cant even function. i tried again recently because of the heat, i couldnt even run a half a block. so i am back to the evenings and running 2 miles again. i run at about 9:30 pm right before bed.
  • JWeaser
    JWeaser Posts: 302
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    I prefer mornings too. Gets the blood pumping. Today I waiting until 1:30 to do my 30DS and I wish I had done it first thing in the am like I usually do. Everyone is different though. Listen to your body. Regarding weight gain, it doesn't matter when you work out.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    You are actually supposed to workout right after you wake up so you burn actual fat instead of just what you ate during the day.

    This is true for brief (like 30 min) fasted-state cardio sessions but not weight lifting or any high-intensity cardio.
  • kitinboots
    kitinboots Posts: 589 Member
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    I like to run when I wake up, but I make excuses if I try and go too early. If I go in the evening I have all day to get motivation.
  • Pam3
    Pam3 Posts: 1,687 Member
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    I prefer working out in the mornings and I think it gives your metabolism a boost all day!

    same here....
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
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    I actually prefer working out in the mornings and have never had problems switching from morning to evening. :D
  • fab50G
    fab50G Posts: 384 Member
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    Jillian Michaels says it doesn't matter whether you work out in the morning or the evening. What's important is that you DO IT! : D
  • chachii26
    chachii26 Posts: 45
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    I used to workout after work too...around 7:30PM...it will get me fired up and then I couldn't go to sleep! now, i wake up at 5:30AM ((a shocker for me and everyone that knows me!)) and I love it!!! I find that when i go in the morning I dont miss any days (sometimes I was too tired after work) and I feel so energized after that my work day goes really smoothly. I also have better control of my calories at the end of the day. You should be fine!
  • tbisca1
    tbisca1 Posts: 142
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    great! thanks everyone. I guess I am overthinking it! I have been working so hard I don't want something to mess it up.
  • ckncj
    ckncj Posts: 183 Member
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    You should see more results. The mornings is the best time to capitalize on your body's natural hormone level and jump start your metabolism for the day. If possible, postpone eating until 30-60 minutes after your workout. Food = fuel for our body. So, if you have food in you, your body will burn the food. However, if you refrain from eating right after your workout, your body will use stored fat to burn for energy versus food.
  • tbisca1
    tbisca1 Posts: 142
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    You should see more results. The mornings is the best time to capitalize on your body's natural hormone level and jump start your metabolism for the day. If possible, postpone eating until 30-60 minutes after your workout. Food = fuel for our body. So, if you have food in you, your body will burn the food. However, if you refrain from eating right after your workout, your body will use stored fat to burn for energy versus food.

    I can't eat before or after my workouts so I am good there. I normally don't eat after for an hr or hr and a half
  • SilverRoses42
    SilverRoses42 Posts: 10 Member
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    I always do mine in mourning, it gives you energy for he rest of the day !!
  • EricMurano
    EricMurano Posts: 825 Member
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    In terms of weight loss and all other factors being equal expending 500 calories in the morning versus expending 500 calories in the evening makes no difference. It's a zero sum game.

    There are differences in other aspects, though.

    Morning workout benefits:
    * It's easier to motivate yourself. You can get the exercise out of the way and not worry about 'diminishing intent' throughout the day
    * You feel fired up throughout the day and feel quite good because of the hormones and chemicals your body releases after exercise
    * You get to feel superior to everyone all morning because YOU did an awesome workout

    Afternoon workout benefits:
    * You can workout harder because
    - You have been awake for a while and more mentally capable
    - You have eaten at least one meal (I exercise at 11:30am so I've had breakfast already) and so your muscles have energy from the right source

    * If you can get over the 'diminishing intent' then you can go to the gym when it suits you (employer willing) or schedule around family life.


    Schedules aside the biggest thing is having that food in your blood system. You'll hear PTs talk about needing to have consumed some food before exercising BUT you need some time to digest it before hitting the gym otherwise you might feel nauseous. So you'd need to wake up even earlier to get that banana, wait for an hour, then go to the gym if you were exercising in the morning.

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