Excercise in morning, eat first or not?!

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2fit4fat
2fit4fat Posts: 559 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Just wondering what people have read on this, if you work out in the morning and is it best to eat before or workout on and empty stomach?! And why? also doing either of those.. how long after the workout should you eat? do you have a"post workout meal" if you had a meal not long before working out?!

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  • nixrun
    nixrun Posts: 44
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    I eat small before I run or workout in the morning. Like Greek God's Plain yogurt. Then I wait 20 to 30 minutes and then hit it. I tried running without eating and my usual time fell short then on days that I did eat. I found myself walking more.

    I try to work out in the morning, wake up have a glass of ice water to get my metabolism going and then coffee. After 30 minutes I will have a snack then start my workout shortly after.

    This works for me.
  • jesusHchris
    jesusHchris Posts: 1,405 Member
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    Here is a great article on the topic:
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek34.htm
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Personal preference, try eating vs non eating and do what makes you feel better while working out
  • mrsjennifermaffei
    mrsjennifermaffei Posts: 469
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    Jillian Michaels taught me to eat before working out as your body needs some type of fuel. Protein is generally the best or a salad. Nothing super heavy like carbs.
  • nataliefallbach
    nataliefallbach Posts: 105
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    Don't eat first! I know the information is confusing out there but I recently read a book, "Body for Life" and his advice made sense. FINALLY!!!! Work out in the morning and do not eat until you are finished with your workout. That way your body will burn stored calories and not the calories from the meal you just ate. Your body will keep burning calories all day from your workout so you will get better and quicker results if you workout in the morning vs. nighttime. However, this may not be an option for everyone so my rule of thumb, work out when you can, even if its at night. A work out is better then no work out, however, best results come from a morning workout. Makes sense, right? Well, it did for me anyhow. Good luck to you!
  • kbc525
    kbc525 Posts: 149
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    I run 4 x a week in the morning before I start my day, and I don't eat. I drink a glass of water and I have to have a cup of coffee :) - because I feel I'd cramp up or something ( I wake up and GO because then I have too much time to stall and/or I don't give myself enough time to for anything anyway bc waking up to get a run in before work is a PIA sometimes). When I sign up for runs though, I make sure to eat a piece of whole wheat toast, pb2, and a half a banana an hour before I start the race...

    And I always have eggs and toast when I get home...


    Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm going to try and have a piece of toast with some PB2 on it before my run tomorrow morning... and see if that makes a difference in my longevity and stamina - but what to eat post workout?

    THIS WAS A GOOD QUESTION!
  • Hilary75
    Hilary75 Posts: 90 Member
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    I work out on an empty stomach and then get something after. I can't run hard when I have anything in my stomach.
  • ishallnotwant
    ishallnotwant Posts: 1,210 Member
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    I think it's a personal preference. Some people need a bit to eat before a workout, some can't eat before a workout. Unless you are a serious athlete, or a body builder leaning out for a contest and micromanaging your program, it's not going to mean a whole lot whether you do fasting cardio or not. Just make sure to do whatever you can stick with, that's what's going to work for you.
  • pandasand
    pandasand Posts: 133 Member
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    Whatever makes you feel better. Personally, I can't work out on an empty stomach so I eat before and after. I eat about the same amount before and after. It's usually something low fat, moderate carbs and protein (like chicken, veggies, rice or fruit and Greek yogurt).
  • 2fit4fat
    2fit4fat Posts: 559 Member
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    Jillian Michaels taught me to eat before working out as your body needs some type of fuel. Protein is generally the best or a salad. Nothing super heavy like carbs.
    i read that in her book.. i however have to workout in the morning or it just doesnt get done with my crazy life. lol but a salad in the morning? would eggs do instead?
  • Tshuggah42
    Tshuggah42 Posts: 14
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    For the before, I have oatmeal or high fiber cereal with maybe a little raisins or dried blueberry in there. And afterwords I have a snack, such as fruit, cheese, yogurt, nuts or something like that. I usually have 2 or 3 of these.

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