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Pre-Workout Snack or Empty Stomach?

sugarandspice27
sugarandspice27 Posts: 521 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Is it better to have a snack before working out or to go on an empty stomach? If my goal is maximum fat burn? And if I should have a snack, what would the most ideal snack be? Thanks!
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Replies

  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
    I work out on a empty stomach, unless it is going to be a really long endurance type workout. Then it is something small, like a banana
  • _hi_hat3r_
    _hi_hat3r_ Posts: 423 Member
    It's a preference. Try them both and see which is better for you. I like it on an empty stomach because I feel sluggish when I eat before I workout.
  • KatiD83
    KatiD83 Posts: 152 Member
    bump.....im curious to know too. I'm starting water aerobics next week and i don't want to be starving when I'm done with the class because i have a 45 minute drive home.
  • MariaLivingFit
    MariaLivingFit Posts: 224 Member
    I agree that it's a personal preference. When I workout in the morning I do so on an empty stomach and then eat breakfast when I get to work. When I workout during the day (on the weekends) I make sure to have eaten something 1-2 hours beforehand.
  • mayerel
    mayerel Posts: 254 Member
    It depends a lot on the workout, if it's an hour, I'll have a small snack (like 100 calories), if it's going to be 2 hours I have to eat a legit meal about an hour before I go and then I take a protein shake with me to drink right after.

    It's very much a personal choice. I get headaches and dizzy if I don't eat before a workout. I also feel very sluggish if I don't eat the right things before a workout. So try it and find out what works for you!
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    If I go to the gym VERY early (4:30am), then I go with an empty stomach. Seems like that is WAY before breakfast time, so not eating is more comfortable.

    If I go more towards a normal breakfast time(5:30-6am), I will eat something light that is protein rich...protein drink or plain greek yogurt. Since I do weight training, the lower carb, higher protein food makes me more energetic for the workout.

    Before an afternoon run (in between meals), I often take a small amount of hydration drink (I use Shaklee Performance) for the carb fuel.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    Agreed with all of the above...personal preference, type of workout and time. I work out in the morning (very early) and generally do fasted cardio. If I try to force food down that early, its probably going to come back up.

    When I do later workouts, I have found that I do need something in my tummy before or I end up getting that low-sugar crashing feeling..

    Whatever you choose, just be sure you always keep hydrated!
  • acragle
    acragle Posts: 26 Member
    I think it probably depends on what kind of workout you're doing and how your body responds. I will eat an hour so before along with a pre-workout like Jack3d, but if you're not doing a prewkout, then your energy level (and thus your performance) might suffer if you haven't eaten in a while. I eat every three hours, so it's not much of an issue here.
  • sugarandspice27
    sugarandspice27 Posts: 521 Member
    I'm doing Pick Your Level Weight Loss Pilates and I just ate an orange. We shall see how this goes.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Snack, so I can support a good workout. This morning, before my bicycle commute, I ate a slice of multigrain bread with cream cheese (my commute is 14 miles and hilly, so it takes about an hour). After I finished my ride, I ate a banana and a handful of almonds to replenish, then after my shower I had a bagel and cream cheese for brekkies.

    If I'm going in for 20 minutes of cardio, I rarely bother with a snack before and just eat a banana afterward. But if it's over a half hour, I generally fuel up at least a tiny bit.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Depends...

    I go lift about 4am and I have roughly 250 calories, mostly carbs pre-workout and my during workout drink has another 250 calories in it. I've tried fasted lifting but I don't seem to have the same pop and I feel like I get sore easier.
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
    I eat 200ish cals 30min-1hr prior. Usually almonds and a piece of fruit. On long run days I eat roughly 500 cals prior, usually peanut butter banana oatmeal.
  • africaa
    africaa Posts: 228
    If it's in the morning I try not...I ate least have a piece of fruit or a bowl of dry cereal...
    If it's in the afternoon/evening I'll workout on an empty stomach cause it's not really all that empty lol
  • kellybean14
    kellybean14 Posts: 237 Member
    bump.....im curious to know too. I'm starting water aerobics next week and i don't want to be starving when I'm done with the class because i have a 45 minute drive home.

    if you're exercising in the water, you might want to eat something beforehand. i personally get SO ravenous when i spend time in the water, and a 45 minute drive home would be just miserable. i would suggest a banana - good sugars that will fuel you and not fill you up. (maybe pack a snack like some nuts for the post-workout drive home, too, just in case.)
  • mkbledsoe
    mkbledsoe Posts: 132
    I like atkins shakes. I drink about 1/2 of one before heading to the gym in the morning. Finish the rest of it when I get home from the gym.
  • ebonijo2
    ebonijo2 Posts: 73
    Bump,
  • coopersmom2006
    coopersmom2006 Posts: 839
    I workout on an empty stomach unless I'm going for a long run (like over 10 miles). Then I'll eat a piece of whole grain toast with peanut butter about 45 minutes before I leave and I carry Honey Stinger Chews with me.
  • prettyGAMMA
    prettyGAMMA Posts: 7
    For me it depends on the intensity of the workout. I usually prefer like a small snack like a dried fruit and nut mix, granola, or some greek yogurt.
  • sl1ngsh0t
    sl1ngsh0t Posts: 326 Member
    I struggle with this. When I get home from work, I wanna eat. Trouble is, I workout soon after and get indigestion. This happens even if I wait an hour or two. I've discovered I have to eat light or not at all before workouts. UGH.
  • Donnacoach
    Donnacoach Posts: 540 Member
    I usually try and have something about an hour before I work out. Cliff Bar's are my favorite.
  • sdow
    sdow Posts: 71
    I work out early morning. If I don't eat something, I don't have the energy to give the workout my best. I eat breakfast--usually a protein bar or a bowl of granola and skim milk. I get up early enough that I have about an hour between breakfast and my workout.
  • kayl3igh88
    kayl3igh88 Posts: 428 Member
    I generally do my workouts around an hour before lunch, so I've had breakfast & it's been well digested. If I can't sleep and work out during the night I have nothing before it but a protein shake after.
  • iysys
    iysys Posts: 524
    i have a small, 120 calorie or so, protein snack about an hour or hour and a half before the gym. if i don't have a snack i kind of hit a wall and get exhausted.
  • roddi7997
    roddi7997 Posts: 14 Member
    I don't think there is any one specific way to do it. You try different things and see what works best for you. If you do eat before working out I would do it at least an hour before to avoid burpin it up
  • USMCConditioning
    USMCConditioning Posts: 84
    i have got into a simple routine for this, and it's not something that i gotta push myself to do, at this point, it becomes a healthy habit.

    1) wake up, use the rest room
    2) eat 1 hard boiled egg (and hydrate).
    3) hit the cardio.


    I dont hydrate during my workouts because i like to weigh myself after every morning cardio. and it does not dissapoint.
  • lizzybethclaire
    lizzybethclaire Posts: 849 Member
    I have to have some fuel in me before I work out. Today it's a banana. My best workouts though are when I eat a full meal and wait an hour. I wish I could do that all the time, but I'm too afraid once I go home I won't go back to the gym.
  • jesusHchris
    jesusHchris Posts: 1,405 Member
    This is an interesting read: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek34.htm

    I can't vouch for the accuracy, of course, but interesting nonetheless.
  • mfp_junkie
    mfp_junkie Posts: 359
    I get up at 4:30, take a bus downtown and hit the gym at 5:45. I don't eat before, because it's just too early to think about food. My routine is water before I work out, and then after, my breakfast (coffee and something....but I NEED the coffee!)

    I tried eating a handful of almonds before, but I didn't notice a difference in my workout, and really didn't like it, so I stopped that.
  • atoffan
    atoffan Posts: 13 Member
    If it's early morning I like empty stomach cardio. But I won't do anything intense like intervals or weights without having eaten something. That being said, I wouldn't eat right before either. I try to give it at least 45min post snack.
  • charelg
    charelg Posts: 599 Member
    I workout at night and usually grab something small before a workout, like a granola bar or fruit that hydrates ya like oranges or watermelon. About 15 minutes before a workout I think. If I exercise on an empty stomach, I won't give it my all.
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