? For all who work out first thing in the mornings

SirenSongWoman

SirenSongWoman

Cathlete
If you work out pretty quickly after you roll out of bed in the morning:

- Do you eat a little something before cardio? If so, what?
- What do you eat before you weight train?

I can handle the after workout stuff (I think) but I never know what to do before. I've been sucking down a teaspoon of peanut butter (seems to work without "interfering" with my training) but I wonder if that's the best solution. What works for you guys?
 
I just drink tea in the morning. Sometimes I walk the dogs first as the air just wakes me up and gets me going. I eat breakfast after I finish my workout and if I haven't walked the dogsfirst I walk them and then eat. The tea I drink is strong and my son says it packs more of a punch than a double expresso.
 
I will usually eat a banana or drink a protein shake prior to an early morning work out and then eat a "regular" breakfast such as oatmeal when I am done.
 
My husband and I both get up at 4:00 a.m. He goes to the gym, and I go upstairs to work out. Neither of us eat anything before either cardio or weights, although occasionally my husband will buy a Muscle Milk at the gym, which I think he drinks before or during weight training. We do, however, have a cup of coffee. It may not work for everyone, but neither of us seem to want or need anything before a workout that early in the a.m.. Afterwards, we usually have a protein shake. On weekends, when we work out a bit later in the morning, we'll usually have something to eat beforehand.

That's just what we do. I'm sure you'll have to try different things to see what works best for you.

Good luck!

Deborah
 
I get up at 5:00 in the morning to work out. Before I hit the gym (in my basement), I drink a whey protein shake made with non-fat milk. I have blood sugar issues (problems with hypoglycemia) and must have something.

My DH, however, has no such problems and can get by on nothing more than NO-Xplode mixed with water.

(I don't think I could face peanut butter first thing in the morning!)
 
I'm another banana eater! I drink water and then eat 1/2 a banana. After my workout, I eat the other half. Then when I get to work, I eat a bowl of oatmeal and have a cup of coffee. I get up at 5-5:30ish to workout and if I didn't eat, I'd pass out in the car by the time I got to work (8:30AM.)
 
I get up 45 minutes before my workout. I drink a protein shake w/frozen strawberries & 1/2 frozen banana in it a half hour before my workout.
 
hard boiled egg

about 15 minutes or so before I workout. Peanut butter should be fine though. I just don't like having that nasty low blood sugar breath. I used to do it on an empty stomach but the hunger pains were so distracting. The egg is only about 70 calories and my workouts are about 600 calories worth of a burn so I'm not worried about it adversely effecting my calorie deficit. I eat a ton of food afterwards cause I'm so hungry. I often use that as leverage to force myself to workout. I won't eat a real meal until after my workout and the sooner I start the workout the sooner I'm finished which means the sooner I get to eat.
 
I don't eat before either and seem to do okay. I do notice that I need to eat relatively soon afterward. If I wait too long, I get very shaky and nauseous. But during the workout, I'm fine.

What really affects my performance, both with cardio and weights, is how much sleep I get. I'm a mess if I don't get enough.
 
If I swim, I will eat a banana. Otherwise usually nothing but a glass of water. Sometimes if I am hitting the weights hard, I will eat something in the middle, like a banana, but usually I wait until I am done.
 
SirenSongWoman said:
If you work out pretty quickly after you roll out of bed in the morning:

- Do you eat a little something before cardio? If so, what?
- What do you eat before you weight train?

I can handle the after workout stuff (I think) but I never know what to do before. I've been sucking down a teaspoon of peanut butter (seems to work without "interfering" with my training) but I wonder if that's the best solution. What works for you guys?
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It depends on when I workout. If I train a client in the morning (5:30), I usually only have coffee right before 30-35 min of cardio. Then I'll have "fast" food (e.g., apple) before I train my client. Then I'll either do more cardio or weights depending on the day. After that I am ready for breakfast (oatmeal, nuts, flaxseed, fruit).
 
I don't usually eat anything before my workouts. I am usually OK and it doesn't bother me. Sometimes I will feel a little shaky or weak and that means I need a sleep in day soon or I stop and get a drink of a protein shake (with carbs) before finishing. That doesn't happen often, though. I do drink a protein shake right after working out, though. I used to wait until later to eat breakfast and it was a bad plan. I got weak and shaky and most importantly, cranky :)
 
Hmm. People really are different. I was talking about this with a power lifting/Krav Maga co-worker and when I said I often feel sick after working out he looked shocked. The sick feeling ceased when I began sucking up a teaspoon of peanut butter, which (mercifully) someone here suggested. I know eggs or bananas would have me burping and I definitely couldn't do a protein shake before... I just did Cardio Coach, really pushing hard (it was "morning" for me, with my weird hours) so I did the peanut butter thing first and afterwards, because I'm out of my favorite protein powder (should be delivered today), I quickly fried up two eggs and practically crammed them down my throat, I was so ravenous. Evidently, we really DO crave protein after a tough workout!! After that, it was raison bran with skim milk.
 
I usually have just coffee, I'm not bothered by not eating. On Saturday, I usually get up at the same time but lolly-gag around longer, and my workout is longer, so I often get hungry then. I will occassionally eat 1/2 clif bar before (or even during!) my workout and that does the trick.
 
I get up at 4:30 and MUST have a cup of coffee before anything. If just cardio, I eat nothing before and don't usually eat breakfast until about 1.5 hours later when I get to work (no time). Pre-weight training varies - sometimes I feel like I need a little something, so half a Luna Bar or banana, or tsp. of peanut butter - but more often it is nothing. I then down a protein shake immediately afterward.
 
I workout as soon as I'm dressed, fed the cat and got my water. I just fill a quart water bottle and drink it throughout my workout and finish it off before I eat. Even then it'll sometimes be an hour or more after my workout before I eat breakfast.
 
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