To eat or not to eat before AM exercise?

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To eat or not to eat before morning exercise?

Hi.


Trying to lose weight here,
and I'm planning on eating three meals a day which are progressively lighter and lower in carbs and calories-
to rev up my metabolism at the beginning of the day and play it light as it gets closer to sleepytime.
I'm also planning to exercise twice a day.

So, the question-
exercise first or meal first in the morning?
My first instinct would be to eat first, and then burn the calories off (hopefully!)
but I can't imagine working out after eating the heaviest meal of the day,
nor do I know if it'd be better to work out, go immediately eat a high(er) calorie/fat meal,
and then have the rest of the day before I workout again.

Any experiences or thoughts?

Eat some complex carbo hydrates.

No white bread.

Nothing such as refined sugar.

Fruit would be easy to digest.

Ideally you want a meal to give you enough energy to perform well, so that in the time afterwards your metabolism is working more quickly.

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Mmm...definitely better to eat first. Maybe something light. I don't know about you, but I must eat or else I feel faint. Then, after, you can eat more, something totally packed with vitamins and nutrients. After your work out, your body will be most receptive to absorbing nutrients. Then, when you next feel hungry, have a nice snack like fruit or something. When you are ready for your next meal, have it. Etc.
Diets now-a-days tend to argue for more than three meals a day. I suppose this is to avoid over eating and what-not. The trick is to keep it light, and such. Unless you live in Buffalo, or were here last week, then you should have been eating beef stew or chili. It was freakin' cold! I guess the point is also to listen to your body. It knows what it needs.

I hadn't considered splitting up the bigger meal- that's a good idea.
If I ate when I was hungry, I'd be even fatter. I'm hungry all the time.

It doesn't matter. Just eat right and actually do your exercises, that should be more than enough to worry about. If you are going to pass out without food in the morning just have a little bit of fruit or juice. Otherwise, it's better to put off eating. Personally, strenuous exercise kills my appetite for a while. You should distract yourself from food, not make your life revolve around it.

Much better not to eat first.

I don't eat first. After I have been to the gym in the morning I have some instant porridge at work. I don't know if thats best or not but it works better for me in terms of time management, and I'm not looking to break records; just to keep myself healthy and enjoy my gym sessions.

I think thats what they used to do in the old days, get up, go work in the fields for a bit then come in and have breakfast.
BTW if your looking to lose weight porridge is really really good for you, I just have it made with water so theres no extra sugar or fat and its really easy to make in those little sachets, I do it in the microwave at work.

I read somewhere that you'll lose more weight if you only eat a light meal before a workout...

I usually have caffeine and a protein shake. Just enough fuel for a good workout.

I eat porridge before I work out- that way I don't feel dizzy and it keeps me going for longer. I'm not sure what the best thing is; if I don't eat, I get tired and dizzy really quickly. I think it's different for everyone.

I get up early and do half hour workout, before breakfast. I work out some more before lunch and again in the early evening. I find that unless I exercise lots and be quite hungry all the time I dont loose weight. I think I have quite a strong hungar signal as I easily can eat more than most people I know and still be hungry.

I found marissa peers 'you can be thin' hypnotism book and cd invaluable, helped me curb my cravings and comforting so much.

Working out without eating will definitely make you hypoglycemic. Eat something first.

I can't run or do aerobic exercise after a big meal; it bogs me down. With physical exertion exercise, it isn't really a problem. It is more of a comfort level for you. You want to exercise your best so you want to be comfortable. If your stomach is aching for food than eat something light before. I was always told that your metabolism is working more efficiently after exercise and that is the best time to eat. Either way, try to eat your normal amount if you're trying to lose weight.

Wow- seems to be almost evenly split!
Thanks for all the advice, everyone.

Having your food digesting at the same time of pushing your body to the limit isn't the best idea at all...

So, no.

Just don't drink soda unless you want to have diarrhea in the middle of your workout.