eating before working out

M

mkulla

Active Member
I workout at 5am. Should I be eating before i workout? How would I do this? and if i need to eat, what should I eat???
Thanks so much
 
As a general rule, it is not a good idea to eat anything really solid immediately before a workout; circulatory blood that would normally be directed toward the stomach to aid in digestion gets shunted toward the working muscles in the workout, and undigested food can then cause cramping and nausea.

My suggestion would be to eat an easily digestible meal that provides good carb, protein and healthy fat loading the night before your scheduled workout, and in the morning about 30 minutes before your workout drink a glass of grapefruit juice or orange-grapefruit-juice mix as well as plenty of water. The carbohydrates in the juice would serve you well during the workout, and assist in the hydration process.

Hope this helps.

A-Jock
 
I agree with Aquajock ....
I drink my cappuccino, and have some orange juice before my workout and eat after wards............ Rhonda :7
 
I work out around 5:30 am. I used to not eat anything before I worked out (when I was doing the Firm more or less exclusively)and at that point had no problem. When I started doing more intense workouts, such as Cathe's, I just decided that I needed to eat first. I get up at 5, and eat a small bowl of cereal, and then do my workout 20-30 minutes later. I know this is supposed to be a no-no, but it has not been a problem for me, in terms of cramping or nausea. Until someone tells me that it's affecting my results, I probably won't stop.

Again, this is just me. As the other (and many before them) have said, it's not the way you're supposed to do it.
 
I also workout in the A.M. and have never eaten anything beforehand. There has been some discussion on the forum regarding this subject and questions about exercising on an empty stomach and burning up muscle b/c there is not enough carbs in the body to promote fat burning. I always assumed that I would burn more fat exercising on an empty stomach so I would really like to know the "scientific" answer to this b/c I sure don't want to burn up my hard earned muscle.

I'm going to follow A-Jock's "always valuable & informative" advice and have a glass of juice before I workout:9 I have noticed some mornings I get tired faster or feel weaker so I hope this helps.

JJ
 
I workout at 5am. If I eat or drink anything, and I mean anything, before working out, I will be nauseated. I've been working out for 23 years and have never been able to eat anything before the workout unless I workout later in the day.

Everyone is different. See what works for you.

Cathy
 
Sometimes I have a small V8 juice. It really helps me get my eyes open. I feel like Rocky in the first movie when he woke up, cracked open about 4 eggs in a glass and drank them all. Then he went out for a run. It was about 4 AM. :9
 
Thanks for the advice. I try to eat low on the glycemic index and so have always been a little unsure of how that fits into pre-workout and post workout recovery, as far as feeding your body before and afterwards. Even if you eat low glycemic, is it still wise to eat a quick carb after a workout? How would it affect your blood sugar?
Thanks again
mkulla
 
I workout at 5am and sometimes eat a banana. Easy on the stomach, (if you have an upset stomach they tell you to eat a BRAT diet, bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) You could try any one of those too.

Nice to know I have lots of company that time in the morning!
Dlaudy.
 
I work out early too. About 5:30 or 6:00. I never ate anything until about 6 years ago when I started the "Zone", now I usually just eat a half of a Balance bar (a 40-30-30 bar) 30 minutes after I wake up. I have gotten used to this and haven't had any cramping or nausea. Although we are all different...:)...Carole
 
I used to always eat before I worked out. As above -- a small bowl of cereal, then a wait of about 20-30 minutes before beginning to warm up. Then I kept hearing that it was better for weight loss to workout on an empty stomach, which I couldn't fathom doing because I lose energy and feel nauseated if I'm too hungry (and I am ALWAYS hungry in the morning). I tried exercising on an empty stomach a couple of weeks while doing Slim in 6, and I was MISERABLE the whole time. I felt sick and weak, and I kept thinking: "How can anyone do this?". My brother, who is a miniature Arnold Schwarzenegger will always tell me: "You need to do cardio on an empty stomach", but I just did a search, and found a muscle/fitness website where someone asked the same question, and this was the response:


QUESTION: To promote fat-burning from my morning cardio, should I eat beforehand or work out on an empty stomach?

ANSWER: We know of no data showing that eating or not eating before exercise will have any effect on weight loss. Common sense would suggest eating something beforehand, although not so close to your training as to provoke nausea or gastrointestinal discomfort. If you don't eat and experience low energy during the subsequent exercise, you'll be unlikely to continue your exercise program. Do whatever you can to make sure the exercise "feels good." If it doesn't, you won't continue doing it.


YAY!!! :7 Now I will not torture myself any longer, and I won't feel so bad about that small bowl of cereal before my workouts. Everyone IS different, and if it works for others to exercise without eating, that's fine, but I know for a fact that it makes exercise a horrible experience for me. Go figure.
 
CynDaVaz,

That's funny that you found that. I replied, last week, above, that I also have a small bowl of cereal first. This weekend, I was going through some old magazines before throwing them out, and found an article either in Oxygen or Muscle and Fitness Hers, that said if you wanted to eat a small amount prior to working out in the morning (their example was half of your breakfast), that was fine, and then you could just eat a little more afterwards, as well.

Thanks for your post. It helps me feel better about my eating prior to exercise! :7
 
I always have a little bit of oatmeal and coffee before running. I need to eat before I workout that long! Also, coffee has been found to improve training for runners!
 
I pretty much determined that I was NOT someone who could effectively work out on a empty stomach. I become weak, sick to my stomach, and I find it difficuclt to get through the exercise routines. It actually causes me to dread exercising, so I decided that I know my body better than anyone else, and no matter what ANY study said about this, I NEEDED the fuel if I wanted to continue exercising! :)
 
I've tried eating before my 5:30 exercise and not eating before and haven't noticed a different either way.

For time sake, I hydrate before and during exercise and then eat breakfast when I get to work, about 8:30. By that time, I'm REALLY looking for something to put in my tummy.
 
I think everybody's body is different in this regard. I can eat dinner and do a step workout 20 minutes later while my dh is sitting on the couch about to fall asleep while digesting his meal wondering how on earth I could possibly be working out.

I started first morning workouts this September. I wasn't eating anything at first, and I was doing the timesaver workouts by Cathe easing back into having taken some time off. After I started adding longer workouts back in, I really started to feel weak half-way thru my workout. At this point, I started eating something small--usually a a morningstar farms sausage (fake meat) patty. They are SO good, and healthy. If you haven't tried them, I strongly recommend them to you. I have turned so many people onto these things. They were voted #1 breakfast patty in taste overall by the meat association, that's how good they are. They are so quick as you just microwave one for 30 seconds, and eat it. I think I added a string cheese for awhile too. Now that I'm pg, I have to eat more and let it settle before working out, and I still feel sick. :-(
 
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