Ask Mike: Eating before or after exercise
Hey Guys,
While browsing through Yahoo! Answers, I stumbled upon an interesting question from nyrican1837. She wanted to know whether it is better to eat before working out or if it’s better to exercise and then chow down.
Opinions from the community spanned from “always eat before you exercise” to “it really doesn’t matter.” As someone who works out about as often as I go to WNBA games (i.e., not often), I had no personal experience to offer. So, I went searching for an expert opinion.
A medical columnist from MSN offers an in-depth response, but the article can best be summed up with this quote: “How much you should eat and at what time of day depends on the type and duration of your workout, as well as when you last ate and what was on the menu.” In other words, just like every other medical question you’ve ever had, the answer depends.
The article explains, “if you skip breakfast and do a tough workout, you launch a depleted body into even greater depletion.” The solution: “If you are going to do intense or long exercise sessions, eat more before and during to compensate.”
Most experts will agree that you should not exercise on an empty stomach. This is counterproductive and does more harm than good. The Mayo Clinic writes that “eating a lot before exercise can slow you down,” but that not eating before working out “can be just as bad as eating too much.” The Clinic suggests timing your meals be eating a large dish at least three to four hours before exercise. If its a small meal, trim the time back to two to three hours.
Do you guys have your suggestions on how to get the most out of your workout? Please leave a comment below.
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I always heard that you should exercise early in the morning to jump start your day. And that you should exercise on an empty stomach to increase the amount of calories you burn. I tried this for about a week and became very faint and dizzy. So of course I stopped. Maybe it works for others. Now I eat a bowl of cereal and then start my exercise.
For me the old swimming rule applies, wait at least an hour after eating before exercising. When I exercise on a full stomach it gives me acid reflux. ::bleh::
If I exercise before I have breakfast (or just have something to drink before my 30 minutes) I have the same amount of energy and I feel better afterwards. Sort of like ‘working up’ an appetite.
False. It doesn’t matter when you exercise, as long as you eat enough beforehand.
I never exercise in the morning because it is harder for me to breathe, since I hadn’t done anything to get my heart rate up and going.
Also, whether I eat a big meal or a small meal, I will wait no longer than an hour and a half to exercise afterward. Waiting longer than that makes me hungry already. By four hours no matter who you are, the body is in need for a new meal or snack to keep the metabolism going.
If you have an exercise routine, then eating after is no problem and probably far more comfortable. If you are just beginning, your exercise will be mild so again eating afterward should be no problem. As you build up to more strenuous exercise, you will also be accustomed to the exercise program and eating afterward. The only problem that may be encountered is if you start eating first and then exercising.
The whole idea is to keep your exercise within the limits where you do not feel weak or dizzy. If you do, cut back on exercise. Your body has not acclimatized to the increased work out. (You made too big a jump too quickly). SLOWLY increase your exercise and you won’t feel any ill effects.
Exercising with food on your stomach is simply asking for a mess that no one wants to clean up.
well i’ve read that if you eat before you exercise (like 30minutes) then exercise and you eat some more, you burn more calories and speed up your metabolism.
vs.
one who eats and just eats.
Well it depends on ur goals if you are a bodybuilder you must eat adequete protein every 3 hours and if you want to stay in a positive nitrogen balance and not lose muscle during ur workout id highly suggest eating 30g protein and 50g carbs before AND after your workout 1-1.5hours before and 30mins-1hr after it that’s the best…
To workout on an empty stomach can definietly finder and individuals workout. Conversely, eating a big meal prior to a workout can do the same. If you eat a big meal prior to you workout the blood flow is directed to your stomach instead of circulating to your muscles where they need to be. This is the reason some people get a stomach ache after working out on a full stomach.
my trainer told me that i should eat 1 hr before exercise and i should eat within 1 hr after so muscles don’t deplete, but if i do yoga or pilates i allow about 1.30 or 2 hrs so i don’t get acid reflux,
when you work out early in the morning you will continue to burn calories through out the day. you shouldnt work out on an empty stomach. thats just common sense. when you work out on an empty stomach you are not hydrated like you should be. you will also get faint and dizzy like someone has said. but to counter that…you should not go work out after eating a large meal. you will feel like throwing up. you will also realize if you are paying attention to the tredmill, elipticle, or anything else you use for cardio that you are not burnig nearly as many calories as you had take in before the work out. but you need to realize that you burn calories with everything that you do. if you go in and get your heart rate up with some cardio for about 15 mins, strength train for a good amount of time, and then close with 10-15 mins of cardio and stretching, then you will get a very good work out.
Both of the previous posters make valid points. I usually start my workout at 11:30. I take in about 300 calories in the morning, enough to have something in my stomach, but not enough to drag me down. Big difference is that I will not eat for about an hour to 90 minutes before working out because of the acid coming up.
My thinking is that my body has to burn something in order to do the workout, so if my stomach isn’t full that means that it has to burn fat instead. After I am on the treadmill for about 45 minutes, I can feel my stomach growling, so I figure that must be a good sign. I’m not a professional, so I could certainly be wrong, I am just basing this on my own experience.
I’ve heard it depends. when I swam in high school my coach said he’d down a small cup of honey right before a race to get that sugar into his system. Things like bananas, baked potatoes and pasta were recommended for cramps and for energy.
For muscle soreness I’ve read protein is needed so the body can build up the muscles that were used during the workout. I find increasingly I’m absolutely starving after a workout and must eat. I try not to eat on an empty or full stomach because either extreme make me sick and nauseous if I do too much.
Yeah, it always “Depends”, especially when you are an incontinent geriatric type like me. >;o)
OK, seriously… ALWAYS eat before you do ANYTHING. Jeez! Is this rocket science? It’s better to have a larger breakfast (Dr. Oz sez so), except if you must work out early in the morning. Then, go easy. You want to have 4 or 5 small meals the rest of the day, especially for dinner. And don’t eat stuff 2 hours before bedtime.
If you eat lightly, it really doesn’t much matter. You MUST get some glycogen in your bloodstream before doing any serious cardio exercise (running), so hit the carbs. But if you are trying to lose weight, you want that glycogen to come from fat storage, so avoid the carbs before working out and go slower.
And, if you do heavy lifting in your workout, you should have a high protein drink or energy bar right afterwards. But if you are into strength training, you probably already know this.
I used to run a mile after dinner. So when i did that for about a week, I lost about 4 pounds. In my opinion its better to eat- not alot- but just enough before you work out because you will burn off what you eat is what i have been told.
The same with me. I cannot work out on an empty stomach. I did it in the gym once, and I was helping my sister move and was lifting furniture without eating anything. I ended up on the floor almost unable to move. Then when I could move again (barely), I was bent over dry heaving in the bathroom.
I believe that we should control on the amount we eat during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’ve read somewhere that a woman ate a BIG breakfast, because she thinks she can walk a lot during that day and burn it. For lunch, she eats normally, but for dinner, she does not eat much. She lots 50 pounds, I’m sure, just by eating more food during breakfast than dinnertime. That’s what I suggest. I think that’s a good diet.
I try not to eat immediately before or after working out. I give it 1-2 hours gap. I have tried working out in the morning but it leaves me very exhausted. I do not feel that energy through out the day. Working out at night is what fits my system and helps me shed weight.
I asked this question about 2 weeks ago too!! I clicked because I thought the blog was about me. I also asked about what time of day is better to exercise. Waking up or before bed.
Doing a solid workout first thing in the morning before you eat will tend to burn more of your fat stores since that is the only energy source the body can use (there is no food left in the stomach after sleeping for 8 hours)
It’s the same whenever you want to workout during the day; but having a small high-protein low-carb snack a couple of hours before is enough to give you that energy boost for a solid workout.
Then afterwards you can eat, knowing that not only have you burnt mostly fat during that workout but that your metabolic rate is at a higher rate, burning what you have eaten after a workout.
im a swimmer myself, and if you really want to make the most out of your workout eat a high protein food, not too much, 30 minutes before or within 30 minutes after or both. Your body requires protein to make the muscle, and 30 minutes before will allow your body to make muscle while you workout, while the within 30 minutes after will not only calm your hunger but your body will make good use of the protein. I suggest milk as the after/or a power bar or something before. if you want a lot of protein go with a drink cause you can down one of those easier and you can replenish the fluids in your body.
I am on a meal plan at my university so I usually have a heavy lunch and I have found that if I work out at about 3:30 then I can come home and eat dinner at 5. Works great and prevents me from snacking to much.
I would think that you would want to eat after the exercise or else you would throw up like Tapestry said.
Ok, I workout a little over five days a week and mostly i’d eat a healthy breakfast then drive straight to the gym getting an average of 1 1/2 to 2 full hours of intense workout (well rounded body). i sometimes usually eat a toast and drink some orange juice before starting my workout which is when i get my 1 1/2 hr of work. i do think it depends on how much you eat before working out and strongly recommend before working out you should get something sitting in that stomach, if not you can get dizzy and faint which is not attractive.. if you love yourself eat something healthy then work that body people… even some ensure and water before workout… have fun!
One Love
i had already questioned that,now why didnt i get a better response back then?
I was told by the Health and Fitness Coordinator of the YMCA that I go to today as a matter of fact,that you should eat something before a hard work out.Also she said to drink plenty of water.
You should eat after, but if you are weak u should eat before you do exercise.
I agree that if you don’t eat before working out it makes me hungrier. I eat and sit down
I’m to full. I found that if I eat yogurt about an hour before then after exercising my 45 min I eat breakfast. It feels like my exercising helps my digestion and I dont feel so full but I dont’ eat so much.
No single factor can be taken in isolation. It depends on your body type, the type of exercise, your exercise goals, etc. One should try to adopt a method that reflects or is consonance with the body needs. For there exists no universal rule sans commonsense. As yoga practitioner, I keep three-four hour gap between the last meal and yoga. One cannot exercise on a famished stomach. you need energy for exercise also. At the same time you cannot exercise on a stomach laden with a heavy meal.
The benefits of exercise in the morning are that you are able to kick start your body’s metabolism, which helps alot if your goal is to lose weight. While I cannot speak for eating in terms of keeping fit, for muscle development a wide number of sources, including the companies who manufacture protein shakes, recommend eat large amounts of protein straight after exercise, as this is the time at which muscle growth occurs and if the protein is consumed at this time instead of a few hours earlier, the chances of it being used for muscle growth are higher.
Eat protien/complex carbs an hour or so before working out chicken/brown rice, eggs/oatmeal, natural peanutbutter/whole weat bread.
Then if you’re into actually building muscle not just losing weight within 30 mins of the end of your workout you should have approx 40grams simple sugars, i like honey, 20 grams protien and 5g of creatine
I don’t know about the eating before, I tend to go in on a fairly light stomach (about 4-5 hours after lunch), workout (usually a 3-4 mile run + weights), and then eat. It makes me both thirstier and less hungry, so I eat less and fill up more so on water/powerade instead of on hamburger. It’s worked well for me so far.
Apparently, if you start your exercize within half an hour of finishing the meal, the body will tap into that energy source first, with the benefit of burning quite a bit off. But once the body has to tap into reserves, you’ll have to expend three times as much effort to burn the same number of calories. So this is a good idea if part of your goal is to slim down. The catch is to stick with moderate exercize, intense effort isn’t recommnded so soon. Learned this in a slimming program, saw it corroborated elsewhere and it helped me through brisk walking that got me out of the house, too. Also just heard that for muscle toning , it’s actually more efficient to split the session with a little rest in the middle rather than pushing yourself straight through. Anyone know if this is true and how this works?
as someone who works out usually 5 times a week and who has asked a lot of people who actually know what their doing. the best bet is to not eat a meal before working out but make sure you have enough food source in you to give you sufficient energy. ex: bananas. or if your serious about working out look into pre workout drinks with No2 in them. something like NOxplode is what i use and all it does is increase your muscle energy. as for eating after a workout your also shouldn’t have a meal or at least not a full meal. Drink a protein shake or something with protein. you can also use a meal supplement shake in place of eating afterwords. One of the best after workout ideas is chocolate milk. It is pretty much the perfect afterwork drink. It has the sugars and proteins and other stuff your body needs after a workout. Also look into creatine if your serious.
While looking into the same question myself. Putting aside the fact that beginning the day with a full breakfast and planning meals coordinated to your daily schedule and routine is always the best way to go. But, as you also stated, working out on a empty stomach is just as bad as working out on a full stomach. As we excercise and being to burn up fat and well basically use up energy, our body on a full stomach will slow us down obviously but on an empty stomach we will use up energy forcing our body to reserve
I have seen that usually when i did alot of breakfast without taking in any food or just and little fluid, pain in the abdomen and continous dizzy feelings were frequent. When I started to eat heavy meals before working out I had an uneasy feeling and so it held me back from doing my best or putting in my 101% potential. So, I guess, that it is always best to do maintain things moderately. If you do light work outs then you can have a sandwitch in the breakfast and then carry on without any hesitation or signs of tiredness. If you have had a heavy meal then you can do continous and hard work outs for around 3-4 hours. That could be alot helpful.
It is believeable that you’ll get productive outcome only if you plan accordingly without any chance for you fainting or not reducing weight if that’s the cause.
I’m a triathlete. Endurance athletes think of food as fuel.
The “depends” answer is 100% correct. Your muscles function on a mix of carbohydrate (glycogen) and fat (free fatty acids) as fuel. You normally have something like 2000 calories worth of glycogen stored in your muscles and liver. For me, that’s good for a hard 2 hours on a bike without refueling. After that, I bonk. That’s a horrible feeling where your performance drops to a crawl and and you’re so hungry that you eye road kill with interest.
So, for a pre-work run or swim that will only go an hour, I can just chug a quart of water and go.
For short races, like 5 or 10k’s or sprint triathlons, I’ll have a banana and a bagel maybe 90-120 minutes before.
Longer races, like a marathon or Ironman triathlon (2.4m swim, 112m bike, 26.2m run), its necessary to take on fuel during to avoid the Bonk. The caveat is that you can only absorb 250-300 calories per hour at high heart rates, while you may be burning 600-800. It becomes a mental exercise to take on enough to finish, but not so much that it ejects, or sits in your stomach sloshing.
Afterwards, you need to replenish with a mix of carbs and protein to allow muscles to rebuild and reload your glycogen stores.
it is best to eat before and after working out. if you want to get the best results from a “cardio” workout then drink a protein shake 30mins-1hr before your session. then after your workout eat something healthy like a boneless skinless chicken breast and 1/2 cup of brown rice and/or 1/2 cup – 1cup green veggies, like broccoli.
if you are going to be doing weight training alone or as well then you want to eat a high protein meal along with some complex carbs 1hr before training to give your body the energy for an intense workout that will be building your muscles. then eat another high protein meal within 30 mins of finishing your workout. it could be chicken, fish, steak, protein shake, etc. you want to eat small meals throughout the day along with plenty of water in order to see results. if you want lean muscle and definition then eat healthy, lift hard, keep hydrated, and get quality sleep!
a good book i recommend for beginners is: Body-for-LIFE by Bill Phillips. There is also a cook book version with delicious creative recipes.
The key is to eat all natural foods not processed foods, and eating them on a timed schedule to keep your metabolism up and going.
Its my opinion, that you should excercise as soon as you wake up without going for a wash or any of those other distractions. You should just do some short form of yoga and then have a wash and have your breakfast and then get to work/school etc.
If you have time in the afternoon, you should try to do some sort of excercise again but if not you should come back home in the evening and immediately change clothes into comfortable gear suited for working out and carry out your excercises again or go to the gym.
Motivation is the main hinderance when you are talking about excercise or the gym, it is always better to have a partner if you are not motivated by a target as even though you know your objectives you don’t feel comfortable pushing yourself towards it. Take a friend or partner also interested in working out or doing the same excercises at home to do this regularly so you ll get used to it. It ll become enjoyable and over time you won’t view it as a chore but a relaxing experience.
Thanks and I hope I have been of some help to you.
PS: In short, you excercise more than you eat, you don’t eat heavy meals but neither do you starve, you have a big breakfast, a medium lunch and a light dinner. This is how you prepare your week and your weekend and a healthy person will develop their muscles if they are working out regularly along with this diet.
You should always eat before you excersise because if you dont your body will give out and you want have enough energy to burn off lots of calories. But if you do eat before you work out make sure that it is at least an hour before because then everything can settle and you wont be burping up your meal…which trust me is VERY gross and while working out you should always drink water during and after.
I always excercise in d morning to boost up my metabolism but half an hour before that I eat protein.
You need to eat before you workout, after you workout, when you get up and throughout the day. This is because your brain needs glucose in the form of Carbs to function. It is its only fuel. If you do not have enough glucose in the system which is your primary fuel then your brain releases Cortisol (hormone) to go and break down Muscle tissue. therfore if you workout on an empty stomach you are eating yourself and not in a good way. Muscle is your only for of free energy and each pound of muscle burns 50 calories a day just by being there. So do not lose any. Hope this helps.
If you workout in the morning eat something light. I drink a protein shake or have some N.O. energy drink to help boost my energy (maybe a banana or some fruit). Make sure to eat something no later than 30min after your workout. That will help you from feeling faint.
If you workout during the day try to have at leat a hour between a meal and a workout. It’s not fun when you are sluggish and on the verge of throwing up during a workout.
This should help. Also look into some vitamins!
I always have a small meal before going to the gym (emphasis on “small”), to give myself a boost of energy. Usually, I will have a protein shake (small banana or berries, protein powder, small container of yogurt and liquid which is 50-50 water and juice.) That gives me some extra quick energy. Then, after the workout, I’ll have another protein shake (this time, just protein powder and water).
If I haven’t had food before the workout, I feel like I am lagging at the gym and I might be prone to skip a couple of the tougher exercises.
Actually, I find having six small meals a day is more efficient in handling the demands and capabilities of the body. I’m told that we can use only about 30grams of protein at one time, every two hours, so it’s best to have smaller meals instead of three big “meat and potato” meals (unless one is in heavy-duty, competitive bodybuilding.)
It’s better to exercise after you work out because when you work out you get your metabolism going and it will break up the food you eat after you work out much quicker.
One should NEVER workout on an empty stomach, even if you are trying to lose weight. No food in the system gives the body nothing to drive on… Like a car without gas goes nowhere. Try to eat foods with alot of protein before and after for muscle gain. Carbohydrates never can be wrong either… I know it sounds like a contradiction but running off of carbs lets you keep going to burn off some dreaded calories.
While I don’t recommend exercising on an empty stomach, you should not exercise on a full stomach either. The best routine for me is to eat, wait 1-2 hours, then exercise, and follow it up with a big meal immediately afterwards.
the best exercise to do is a circuit training exercise. this could be doing treadmill for 5 minutes, elliptical trainer for five minutes, dumbells for five minutes, stationary bikes for five minutes and fitness balls for five minutes. this way you get a full body workout.
you should eat before you exercise, but not too much… you need the food because it increases your blood sugar, and that’s what your body uses first for energy when you’re exercising. after the blood sugar is used up, your body uses fat deposits that are in your muscles called glycogen. after your body uses the glycogen it moves on to body fat and then to its last resort, your body starts to use the fat that is not supposed to be used ever.
the point is, eat before you exercise because it’s not healthy to go straight to your body’s second resort for energy… no matter how much weight you’re trying to lose.
don’t be stupid either and think that it’s better to start exercising without eating so your body gets to the body fat quicker, food is absolutely necessary for your muscles to be able to move and for you to survive. without it you get extreme fatigue and could die.
In my experience, I get so sick to my stomach if I eat before I workout. If I do, it has to be at least 2 hours before, which doesn’t work for me because I workout when I wake up.
Personally, I eat right after, which I find keeps my energy up. Also, having a BodyBugg has made me realize that your body continues burning calories for a little while after your done your workout, so whatever you eat is burned slightly more quickly than if you were to eat before.
Probably the best situation would be to eat a little something before and after; after all, eating more frequently is best for your body anyway.
Always eat something before working out, but if you are going to run in the morning, DO NOT drink or eat anything dairy before running, it will cause your stomach to hurt all day and you will fart like my 70 year old grandpa. Instead eat something hard, if its light cardio, eat an apple or a banana, if its weights, drink a protein shake, or eat some egg whites.
Interesting question. I would think that eating a little something before the workout would be fine. But mainly, waiting to eat a lot after would be fine too.
I have always heard from personal trainers and such that it is ok to eat a little before working out, nothing too heavy so you don’t get faint and pass out, or get sick. It is never a good idea to eat a gammit of food and then work out for any kind of exercise, even yoga; and it is not a good idea to chow down on a big meal after working out either because all your muscles are trying to relax, including you stomach muscles and you can get terribly sick in the stomach.
I strongly suggest something like salad or fruit for the sugars right before a work out and a decent amount of water too, it hydrates your muscles and fills the void for a while. I would suggest to stay away from stuff like heavy meats and milk, those food products are too heavy on your stomach. Maybe some toast, a banana and some water before you work out will help you.
Hope this Helps
Lady Heather
You should always eat breakfast every morning because it refills the energy that you used up while sleeping for eight hours. It also makes you feel energized and ready for the day and prevents you from eating a lot of unhealthy snacks during the day. You should either exercise at least an hour after breakfast, before lunch, at least an hour after lunch, before dinner, and at least an hour after dinner. You should exercise an hour a day at least 3 times a week.
It’s better to workout on an empty stomach and eat later. Here’s why. When you workout on an empty stomach, it’s good to take some vitamins before exercising, because you’ll be burning stored fat. If you must have some sugar, it’ll be good to drink a little bit of snapple before lifting weights. Please note after your workout, you may want to let your body cool down for 1 hour, after you shower and do what you have to do, because you’ll still be burning extra stored bodyfat without exercise. And, last but not least, when you do eat after that 1 hour post-workout, make sure you have a sufficient intake of carbohydrates and protein. Hope this helps…:-)
better to workout on empty stomach, but take vitamins first
http://www.muscular-minds-of-fitness.drewryonline.net
chow first, then work off those calories
you don’t want to pass out
One should eat before Exercise like 20 minuites before BUT should eat after Sexercise like 20 minuites afterward. K
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When you eat your parasympathetic nervous system kicks in, which happens to be the same nervous system that controls your body under “relaxing” time (such as before going to sleep or after being sit in the beach for a while or whatever) therefore if you want to workout (exercise) you wont want your parasympathetic nervous system trying to keep your body relaxed would you? more over digestions (which some people think is important) needs pretty much a great deal of blood circulation in your belly, if you are working out that blood will be in your muscles which means that your stomach will be in shortage of blood, you wouldnt want that unless you hate yourself or want a free trip to the nearest doctor.
IF you NEED to workout right after or right before working out, then eat after, however the very best thing to do is to wait 3-4 hours before or after it really doesnt matter, if it has passed more than 8 hours since you ate something, then probably isent wise to workout at that moment, so better eat something, wait a couple of hours then workout.
I think that the best time to work out depends on the person. I tend to have a lot of energy in the morning and fade out in the evening, so I find it’s best for me to work out early or midday. If I work out before bedtime, I won’t sleep. I have friends who are nightowls, and they work out in the evening. I work out twice a week at the gym, doing more reps and using less weight, so I stay fit and “cut”, and not overly musclebound. If I have time I do a 3rd day. Twice a week works out for me so that I get the most of my workout and stay in shape. I know that I will need as much gym time as possible with all the readily available and hard to avoid holiday food!
If you are going to workout, then as the military does workout in the morning and then eat. But remember to eat a sensible meal. Remember also to drink water the night before to keep hydrated and so that you will not end up hurting yourself.
I think that it depends on the exercise. If I am heading out for a run, I prefer to do it first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. If I am heading to the gym to lift weights, I like to have a bit of protein or small piece of fruit (protein pref) in my belly!
I prefer to eat a small piece of fruit on my way to the pool. If I eat a big meal at all during the day before I swim I never last as long on my laps. I also seem to get a more intense workout with the piece of fruit immediately before my workout. (Sugars?) The only downfall to doing this, is I have to be careful not to overeat after swimming. I usually eat my biggest meal of the day within 1 hour of working out.
The less you eat before a workout, the less energy you have readily available to you during the workout. When you eat, your body takes from the food what it needs at that instant, and turns the rest into glucogen to store it. If your body fills all its stores of sugar, it will convert it to fat. As you live your day, it starts taking out the stores of glucogen for energy. When its depleted, it looks towards your fat stores.
You don’t really burn MORE calories when you exercise on an empty stomach. It just forces your body to use energy that has been stored (glucogen, or fat if its first thing in the morning). Sound like a good thing? If you don’t have energy to do your workout, you will not last as long, nor give it all the energy you have, thus not giving your body the training you wanted it to get.
There is also a certain ratio of glucogen and fat that our bodies oxidize for energy during a workout. When you finish a workout, your body suddenly drops into a mode where it oxidizes (burns) mostly fat. How long does this last? Until you eat. Its recommended for younger adults to eat protein within 2 or 3 hours (1 at best) to give your muscles some nutrition. So how long should you wait after a workout to eat food? Its a moral question. You begin to deny your body food that it wants, and you get “faint and dizzy.”
After! Once I ate before the gym, and felt like throwing up the whole time. I didn’t move as well neither. So now I go with a completely empty stomach. And pick out after LoL! Sometimes When I have a super good work out I don’t after at all, cause I’m not hungry, I’m happy, hyper and pumped.
As I work first shift (i.e. I’m at work before the crack of dawn), I do my workout when I get home in the afternoon. My biggest meal is lunch, and I do my workout about four to five hours after. I eat a banana or a light granola bar before I work out, and make sure to drink plenty of water a couple of hours beforehand.
Eat before you exersice 1hour – 30 min, A meal of carbs and protein and fats, work out, burn it all -
then eat a select meal of your choise 30min-1 hour after, your mussels will heal with this new energy – and look better.
If you rather bulk – choose a exercise style, eat and exersise often.
if you rather cut you body – do that technique of exersise.
Salads are good, so is pasta for energy.
You’re right it does depend on the type and duration of the activity.
Many people believe in “fasted cardio” which simply put, is running/biking/etc as soon as you wake up as a way to stimulate fat loss. Their reasoning is that the body runs off primarily its fat stores for fuel (opposed to carbohydrates and protein) during the night. They then conclude if you exercise without eating, you’ll burn even more fat since your body doesn’t have an exogenous source of carbs to switch over to.
This is somewhat true, but there are inherent problems with this. When someone exercises early on with no food in their stomach, they produce an increased amount of a hormone called cortisol. This is a catabolic (break down) chemical that, among other things, eats up the body’s muscle stores to release amino acids to make up for the lack of available fuel. Obviously this is counter intuitive for someone trying to gain a lot of muscle mass while losing fat.
Also the body really likes to use carbs as fuel, especially for high intensity exercises. If you decide you want to go run sprints or cycle quickly at a high resistance, you may run the risk of getting light headed and you may even pass out during the activity!
Many CSCS certified trainers, especially the prolific ones like Dave Tate recommend not only eating two meals before exercising, but also waiting until you have been awake for at least 4 to 5 hours. The body’s ability to drive brain impulses to the muscle and contract optimally does not reach its full potential until then.
Always eat before exercising. Your body will burn those calories during and more so after the workout when your metabolism is elevated so don’t worry.
As a diabetic, I was instructed to eat before I exercise cause it could affect my blood sugar. As my Mother always told me, “You must put fuel in your body to keep you going.” Mom and Doctors seem to agree.
Great article!
I eat breakfast before exercising. =]
I think it’s better that way.
i hate workin’ out on a full stomach
It’s not a good idea to exercise on a empty or full stomach. I learn that the hard way. One day, I went hiking on a empty stomach and passed out. I felt so bad that I started writing my will on the trail thinking I was dying. It wasn’t until later that I realized that I forgot to eat the whole day. Imagine that? Now, how crazy is that, I am not even wonder woman. So next time before I got on the trail, I ate enough for ten. But, guess what! The same thing nearly occurred again. So, I learned two lessons. Not too bad, you know. It’s good to have enough food in there to keep you going and happy. I certainly will never again eat a pile of rice and beans and go exercise. I hope you won’t either. Voila!
I heard from my coach that it’s not good to eat right after you work out because your body is already “hyper” after exercising. So if you eat, your body has a tendency to absorb more of the fat out of your food therefore causing you to either gain weight or eat back the calories you already burned.
The only time I can work out is at 430 in the morning, so its on an empty stomach. I don’t get dizzy, I don’t feel lethargic, as a matter of fact, by the end of the hour long work out, I’ve got more energy than when I walked in the morning. After my shower, I drink a Whey Protein shake with skim milk and a yoplait fat free yogurt this takes care of any hunger. The one day I tried the shake before the work out, I had to stop because I was going to be sick, so I think this works well for me – but that’s the whole thing, whatever works best for YOU
I find that it is best to eat something small as soon as you get up. Then, if you want to burn fat calories, do some cardio 45 minutes to an hour later. It is best to burn fat calories on an empty stomach because the body will not use food as an immediate energy source so it has to look elsewhere (fat). If you are strength training, it is fine to eat whenever you want (before, during, or after), but you especially want to eat a good amount of carbs and proteins after strength training to help replenish the muscles you were “breaking down.”
It’s not good to eat much before working out. There are two nervous systems in your body that work in opposition of each other. That is your sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system(PNS). Eating stimulates your parasympathetic to make you feel generally lazy and sluggish. Just think back to thanksgiving! Blood is directed towards the digestive system, and away from muscles. Heart rate and blood pressure are usually at a resting rate.
A sympathetic response is what is activated during the fight or flight response, and general exercise. Blood is directed towards the skeletal muscles, heart rate and BP rises, metabolism increases, etc. Stimulation via exercise is obviously different than fight or flight, since stress hormones and adrenalin won’t be produced in such large quantities.
How much you eat is really up to you. Eating in the morning is a good idea because digestion does require an increase in metabolism, and helps jump start your body in the morning, when you are metabolically at your lowest. However, if you exercise in the morning I would only have a light snack, like an energy bar or protein shake (without milk). That will keep your blood sugar up a little and keep you from feeling dizzy or nauseous, which probably just hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). I tend to work out around 11 am, and I like to do a lot of weight lifting. Since I’m trying to gain lean mass I might have a scoop of protein in a glass of water. The only reason I do so is that easily digested protein will provide amino acids for my muscles immediately during the workout. I usually eat following the workout too.
I beg to differ with your judgment.
I would like you to take the purpose of the exercise into consideration: If it is to lose weight, don’t exercise until 2-3 hours after you eat. If it is to bulk up, eat fatty foods about 45 minutes to an hour after you eat.
There is reasoning behind this. If you exercise after eating, the digestive process slows down and gives your body more time to “soak up” the fats and carbs that you ate. I would also like to point out that people who do this, are more prone to gas episodes and indigestion. If you look at bulk body trainers, you will find a number with heart conditions. Exercising and digesting at the same time can put an extreme strain on your heart.
If you exercise 2-3 hours after you eat, (or as I prefer) when you first get up in the morning before you eat, you are burning off body fat…stealing from reserves. The only catch is to drink liquids.
Get different experts.
As weightlifters, we usually eat before the workout, an hour or so before. 50/50 protein/carbs. Then a PWO shake immediately after workout.
However, it is best to do cardio when glycogen levels in the body are low. In the morning before eating, and right after strenuous weightlifting.
well i think the best thing is to grab a light to decent breakfest wait half a hour or so , workout a little , grab a healthy snack work out a little , grab a good lunch and work out again after lunch until dinner , have healthy foods non fatty foods at dinner, thats if your planning on working all day , if you wanna work in the morning , grab a good breakfest wait half a hour then exercise till lunch , same for lunch to dinner
email me for more details i gotta go for now
I try to eat at least two hours before a workout. I also try to include carbs because it gives me energy, but definitely not a lot of it or it would slow me down. I cannot perform with a empty stomach, so I always plan ahead. I love Clif energy bars, if I am hungry and know I am working out later. It serves my appitite, gives me energy, and doesn’t make me feel bloated or full.
The Clinic suggests timing your meals be eating a large dish at least three to four hours before exercise. If its a small meal, trim the time back to two to three hours.i belive these way
sunny
The Clinic suggests timing your meals be eating a large dish at least three to four hours before exercise. If its a small meal, trim the time back to two to three hours.
eat lots of chocolate
Basicly, depending on the meal, you should at least eat 1hour 30 mins before working out, you must make sure you have enough energy (glucose/starch – sugars + carbohydrates) to get through the workout.
Then you must eat after a work out to get energy back on board. but if you eat too much too quickly then you will feel ill and wont do your body any good.
when eating pasta or a light meal – eat 45mins beofore working out.
kfc or fast food – 2hours
medium meal – 1hour 30 mins
I have been running long distance for a long time now. Ive trained for and finished several marathons and did my training with training partners and without.
What I have found is that general rules as mentioned above can NOT be used for everyone.
When it comes to bodily functions it seems that everyone needs to figure his/her preference out themselves. Because every body works different.
I for one generally do not eat even before a long run. (12-30 miles) I do however have a healthy and substantial dinner the night before (carbs obviously). Add a great night rest to the dinner and I am good to go for my long run.
During the run all I need mostly is water. Sometimes I will have a few carb shots with me on long runs just in case I start feeling weak. I do not take those shots as recommended and mostly just have a quarter of it for the same distance as they recommend a full shot to be taken for.
The evening after a long run I will have another good meal to fuel up.
The meals I have before and after the runs are usually fish or chicken with rice.
I have run with a lot of people feeling the same way about it but also have had running partners that could not go a mile without eating at least a banana right before and had to take a full carb shot every 4 miles.
So in my opinion it seems that everyone needs to find their own way that works for them.
No cookie cutter answers for things like this.
from everything i’ve read, and it’s been a lot, from curves manual, to cardio free diet, they all say you should eat protein roughly half an hr before you work out and again after. our bodies won’t work proberly if they don’t have anything to run on, and working out without food in your stomach early in the morning slows your metabolism, it’s like skipping breakfast there are tons of studies about how that dosn’t help. so split up a small meal or snack, have half a sandwich before you work out, and the other half after, try to use whole grain bread and make sure there’s protein in the sandwhich, and i bet you feel better and hopefully get the results you are after.
I asked my personal trainer, and he said to not to eat a real meal closer than 2-3 hours before working out. I work out in the morning and he said to have some fruit or simple carbs before hand, but eat breakfast within an hour afterwards (and specifically make sure you get some protein to help repair muscles and complex carbs for energy). It works well for me, I drink a glass of juice before working out and that gives me enough energy to get through my workout.
I always though that if I ate right after I exercised , the increased metabolism would get rid of it more quickly- make any sense?
I normally have a little munch before I go to boxing.
If you eat too much before a workout you’ll probably end up in pain, my teacher told me that when I went to Wing Chun.
But obviously you’ll not be doing much of a workout if you go on an empty stoumach.
After workout, it’s best to eat something high in protein and low in fat within an hour after your workout, this’ll build up your muscles much faster because all the protein goes straight to your muscles blah blah, medical terms. The point is, it’s good.
So what I do is I go to boxing, get to the gym, tire myself out, on the way back I get some more water from the shop, and as soon as I get home munch on some tuna (and try to resist the temptation of eating my fridge and all it’s contents).
As a personal trainer I recommend that my clients eat a small carb meal one to two hours before a workout. That would be for a moderate workout that has a duration of one hour to an hour and a half including finishing up with cardio. If doing a intense workout then you should have a bit larger carb meal and supplement your workout with a carb nutrition drink while working out.
If your trying to lose weight then don’t do long duration workouts…moderate workouts staying in your heart rate zone and or interval training where you exceed that zone for short periods of time like for 1 minute and then going back to your zone again for 4 to 5 minutes before repeating high intensity again.
Also remember to eat a high protein and carb meal within a hour of your workout. Drink plenty of water and eat small meals every 3-4 hours, 5-6 meals if your trying to lose weight and 7-8 meals if your trying to bulk up.
If you are doing endurance training like marathon and Triathlon and not trying to lose weight you should be eating higher carb meals trough out the day depending on the intensity of your training and drinking plenty of fluids.
When trying to lose weight, figure out what your daily calorie intake should be and back it off by 200-300 calories per day. You will lose weight at a healthy rate and be able to keep it off. Good Luck and B’happy, B’heathy and B’fit!!!
I never knew that yahoo admins actualy look over posts! About this topic though, that is something i normally do. i heard it from my friend so i started doing it.
I have heard several things. I have been on or seen just about every diet known to man for the last 16 years. I”M NOT A DOCTOR but here is my opinion from what I know. I think part of it depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you weight 100 lbs soaking wet and are going to job 10 miles well then I would not go with out eating something. On the other hand some body builders who weigh 200 + pounds, all muscle, will load carbs before working out then protein after to repair muscle. And then you have someone morbidly obese who already has the fat and sugar around their waist to burn so they may want to only eat protein or something light before working out. It all boils down to talking with your doctor or personal trainer to see what you want to achieve. Again -NOT A DOCTOR or Nutritionist here
My conclusion based on personal experience is to not exercise on an empty stomach, but before a meal is best because you continue to burn more calories for a while after working out so if you eat a meal after working out, you will burn it off faster. If you exercise after a meal, wait at least 30 minutes to an hour so you don’t get cramps or indigestion. My favorite time to work out is either right before lunch or in the around 3 or 4pm which helps to get me over the end of day slump at work. I actually don’t like to work out first thing in the morning because I don’t stay energized for the whole day. My body seems to forget all about having worked out by 2pm
I ran my best race when I ate 2 Egg McMuffins just before. That’s a big no no eating fat. Go figure. It was a 6 hr race and I came in 2nd with 41.5 miles.
you should eat after exerciseing
well,you can always drink your black Tea , — then start to exercise on an empty stomach,just the way i feel and it works(Ella)
it depends on which workout you are doing.
if you are doing a cardio workout, the first thing you burn off is carbs, and then you get into a fat-burning zone.
if you eat before doing a cardio session, you are essentially just burning off those carbs you just ate.
so what i do, on the days i perform cardio exercise, i do it in the morning before eating anything (of course you want to rehydrate before doing anything in the day).
you won’t have as many carbs to burn since sleep burns them off, so you burn fat better.
after cardio, don’t eat for at least an hour, since your body is still burning calories and fat for an hour after intense cardio.
if you’re doing strength training (weights, machines, etc.) then i recommend you eat a balanced meal of carbs and protein before the workout, otherwise you won’t have any energy when you’re lifting.
however, be sure to also eat after a strength workout.
right after a session, your body is hustling to convert glucose into glycogen so your muscles can repair themselves and grow.
if you don’t eat after exercise, your body breaks down muscle into amino acids to convert into glucose.
so don’t eat before cardio, and eat an hour after.
eat before strength, and after as well.
It is best to exercise on an empty stomach because all of the calories you are burning will be from whats stored in your body. If you eat and then go exercise, all you are burning is the carbs you have just eaten.
i was wondering which one is wrong eating b4 or after exercise
well i guess i know now
thx
You should eat before hand about an hour or so before though otherwise you can get cramps. PB and toast or another protein is the best because it gives you extra energy without a crash. It is actually good to eat after as well. not a whole meal, a glass of milk will sufice. as long as it has nutrients to revive your muscles. having protein before and after a work out will help build stong muscles the best.
You should always eat within an hour after exercise as well! Your body needs the energy to repair the damage done and build up the torn muscle fibers.
According to the URL I listed, which confirmed my experience, for weight lifting and other exercises which concentrate on increasing muscle strength, the post-exercise is crucial. Granted you need energy to exercise in the first place, but the growth comes in the digestion of food after the workout, when the energy goes to the muscles. Hope this helps!
I think you shouldn’t exercise, just become fat and lazy, then life is EASY
You should eat before and after exercises. Pre-exercise meals are consumed in order to ensure that your body has an adequate supply of glucose. This meal should be eaten from 2 to 6 hours before exercises (you should find your optimum balance) and it should be high in carbohydrates, low in both fat and fibre, and contain proteins. During exercises you should drink lots of fluid, especially the ones that contain carbohydrates to prevent a drop in blood glucose. After exercising try to eat an easily digestible high-carbohydrate meal to restore glycogen to the muscles and ensure quick recovery.
Yeah, I wait at least an hour. digestion takes a lot of work, and you want it to have slowed considerably before you start re-routing the blood flow to other places. about an hour before i work out, i’ll eat a handful of nuts or protein shake, or even a boiled egg and a yogurt. Make sure you have something to run on. FUEL.
Well, i don’t think you should go for the ”eat all you can buffe” just before working out :p but it’s definitely a good idea to eat somthing before you work out, so that your buddy has some ”fuel” to run on.. Then, when your finished training you need sugar and protins.. (not sure how thats spelled?) anyway, i heard chocomilk is good, as long that it ain’t some ”mix yourself” crap, green beans are also good.. hope it helped :p
If you eat healthy, it does not matter when you eat and when you work out.
If you eat food coated with sugar as in corn syrup, then your metabolism matter. Sugar, processed sugar, will determine how your brain operates.
You work out because you are a sugar addict. If you were not, you would have no need to work out.
When you eat healthy, your weight is proportionate.
If you are fat or consider yourself fat, you need to change your diet before you hope that exercising will cure your disease.
To be fat is a disease, stop denying it.
To eat unhealthy junk food will affect how you think. You eat smart food, you think smart.
You eat junk food laced with processed sugar, you become a monkey.
A monkey with a limited life spam ….
When I went into the army and was in boot camp,every morning we got up by 5am. We were in formation by 5:20, and we were vigorously excercising by 5:30. We excercised for an hour. Then we were taken back to our barracks to change. Then finally around 7-7:30am we were taken to chow to finally eat. This is how all of our military who are supposed to be super fit, are trained.Thats a lot of people! I believe the logic in this article and it makes sense, I just find it a funny irony, that our government trains their “Fit”, the exact opposite way.
I had read somewhere that the best way to try and lose some weight and tone up a bit was to exercise before you ate in the morning so thats what i did, but after reading this i gotta admit im doubting it as it may do more harm than good. I think i will have something to eat, even if it is just a snack or bowl of cereal, before i go out jogging now though so thanks for the post im certainly going to learn from it
Wow, an “expert” and yet still wrong. Try to get a high-carb meal before a workout then don’t eat for the three hours beforehand or else you’ll start working out and your digestion system will go on standby while it’s already processing foods. Awful.
In a Shaklee seminar, the speaker told us that from tests on some high-end athletes to find out the optimum carbohydrate content for maximum energy during a workout. They came to the conclusion that 27 carbs was ideal along with (if I remember correctly) 170 mg of sodium.
Also, given the 2-4 hour waiting time before a major workout, a 24 Hour Fitness trainer strongly recommended every meal or snack to have a balanced amounts of protien, fat, carbs, and fiber.
Some important points I’ve learned over the years to consider… Liquids are very important as well for everyday function, and should be increased during the day of a workout. Also, if you find yourself thirsty during or after a workout, that means your body is telling you that you are dehydrated and demands immediate attention. The quickest way to get re-hydrated is to drink a low calorie drink with around 170 mg of sodium and electrolytes and if you are just going to drink water you must include some sodium of some form to hydrate your body immediately. Plain water takes up to 8 hours on its own, so keep this in mind when you are drinking water during or after your workout.
‘suavedave’ said it very well. i agree with his comments totally
It is very simple. You must fuel your body for exercise. Exercising without eating is similar to trying to drive a car with no gas. Eat something small prior to exercise. Ideally a complex carbohydrate and protein. Don’t forget to refuel after your workout to help your body recover.
Matt
Registered Dietitian
Certified Personal Trainer
I love to work out early in the morning: I get it out of the way first, and can get on with my day more energized, and feeling confident and accomplished before anything else even starts! That said, working out on an empty stomach can leave me feeling light headed, dizzy, sick: not the good boost I’m looking for. I suggest, depending of course on what your workout goals are, to eat a small portion of good carbs balanced with protein before your work out. After, when your limbs feel shaky and you’ve worked up a good sweat, you need sugar to replace glucose breaking down in your system. One of my favorite after workout treats is vanilla protein powder blended with orange juice. It tastes like a Creamsicle and has the protein and glucose you need!
My daily routine is as follows: Up at 5:00am, put the coffee on and while brewing, take my supplements. Wait 1/2 hour and start excersizing. My workout takes approximately 2 hours, then it’s shower time. After the shower it’s breakfast. This has worked for me for years. I don’t listen to whatever the experts might say because when I’ve experimented by eating before my workout, I’m bogged down and slower at accomplishing a workout. Eating beforehand prevents me from getting that great workout. But that’s just me.
You should have food before exercising because you need calories to burn off.
In regards to excersizing before or after you eat, I have
found from personal experience that it is better to ex-
cersize first, then eat. It’s far more important to injest
fluids, than to load the stomach with food before en-
gaging in strenuous activities. A glass of fruit juice or
a piece of fruit is far more advantageous. As a life
long athlete I have never suffered any ill-effects us-
ing this method. As a matter of fact my motto has
and will always be, “burn it first, then eat what you
want.” Excersizing first jump starts the metabolic
rate and sustains it for several hours, thereby any
thing you eat is used for energy and not stored as
fat. Eating a heavy meal first, (unless you allow an
hour or two for digestion) can put too much strain on
a heart already taxed with trying to pump blood and
oxygen to the extremeties for the muscel tissue to
perform properly and in peak condition. When the
blood has to be diverted to the stomach and intest-
ines for digestion, the extremeties will suffer, hence
cramping and weakness in the arms and legs.
My recommednation is eat a very light snack, ene-
rgy bar or fruit drink, excersize till the endorphins
kick in, rest a few minutes and cool down, then eat
a well balanced diet high in vitamins, minerals and
fiber, and I promise you’ll never gain weight and
your body will thank you for the rest of your life!
Visit my website for more insite. You need to eat and eat and eat small portions 4-5 times per day and choose right food. Your body needs fuel to exercise and nutrients after exercise so eat then exercise and eat again keep health
Best wishes
Howard Beck
First of all, everyone is different, and there’s no prescription that can be applied to everyone. Not only do our workouts vary, but our body types and metabolisms all differ. I exercise quite regularly, and relatively intensely. I believe the answer to the question will depend entirely on the duration and intensity of the exercise, as well as the goals of the exerciser. I do not exercise simply to burn calories, but to improve/maintain fitness and for fun. I exercise in the morning, and HAVE to eat before I begin. The quality of my workout is definitely affected by the meal I have before hand, and though many would be fine with a bowl of cereal, energy bar, fruit, or the equivalent preferred balance of mostly carbohydrates and a little protein to assist with carb delivery, I find I must consume a good deal more. I typically eat around 1500 calories before exercise; mostly whole grain cereal, milk or soy, high protein powder, peanut butter, and fruit. I try to weight train at least 3 times a week, because my cardio load is quite high… I typically get about 3 hours of moderate to intense exercise a day, and take one day a week off for recovery. I usually am not hungry when I finish working out, but I force myself to have a serving of protein mix with milk/soy which is always shockingly easy to down. I need to eat before to fuel, and I need to eat after to repair… I guess if you want to loose weight, eating before would likely be best. After exercise, your body is still in a catabolic state, where it’s breaking down your body’s tissue. I need to eat after to move my body in an anabolic state, where I rebuild… but if you want to loose weight, just don’t eat after! It’s pretty easy for me to do if I want to… but I’ll weigh five pounds less the next day!
moderation…
Caroline -
I think that there’s a lot of truth in your comment. My wife and I recently cut out the sugary foods from our house and we both dropped a lot of weight almost instantly. I wasn’t even overweight (5’8″ about 160lbs), but I dropped about 15 lbs. My wife dropped about 30lbs. It’s amazing how quick the lbs. came off once we did that. We were exercising hard core for awhile, but it’s been more intermittent lately and the lbs. have kept dropping.
If you dont eat at all till the end of the day & workout in the morning & then workout at night you will deffinitly start losing weight. Its a fact. But dont just chow down you need healthy food, like maybe 1 meal and a snack & thats all.. if anyone can ever do that..I did.
thanks
a little before and after if you eat alot you will get a stomach ache
I just have a question? I am married with 3 kids. The only time I can work out is at night. Usually 1hr 45 mins from 10:00-11:45 p.m. Should I eat something before and or after I work out even if I am going to bed about an hour and a half after my workout? I do circuit training for about 30 mins and cardio the rest of the time.
Depending on your goals, I used to have a personal trainer because I wanted to tone my body and build some muscles. He told me that eating a decent ammount of carbs before your workout is important because for the first 20 mins. of your workout your body uses up the energy consumed from your carbs, just after 20 mins. of workout will your body start burning fat. He also told me that eating a high protein meal as soon as you stop working out is important for muscle building and toning because you want your muscles to stay the way the are after working out.
I usually just ate a protein bar (took me a while to get used to the taste) or drink a protein shake on my way home from the gym.
Now I don’t even go to the gym anymore, I bought an Elliptical and I do at least 30 mins every evening while watching TV. It does wonders.
It is definitely after…….glut 4 transporters are all stuck to the muscle membranes waiting to be refueled from the glucose in the bloodstream. These glut 4 transporters only migrate to the cell membrane as a result of exercise so if you ate before you worked out, the glucose would just stay floating around your blood.