Eat before or after am workout

corrine9720
corrine9720 Posts: 1 Member
in Success Stories
Hi there I am just starting out and want to use my treadmill a few times a day is it more beneficial to eat before or after breakfast
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Replies

  • oneleg_11b
    oneleg_11b Posts: 7 Member
    I am not an expert, but this is what I do. I always eat before a workout , but leave time for food to settle. The body needs fuel. That is what works for me. Also, remember everyone is different so try different things and see what works for you. I hope this helps.
  • jcharris9263
    jcharris9263 Posts: 10 Member
    I ALWAYS train in a fasted state ... just something I was taught to do early on and find it works for me. In a triathlon I will eat on the bike (usually liquid) but nothing before a race or during the run.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    What you are doing on your treadill and for how long would be helpful to know.

    Unless you are an elite athlete or getting into long endurance sessions then either, neither or both are all reasonable answers to your question.

    Guessing that you are doing short sessions on your treadmill your overall calorie level for the entire day is going to be of far more significance for your exercise performance than when you eat those calories.

    PS - you have already had replies "I always eat before" and "I always train fasted" so I'll add my personal "it depends" into the mix.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,028 Member
    Whatever method works best for you. You'll have to go with trial and error. Try eating before and see how that feels. Try eating after and see how that feels. Go with the one you feel best with.

    I personally train fasted every morning, but the night before I carb up. I eat till about 11:30pm. That may not work for everyone especially if you have problems with acid reflux.

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  • Luv2eatSweets
    Luv2eatSweets Posts: 221 Member
    I usually eat after my exercise, mainly because I tend to feel a little pukey.
  • BeeBob46
    BeeBob46 Posts: 2 Member
    I eat before a workout. I have tried both fasted and fed and find eating around 1 hour before cardio or weights works for me. Gives me more energy and eating an hour before keeps me from feeling queasy. You just have to try both and see what gives you the best results. Good luck!
  • goal06082021
    goal06082021 Posts: 2,130 Member
    Whatever works for you.

    I started exercising daily last November, after spending most of the preceding 11 months sitting on my *kitten* for 20 hours a day. The first workout I did on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, and once I was done, I was out of breath and shaking/unsteady on my feet. I had to sit down for a few minutes, and was still a little shaky in the shower afterward. I started eating a (weighed!) spoonful of peanut butter before my workouts, which helped mitigate the shakiness; after a month or so, I was able to get up and complete my workout on an empty stomach and felt fine.

    These days, I'm OK to do ~20-30 minutes of LISS cardio (usually walking, occasionally something like Ring Fit Adventure) or ~45-60 minutes of strength training fasted, but I usually need to eat shortly after or I start feeling badly. If I'm going to be working out for much longer than that I do eat beforehand - on Sundays I go for longer walks, 45-60 minutes or longer, and definitely can't do that on an empty stomach.
  • yweight2020
    yweight2020 Posts: 591 Member
    I can't eat first then workout not going to happen unless for some reason I'm famished then maybe I will have a snack like an apple and or a cheese stick but nothing to heavy, then give it a moment to digest before the workout. I don't do any heavy athletic type working out, so it also depend on the level of your workout.
  • aeborowski
    aeborowski Posts: 72 Member
    I think everyone is pretty much on the same page here - whatever works for you. If I'm going to workout in the morning or mid-day, I like to have a little protein and fruit (a light snack, if you will) and then hang tight for about a half hour. This seems to help keep my blood sugar from dropping mid-exercise. :smile:
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    Endorsing the "experiment, then pick your best route" option.

    I'm good for *maybe* 20 minutes of moderately intense workout (like rowing machine) fasted after an appropriate warm-up, but even that feels s*ck-ola, really miserable, soooo hard. I only do it if I have to, for some reason. I can reach my normal race pace for race distance, but that feels *miserable*, and then I'm Done for the day in all ways.

    My performance is better, and I feel *dramatically* better, if I eat lightly before AM workouts. I have a rock-solid digestive system (not everyone is equally fortunate in that way), so I can eat a peanut-butter Ezekiel pita with peanut butter, kefir on the side, within 20 minutes before a high-intensity workout, and be totally fine.

    Other people perform at peak fasted, and/or feel nauseated if they eat right before workouts.

    Figure out what works for you, and you'll do fine. Weight management is the same, either way; and you can use metrics to assess performance, and Da Feelz to assess how much you like a particular approach.
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 921 Member
    It just matters what works for you. I run fasted...because if I eat 1. I'm afraid I'll have to go to the bathroom during my run and 2. I get indigestion. I eat immediately when I get back. But some ppl feel they need some food to fuel their workout, if so it's fine to eat before....but I will say that it's a lot of work for your body to digest food so I wouldn't do it directly before working out.
  • Frank19556
    Frank19556 Posts: 28 Member
    I have a yogurt and black coffee in the morning before I work out, and breakfast after. If I work out after work, I may have an apple if I feel hungry before. Sometimes I don't and don't eat anything.. Apple or not, I then have dinner after the workout.
  • Frank19556
    Frank19556 Posts: 28 Member
    westrich20940 wrote: »
    It just matters what works for you. I run fasted...because if I eat 1. I'm afraid I'll have to go to the bathroom during my run and 2. I get indigestion. I eat immediately when I get back. But some ppl feel they need some food to fuel their workout, if so it's fine to eat before....but I will say that it's a lot of work for your body to digest food so I wouldn't do it directly before working out.


    I think by not eating before a workout, you trained your body to either store more carbs beforehand, or burn a higher percentage of fat as fuel during your workout. In some way our bodies adapt over time.
  • michelle102680
    michelle102680 Posts: 1 Member
    Personally, for early morning workouts, I prefer to eat after. If I am doing a lunch/afternoon workout, I have to eat at least, 2 hours prior. Otherwise, I get a stomach cramp during high intensity. Hence why I do not eat before an early morning workout - not enough time for my food to settle. But everyone is different. You just have to listen to your body and do what is comfortable for you, all while maintaining healthy habits. You can do it!!! :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited August 2021
    corrine9720 wrote: »
    Hi there I am just starting out and want to use my treadmill a few times a day is it more beneficial to eat before or after breakfast

    For most people, this is pretty irrelevant and doesn't matter in the least outside of personal preference.

    ETA: I usually hit the weight room a couple days per week after work...so I've eaten breakfast and lunch. I also usually cycle in the evenings after work...so same thing. When I mountain bike on the weekends I usually go early and bring something like a Cliff Bar with me depending on how long I'm planning to be out. I don't schedule eating around exercise and activity...there really isn't much point unless you're going to head out early with a long distance endurance event.
  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,099 Member
    corrine9720 wrote: »
    Hi there I am just starting out and want to use my treadmill a few times a day is it more beneficial to eat before or after breakfast

    Hi there! So much depends on the intensity of your exercise. If you were going to be running hard for two hours, say, you might need some easily digested fuel beforehand. Most people don't need to worry about it. I personally train fasted under most circumstances but I don't go super-long or super-heavy either.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    I can report that different workouts require different strategies for me. Running is the hardest on the digestive system, it seems. It is the best laxative I've ever tried. And, it can definitely cause reflux at times. So, it gets me on both ends! Swimming and cycling seem to cause fewer such problems... mostly.

    So, If I'm going on an early morning run from the house for less than an hour, all I have is some water or sugar-free electrolyte drink. For longer runs, rides, or swims, I'll chance a piece of toast with jam and/or a banana. Sometimes (e.g., this morning before driving 30min to the pond for a swim), I'll go for a PBJ. I often have a little hot tea with milk and agave as well (before or after).
  • Frank19556
    Frank19556 Posts: 28 Member
    edited August 2021
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Frank19556 wrote: »
    westrich20940 wrote: »
    It just matters what works for you. I run fasted...because if I eat 1. I'm afraid I'll have to go to the bathroom during my run and 2. I get indigestion. I eat immediately when I get back. But some ppl feel they need some food to fuel their workout, if so it's fine to eat before....but I will say that it's a lot of work for your body to digest food so I wouldn't do it directly before working out.


    I think by not eating before a workout, you trained your body to either store more carbs beforehand, or burn a higher percentage of fat as fuel during your workout. In some way our bodies adapt over time.

    Our bodies DO adapt to exercise and for people who are doing prolonged endurance exercise or are competing at an elite level, these differences can sometimes be relevant. For example, if you're running a marathon, you'll absolutely want to ensure you're considering a fueling strategy and understanding how your body reacts to different scenarios.

    But for the average person, how you FEEL during the workout is going to be the most relevant factor. Burning more or less fat as fuel during a workout isn't going to translate into specific results for your weight or body composition. It's simply how you're fueling a particular activity. Using more fat as fuel during a workout doesn't mean you're going to have less body fat than someone who isn't.

    I wasn't implying it was better or worse, and nothing you said disagrees with my post. My reply was to that quote. My post was factual and could be helpful or least of some interest to others with this question, and to many it won't matter, but I didn't imply it would. Given the quote I was replying to, and the context of my reply, I am not sure why there were three disagrees.
  • tuckerrj
    tuckerrj Posts: 1,453 Member
    I do predominantly resistance training/weight lifting. I have a light carb meal about 45 minutes before working out to "fuel up", and a mostly protein meal afterward to promote muscle restoration & hypertrophy. That's what works for me. But can't argue with experimenting to determine what works best for you.
  • JennFit5K
    JennFit5K Posts: 21 Member
    I'd vomit from electrolyte imbalance all over the treadmill if I worked out on an empty stomach. But I know someone who will walk 5 miles on the treadmill before breakfast too so it depends on what your body is wired for.
  • LenGray
    LenGray Posts: 869 Member
    I'm echoing the 'it depends' advice. Experiment and find out what works for you! I thought I needed to eat before my early workouts, but later found out that I do much better fasted, or with a small snack (apples+PB or half a bagel+hummus).
    That said, I typically have a larger breakfast if I workout first or, if my appetite is down, have a protein shake as a mid-morning snack, especially after strenuous exercise.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    whatever works best for you.

    i rarely eat before working out. never have. and if i DO - it is very, VERY light. as in a cup of yogurt.
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
    i dont eat a lot before a work out or I would be sick. I eat something small, kind bar, banana, etc.
  • Jacq_qui
    Jacq_qui Posts: 443 Member
    Depends on the day and what time I get up. School hols mean I'm at home with the kids so its :Small (as in volume of liquid) protein shake >> work out >> breakfast. I found by skipping all food left me struggling a bit harder in the work out than I needed to. When they're back at school I'll work out later in the day and thus I've usually had one meal by then.
  • WailingDusk
    WailingDusk Posts: 58 Member
    I have tried a number of different things, and I found what works best for me is eating a serving or two of any kind of beans a couple of hours before working out. That on top of the pre-workout gives me more than enough energy to push through.

    If you're not used to eating beans though... going to the gym after eating them might not be a wise idea lol
  • solieco1
    solieco1 Posts: 1,559 Member
    edited August 2021
    For me-
    Short run: espresso and go.
    Longer run: espresso and a banana
    Swim: carbs a bit of protein and espresso.
    Bike: completely depends on length.

    Same message as everyone else - have fun figuring it out - your body will tell you. Use it as an experiment and have fun with it. Also, realize that it won't be same everyday and will change with your fitness.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    solieco1 wrote: »
    For me-
    Short run: espresso and go.
    Longer run: espresso and a banana
    Swim: carbs a bit of protein and espresso.
    Bike: completely depends on length.

    Ooh, nice! I have several friends that exercise after just coffee. That would cause terrible cramping for me! But, the caffeine might be appreciated. I can get away with a little tea or sometimes a Nuun "energy."

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