early gym, when to eat?

pb2

hey, am planning on going the gym before work,6.30 am, to free up my evenings, just wondering on what i should eat for breakfast, and if to eat before or after or both. plan is to alternate between weights and cardio on a day to day. any help would be great! thanks

brownej

I go to the gym in the morning before work.
I have breakfast around 6.30 and I am in the gym at 7 for a weights session. I find it fine. I don't do cardio in the morning so I can't really comment about eating before that. I also eat a homemade protein bar afterwards.

pb2

cheers, i was thinking id be alright to eat before on weights days.
must get some protein too for after as will be a rush to get to work after.
just out of curiosity and on a side note how do you go about making your own protein bars?
have been turned off buying them because of price, but making my own sounds like a bit of fun.

Chancer3001

more i read about this the more it seems that it just doesnt matter when you eat.

99% about what you eat.

eat before, after, even during! Different people recommend different things and people have got amazing results doing very different things.

Focus on the workout and eat protein like crazy. Dont worry so much about the time.

Thatd be my advice

brownej

pb2 wrote: »

cheers, i was thinking id be alright to eat before on weights days.
must get some protein too for after as will be a rush to get to work after.
just out of curiosity and on a side note how do you go about making your own protein bars?
have been turned off buying them because of price, but making my own sounds like a bit of fun.

I make these ones
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055992322
They're very sticky so I dust them in coconut. You can mix in whatever you want for taste too.

pb2

thanks for the link, look nice too so will give it a go. could help with my morning gym too.

ive been finding the same problem, everyone has a different opinion on when to eat,
think ill stick to my norm as much as possible and try throw a home made protein bar in too.
thanks for the help!

I usually get out of bed and go straight for the gym. No eating beforehand at all as it makes me feel bloated and tired (even if it's only something tiny). I find my energy in the gym is grand for my workout. I've never been hungry in the gym (though I do drink a fair bit of water throughout).

I sometimes aim to eat after the gym, but truth be told (and maybe I'm a bit of a weirdo here) I find the exercise in itself is a bit of a hunger suppressant. I can go to the gym feeling a little hungry and come out not wanting a bite to eat at all.


That said; I'm not a breakfast person anyway, so I'd rarely eat straight out of bed, so it'd actually be a nuisance for me to eat in the morning before the gym.

Stench Blossoms

If I'm going to the gym first thing in the morning I don't eat anything before hand. If I was to eat anything I'd have a yogurt.

I try to eat then as soon as I can when I'm finished.

Never had any problems this way.

Chancer3001

Im gonna try and make those bars today.

lorrim

I usually have some nuts before the gym & breakfast at my desk when I get in. Either some eggs, steak or leftovers from dinner...

tan11ie

I normally grab an apple for on my way to the gym then when I get back I'd have some scrambled egg or porridge. If you can't get to make something when you get to work then like others have suggested eat a protein bar or balls (just watch the calorie count)...here's my recipe...

150g Oats
Five egg whites
Four scoops of protein powder
You can add what you like...ie raspberries, nuts, raisins + teaspoon of vanilla essence.Mix with water.
Oven 200c for 15mins.

krankykitty

I sometimes go to the gym first thing in the morning, and previously I was going without eating. I feel like I can't eat too much at that time of the morning, and when I did cardio after night's fasting, I'd be fine during training but once I stopped, and was getting changed I'd feel really ill, to the point of wanting to vomit and/or needing to stop on the way to the car to sit down.

What's started to work for me is having half a banana before leaving the house, then eating the other half immediately after I finish exercising. It's not too much and I think having something immediately after is helping.

emercaughfield

However for better fitness it is recommended that don't eat anything before going to the gym..Because it is not a good option for our health.or if you still feel hungry then just eat some light food after the workout period..

lorrim

emercaughfield wrote: »

However for better fitness it is recommended that don't eat anything before going to the gym..Because it is not a good option for our health.or if you still feel hungry then just eat some light food after the workout period..

Why isn't it good for our health?

I find it easier to go straight to the gym straight from bed. It's completely a comfort thing for me. Means if I'm pushing myself really hard there's no whole food to throw up if I start to overdo it! If I had time beforehand, or woke very early for some reason I might have a cup of black coffee.

As quickly as possible after training, I'll have protein. Be it through a protein shake, or through scrambled eggs, or a chicken breast, or salmon fillet with spinach (sometimes its nice to treat yourself in the morning!).

emercaughfield

Thanks Lorim for considering my opinion..The reason behind is that In the gym we have to do a lot of work out.So if we eat food before going to gym then our digestive system will be dis balanced....

ridonkulous

emercaughfield wrote: »

However for better fitness it is recommended that don't eat anything before going to the gym..Because it is not a good option for our health.or if you still feel hungry then just eat some light food after the workout period..

emercaughfield wrote: »

Thanks Lorim for considering my opinion..The reason behind is that In the gym we have to do a lot of work out.So if we eat food before going to gym then our digestive system will be dis balanced....

What?

Have you any evidence to back this up? Both statements seem bizarre to me. I'd like to hear the logic behind it.

As far as not eating before the gym goes I don't know how you guys do it. Agreed some days it's easier to get something into than others but my routine is up at 04:30, breakfast straight away generally cooked from the night before. Get to the gym by 05:00 or just before. Go for a 40-45 minute walk. Stretch for a bit and hit the weights. There is no way in hell I'd be able for all that on an empty stomach. Do any of you check you blood sugar levels in the morning?

siochain

Train at 6:30 a few mornings per week, black coffee and if I feel I need it some coconut fat. I generally eat and sleep well so early morning workouts arent effected. Some days I won't eat afterwards until 12:00pm, if hunger ill eat if not I won't.

Sephiroth_dude

Deleted User wrote: »

I usually get out of bed and go straight for the gym. No eating beforehand at all as it makes me feel bloated and tired (even if it's only something tiny). I find my energy in the gym is grand for my workout. I've never been hungry in the gym (though I do drink a fair bit of water throughout).

I sometimes aim to eat after the gym, but truth be told (and maybe I'm a bit of a weirdo here) I find the exercise in itself is a bit of a hunger suppressant. I can go to the gym feeling a little hungry and come out not wanting a bite to eat at all.


That said; I'm not a breakfast person anyway, so I'd rarely eat straight out of bed, so it'd actually be a nuisance for me to eat in the morning before the gym.

This is exactly what I do too,get up at 6:30,in the gym for 7:15 or there abouts,I have an omlette when I get home then,exercise makes me real hungry too,I'm famished by the time I get home.

pb2

thanks for all the help and tips, doing it last few days now.
ive been having half banana on way to gym, protein shake as soon as im done,
then when showered and changed after i have the other half of banana in my porridge.
has worked very well so hopefully i can keep it up. thanks!

floggg

What about after the gym - how much do you need to be eating.

I generally have a protein shake and then a chicken sandwich or wrap at my desk if I go in the mornings.

I'm thinking though that the sandwich/wrap might be way more than I need. I know it's important to get protein in after weights and maybe some carbs, but would the shake and a banana and maybe a yoghurt do?