Working out before breakfast? Working out twice a day?

JCWANNABE
JCWANNABE Posts: 15 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was just wondering what peoples thoughts are on working out before breakfast in regards to weight loss and health. I want to lose weight in a HEALTHY way. It seems like it makes sense to work out before breakfast because you are going to be burning your fat stores since you have not eaten yet.

I just did an hour on my elliptical this morning before breakfast and had a pretty good work out. I felt fine, not real hungry. I had a protein drink afterwards for breakfast.

Does anybody have any input on benefits or anything on working out before breakfast? Has anybody had any experience on how working out before or after breakfast has affected their weight loss?

Also, does anybody have any experience in working out twice a day improving their weight loss more than working out once a day? Like, doing 30 mins 2x a day verses doing 60 mins 1x per day? Like does it keep your metabolism up more of the day of you break up your work outs? Or just work out 45-60 min 2x per day?
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Replies

  • VisBella
    VisBella Posts: 21 Member
    Actually, it was listed as one of the "ten secrets to fat loss" by one of the fitness experts that I followed a couple of years ago. I can’t remember his name, but he suggested a cardio work out (gently) in the morning on an empty stomach. If you work out too hard, you’ll break down muscle (BADDDD) instead of burning fat (GOOOOD).
  • losermomof3
    losermomof3 Posts: 386 Member
    Bump!
  • malins2
    malins2 Posts: 154 Member
    Heard it's good with a workout before breakfast forweightloss, but apparently very individual whether you can do it or not. So if you're one of the lucky ones who can workout on an empty stomach i say go for it! I tried but doesn't work for me, I need a banana, a tablespoon of nutella or something to stop me from feeling all dizzy if I have a really early morning workout.
  • reneeeeeh
    reneeeeeh Posts: 54
    I lost 25 pounds 2 years ago and that was from only exercising in the morning. Now i'm struggling to lose weight and i'm mainly exercising in the early evenings. Not sure if it makes a difference but just putting it out there :)
  • Lynxie83
    Lynxie83 Posts: 246
    My Friday morning PT has berrated me about not eating breakfast before working out. I have started to eat before and while sometimes I might feel a little sick during the workout (not a big morning person) I have to admit I am feeling better after the workouts now that I'm eating before.

    So - for me it works.

    He recommended having a bowl of porridge with a little honey on it at home before leaving, and on the drive into the gym a piece of fruit.
  • Dudagarcia
    Dudagarcia Posts: 849 Member
    I have always wo before breakfast and have been doing it for years.
  • jazzy43
    jazzy43 Posts: 16
    Some carbs in the morning for energy may be necessary but I work out before breakfast and then sometimes again in the late afternoon.
  • missikay1970
    missikay1970 Posts: 588 Member
    i haven't tried it yet as i get sick if i dont' eat, but might try it and do something light and see how it goes. i have worked out twice per day a couple of times and feel exhausted the next day. did boost my weight loss, though.
  • ShalisaClam
    ShalisaClam Posts: 190
    I don't eat before working out. It makes me nauseous, all that running & jumping around with food sloshing in my belly. And, eating after exercise gives me something to look forward to! :wink:
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
    Read up on Intermittent Fasting- it's a whole style of diet and exercise built around working out on a empty stomach.

    My short answer though is that you should work out at the time you feel the best and are most motivated. If you tend to want to blow off steam after work, working out in the morning might help you be more consistent. But if you're not a morning person, maybe evenings is better. Just do what makes you stick to your goal.
  • cal_73
    cal_73 Posts: 77
    For strength training you should eat first and after, for cardio you should drink your protein shake before working out and then have your (complex) carbs after. Or so I've heard :)
  • katejenkins1
    katejenkins1 Posts: 210 Member
    I workout before breakfast, so that I can workout. It's the only time I am able to workout with the schedule I've been blessed with.

    Do what feels right for to your body. Try something and if it works keep at it, mix it up to keep your body interested.
    What works for my body may not work for yours and vise-versa.

    Good luck with your journey!
  • tomwatso
    tomwatso Posts: 1,304 Member
    I try to work out 20 minutes on a treadmill before breakfast. Then, on my lunch break, I go to my gym. I do machines there. Per Doctor's orders, I need to get 45 minutes of exercise 5 times a week.
  • sl1ngsh0t
    sl1ngsh0t Posts: 326 Member
    I think it depends on the person. I need to not eat before exercising in the morning else I become indigested/move sluggishly/etc. On my gym nights (which start at 8 p.m.), I have a tablespoon of almond butter served on a slice of spelt toast. I have never became sick while exercising after eating that...I just wait to eat the rest of dinner till I get home. I used to get sick during my gym time all the time after eating (lightly). I can't wait till 10 p.m. to eat fully-no way no how.
  • gooiyw
    gooiyw Posts: 114 Member
    Well, my two cents and I could be wrong. I work out early mornings with just a mug of coffee with milk to perk me up. And then I'll have breakfast when I reach my office. I don't think it matters much when we workout, just as it doesn't really matter when we eat. The key to losing weight is calorie deficit. And I find that if my dinner was high in protein, I'd usually have the energy I'll need to workout hard in the mornings.
  • mmoyer1978
    mmoyer1978 Posts: 124 Member
    I work out before breakfast all the time. I get up at 4:15am and hit the gym for an hour. I mainly do it because it's the best time for me. If I go in the morning, I'm not missing out on family time in the evening. Also, my husband and I work opposite shifts. He's home in bed at that time and the kids are asleep. No one even knows I'm gone. I find the AM workout wakes me up and gets me going. And since I'm already a morning person anyway, it just adds to my joy and everyone else's utter annoyance at how chipper I am in the morning. I don't care what they think. I kicked *kitten* at the gym and I woke up breathing. To me, any day that starts with me alive is a GOOD day.
  • starcatcher1975
    starcatcher1975 Posts: 292 Member
    I workout in the morning as soon as I get up and I can't handle food as soon as I get up. I was going to start eating breakfast within an hour of waking up to see if it would make a difference and I was only able to do it once. I felt so miserable the whole time I worked out I never did it again but that's just me.
  • joy31021
    joy31021 Posts: 216
    I roll out of bed, suck down a cuppa, and walk 45 minutes with my husband at 6 am . Then 4 days a week, eat light (berries and cot cheese), walk another 45 at 8 with friends. Upper bod dvd on other days and 45 min on st. bike at 4pm
  • peasgarden
    peasgarden Posts: 148 Member
    bump
    These last days i've been excersicing during the evening today i excersice twice 30 minutes of circuit training in the morning and 30 minutes of cardio during the evening and i must say i'm back to my morning excersices feels amazing! Its a nice energy booster!!
  • ZiezieO
    ZiezieO Posts: 228 Member
    When I wake up, I usually have half a glass of water and a couple bites of granola before heading out for a very short run. It wakes up my body so when I get home I can get more water in my system without feeling that sloshy feeling that too much water while I do some cardio. Then when I'm cooling down I usually find myself a little healthy breakfast before getting a bath before work. When I'm at work about 9-10am I have a fruit cup or a little oatmeal. and then lunch at 12. Then something sweetish around 2 (like celery and PB or 100 calorie snack pack) because I feel like my morning exercise energy has diminished by then. and at 5 I find dinner. 7-9 I usually find myself exercising some more for strength and abs, and before I go to bed I try to find some cottage cheese or a glass of milk for casein.
    I know that doesn't really dictate to only the morning, but I feel like your body needs to have a lasting supply of nutrition so that it doesn't abuse itself. I try to never eat more than my fist size in one sitting, and I carry around a 64 oz water bottle with me and try to drink 1.5-2 a day...
    As far as the morning goes, I often feel like my body doesn't know whats going on let alone my mind so to wake them up a little bit I eat a tiny bit before exercising. I don't know how many times I've tripped over my own feet because I'm not focused.
    I LOVE how I feel the rest of my day when I get a good healthy start.
  • JCWANNABE
    JCWANNABE Posts: 15 Member
    I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't stomach food before cardio. The main reason I was working out in the afternoon (other than that is when my son naps) is that I need to have a couple hours under my belt after eating to not get sick when I work out. Right now I'm just doing cardio on my elliptical. I want to work into weight lifting in a month or so when I have the cash to get a home gym.

    I'm hoping that working out before exercising will make me burn even more calories out of my abundance of fat stores that I am trying so desperately to deplete. I was a bit worried about the "how healthy is it" aspect though. What use is losing weight if you are not doing it in a healthy way, right?
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Personally I prefer to run on an empty stomach and probably log about 30km per week running before breakfast (if you've been eating sensibly you have ample glycogen stores for a pre-breakfast run as long as you're not planning on a marathon) and some recent studied have suggested that it may be beneficial from a weight loss perspective (when you look at the underlying data the real difference is minuscule).

    For my longer Sunday runs I'll always eat something and then wait a couple of hours before heading out the door.

    Another thing to keep in mind when determining your exercise intensity is that staying in the so-called "fat burning" will yield poorer results that aiming for the cardio or training zone.While it's true you burn a higher proportion of calories from fat at the lower intensity the bottom line is that you burn a lot fewer calories overall (and you're still burning calories from fat).
  • ZiezieO
    ZiezieO Posts: 228 Member
    I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't stomach food before cardio. The main reason I was working out in the afternoon (other than that is when my son naps) is that I need to have a couple hours under my belt after eating to not get sick when I work out. Right now I'm just doing cardio on my elliptical. I want to work into weight lifting in a month or so when I have the cash to get a home gym.


    I was debating an in home gym, you'll have to let me know if you find somewhere that has something reasonable... until then I'll have to keep using whatever is laying around.
  • laylalynn
    laylalynn Posts: 2 Member
    How was working out twice a day been going for you? I am going to start te 30 min in the morning/30 min after work routine tomorrow and curious how it has worked out for you.

    I seem to feel better and lose more weight when I do cardio in the morning - but my work schedule doesnt give me too much time in the morning....but I figure 30 min is better than nothing!
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    i work out much better on an empty stomach. always have, even when i played rugby.

    i do split workouts of days i do sprints and weights (3 days a week) because it's pretty much impossible to put my all into both and do them during the same workout
  • hatethegame
    hatethegame Posts: 267 Member
    Nothing wrong with a morning workout. If that works for your schedule do it! It's nice to get it done first thing.
  • Xiaolongbao
    Xiaolongbao Posts: 854 Member
    Does anybody have any input on benefits or anything on working out before breakfast? Has anybody had any experience on how working out before or after breakfast has affected their weight loss?

    As others have said it really depends on your body. Personally I much prefer to run on an empty stomach. So on running days I'm up and out the door before 5am. Breakfast is once I get back, 10k later. If I ever have to do an evening run I inevitably feel like throwing up (even though I wouldn't have eaten for a few hours before) but that's just how my body handles things.

    Honestly (and this goes for your question about multiple workouts too) what will most affect your weight loss is how sustainable what you choose is for you to do. For me a big reason for exercising before breakfast is also that the quicker I exercise the less time I have to dream up excuses why I should skip it. That more than offsets the 4:30am wakeup calls.

    Personally I split my workouts because there's no time to do it all in the morning and the pool isn't open then anyway. I don't think that there's any real benefit as compared to doing it all together (which I sometimes do on a weekend if I have time).
  • JJordon
    JJordon Posts: 857 Member
    I workout twice a day on the weekends (or TWO exercise sessions back to back). It's brutal, but worth it.
  • skinnytayy
    skinnytayy Posts: 459
    I can't speak on working out twice a day, however, I do workout before breakfast. I lost 30lbs nearly 3 years ago doing all my workouts in the morning. Now I do my workout about 30-45 minutes after I wake up. If I waited until the afternoon or night, I probably wouldn't have the energy to do them, honestly. And I never eat before working out. I do Insanity and there is WAY too much jumping around for me for me to eat beforehand. I'd like to think its better to do early morning, empty stomach workouts but really I'm not sure that its a big deal or will be significantly different. Obviously there are people who do night workouts and/or eating then working out that have had no problems losing weight. So I think its just a personal preference.
  • MrsNolf
    MrsNolf Posts: 38 Member
    I've been doing 2 a days for the last couple weeks and according to my fitbit, I've been burning way more calories. I usually do 30 day shred before breakfast, eat a green smoothie and then go do my cardio afterwards. It's working for me =)

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