When and what to eat before exercise

dragthewaters1991
dragthewaters1991 Posts: 45 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
When in the day do you exercise, how long before that do you eat, and what do you eat?

If I exercise after not eating for a while or not eating enough, I get weak and dizzy. But if I eat too much before exercising or exercise too soon after eating, I get nauseous. Sometimes I even get both at the same time. I'm having trouble finding a balance.

Replies

  • angelsja
    angelsja Posts: 859 Member
    Breakfast around 10.30 usually porridge berries and yogurt workout around 1-2 o'clock then eat once I'm done I can't workout on a completely empty stomach but can't (and isn't recommend) to eat right before working out
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    I can do light to moderate cardio on an empty stomach in the morning. If I'm doing strenuous cardio or strength training and it's been more than a couple of hours since I had a meal, I just have something light (like a string cheese or some pretzels or nuts) about 20-30 minutes before the workout. It doesn't really seem to matter for me what the food is, I just can't work out hard on an empty stomach or right after eating. I'm not a morning person, so strenuous exercise happens after work during the week (so I eat dinner soon after) or a weekend late morning/early afternoon (so I eat lunch right after).
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I have breakfast when I wake up, then a snack 1.5-2h before my workout, then candy preworkout during warmup and during.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    I don't eat anything before my workouts as I workout very early a.m. Sometimes my heavier/intense workouts are mid morning and I snack on sugary cereal (carbs) about 30-40 minutes before, I would have also had my morning coffee before then (usually for workouts lasting more than 70-80 minutes).

    Balance will come down to trying various times and different foods that sit well with you.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,205 Member
    I usually row or go to spin class in the morning, and eat a light breakfast about 15-30 minutes before. It's peanut butter on an Ezekiel pita or Coco Lite Pop Cake (tortilla-sized cracker-like 20-calorie thingie)**, 3/4 cup of lowfat kefir, 3/4 cup of hot nonfat milk with vanilla extract in it***.

    ** I figured out that I need more carbs for rowing than for spin class in order not to be ravenous after.
    *** I can't drink coffee before I work out, or I risk needing a bathroom break at an inconvenient time.

    I can't do a workout of any intensity/length fasted, but I can do a brisk walk of a couple of miles. Almost nothing makes me nauseated, peasant that I am, so eating lightly right before exercise works fine for me.

    What to eat around exercise is so, so, individual - tradeoffs among energy level, potential nausea, the bathroom break thing, which macros are best, possibly feeling logy after eating, differences between liquids and solids, and more.

    You may have to experiment a little. Maybe try eating something (or drinking something) that will give you a little energy (carbs?), but sit lightly on your stomach?
  • janalo55
    janalo55 Posts: 50 Member
    I go to water aerobics class. I don't want to eat beforehand, and the class is done at 10:00. I am retired and usually don't get up earlier than I have to! So I don't eat until 10:30 or 11 and it seems fine for me. Now, if I am really hungry when I wake up, I will have a yogurt beforehand, but usually don't. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and have found that the same yogurt will help me go back to sleep. Because I eat breakfast so late, I usually only have a snack later in the day and then my evening meal. I guess it is somewhat like Intermittent Fasting, but only done because of my schedule.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Any exercise up to 2hrs (36 mile bike ride) doesn't need any special eating plan for me - it just fits in my normal day and normal meal schedule whether it's morning, afternoon or evening training.

    For rides of 2hrs and upwards I get progressively more precise about fuelling, up to 50 miles pretty casual (probably just sports drinks), century rides very regimented.
  • Sel118
    Sel118 Posts: 11 Member
    I work out first thing in the morning. I do an hour workout using Jillian Michaels dvds so it's a mix if cardio, hiit, weight training and I like to push myself by upping my weights regularly and wearing ankle weights so I need to fuel up beforehand with something that my body can easily process. I make a shake the night before and keep in fridge. Its 150ml semi skimmed milk, 60g banana and 10g cacoa powder (no added sugar)
    this link helped me figure out what snack to have before workout https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a19542644/pre-workout-snacks/
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
    for years I worked out fasted 1st thing in the morning just having caffeinated drink about 30 mins before the hard stuff started

    recently though, with in the last 2 months, I need something to stop the initial feeling of weakness/nausea .. a mere 100kcal of 1/2 of a protein bar does it for me .. just a small bunch of carbs, protein and fat .. and I am good to go.

    the bazaar thing is .. if I start with cycling / running / weights I am fine without the 100kcal ...... if I start with the foam roller, which is what I normally do as I find it a good use use of time, wakes me up and works as a light warm up ... its the foam rolling that makes me feel like crap if I havent eaten
  • CTcutie
    CTcutie Posts: 649 Member
    I need to eat fairly light/healthy-ish all day before a strenuous workout and stop eating a good 3-4 hours before, but key for me is drinking plenty of water (which I don’t enjoy). If I eat too much/too many carbs in the afternoon my workouts suffer (and I sometimes will get heartburn or nausea; side stitch when running). (If I’m truly hungry I will eat some cheese, nuts or small amount of fruit an hour or two before the workout.). If I workout in the morning I usually go faster and bring food to eat ASAP after.
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
    Workouts start between 5:30-6:30am. Always have a shot or two of espresso and 32oz of water when I wake up (30-60min before workout, I walk the dogs first so it has time to settle). I typically do not eat anything until I’m done. That goes for lifting, HITT, cycling, or (currently) marathon training runs up to 20 miles. If I’m hungry, I’ll have a bite or two of a protein bar when I wake up but I’m my best with nothing in my stomach.

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