Before or After??....

[Nat]

Hello everyone, ive got a question for you.

I have started to go to the gym again and since i have kids, going in the morning just isnt possible so when hubby gets home at 6pm i go then. Now my question is..... If i am working out from 6:30 - 8:30 do i eat before or after the gym? Whats best to eat? Do i eat 1 hr before? Or 1 hour after? Is it true is best not to eat after 7pm?

I know weight comes into it so ill describe myself: im 64kg, my goal weight is 59kg and i really just have to tone up and loose some baby stretch/fat.

I hope i have made sense.

Thankyou everyone

[SarahC]

I always think it's better to work out on an empty stomach. If you eat just before going to the gym, then blood supplies will be directed to your tummy to help digest the food, instead of going to your muscles to help your excercise. It's like trying to do two things at once... digest and work out. Plus I find I get a bit bloated during the workout, and also can't work out as hard. So, personally, I try not to eat anything for two hours before I go to the gym. But if I'm really desperate, I have something very small. Then I try and get some food into me as soon as I can after I'm finished... don't wait

[sassi]

i agree with sarah - the only time i'd eat beforehand is if i think i'm going to be lightheaded if i didn't.

something like a banana or an up n go drink are good for quick fuel before you go if you need it.

if you do weights i think it's good to have something that's quite high in protein afterwards to help the muscles.

[KimE]

I think it depends on the workout you are doing. I believe cardio is OK to do on an empty tum but weights you shouldn't. Can't remember why but I read an article about this. Plus for weights you want some decent protein after the workout to aid recovery of the muscles.

Will see if I can track down the article as it had great info on what is best for what workout.

[loveat116]

If I have too much in my tummy i get a stitch.

If i have nothing in my tummy i get a stitch.

So at night at the gym i will eat 1/2 of my dinner before I go, and 1/2 when I come back. If I dont I feel really lethargic and lacking energy.

[Butterfly_Dawn]

If I eat before exercise i either get a stitch or nausea (has made me chuck once before). SO i eat afterwards. But I do tend to exercise very early in morning boefore breakky or at around 4-5pm before dinner, so that just may be my lifestyle as opposed to a hard n fast rule.

[Phat-Beth]

There are articles that talk about what's best to do, but personally I just do what feels right to me. I don't like working out on a full stomach, but I will have something small like a piece of fruit or a few veggies and dip before I go to the gym. Afterwards, I'm starving

Beth

[SydneyPT]

It does not matter if you eat before cardio or do a fasted-state cardio session. There are studies to show you lose around the same calories. It all depends on how hard you are working and the calories burned during the cardio session.

Also, the whole blood gets diverted to the stomach so you shouldn't eat before a gym session is a myth.