Simple question from a nub

[disappoint]

So I'm new to working out. I saw a fitness segment on tv where a personal trainer was training someone starting out on how to work out and eat. They had a protien shake every morning I believe.

My simple question is if you do this should you work out first or have the protein shake first, or skip the shake and eat something else in the morning when you first get up? Or if you're like me and completely undisciplined (got to work on that too) in the afternoon on a sunday when you first wake up?

 

[RavenSEAL]

Define the purpose of the workout. Are you trying to put on muscle and/or lose weight?

Either way, eat a complete breakfast when you wake up and/or eat a complete meal before working out and give it half an hour to settle in.

 

[disappoint]

Define the purpose of the workout. Are you trying to put on muscle and/or lose weight?

Either way, eat a complete breakfast when you wake up and/or eat a complete meal before working out and give it half an hour to settle in.

Purpose of the workout is to gain muscle only. I have very little fat.

Thanks for the advice that's exactly what I thought just eat wait a half an hour and then workout. I've always heard for example wait a half hour after eating before going swimming to avoid stomach cramping while swimming. I never understood why it's only a half an hour though. I don't think we can digest food in just 30 min can we?

 

[Doppel]

Whatever works for you. Unless you are diabetic or starving to death or in some other way seriously lacking in energy levels whether you workout, breakfast before or after is basically immaterial. Do whatever works best for your program.

Too many people are obsessing over food schedule, as if they are comparing it to fueling a car that when run out of gas fails to work. Your body has a massive surplus of energy and can draw on it when necessary. Most foods take many hours to properly digest and the energy supplied by them stays with you for many hours.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

You don't need a shake to get fit. You need to eat enough and eat healthily. And honestly, the timing of the shake doesn't matter really. Right before or right after is good. As long as you're getting the appropriate daily consumption of protein, you'll be ok.

 

[disappoint]

Whatever works for you. Unless you are diabetic or starving to death or in some other way seriously lacking in energy levels whether you workout, breakfast before or after is basically immaterial. Do whatever works best for your program.

Too many people are obsessing over food schedule, as if they are comparing it to fueling a car that when run out of gas fails to work. Your body has a massive surplus of energy and can draw on it when necessary. Most foods take many hours to properly digest and the energy supplied by them stays with you for many hours.

Thanks for the great advice. I'm not diabetic nor starving but I do need to increase my caloric intake, though ideally I'd like to do that without increasing fat. Especially when I work out as I will be burning more calories now that I'm starting to do that.

That's true the analogy of ICE vs. the human body can only go so far as after all we are not engines.

Thanks again and best of luck to you achieving your goals.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

You don't need a shake to get fit. You need to eat enough and eat healthily. And honestly, the timing of the shake doesn't matter really. Right before or right after is good. As long as you're getting the appropriate daily consumption of protein, you'll be ok.

I typially have a shake post workout. I figure that i jsut sweat out some water. Good time for a shake. This is especially true for me post run. I have weighed myself pre and post run and I losoe about 1 pound per mile run.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I typially have a shake post workout. I figure that i jsut sweat out some water. Good time for a shake. This is especially true for me post run. I have weighed myself pre and post run and I losoe about 1 pound per mile run.

That's fine, but you don't actually need it. If you eat a meal ~1h afterwards, you don't have to spend the extra money on the whey. Whey protein is really only benficial if you're putting in a lot of miles or lifting with some intensity.

 

[prism]

Just make sure not to have a shake too soon before working out if you're gonna be doing extensive cardio...YMMV but it sure likes to slosh around in my tummy!