What you eat before you work out

[gimpgnome69]

Whenever i go to the gym, i do 7 minutes of jogging on the treadmil and then i lift weights for about 40 minutes afterward.

By the time I'm done i feel over whelmed with a feeling of dizziness, I've been told it's because i dont eat before i exercise.

What do you guys reccomend i eat before working out?

[BabyDoll]

I've heard you shouldn't eat,I don't.They say it's because you'd just be burning off the food in your stomach and not your fat supply....I don't know if I beleive it but it works for me.If you have to eat I'd say try something made just for that like an energy bar. :)

[CaptainSwab]

I like to eat an almond butter and pumpkin butter sandwitch on whole wheat before a long run (10 miles or more) or a granola bar or banana before a short run.

[annabanana]

If I don't eat before I run or do weights I get all lightheaded and nauseous. Usually I'll have a slice of bread or a few crackers about 15 minutes before I'm out the door; I don't have issues with eating that soon before running (some people experience extreme discomfort if they do; differs from person to person, really) and the bread is enough to give me something in my stomach without feeling either weighed down or hunger-pained.

[CaptainSwab]

I'm the same as Anna. I need to eat before working out or I'll get dizzy too. Or else I'll spend my whole run feeling like I'm starving and I'll just think about food the whole time.

[toadstool]

I eat something light about 1-2 hours before working out... hummus & pita, an apple & PB, little bowl of bean salad or chili...

But, if I workout in the AM, I don't eat prior. I just get up and go.

I agree that everyone's different. Experiment with different things... try eating 2 hours before or 30 minutes before... try different types of food. You'll find out what works for you.

[poopy]

I usually have a light snack an hour before I go running. Not too much, or it'll slosh around as I run. Maybe some fruit, cookies, or a piece of toast? But I won't eat if I run in the morning. :lick:

[soulshine]

on the days I get to workout in the morning, I eat breakfast... wait about 45-1 hr then go running.

at night... usually nothing except today I had a piece of small cinammon + raisin bread about an hour before.

either way, i feel fine after running. if i don't feel fine starting my run about half-way through i'm totally energized.

hope that helps a bit!

[Angiez22]

I don´t eat anything before, just water. I eat something 2 hours after my workout and something light, like a salad or fruits, b/c I´m not hungry after that.

[zoebird]

my husband tends to eat a full meal about 1 hour before he works out, and then after he works out, he has a grape juice and protien 'snack.' sometimes he uses whey protien powder (bleh!) and sometimes he has sushi (he's not vegetarian), and sometimes he'll have nuts.

i tend to eat a light meal about 30 minutes before i work out, something that is mostly protien and simple carbs (beans and salad greens or eggs and fruit or whatever combo). and then after i'm ready for my next meal. i generally have an apple immediately after, as well as a coconut water or a watermelon juice.

[kraftykraft]

I eat a Luna Bar about 45 minutes before I work out and it usually does the trick. I try to eat enough during the day because on those days when I eat less for lunch even with the Luna, I'll get shaky during the workout. Also if I eat too much sugar during the day, I'll feel it during my workout.

[holly golightly]

I don't eat at all or else I will eat something like a cliff or luna bar if it's a hard workout.

[Pandora]

I think it also depends at what time of the day you exercise, it is said to be effective to work out on an empty stomach in the early morning so the fuel is used from your body instead of using the nutritients of food you just ingested, but then, this is advice for a typical cardiovascular based work-out, directed at burning fat --> losing weight.

If you want to build muscle, I'd say, kick in a nice soy shake beforehand, and perhaps some nuts.

My work-outs are pretty intense, so if I don't eat something beforehand, I'll just won't make it through, I usually try and eat something carb and something protein based.

A soy shake of vanilla soy milk, half a banana, some strawberries... and blend!
Yum.

[mommyof1]

I'm hypoglycemic, soo I HAVE to eat before a workout or dance class, or else I'll faint!! So about an hour before I'll have some carbs, preferably startchy-- like a small bowl of rice with some veggies or something. Then right befor I leave I have a little protien to keep up my blood sugar-- not too much, because it will weigh me down. I'll usually have 1/2 an apple or a small banana with some PB. THEN I definately have to have some gatorade or the like instead of water while I'm working out. If I only drink water during a dance class especially, I'll get dizzy. But I drink plenty of water afterwards.. :)

[mush]

I can't function if I don't eat something before working out. I usually have toast with jam and a banana before exercising, then nuts afterwards.

[rabid_child]

I don't eat/drink anything before a workout. Occasionally will have water during. Having anything on my stomach bothers it while working out. (I only ever work out in the mornings for this reason)

[animallover91]

I don't workout but maybe you should try drinking lots of water and not alot but a little fruit to help your to stay energized. Also do you drink water before, during, and after your workout? That may be a reason why you get dizzy. Hope this helped.

[freebird]

I always eat a balanced meal about 2-3 hours before, and then a banana or an energy bar an hour before...also drink lots of water to stay hydrated, but slow it down about an hour before the run...you dont want it sloshing around while youre running...gross

[andyplank94]

It depends on your workout and what you want to achieve through it.
I'm currently trying to build up muscle weight from being 130 lbs, and I've have gained ten solid pounds in about three weeks so far and counting. I've read up plenty on this, and if this is your goal at all, not eating before you work out will actually significantly hurt your success. Supposedly, if you don't eat before you work out, your body has nothing to build upon, so it begins burning up important things like muscle tissue. It's also very important to eat well after your workout, because that's when your muscles are searching for available nutrients. What I've been doing is a breakfast of oatmeal blended with a scoop of whey protein and a bowl of cereal. It gives me the protein boost I need, and then I wait at least an hour to go work out. Immediately after my workout I have two scoops of whey protein in a shake and begin making my lunch(also full of protein, usually a soy burger or tofu meal).
If you're like me, trying to build muscle but not fat, I highly suggest a protein packed meal about an hour before your work out and then a larger meal right after it.

[Treehugger267]

I have to eat before I workout or I feel really ill too. My taekwondo class is in the evening, so I just eat a regular dinner sometimes even on the big side about 45 or so minutes before I leave.

Decent carbs will give you lots of energy. I stay away from anything too greesy.

[SeaSiren]

I do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach (after water). I lift in the late afternoon/ early evening and consume a small protein and carb meal a min of hour prior to and preferable two hours prior to (two hours especially before leg day which is my most intense session of the week).

[kraftykraft]

I always eat some sort of granola bar or energy bar about 45 minutes before I start my workout and most days it seems to do the trick.

[unovegan]

I usually eat some kind of fruit or something light. I also take something like propel ahead of time as to prevent dehydration. I make sure not to eat at least 2 hours before my cardio otherwise i'll want to throw up. Before weight lifting it's fine, but no good before cardio.

[glassbubblegum]

My performance really suffers if I haven't eaten a balanced meal before working out. For this reason I usually go between lunch and dinner, or 1 hour after dinner. If I must fit exercise in in the morning, I scarf down a banana or something 30 minutes before I go, which is enough to fend off the dizziness you describe but not enough fuel to help me perform at my best.

[Beancounter]

What do you guys recommend i eat before working out?

One Powerbar.

http://www.powerbar.com/