Working out before breakfast?

[Paradise555]

I was wondering if working out or even walking before having breakfast is a good way of losing wieght? I mean there is artilces like this that makes me wonder if even going for a walk before breakfast is a good idea. I mean it sounds like a good idea but if it does more harm then good then why bother?!?!

[alef]

Hello p555, moving is worth it before.

i do gym rehab 3 times a week at 5:30 AM TO 6:30pm before work.

oatmeal and fruit or nuts or a breakfast bar and you're good to go.

kind regards, alef

[Trooper]

I read somewhere a long time ago that eating after a workout burns more calories. The "experts," said that it has to do with the bodies metabolism still being in overdrive.

[Marlon]

The most important thing is that you actually do work out, so if mornings work for you then do that. I have found that my work outs are stronger/more productive when I feel strong & that means having something in my stomach within the past couple of hours.

I stopped working out in the morning because I always had an eye on the clock. My cell would start ringing & the texts/e mails from work would come in....pretty soon I was looking to cut corners & shave some time off. I now work out at night (after dinner). Good luck to you, and since today is leg-day, good luck to me too.

[WendyB]

Im an erarly bird so I walk first and then eat breakfast after.

[iMike · Accepted solution]

There probably is no right or wrong answer, which is why experts can't seem to agree on which is better.  I would say listen to your body and pay attention to the type of workout you're actually doing.  I used to do HIIT three days per week, a program so intense that (according to my chest strap HR monitor) was burning upwards of 800 calories per hour, and if I did not have something small to snack on 30 minutes or so prior to my session I was sluggish and could not perform.  My trick was to eat a banana on my way to these workouts.  On the other hand I've done less intense workouts - moderate ellyptical and weight training - before breakfast and have been.  So experiment and see which works best for you; obviously do not eat an actual "meal" before working out that might make you sick.

[cotonpal]

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@WendyB wrote:

Im an erarly bird so I walk first and then eat breakfast after.

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Me too. I get up early, walk while it's cooler and then have breakfast.

[TomHCinMI · Accepted solution]

I walk first thing in the morning because that's the easiest way to make it a habit.  

I walk before bathing, before putting on clean clothes, before taking my morning meds, before eating anything ...

Not walking at all would definitely be less beneficial than walking before breaking my fast; and that's really the alternative for me, at least during the summer.  I do wait until sunup, because I don't like to walk in the dark -- I don't want to fall again.

"Your mileage may vary", of course.

For you it might be better to walk at some other time.

When winter comes I'll definitely be walking at other times, and probably indoors.

In autumn I may well walk at other times, though  most likely still outdoors.

I do not see how exercising at a particular time could be more harmful than not exercising.

If that's really what those articles said I'll bet they're hogwash.

But they may just be very easy to misinterpret.

[runningmann]

 ok

[TomHCinMI]

That article is for the bodybuilding community.

It isn't for people trying to lose weight.

It isn't for people trying to recover from a cardiac event.

It isn't for people who are morbidly obese.

Any article that really tries to convince you not to exercise is hogwash, and its perpetrator is no better than a faith-healer.

This article doesn't try to convince you not to exercise; instead, it says that, if you're body-building, it's better to have your exercise routine burn carbs, and burn your fat during the rest of the day, than to have your exercise burn fat, and then (and, they say, therefore) burn more carbs during the day.

I think it matters more how many calories you burn, than whether they're mostly fat or mostly carbs.  (Not protein, though!).

If your body uses more carbs later, so what, as long as you aren't actually eating more carbs?

You end up burning both fat and carbs.

OTOH (on the other hand) if your exercise routine is mostly carb-burning, and -- as they claim -- that means the rest of your day is more fat-burning, so what, as long as you aren't actually eating more fat?

You end up burning both carbs and fat.

So remember:

Don't exercise, only if your physician has recommended that you not exercise; 

for instance,

* maybe you've just had some cardiac event

* maybe you've just had surgery

* maybe your lungs aren't working well enough

* maybe you've had an injury (broken leg or whatever) that makes it not so smart to exercise.

Except for that, if any reputable article gives you the idea that you shouldn't exercise, then you must have been reading it wrong.

If you were reading it right, then it's not reputable.

Are you mostly trying to lose weight, or mostly trying to gain muscle-mass?

Or are you mostly just trying to maintain your health?

If you're trying to lose weight, why?  Were you morbidly obese once?

I was morbidly obese -- 336 pounds at 6'1" tall.  Now I'm down to 265# (still 6'1" tall).

I had high blood pressure and diabetes type II and coronary artery disease.

I think I'm now over the HBP and the diabetes -- don't know about the CAD.

But I'm still obese.  I'm trying to get down to 245; if and when I make that, I'll try to go lighter yet.

[Raviv]

I work out three times a week - two days during the week on my way home from work and one weekend morning before breakfast.  To be honest, I don't notice much difference, though there are other differences besides food like location (gym vs outside) and timing (afternoon vs morning) that would also impact my workouts.

But the thing to understand about articles like this is that most of these tweaks have a VERY small impact overall, especially for regular guys that aren't world class competitors.  The effects, positive and negative, of things like this can usually be overcome by something small like eating one less bite of something or extending your run another 1/8 mile.  In the immortal words of the beautiful Lita Ford, "It ain't no big thang."

What seems to be more important for regular people is choosing the option that will keep us hanging in there and just plain showing up in the first place.  If that means getting up and heading out the front door before breakfast, then go for it.  Going for a walk before breakfast is most certainly better than sitting down for breakfast and deciding you're too comfortable to go for the walk at all.

Your morning Lita Ford:

[DominicJ]

For normal people it makes no difference, beyond if you eat then excercise you are slightly heavier, but theres just no practical difference for normal people.

I've read articles that say fasted weight training NEEDS BCAAs  from people who are usualy not that in to supplements.

But for pure weightloss, for normal people, doing normal excercise, theres just no difference