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TrisM1309
New Member
| Joined: | 10 Dec 2006 |
| Location: | Ohio USA |
| Posts: | 9 |
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Posted: 12 Dec 2006 02:07 am |
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| I work out in the morning. What is a good amount to eat before exercising? Do I need to, or is water okay?
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jillybean720
Senior Member
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Posted: 12 Dec 2006 11:43 am |
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I have heard/read that you should eat before exercising, but I don't. I simply don't have time to. If I eat anything, I have to wait a few minutes (about 15-30) before exercising or else I get cramps in my sides. As it is now, I get up at about 4:15am, do my 30 minutes of exercise (sipping water when needed), shower, then eat breakfast (a smoothie of banana, skim milk, and protein powder). I'm losing weight and haven't felt sick or anything while exercising, so I don't see any issues with it. You burn so few calories while sleeping that I would assume I still have some glycogen stores to burn off in the morning from whatever I ate the evening before. In any case, whether you eat before, after, or during your exercise, you're still burning calories while exercising 
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Angel
New Member
| Joined: | 7 Nov 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 41 |
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Posted: 12 Dec 2006 06:34 pm |
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Just wondering why we should eat before exercising? Does it improve fat loss or minimize muscle loss? Anyone know?
I also exercise first thing in the a.m. but can't eat because of a med I take that needs to be on empty stomach and one hour before I eat. It just never occured to me about eating or not eating before I exercise!
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TrisM1309
New Member
| Joined: | 10 Dec 2006 |
| Location: | Ohio USA |
| Posts: | 9 |
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Posted: 13 Dec 2006 01:17 am |
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I have tried both eating and not eating before exercising, and have found that if I do an intense workout I need a little something or I feel sick..and weak. That was the case this morning after a 4 mile run. So I think I'll eat a bit of carbs and fat like a banana or toast. We'll see how this goes! 
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Peter
Founder of this forum
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 4180 |
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Posted: 13 Dec 2006 05:02 am |
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I worked out early in the morning most of my life on just a little OJ before I left the house and did fine.
Working out later in the day now, I need to have eaten or I wouldn't have the energy for a good workout.
About weight loss... you eat calories and you burn calories and when you eat them and when you burn them -- in my opinion -- isn't worth fussing about. You can time things to a small advantage if you think it's that important.
Peter
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jillybean720
Senior Member
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Posted: 13 Dec 2006 06:01 pm |
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Peter wrote: About weight loss... you eat calories and you burn calories and when you eat them and when you burn them -- in my opinion -- isn't worth fussing about.
THANK YOU! It kills me that people obsess over timing (to eat or not eat before/after exercise, to eat/not eat late in the evening, etc.) when they really need to be focusing on just eating GOOD foods (and by "good," I mean nutritious, not just yummy ) and fitting exercise into each day. In my opinion, the only important factor timing-wise is to make sure you don't eat all your calories in one meal of the day--spread them out.
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Angel
New Member
| Joined: | 7 Nov 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 41 |
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Posted: 13 Dec 2006 06:25 pm |
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Jillybean! I think you just summed up the best things I have learned here! You almost make it sound easy! LOL
Good food spread out and exercise.
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Peter
Founder of this forum
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 4180 |
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Posted: 13 Dec 2006 10:02 pm |
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I noticed a ways back that articles on diet and weight loss kept using the almost exactly the same words... eat well and exercise.
So I bought the website name!
http://www.eatwellandexercise.com
I just have to figure out what to do with it!
Peter
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 14 Dec 2006 08:56 pm |
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BFFM's chapter on cardio has a 2-page section entitled 'Early morning fasted cardio: A simple method to increase the fat burning effects of your cardio by up to 300%'.
(it says what you expect it to: lower levels of stored glycogen, blood sugar, insulin - so a higher % of energy used in the workout will be fat)
Regarding cramps, this is incidentally why you should not swim immediately after eating. Your body favours your involuntary muscles (respiration, digestion, urinary etc.) so if those are busy (digestion in this case) and then you try using your voluntary muscles (skeletal ones - for movement involved in exercise) the result is cramp.
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NevD
New Member
| Joined: | 26 Oct 2005 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 1536 |
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Posted: 15 Dec 2006 03:53 pm |
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I used to run a few miles each morning before I ate anything. Didn't do a thing for increased fat loss.
Of course, I ate the wrong things back then, whether before or after exercise...
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Angel
New Member
| Joined: | 7 Nov 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 41 |
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Posted: 16 Dec 2006 07:00 pm |
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Nir, do you think that the quote from BFFM is accurate? I ask because I have made quite a few changes over the past half year and while it all adds up I wonder what things I am doing that are most effective. Biologically it makes sense that exercising on empty (providing one is not in a state of slowed metabolism and there will be adequate intake afterward) would burn more fat. But 300%?? Most of the things I have heard from BFFM have been sensible and correct (one day I'll have to get the book) so I'm going to assume this is too.
I know that I have consistently been losing weight, more rapidly at first , it averages out to 1.6lbs/week and now I know that the weight I am losing is fat (yes, the calipers are working, still not sure I'm using them exactly right but figure as long as I'm close and measure the same spot each time- good enough). I've not been able to lose weight for many years and keep it off but I feel pretty confident that I can now.
Since exercising most often in the early a.m. is how I have to do things for now that's great. I'm sure there are a lot of small things that we could do to affect fat loss that just aren't worth the bother but a 300% increase in your fat burning cardio strikes me as fairly significant.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 19 Dec 2006 09:37 pm |
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Even if it is accurate, remember that it doesn't really matter too much whether you are using fat or glycogen during your aerobic workout. If you ate before your workout you'd be using more glycogen and less fat. But so what? You are still burning calories. You are still creating a deicit. It still translates to overall loss of fat [but it may not physically happen at the time that youre doing your cardio].
It is in the form of a quotation in BFFM i.e. quoted from elsewhere. There are several 'if's and 'but's. Do it if it is convenient(and enjoy knowing that it is potentially beneficial), but don't sweat if it isn't.
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run4fun111
New Member
| Joined: | 2 Jan 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 6 |
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Posted: 3 Jan 2007 09:00 pm |
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yeah definitely eat a little before, best to do so an hour or so before working out but you'll have more energy throughout the workout if you have something in your system
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nothing
New Member
| Joined: | 27 Jan 2007 |
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| Posts: | 2 |
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Posted: 27 Jan 2007 05:07 am |
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| If you have something like a bowl of cereal and a piece of fruit or a protein bar, you will probably be able to work out harder and/or longer. You're going to eat eventually, so it shouldn't make a difference about calorie burning.
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