Does it matter when I eat vs exercise?

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MikeInAZ
MikeInAZ Posts: 483 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does it matter if I exercise before I eat my calories for the day? Or After? I've been exercising in the AM, burning 900 calories. Then I eat my normal calorie goal + about another 400-800 more sometimes, I eat all 900.

But does my body care if the calories are already in me when I exercise, or will I make it up the next time? Would I be more affective if I exercised at the end of the day after most of the calories are already in me?

Or does none of this matter??

Also, I'm not asking do I workout on an empty stomach? I usually will eat a Cliff Bar and drink 24oz of water about 30 min before a workout for the energy and hydration.

Thanks,

Mike

Replies

  • sjtreely
    sjtreely Posts: 1,014 Member
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    In the end, what really matters is that you're exercising and monitoring your calories and you have a deficit calorie intake if your goal is to lose weight. You'll find people (and research) to support both sides of the argument. I'm of the mind set that 24 hours is 24 hours. Depending on the person, there could be arguments either way for emotional rationale ... "I'm not going to eat that after I worked soooo hard at this morning's workout," or "I'll be darned if I'm going to eat that before I get my work out in." You have to figure out what works best for you and your schedule.
  • theradiantbride
    theradiantbride Posts: 50
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    If anything, eating a little bit before you exercise will give you more energy during the workout. But it's really not necessary. If you find that you can push yourself in the morning before you eat, then don't eat. In fact, it's a pain to have to eat before because then you have to wait a little while before you go workout to let the food settle in your stomach.

    So, if it's working for you, I'd say I wouldn't change a thing.

    Now, there is a difference between working out on an empty stomach vs after eating. I THINK that working out on an empty stomach burns more fat/muscle (because you lose both when you're losing weight) since it doesn't have the energy from the food to burn off right away. People who are wanting to get down to a really low fat% will work out without eating. But honestly, I'm not an expert on any of this and it's just what I've learned from brief research.

    Either way, it doesn't make much of a difference, so do whatever works for you. :)
  • AdAstra47
    AdAstra47 Posts: 823 Member
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    Absolutely yes, when you eat matters. And so does the type of calories you ingest at certain times. When you eat carbohydrates or sugars, your body will either use them quickly (within the next couple of hours or so, depending on your metabolism) or store them as fat. It's much better to use them at the time you eat them, then to have them stored as fat and then try to convince your body to retrieve them later. Because some of our bodies don't like to let go of that fat once it's there! :wink: So it does make a difference, but how much of a difference it makes depends on a person's individual metabolism and how efficient it is.

    When you eat protein, the chemical reaction that burns it for energy works more slowly & provides more steady energy, so that's good to eat when you'll just be sitting in front of a computer or something. I am on a carb-restricted diet for a metabolic disorder, so I don't know how much this applies to normal people, but my doctor told me that I should only eat carbs right before I know I'm going to be active. Right before a workout or before setting out to run errands. At all other times, I should try & get my energy from protein instead.
  • CoachNYLA
    CoachNYLA Posts: 129
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    Here is what I can give as input and as a trainer:

    First thing in the AM which is when your glycogen storage is at its lowest point, is one of the best times to execute cardio training. Unless you are diabetic or have blood sugar issues, this might not be the best time for your but for those without that problem, this can be a great opportunity for the body to reach into the fat cell for the energy to get you through the cardio session which helps to shrink that fat cell down.

    After cardio is when your first meal can be consumed.

    To get the most out of your weight training routine, training 1 hour after you have consumed your meal is ideal because it gives you more bang for your buck on your workouts allowing you to maximize your potential in pushing harder and getting your muslce to work harder without having to fight through so much relative to energy loss.

    Another time to get the best fat burn from cardio is after your weight training session as the weight training session uses the glycogen in the muscle reducing the storage and then when you get onto cardio, the body will be more likely to pull the energy from the fat cell, thus again, reducing fat.

    The next optimal time to execute cardio is before dinner. This again is where your glycogen levels are lower (usually, unless one has been snacking on carbs all day-at the office) to get a great fat utilization from the fat cell, again enabling the fat cell to shrink down. If you have been carb loading during the day (chips, crackers, candy etc.) - after work is a great time to use that up in a strength training routine to then do your cardio after that to get the most benefit.

    It is all about physiology and how the body uses energy from where and when.

    If you can get these combos down to get the most out of your efforts, your goals can be met sooner.

    Most people think that doing a particular exercise will produce a flat stomach or toned arms or reduce their hip size but it is your nutrition and cardio mostly that will help shrink the fat cell on top of the muscle. Otherwise, if you don't change what you eat and the way you eat, you merely just increase the muscle under the fat producing a miserable result.

    Hope this helped and gives you more bang for your buck on your workouts.

    Coach Nyla
  • CoachNYLA
    CoachNYLA Posts: 129
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    Absolutely yes, when you eat matters. And so does the type of calories you ingest at certain times. When you eat carbohydrates or sugars, your body will either use them quickly (within the next couple of hours or so, depending on your metabolism) or store them as fat. It's much better to use them at the time you eat them, then to have them stored as fat and then try to convince your body to retrieve them later. Because some of our bodies don't like to let go of that fat once it's there! :wink: So it does make a difference, but how much of a difference it makes depends on a person's individual metabolism and how efficient it is.

    When you eat protein, the chemical reaction that burns it for energy works more slowly & provides more steady energy, so that's good to eat when you'll just be sitting in front of a computer or something. I am on a carb-restricted diet for a metabolic disorder, so I don't know how much this applies to normal people, but my doctor told me that I should only eat carbs right before I know I'm going to be active. Right before a workout or before setting out to run errands. At all other times, I should try & get my energy from protein instead.

    I love you!!! I know that sounds dramitic but really folks - I love this gal....so refreshing to see others who have done their homework and apply it in their life.

    I ditto the metabolic disorder ( mine is food addiction), so I eat a sugar, wheat and flour free food plan myself to keep it under wraps.

    Way to go on your share and thanks again.!

    Nyla
  • fitplease
    fitplease Posts: 647 Member
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    I was reading that you should eat first thing in the morning, because your body will produce adrenaline to combat the lack of calories coming in. Adrenaline is what fuels the fight or flight response. (Anxiety suffers, be aware of this!)

    Definitely eat something, even if it's just a granola bar. If you work out later in the day, and haven't eaten for a couple of hours, then you won't have to worry as much.
  • fitplease
    fitplease Posts: 647 Member
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    I was reading that you should eat first thing in the morning, because your body will produce adrenaline to combat the lack of calories coming in.

    Remember, you haven't added any fuel to the tank all night!
  • AdAstra47
    AdAstra47 Posts: 823 Member
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    it's a pain to have to eat before because then you have to wait a little while before you go workout to let the food settle in your stomach.

    working out on an empty stomach burns more fat/muscle (because you lose both when you're losing weight) since it doesn't have the energy from the food to burn off right away.

    Interesting, this is the opposite of what my doctor told me. He told me that I should eat carbs as close to the time of exercise as possible, ideally fewer than 10 minutes before. He said that the idea that you have to "let food settle" is a myth.

    If you're doing it properly, you should NEVER lose muscle, only fat. Personally, I have lost about 45 lbs of fat/water and gained about 8 lbs of muscle in the last 6 months. If you are losing muscle, then you are not eating enough protein. The chemical reaction that burns fatty acids also requires amino acids, which you get from protein. So if you eat plenty of protein, you will maximize your fat burning *without* losing muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn while resting. So the more muscle you have, the easier it will be for you to lose weight. Conversely, if you lose muscle, it will be that much harder for you to lose any more weight.
  • catwrangler
    catwrangler Posts: 918 Member
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    First thing in the AM which is when your glycogen storage is at its lowest point, is one of the best times to execute cardio training. Unless you are diabetic or have blood sugar issues, this might not be the best time for your but for those without that problem, this can be a great opportunity for the body to reach into the fat cell for the energy to get you through the cardio session which helps to shrink that fat cell down.

    After cardio is when your first meal can be consumed.
    so I shouldn't eat anything before morning cardio?
    What if I'm very hungry, as I usually am first thing in the morning. :ohwell:
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    If you're hungry, eat. Your body only burns a portion of calories from fat when exercising, it will get the calories from other sources to make up the rest, whether it's from food or from broken down muscle.
  • elmsallmissile
    elmsallmissile Posts: 86
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    First thing in the AM which is when your glycogen storage is at its lowest point, is one of the best times to execute cardio training. Unless you are diabetic or have blood sugar issues, this might not be the best time for your but for those without that problem, this can be a great opportunity for the body to reach into the fat cell for the energy to get you through the cardio session which helps to shrink that fat cell down.

    After cardio is when your first meal can be consumed.
    so I shouldn't eat anything before morning cardio?
    What if I'm very hungry, as I usually am first thing in the morning. :ohwell:

    If you are hungry and start a good cardio session your blood supply will be diverted from your digestive system to your muscles & lungs the sensation of hunger will disappear rapidly!

    You should have enough glycogen stored in your muscle & liver to see you through a good hour you can always eat a carb source mid session if you feel you need it.

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