Exercise induced nausea help?

BarbaraA1978
BarbaraA1978 Posts: 1 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I’m about a month into MFP and struggling with exercise induced nausea. I’m female, 5’1, and 170 lbs. I have no problem with walking (90 minutes a day at a leisurely pace) but the 45 minutes of low impact aerobics I’ve added are making me vomit. I’m well hydrated, and I am eating all my calories and don’t feel like I’m working too too hard. I’m definitely working up a sweat and am breathless but it’s not like I’m doing P90X or anything.

I’ve tried googling what and when to eat to avoid this but I’m coming up with contradictory information. Some sites say to eat an hour beforehand, some say 2-3 hours beforehand, some say exercise on an empty stomach because it’s too hard to digest food when your body’s blood flow is directed to your muscles. Some sites say to stay away from protein before exercising because it takes too long to digest, some say to eat protein and carbs.

What should I be eating before I workout and when should I be eating it? It’s hard to keep up the motivation to exercise when it makes me hurl.

Replies

  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    You may have to experiment to find out what works best for you, everyone is a bit different which is why you are finding so much conflicting advice.

    For me, I prefer to exercise on an empty stomach, and I try not to drink too much water while exercising or I will feel ill, but I will have some sips if my throat is dry.

    Also, if I start to get nauseous during a workout I will have some salt - this seems to help me a great deal, you need more salt when exercising because you are sweating and losing salt. This normally only happens to me if I am doing something super intense, but everyone is a bit different.

    You can also try taking a break when you start to feel ill and letting your heart rate come down, and then beginning again, or doing multiple shorter session if the nausea only kicks in after a certain period of time.
  • ultra_violets
    ultra_violets Posts: 202 Member
    I'm inclined to say you should speak to your doctor. Getting nauseous to the point of vomiting during low impact aerobics is unusual unless you're doing it in extreme heat. If you're breathless to the point where you cannot speak, it's too strenuous. Maybe it's too much too soon? Even so, I would seek professional advice.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
    I’m agreeing a lot with @tcunbeliever, I too don’t eat pre exercise, usually about 3 hours before.

    I also make sure I’m well hydrated throuout the day, not particularly focusing on pre workout or during (I always have a drink available just in case)

    If you are doing your 90min walk and the 45min workout on the same day, and it is heating up in your area, your electrolytes may be off. I will have an emergenC to balance mine. But, as said above a pinch of salt in water will do the trick, as will Nunn’s tabs, etc.

    If you are totally new to this type of routine, ease yourself into it, 15, 30, then the whole 45, and not on consecutive days (maybe alternate walk days with your new routine, being sure you are taking a rest day and eating back exercise cals.

    Experiment, but at the same time, if things don’t seem to be resolving, check with your doc.

    Cheers, h.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,676 Member
    The reason there is so much contradictory advice on what to eat is that everyone is different. I find it makes a difference not just when I eat but what I eat and how hard I'm working. Like you, I can eat and walk with no problem. When I run though, I have to be more careful. For a long or hard run, I wait two hours between eating and running. I avoid fat and a lot of sugar. For some reason that can really upset my stomach. OTOH, I have a friend who runs marathons on donuts and mountain dew. If I don't have time to wait for my run, a banana will give me some energy without upsetting my stomach. With a bagel I can run an hour later without a problem. Ice cream or a milk shake and I need to wait about 4 hours. Some people can't eat fiber, but I'm usually okay running after my usual breakfast cereal, though I'll wait at least an hour before going out. Some people can't handle caffeine before or during a run. I'm okay as long as I don't do too much coffee. (2 cups is good, 4 too much.)
  • lollie1285
    lollie1285 Posts: 239 Member
    I always have to eat before I exercise, but it has to be about an hour and a half to two hours beforehand. And even at two hours, with the intensity of my cardio, I'm prone to side stitches. i can't work out without having something in my system. I will not be able to power through whatever it is i'm doing. But everyone is different. You may have to experiment before you find what works for you.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,940 Member
    Especially if you are trying low-carb you'll have salt issues. Low carb requires more salt in general.

    I agree with everyone else, drink some gatorade or just take a little salt in your water. That could be all it is.
  • LivinLikeLivia
    LivinLikeLivia Posts: 8 Member
    I have learned not to have any dairy in my meals if I'm going to excersice and to eat at moderation so I don't feel full but not feel hungry. Maybe you are doing too much excersice too soon? Try doing other kind of excersices to see if that has anything to do. Meet with a doctor as well if the nausea persists.

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