March 28, 2024

Here is one that I had forgotten about. If you are having a cardio workout then your main motivation is to lose in fat.

If you wait at least an hour to eat after all of your cardio workouts then your body will start to burn of the glycogen in your muscles instead of having a nice supply of sugar in your blood to feed off of.

This is another reason why exercising, especially cardio are good to do first thing in the mornig before you have eaten anything to pop up your blood sugar.

If you are going to have a workout this would be the other way around as you need to have all the sugar in your blood that you can get to fuel your muscles to lift heavier s

EDIT…

Just wanted to add a quick extra to this and that is that if you are going to wait to eat after exercise the best amount of time that I have heard in the past is up to one hour.

The kind of food you would eat then I do not believe is different between a or a cardio workout and that is to eat a balanced meal but not a really large one.

Your body is healing after a workout and you would not want to tax the recovery by eating heavy foods that would slow you down

17 thoughts on “Don’t Eat After Exercise

  1. HGH gets secreted after a workout. by eating you synthesize insulin which doesn't co-exist with HGH. to maximize HGH effect, don't eat for atleast an hour, longer the better, without getting to hungry. ectomorphs have faster metabolisms, sohuld eat around hour and a half mark.

    protien right after is good but HGH travels all over your body repairing and building muscle with the protein from your pre workout and breakfast. since you are nourished from eating earlier it's okay to wait to eat. should get majority of protein postworkout.

  2. Lets keep it simple:

    If you want to gain its is crucial you have a protein shake striaght after training. The body is in a shock from all the lifting and needs energy asap in the form of protein. If you want chicken then have chicken but remember the body has to break down the chicken where as a protein shake can be asorbed into the blood stream instantly………

  3. Exercising too soon after eating can result in poor digestion since your body ends up diverting resources from processing the food in your stomach to support the activity of your muscles. Thus it is wise to allow your body to finish digestion before exercising.

  4. This article is incorrect, and has no scientific evidence to back it up. However there have been stuies proclaiming that morning cardio on an empty stomach is more effective in terms of fat burning, however their also studies proving that it has a negative effect on muscle mass which is KEY to fat loss as it’s active tissue and is responsible for calorie use in terms of BMR (masic metabolic rate).
    Waiting an hour to eat after training is also incorrect, as food consumption(nutrient consumption) is critical after training as your body is in the pre stages of catabolism (when the body uses muscle mass for energy as levels are depleted), so you should try eat something small straight after such as a can of tuna and a banana or even a whey protein shake. However your first full meal should be around 30-60 mins later consisting of proetins, carbs and vitamins and minerals as after you train your sympathetic nervous system (resposible for adrenalin release) can conflict with the digestive system.

  5. you should actually listen to your body – if its hungry then feed it – if not then dont force feed yourself as that is harming your organs!

  6. This is all very interesting. I have just gone for an hour run/walk tonight. I am hungry as I eat lunch at about 12:30. I think it is best to wait about hour. This will be approximately how long it will take me to cool down & stretch, have a shower and actually prepare a balanced meal that I will enjoy, rather than just scoffing down.

  7. If I go to the gym and put on heavy cardio the second I wake up without eating anything, I promise I will pass out. For a healthy pre-workout breakfast, eat a cup of fiber one yogurt mixed with 1/4 cup of your favorite natural granola!

  8. Your metabolic rate is at it’s highest just after exercise, surely you want to eat some helthy protein at this point so it reaches your muscles asap

  9. Um..I was told by my personal trainer that its vital to get protein, ie yogurt, eggs, fish after exercise to replenish the muscles and stop the body going into starvation mode. Come to think of it every fitness instructor I have ever consulted has told me this! I am slim and toned (though I never used to be) and always eat yogurt and fruit after exercise and often a baked potato. my personal trainer also told me the first hour after exercise is refered to as ‘the golden hour’ where what you eat gets burned up quicker, called after-burn, so its a good time to eat?!

  10. This is an interesting topic. I just read in Prevention magazine that the best method is to eat just a little something and then work out. After your workout, then eat your breakfast. Taylor was right about the body looking for energy sources. If your body is low on glycogen (the fuel for muscles), it then goes into the the Krebs cycle which burns fats. But it also burns proteins, and if your body is depleted, then it will get that protein from muscle mass.

    I always thought that I should workout first, which seemingly would ramp up my metabolism so that when I eat breakfast afterwards, I’m burning through what I ate and my metabolism would be revved all day. But apparently this is actually counter-intuitive. So I’m going to try the small snack prior to working out, and then my meal when I’m done.

  11. Taylor if your going to cite sources please find a better one than some skinny kid’s blog. That was pointless.

  12. how long do you have to wight
    -–
    COMMENT:
    Bill, I heard that digestion is usually accompanied with increase of blood flow around stomach and intestines. After excercise your blood flow is high in muscles and on skin surface (to support tissues with oxygen and for thermoregulation reasons). So if you eat after excercise it can lead to rapid decrease in blood flow in muscles and increase of blood flow in internal organs. Maybe it’s not good too and can be another reason why you shouln’t eat right after the excercise?
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