Breakfast Before or After Morning Walk?..

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sophera21
sophera21 Posts: 4 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey everyone, Jaz here. 38 year old F who searched Google for answers and became confused by the amount of conflicting information. Interested to know others thoughts/facts on morning walks on an empty stomach or after my morning shake :) Thanks.

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  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Before, after, during - doesn't matter.

    But what difference are you expecting?
  • kenziestabes
    kenziestabes Posts: 338 Member
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    Personal preference. For me, I split both the walk and the breakfast. Walk dog > Eat a piece of fruit > Walk for exercise > Make/eat the rest of my breakfast. Are you someone who needs times for their stomach to "wake up" in the morning or do you wake up ready to eat?
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,298 Member
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    I've was listening to the British doctor Michael Mosley in one of his 15 minute, "If you do one thing", (to get healthy-loose weight- etc)

    He was expounding the exercise snacking concept. The idea is if you do 30 minutes at one sitting then you warm up, get into the moving zone once. Where as several shorter sessions say three, this causes you to warm up and get into the same zone each time. In doing so the effects are greater because of the repetition of the cycle warm up cool down. This can be a good way to fit exercise into your day.

    As for before, during or after breakfast, its what suits you. May I suggest exercise right after any meal might be less helpful when your body just wants to concentrate on digestion.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    whatever works best for you. truly.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited September 2021
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    AnnPT's process is great.

    Because the walk may be calm enough in the scheme of things, that food before or after will have no bearing on the walk. If it was something more intense perhaps, but unless the walk is really long and hilly and pushing those kids fast, you'll probably do it the same pace no matter what.

    But the effects of what the walk causes could be very telling for rest the day.

    I can do a 1.5 hr hard bike ride and not be hungry afterwards.
    I can do a 45 min walk and start getting hungry during the walk.

    If I ate before the walk, I'd still be hungry afterwards, possibly making the day more difficult than it needs to be to adhere to an eating plan.
    Then again, some meals can make you hungry - why the personal testing is so beneficial.

    Either way your daily burn and amount of fat you burn during the day as a whole won't be different - merely how well you can adhere to the diet.
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,158 Member
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    Not to throw too many variables in there, but what suits you better might also depend on what specific foods you're eating (though it sounds like you're pretty consistent with a shake). I don't like to do any kind of physical activity at all shortly after eating foods that would typically described as heavy - even light activity like walking would make me feel hot and/or nauseous after eating a meal like that. But a lighter meal wouldn't affect me the same way for a walk (though it would for a run).

    It's OK (and encouraged!) to experiment and figure out what works for you now, and if it changes later, then you can change it. :)
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    Personal preference.

    When I used to swim early in the morning, I preferred to eat afterwards. But when I walked regularly in the morning, I preferred to eat before or split and have about half my brekkie before and half after. I also avoided shakes or even too much water before walking because I didn't want to get too far from the house and need to pee :-)
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,598 Member
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    rosebarnalice wrote: »
    Personal preference.

    When I used to swim early in the morning, I preferred to eat afterwards. But when I walked regularly in the morning, I preferred to eat before or split and have about half my brekkie before and half after. I also avoided shakes or even too much water before walking because I didn't want to get too far from the house and need to pee :-)

    I take really long walks and I used to have like 5 or 6 different pit stops I could go to but then the pandemic happened and places closed early and now almost everyone has coded locks or you need a key or (and I actually like this one) need to buzz you in.

    OP, if it makes you sick not to eat before your walk, eat. If it makes you sick to wait to eat after your walk, wait.

    Otherwise it doesn't matter.

    I've frequently stopped off at places and ate WHILE walking so there ya go.

    (I remember the days when getting me out of the apartment meant getting away from food but then I remembered credit cards. :))
  • al0481113
    al0481113 Posts: 67 Member
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    What works best for you. As for me I can't do anything without my breakfast. Usually I skip the dinner so I am really hungry in the morning 🙃
  • SweetP27
    SweetP27 Posts: 216 Member
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    I leave the house at 3:50am to walk....breakfast comes much later. Do what works best for you :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,529 Member
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    I say eat it during your walk. :D

    Kidding. It's up to you. At the end of the day, what matters is total calories consumed.

    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
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  • VegjoyP
    VegjoyP Posts: 2,715 Member
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    Whatever enhances your workout and provides energy to increase your exercise capacity. Then you can in affect burn more- do more.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,473 Member
    edited September 2021
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    If I don’t eat, I sometimes get a bit wonky and unfocused on my morning walk.

    I always eat first, and if I have a slow morning planned, I’ll save three or four pancakes from breakfast to eat mid morning to tide me over til lunch time.

    If I’ve got a lot going on around noon or so, I go all Hobbity and have small “first” lunch early, and a slightly “second” lunch afterward the noon or 1pm workout.

    But it boils down to whatever works for you you. How are you feeling? Does a large afternoon snack give you gas later in yoga? Or make you lethargic.l? Or make headstands 🤢?

    Only you know your body for sure. For sure, I couldn’t make it a day on IF. I’ve learned I have to shovel coal in the engine all day long.
  • Walkywalkerson
    Walkywalkerson Posts: 453 Member
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    I've read that there are benifits from a morning walk before breakfast - but who knows what to believe these days!
    Like the majority here I do what's best for me.
    I like to have breakfast first so I don't feel hungry on my walk and overeat when I get home.
  • sophera21
    sophera21 Posts: 4 Member
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    Thank you so much everyone! Really appreciate it. I will start taking notes and trying different methods to see what is best for me.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited September 2021
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    It doesn't matter. For me, if I'm hungry before a walk I eat, if I'm not I don't.

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