Waiting a certain amount of time after food before exercise?

I was thinking of starting to get fit (and lose a little fat I have in some areas, namely the stomach :biggrin:

), and have been looking at some good beginner's plans, mostly to do with walking for 20-30 minutes, to get going slowly (then move to some jogging, running etc once I feel I'm at a good level). Also getting some proper food down me - Maybe 2 wheatabix (or equivalent type of cereal, I love it :biggrin:

) and a banana. The question is, especially for this type of breakfast food, is it advisable (or most profitable in terms of results) to wait a period of time after eating before setting out and doing it? Just want to get some ideas/recommendations on my little plan. :smile:

Reply 1

gas_panic!

12

You should wait at least an hour, and if you have a large meal 2 hours.

Reply 2

Fleece

15

Best time to exercise is in the morning before breakfast.

Reply 3

Bob_

OP

Ah, so that you're buring calories for a while after? Makes sense. :smile:

Reply 4

*titanium*

12

If you are just having a normal sized brekafast like you mentioned, eat it as soon as you get up. By the time you have got dressed and brushed your teeth etc you should be fine.

Its not like you die if you excersize after you eat, if you eat a lot you will feel bloated and slugish and could get a stich but since your on an empty stomach in the morning, toping up is good and its not exactly going to distrub you when you are just walking.

Dont be fooled in to thinking you cant excersize with food in your stomach, you only feel bad if theres lots of food, if there was no food you would be feeling desprate to eat something.

Reply 5

Jayk

1

Fleece

Best time to exercise is in the morning before breakfast.

What she said :biggrin:

Directly between meals works too. Although I find if I eat too close to exercising, I lose the will to do the exercise...

Reply 6

danni_bella

17

Fleece

Best time to exercise is in the morning before breakfast.

Actually Fleece here has hit the nail on its head, she could not be more right. :smile:

And to think I was about to post that - pays to read threads the whole way through sometimes (as jayk_bakner did too) :biggrin:

Anyway failing that and for whatever reason you had stuff to do/classes to get to in the morning, yeah wait 2 hours after eating then go for it cardio style.

HTH xo

Reply 7

Squelchy

Yeah, fasted AM cardio is definitely a good method of reducing bodyfat, as long as you don't mind sacrificing muscle mass in the process.

However, I would definitely suggest some sort of protein before doing it to kickstart your metabolism and make sure you're catabolising fat for fuel instead of muscle mass.

Reply 8

rock_eleven

1

For anyone who cares:

http://www.ironaddicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8477
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=747976

offer reasonable discussions of fasted v. fed cardio

Reply 9

*titanium*

12

The problem wiht not eating before breakfast is you can not do high intensity workout, you say how not having breskfast will burn more fat, well then the brekfast will put the fat back in you.

You will not mange to do high intensity with out breakfast, trust me on that because real excersize means you need to eat proper food. When i cycle (must confess iv been a bit lazy recently) i had breakfast first and a bit of food during the ride, i had a carbohydrate drink aswell, once i had none left so took water instead and guess what, i passed out, and i was so weak it took me days to recover. You cant do real excersize, with out food yet this is the stuff that burns the cal's 500 per hour for 2 hours 30min = 1500 cals, no wonder people are worying about when to have breakfast in order to loose most weight when their work out probably burns less cals then is in their breakfast.

Personaly i dont care about cals, i just care about my fitness levle.

If you had enough decidation to excersize properly, and cut out sweets/ junk food, you could eat as much as you like and you will stay thin.

Reply 10

rock_eleven

1

*titanium*

If you had enough decidation to excersize properly, and cut out sweets/ junk food, you could eat as much as you like and you will stay thin.

as long as "proper exercise" means as much as is required to counter the effect of eating "as much as you like", however much that would be. So really it's stating the obvious, but may give the wrong impression to many people. Eating clean food only makes it easier to lose weight if as a result of disliking that food, you eat less.

Reply 11

*titanium*

12

rock_eleven

as long as "proper exercise" means as much as is required to counter the effect of eating "as much as you like", however much that would be. So really it's stating the obvious, but may give the wrong impression to many people. Eating clean food only makes it easier to lose weight if as a result of disliking that food, you eat less.

You are less hungry when you excersize and genraly keep active since blood goes to the muscles instead of the stomach so you are less hungry, yes there are extreme cases aswell where people can not stop eating but if you are doing 1 long hard work out of sevral hours on the weekend that leaves you shattered, and a couple of shorter (maybe 45min) but still intense workouts durin the week, it will leave you in great shape.

It helps to do running swimming or cycling, even football as long as you keep active, i find when i have been at the gym that its actualy hard to get a good work out, especialy if you keep swithcing activities every 10 minutes.

Reply 12

Bob_

OP

What about some kind of protein/energy bar before then? Because I don't like the sound of losing muscle, but at the same time don't fancy losing some weight (fat!) and then putting it on again. But then, wheatabix etc isn't really fattening, is it?

Reply 13

hippychick4eva

I'm a lifeguard.. and we are advised to tell people to wait about 2 hours after a large meal before going swimming :smile:

Reply 14

*titanium*

12

Bob_

What about some kind of protein/energy bar before then? Because I don't like the sound of losing muscle, but at the same time don't fancy losing some weight (fat!) and then putting it on again. But then, wheatabix etc isn't really fattening, is it?

The boby breaks down muscle for energy, if it runs out of carbs, bi tmore complex then that, more ot do with protien the muscle, but if you have enough carb, it wnt be a problem.

Protein bars (or drink) can be food after excersize, especialy weight training, but dont have it during an intense excersize. I made that mistake once, the first time i ever tryed one. Protein bars, are extremly thick and heavy, dont try and do excersize after eating one, it will feel as if your trying to excersize after a plate of chips!

Reply 15

Bob_

OP

From what my limited brain could take in from the links posted here, it seems to depend on what you are doing. I don't intend on doing any high intensity stuff to start off with anyway. I haven't read the box yet, but I think wheatabix has a good level of carbs in it, so maybe I should just stick to it. :s