eating before workout

[Honeychka]

Hi all! I go to workout to the gym at around 6-6:30 in the morning and the only thing that I do before my workout is drink L-glutamine and some water.
I do cardio and weight train so I end up eating breakfast at around 8:30-9am.
I bring the meal to the gym and then run off to work. I wanted to know if it is not so smart to be doing this??? Should I just eat when I wake up--at around 5:30-6, and then go workout? I just dont want to be full especially doing cardio. Please help...thank you

[barnetjs]

Eat a homemade protein bar on the way to the gym - then lift weights then do your cardio - then eat your normal breakfast!

[mommy*2*3]

Try to eat something. How about a protein shake? You can have a couple of rice cakes with peanut butter too.

[Emma-Leigh]

I wanted to know if it is not so smart to be doing this??? Should I just eat when I wake up--at around 5:30-6, and then go workout? I just dont want to be full especially doing cardio. Please help...thank you

What about a home-made shake with some fruit?

Something like a banana with a scoop of whey with some yoghurt. This would be perfect for pre-workout as you would get a good mix of carbs and protein, and would offer you the energy you would need too - but without being too bulky.

This is what I do (I am up at 5am and drink this at ~5.15am so I am ready to head to the gym by 5.45am) and I find it is great for energy and for not being too 'bulky'.

[Honeychka]

Wow you guys! thank you so much for the great advice...I will definetly incorporate a protien shake in the morning. I guess I will have to just start waking up earlier (5am Yikes!) The reason I was worried though is because I read before I even started working out that you should eat like 10 cal for each pound...ergo I eat around 1450cal a day. Maybe I should just let that bit go though...A protien shake with fruit would be around 200 cal...
You guys dont think 1700 cal would be too much??? I'm 5'9..weight 140.

[SexyChic]

Wow you guys! thank you so much for the great advice...I will definetly incorporate a protien shake in the morning. I guess I will have to just start waking up earlier (5am Yikes!) The reason I was worried though is because I read before I even started working out that you should eat like 10 cal for each pound...ergo I eat around 1450cal a day. Maybe I should just let that bit go though...A protien shake with fruit would be around 200 cal...
You guys dont think 1700 cal would be too much??? I'm 5'9..weight 140.

Keep in mind that you will be working out and burning cals in the morning, so having a shake is actually better for you than having nothing. Your caloric intake should always be higher around the time you exercise/lift.

[Emma-Leigh]

Again--I am in the minority--but I think you should eat ONLY if you feel like it and not force---I personally have much better results working out on an empty stomach---although I do workout at 5:00 a.m.---maybe thats why.

Sure, not eating before some types of cardio (or in certain situations) is fine....

But if you are doing weights at the gym, not eating before you go is a good way to get absolutely no results very quickly!

If you REALLY can not eat before you workout then could you take a small carb/whey shake (eg: some fruit juice with whey) with you and sip on that during your workout...? At least that way the second half of your workout will be fueled to a certain degree...

[Honeychka]

ok, so I decided to drink the protien shake with fruit in the morning, and then eat my regular breakfast after...I'm adding 200 extra calories but I did some reading on the bodybuilding website and training and decided this is the best thing to do. I guess I was scared because I started working out not too long ago and have never eaten like that...most of the time people have told me to eat less...( I was asking the wrong people). I did fad diets all resulting in the same way. Lose a whole bunch--gain a whole bunch. That mentality is still there and I'm fighting with myself you could say. I went almost annerexic a couple of years ago and lost my period and all that comes with it...it took me a year to gain the weight back, but then I kept gaining and ended up in the same place I was before. This is a turning point for me and I want to make sure I lose the weight the right way...and get lots of muscle which were my intentions in the first place, I just dont know what went wrong along the way. I worked out during that horrible period and crash right after...It came to a point where I could'nt even do my usual run of 15min(weird for me I used to do crossrunning). I am really happy I found this sight with all this information and all these great people, I've learned sooo much.
Thanx

[SaNdMaN]

I have no idea how some of you people work out in the morning. I gotta have at least 3 meals in me before I hit the gym.

[Sable_Strenua]

I wish Sandman's sig would've been a poster on the wall @ my last unit! Maybe it would've encouraged people to actually THINK before they spoke

[rungrl]

Personally, I cannot eat before cardio...I get cramps and feel like I want to throw up!

What has worked best for me is running first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach....I drink a protein shake immediately afterwards. I either lift immediately after work, or later in the evenings after dinner.

[Isabella]

I also work out at 5:30 a.m. on an empty stomach every morning (weights and cardio) - it is the best for me - I have plenty of strength, and I eat/drink immediately afterwards. I am a believer in the benefits of fasted cardio, and since I am only able to work out in the mornings, having to do weights and cardio at the same time, I do it all fasted. It has not impeded my gains in the least. I think a person's body adapts to everything!

[mommy*2*3]

I have done both. I've worked out at 4:30 in the morning without eating anything in the past but really prefer to eat something. I have a better workout and more strength.

[Scoprius]

My routine is like ashla's. I usually always do cardio on an empty stomach. I'll get to the gym at 4:00 a.m., do the cardio, then I go into the locker room and drink a protein shake that I brought with me and then I lift.

It's worked for me, but as many others have noted, you need to find what works best for YOUR body.

[ShapingUp]

It's too soon to say whether or not I'm getting results, but I also lift at 5:30 a.m. on an empty stomach, then have a shake immediately when I get home. OJ & Whey - Mmmmmm. About 7:30 I have a real food breakfast.

I was doing cardio first thing in the morning and working out in the afternoons, but have discovered that the gym is much less busy and I'm able to use all kinds of equipment that I didn't know about in the morning. Then I can do the cardio classes in the afternoon about 10 hours later.

I'm not the least bit hungry in the morning and I don't think it affects my strength.

[MissKristi]

Again--I am in the minority--but I think you should eat ONLY if you feel like it and not force---I personally have much better results working out on an empty stomach---although I do workout at 5:00 a.m.---maybe thats why.

totally agree....i dont eat at least an hur before i workout

[MissKristi]

Keep in mind that you will be working out and burning cals in the morning, so having a shake is actually better for you than having nothing. Your caloric intake should always be higher around the time you exercise/lift.

i disagree...jdut becuase your burning calories doenst mean you eat more especially if its later in the day and youve been eating all day....you only need it after your workout and i dont eat anymore than i do throught the day

[SexyChic]

"Post Workout Shake & Breakfast - Step Two To Maintain a Healthy Thyroid

Cortisol is prominent in our bodies when we first wake up, because of fasting all night long. It is at its highest after a workout for obvious reasons. Therefore, you must give these two meals more attention than all others!

To sum everything up, any diet that has you starve is one to avoid! You can clearly see now, why you must work with and not against your body, if success truly is your goal! "

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/13wee...urningdiet.php


" Breakfast takes place after your body has fasted for up to 6-12 hours, depleted its glycogen stores and the catabolic hormone cortisol is at its highest point. Your goal is to place your body back on the right track. This is literally why people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For if you skip it you will waste muscle at a rate that is absolutely insane! Therefore, breakfast should be a balance of complex carbs and protein to replenish yourself. While dieting I would recommend a big serving of oatmeal and a source of protein such as whey, egg whites or cottage cheese. And you can add some low glycemic fruit because you can take advantage of the situation."

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/magaz...t%20levlel.htm