ok, do I eat before I work out or after I work out?

I work out at night a lot. So I get frustrated about when to eat my last meal, before or after?

I don't think that it really matters but I guess it depends on what you mean by a meal. If you classify a meal as an actual meal - for instance supper rather then a snack it helps when I eat an hour+ before I work out. I feel like I have energy and it helps me through the workout but it's not too soon after that I want to puke(sorry, lol). I always save about 150-200 cals for after my workout and I feel like I need protein after so I eat a yogurt or trail mix, etc.

If you are anything like me, going to bed on a full stomach will not work. My digestive system wants to rest when I rest.  So, try having your dinner first and exercise 1/2-1 hr after. If you are hungry after your work out, try some grapes, popcorn or plain cereal (ie cheerios).

I think Its personal prefrence.  If I eat (even a little) before I work out I feel like im gonna puke during the hardest parts of my workout.  I dunno its weird.

Hmm, i would think working out before you eat is best.

I get hungry after a long workout...so if i ate dinner and then worked out, i would want to snack more later into the night. But eating right before dinner i can eat and then feel full for the rest of the night (with a small snack).

Thanks guys:)

My brother is a workout guru, and his tips for weight loss is to workout prior to eating because after your workout is when your metabolism is working the hardest and it will burn the food faster. I know, eating after you work out never seems very appealing, but if you try to get some nourishment in within one hour of working out it will help your metabolic rate.

I'm with amj1616, if I have anything in my stomach when I work out I get really pukey.  So I eat after... right or wrong that's how my body works ;) !

There are some government guidelines here which you might find helpful....

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article. aspx?articleId=1148

Fatty's on the lose !

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I've read it's best to try and eat 100-200 calories within the hour before you work out so you have some energy, I guess this would depend on the duration and intensity of your workout also.

I typically eat 300 calories an hour before I work out, I then do 63 minutes high/low intensity cardio and 30 mins resistance training, then I eat 250 calories afterwards, thats my breakfast and lunch though.

If you feel ok I don't see a problem with it, in the end it's calories in vs calories out.

Thanks for the link.  My cardiologist told me that digestion requires 1/3 of your blood supply, so to eat at least an hour before exercising.

i eat oatmeal 1 hr before and when i get back after a half hour i have a protein shake and after an hour after that i have a well balanced meal of protein and carbs, that works well with me.

I typically eat carbs and sugar stuff before I workout and then have some protein after I workout.

Both meals balance out the amount of calories I will be burning

two hours before you work out or one hour after

I usually eat some fruit before I go work out to get something in my system, then eat your dinner afterward (maybe eat a little less so you can still fall asleep easily and such!)

I think it's a better idea to eat about 2 hours before you exercise. That way, you have enough of an energy store to be able to last through your workout. You'll end up burning more calories also.

I just read about when to eat when exercising either late last night, or early this morning. It's driving me nuts trying to find if it was in a web article, or in one of the books I have at home. If I can find it, I'll let you know!

For myself, I like exercising in the morning - there's no way I can eat 2 hours before, so I take what I can get.

Personally, I eat when I'm hungry and I exercise when I get the chance (I have 4 children.)  So I wouldnt' get too hung up on this issue or it can just lead to problems meeting your exercise goals.  Overall it wont' matter, intake minuse calorie usage equals weight loss.  I do feel uncomfortable working out if I'm too full though, but if I eat a meal just big enough to fill me up, I'm fine.