Exercising before eating
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NadNight
Posts: 794 Member
I like to exercise in the morning and I was wondering if there are any pros or cons to having breakfast before vs after exercise or if it’s purely just preference?
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Replies
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Preference. At the end of the day all that matters is total calories.
Personally I don't eat till after 12pm so I skip the traditional 6am-10am breakfast time of most. I train starting at 5am and that's walking/jogging and resistance training for a body part 7 days a week. I MAY eat a breakfast on Sunday after exercise, but that's sporatic.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Preference and performance. I walk pretty much every morning before breakfast, but I'm not a "workout" or "training" guy that early in the morning as my performance is garbage and it takes me awhile to wake up and shake off the fog. A 3 mile walk with my coffee is as much out of me as you're going to get early in the morning.
I do most of my actual workouts and training in the afternoon or evening as my performance is just better, and I've had a couple of meals by then. I cannot eat right before a workout though...I need at least a couple hours to digest before I get into anything too strenuous.
Really, you just have to figure out what works best for you personally.1 -
all personal preference.
i dont have anything other than my coffee in the mornings before I go to the gym0 -
I eat to have energy for workouts. Eating 3 spaced out meals most days stops energy slumps for me.0
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I like to exercise in the morning and I was wondering if there are any pros or cons to having breakfast before vs after exercise or if it’s purely just preference?
If you have extra fat to burn, exercising before breakfast is better. During the night you empty your glycogen and run on fat. Till you eat and break your fat you still run on fat.
Once you eat carbs you restore your glycogen and your body goes back burning its favorite fuel.
As per me, I always run far from any food I eat. I have hiatal hernia and running with not fully digested food gives me chest pain.0 -
I like to exercise in the morning and I was wondering if there are any pros or cons to having breakfast before vs after exercise or if it’s purely just preference?
If you have extra fat to burn, exercising before breakfast is better. During the night you empty your glycogen and run on fat. Till you eat and break your fat you still run on fat.
Once you eat carbs you restore your glycogen and your body goes back burning its favorite fuel.
As per me, I always run far from any food I eat. I have hiatal hernia and running with not fully digested food gives me chest pain.
No you don't "empty your glycogen" while you sleep!
Your body is running on a very high proportion of fat while you sleep and getting just a few percent of its needs from glycogen.
Your glycogen stores are much bigger than you seem to think.
If you manage to empty your glycogen stores you would be unable to exercise at any intensity, it's called hitting the wall or bonking.
You are burning a blend of both carbs and fat all of the time in different proportions, it's not one fuel first and the other second. The proportions used are primarily driven by your exercise intensity.
OP - you haven't mentioned what your exercise is or the duration but unless it's very long duration you don't need to eat. You personally may perform and feel better fasted or fed - it's a preference as others have stated.4 -
I'm leaning towards preference in general, but for me personally I don't have the energy in the morning if I don't eat.. tbf my last meal of the day is often around 5-6pm so by the time I get up it's been 11-12 hours since I ate, and I've always been an afternoon-ish person to begin with0
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In the morning I don't have energy until I've had something, even if just a piece of fruit and a coffee
I would usually eat before, but not too close to the workout. I try to leave at least 45 mins to digest.
Some people get digestive issues from exercising straight away, so I try to avoid that. I also find I feel less sluggish if I give it a bit of time to digest first.0 -
It's simply preference and listening to your body. I prefer to run on an empty stomach but strength train after eating.
I've raced 1/2 Marathons in a 12 hour fasted state and I've eaten a big breakfast a couple hours before and my performances were actually a little better in the fasted state but not enough to draw anything other than a neutral conclusion. Our body stores plenty of energy to get through even a tough workout in a fasted state, so it's possible either way.
You can also train your body to adapt if it's more convenient to one or the other -- just give your body 2 or 3 weeks to adjust.
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I like to exercise in the morning and I was wondering if there are any pros or cons to having breakfast before vs after exercise or if it’s purely just preference?
If you have extra fat to burn, exercising before breakfast is better. During the night you empty your glycogen and run on fat. Till you eat and break your fat you still run on fat.
Once you eat carbs you restore your glycogen and your body goes back burning its favorite fuel.
As per me, I always run far from any food I eat. I have hiatal hernia and running with not fully digested food gives me chest pain.
No you don't "empty your glycogen" while you sleep!
Your body is running on a very high proportion of fat while you sleep and getting just a few percent of its needs from glycogen.
Your glycogen stores are much bigger than you seem to think.
If you manage to empty your glycogen stores you would be unable to exercise at any intensity, it's called hitting the wall or bonking.
You are burning a blend of both carbs and fat all of the time in different proportions, it's not one fuel first and the other second. The proportions used are primarily driven by your exercise intensity.
OP - you haven't mentioned what your exercise is or the duration but unless it's very long duration you don't need to eat. You personally may perform and feel better fasted or fed - it's a preference as others have stated.
Normally it would. The body overnight takes glucose from liver to run your brain, leaving a little in muscle cells waiting for restarting the day.
But this is not normality. This is a situation of low calorie intake and by what I read in majority of cases low carb intake.
That happened to me when I first moved to veganism and my calorie was much lower because I didn't know better. You can easily check it with a blood test and measure ketones (I actually was running on ketones even though all I ate was carbs).
Just my 2 cents.0 -
As a swimmer, Ive learned that I can't eat for at least an hour-- and preferably two-- before I work out. But on the occasional days I walk instead of swim I like a little snack before I head out.0
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I work out first thing in the morning. I don't have time to eat, digest, then workout. I get up at 5:15 and am working out by 5:25. I stop at 6:20 to shower and then I go fix my coffee. After coffee is finally some food!1
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Actually that's not true. Glycogen is RARE to totally deplete or you'd totally crash. And glycogen is mainly used to move voluntary muscle, so when you sleep, that's when fat is being mainly utilized for fuel (as well as at rest like watching TV).I like to exercise in the morning and I was wondering if there are any pros or cons to having breakfast before vs after exercise or if it’s purely just preference?
If you have extra fat to burn, exercising before breakfast is better. During the night you empty your glycogen and run on fat. Till you eat and break your fat you still run on fat.
Once you eat carbs you restore your glycogen and your body goes back burning its favorite fuel.
As per me, I always run far from any food I eat. I have hiatal hernia and running with not fully digested food gives me chest pain.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
0 -
Actually that's not true. Glycogen is RARE to totally deplete or you'd totally crash. And glycogen is mainly used to move voluntary muscle, so when you sleep, that's when fat is being mainly utilized for fuel (as well as at rest like watching TV).I like to exercise in the morning and I was wondering if there are any pros or cons to having breakfast before vs after exercise or if it’s purely just preference?
If you have extra fat to burn, exercising before breakfast is better. During the night you empty your glycogen and run on fat. Till you eat and break your fat you still run on fat.
Once you eat carbs you restore your glycogen and your body goes back burning its favorite fuel.
As per me, I always run far from any food I eat. I have hiatal hernia and running with not fully digested food gives me chest pain.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I have previously read that when endurance athletes "hit the wall," that's actually our body protecting us because it's *anticipating* running out of glycogen and it's attempting to slow down your body as a result. Your brain needs glycogen, so it's in our best interest never to really run out.
So if someone was depleting their glycogen each night, there's no way that training fasted would be possible for us, it would be like setting out on the tail end of an underfueled marathon each morning. It would be a miserable experience (as those of us who have bonked during an endurance activity can support).0 -
I like to workout before food because I have a sensitive stomach, and exercising makes me have to "go". Easier to just do it before I eat and avoid the interruption.0
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Correct. The exaggeration of "fasted cardio" or "fasted training" saying that fat is the primary fuel source is broscience. Just like all broscience, the biggest supporters use anecdotes from athletes or trainers who don't really understand how the body's systems actually works.janejellyroll wrote: »
Actually that's not true. Glycogen is RARE to totally deplete or you'd totally crash. And glycogen is mainly used to move voluntary muscle, so when you sleep, that's when fat is being mainly utilized for fuel (as well as at rest like watching TV).I like to exercise in the morning and I was wondering if there are any pros or cons to having breakfast before vs after exercise or if it’s purely just preference?
If you have extra fat to burn, exercising before breakfast is better. During the night you empty your glycogen and run on fat. Till you eat and break your fat you still run on fat.
Once you eat carbs you restore your glycogen and your body goes back burning its favorite fuel.
As per me, I always run far from any food I eat. I have hiatal hernia and running with not fully digested food gives me chest pain.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I have previously read that when endurance athletes "hit the wall," that's actually our body protecting us because it's *anticipating* running out of glycogen and it's attempting to slow down your body as a result. Your brain needs glycogen, so it's in our best interest never to really run out.
So if someone was depleting their glycogen each night, there's no way that training fasted would be possible for us, it would be like setting out on the tail end of an underfueled marathon each morning. It would be a miserable experience (as those of us who have bonked during an endurance activity can support).
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
1
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