Eat Before or after you Exercise?

[The Dancing Peacock]

Topic says it all. Should you eat first, wait and digest for a while then exercise, or exercise first then eat afterwards?

No Poll, b/c well, I don't want one. I just want to know what to do


late.


TDP

 

[gittyup]

I would eat first so that you have some energy and burn it off while exercising...

 

[GL]

Eat afterwards. According to Men's Health, eating afterwards provides necessary nutrients, vitamins, etc. that muscles need to repair themselves.

-GL

 

[StageLeft]

Digesting takes a while so I'd eat after so that your body isn't wasting energy digesting when you're trying to work out. Also post-workout is supposed to be a time when your body reacts well to food in that it grabs up nutrients but resists putting on fat as much as normal...I think.

 

[DefRef]

Exercise first. It's increases your metabolism afterwards which will burn more food. Also, you don't want to cramp up and drown, do ya?

 

[cxim]

EAT WHO ?

context makes all the difference..

 

[Tauren]

I always do it afterward.

1. It takes alot of blood and oxygen to digest food.
2. Right after you work out your metabolic rate is very high.
3. It replenishes lost nutrients.

 

[Mister T]

depends.

If I am lifting, I eat before and after.

If I am doing cardio, I only eat after.

 

[TuffGuy]

workout first if you're trying to lose weight. and by that i mean do aerobics early in the morning.

IF your goal is to put on mass, eat before you workout. have a MODERATE meal, and wait 1-1.5h before you workout. otherwise all your blood will be in your stomach and not in your muscles. if you guys have compared morning workouts to afternoon/evening workouts, you would have noticed that you can lift more/last longer in the evening. it all has to do with blood sugar. if the morning your blood sugar is low, which is why it's a good idea to do cardio then. (you use up the blood sugar quicker and then burn fat)

 

[Zapster]

I suggest you eat afterwards because:

If you eat first, you'll psychologically stretch out your eating time so you won't have to exercise.

If you eat first, you will be heavier to exercise and slow and sluggish. Not condusive to exercising. It will make exercising more difficult.

The best reason is that if you eat prior, you might become too tired to eat afterwards and just colapse on the sofa. This will help you lose weight.

 

[TuffGuy]

oh yeah, i almost forgot. regardless of whether you eat before or after you exercise, it's important that you take in some protein AFTER you exercise.

 

[Scott Newton]

When I worked out, I had my best results doing this:

Eat a PB&J Sandwich and a Banana 1 hour before working out for energy.

Eat a full meal once done to repair the muscles etc... If I ate before working out, i would blow chunks when doing squats.

 

[happykitten]

Eat after.

 

[warcleric]

Dancing Peacock?!?! I am afraid!

 

[steelnewfie]

If weight training, might need to eat some complex carbs 1-2 hrs before... If not, just go... PROTEIN after exercise is extremely important... 15-30 min after you exercise, drink a protein shake with moderate amt of carbs... Then, 1-1.5 hrs after you workout, eat a "good" meal.... Eat as much protein as you can, aim for 1g / lb of body weight... Also if you could supplement with glutamine after workouts it would help too...

 

[Azraele]

I'd say that's a tough call. Definately don't exercise on a completely empty stomach. That's just asking for trouble. Other than that, it's probably a good idea to eat a little while afterward to replenish nutrients.

 

[GrimReefer]

If you have nothing in your stomach before you workout, then you will burn yourself out and run out of energy before you even get to your 3rd set. I agree with the PB & J sandwhich and a bananna before the workout. That'l give ya enough energy to keep pumpin.