Gorging on sweets before exercise

[repoman]

obviously not a good idea. Today I had a box of chocolates that were a gift and that I broke into. Had maybe 6-700 calories worth and then went for a bike ride after sitting around for about 2 hours - note I also have a chicken breast about 30 minutes before as well. Felt like hell to begin with and it seemed to take about 10 more minutes to get into the groove than normal.

What is going on when you have to overcome the body's reaction to a sugar hit as you exercise? How would that compare to say having eaten a good meal but 5-6 hours before?

One thing I will not do now is eat anything, especially considering that it was only a 30 minute ride. If I still am suffering from the sugar hit no reason to make it worse by eating a lot now.

Perhaps the only good thing is the large fat content of the chocolate. the same calorie content from juice or soda would be much worse.

 

[gmbteach]

Good question. Is it better to eat before or after exercise?

 

[none]

I don't know the answer to that, and I am being snarky...
But I can tell you don't drink and drive...

 

[gmbteach]

I don't know the answer to that, and I am being snarky...
But I can tell you don't drink and drive...

Oh I know that one. Same as don't drink and exercise. But it is a good question though.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Good question. Is it better to eat before or after exercise?

According to my diabetes counselor, it's best to exercise, then eat, while the body is still stoked, as it were. At least, that's what she wants ME to do.

 

[gmbteach]

Good question. Is it better to eat before or after exercise?

According to my diabetes counselor, it's best to exercise, then eat, while the body is still stoked, as it were. At least, that's what she wants ME to do.

Thanks Keith. I will endeavour to have dinner AFTER I take the dog(s) for a walk.

 

[Bronzeage]

My work outs are always in the morning and I never have more than a cup of coffee(a very big cup) and sometimes a yogurt. This routine has worked well for decades.

Two years ago, I joined a health club named planet fitness. It should be named Another Planet Fitness. I don't know from where these people came. There are two galvanized buckets on the reception desk, each filled with little tootsie rolls. Now my work out starts with coffee and a handful of little tootsie rolls.

I manage to avoid the place on the first Thursday afternoon of the month. They set up two tables and stack them high with Domino's pizzas. Not the cheap cheese pizzas, either. The real ones, three meats and extra cheese. It's like a rehab center with a bar and a crack house on premises.

 

[repoman]

Maybe they don't want people to get into good enough shape (as in low body fat - not cardio fitness) to quit even for a while.

 

[DBT]

The calories provided by sweets will most likely exceed the ability to burn them through walking or exercising, and it's the spike in blood sugar that is damaging regardless of exercise. Blood sugar spikes are to be avoided, if possible.

 

[repoman]

Well Bronzeage,

I think I will try to exercise in the morning. Try within an hour of waking up and also try not to gorge on sugary stuff afterwards. And if I feel up for it to another exercise session in the early evening.

IIRC, our livers run through a good deal of its glycogen while you sleep, around 80% I think. So until I get into the rhythm I would think my muscle glycogen will not be trained to be high or efficient.

 

[J842P]

Good question. Is it better to eat before or after exercise?

Better with respect to what metric? Weight loss? Athletic ability?

 

[gmbteach]

Good question. Is it better to eat before or after exercise?

Better with respect to what metric? Weight loss? Athletic ability?

Okay .. I am large - not morbidly obese, but have struggled with weight for a number of years.

Lack motivation to exercise - BIGGEST PROBLEM. Want to walk dogs often.

Athletic ability? DUH.. none..

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

My understanding has always been to put something on your stomach before exercise, some fuel. Professional athletes do this as far as I know. But obviously you don't want a huge meal.

If you don't do this and if the exercise is strenuous your body will literally eat itself, consuming vital tissue, and not stores. That's always been my take and it seems to have worked for me. I can remember eating a small portion of breaded fish before a strenuous routine. Did that for years because it seemed to help with energy levels, breathing, the whole works.

 

[Bronzeage]

It is simply not possible to work off excess eating, in a normal world.

When Michael Phelps was in training for the Olympics, his diet was 12,000 calories a day. He also spent five hours a day in the pool, swimming faster than most people can run. I've seen Michael in his speedos and I wonder where he put 12,000 calories. There is nothing normal about any of that.

One of the blessing of being alive in the year 2015 is most of us have access to way more food than our daily life requires. We don't have to climb a tree for a snack and when we go to lunch, there's little chance something will think we should be its lunch. That's the sort of life for which the human body was intended. It's a life that sucks, so it's no surprise most people give up the "hunter-gatherer-prey to big cats and bears" lifestyle as soon as possible.

As for what to eat and how much before a workout, who fucking knows? Find a room with 100 sports nutritionists and fitness gurus and you'll get 100 different answers. Michael Phelps is a lean kind of guy. He has no fat to burn. He had to eat 12K calories a day because, if he didn't, his body would have to metabolize muscle tissue to maintain his activity level. Anyone can see how counter productive it is to consume muscle mass, while trying to build muscle strength.

The questions about exercise and weight loss are always answered with the generic "eat less and move around more." If you want to move into a truly bizarre world, look at the problems of working out and gaining weight. Pick up a body building magazine. That's actually a good exercise because most body building journals weigh more than three Cosmos and a Vogue, and has a lot more advertising pages. All of the ads are for dietary supplements, each claiming to be the Holy Grail of muscle tissue. You take one before the workout, one during the workout and another after the workout, and sometimes a cocktail called a "stack." It's easy to spend a grand or more a month on this stuff. Competition body building is not a healthy lifestyle. Of course, 12K calories and five hours a day in the pool is probably not either, but as some point Michael can cut back on both and return to a normal human existence.

The supplements (drugs, chemicals, PYL) used to gain weight differ from the stuff sold to lose weight. Weight loss supplements are mostly harmless ineffective concoctions. The stuff a man or woman will ingest with the belief it will build bigger biceps is scary, especially if one is planning on using their liver and kidneys for another couple decades or more. A sure sign that a body building supplement works is that it is quickly banned because it killed a couple people.

 

[repoman]

Joedad,

I will only bike for 30 minutes at a moderate pace to lube the joints, get the blood flowing and clear out my mind a little. I agree if I were to bike longer or harder I would a eat a little before.

 

[bigfield]

Meal timing and type depends on your goals.

If you are training to gain strength, then it is best to take in a small amount of simple sugars immediately before and during a workout, and then eat a meal high in starchy carbs soon after the workout. This provides a steady supply of blood glucose so that your body does not need to metabolise muscle tissue (and thereby undoing your progress).

If you are a non-athlete exercising to lose weight, then meal timing is not going to have a significant influence on your progress. All you really need to do is eat good-quality food, eat as little as you need to each day, and exercise as much as you can each day, thereby maximising your energy deficit.

 

[TV and credit cards]

My work outs are always in the morning and I never have more than a cup of coffee(a very big cup) and sometimes a yogurt. This routine has worked well for decades.

Two years ago, I joined a health club named planet fitness. It should be named Another Planet Fitness. I don't know from where these people came. There are two galvanized buckets on the reception desk, each filled with little tootsie rolls. Now my work out starts with coffee and a handful of little tootsie rolls.

I manage to avoid the place on the first Thursday afternoon of the month. They set up two tables and stack them high with Domino's pizzas. Not the cheap cheese pizzas, either. The real ones, three meats and extra cheese. It's like a rehab center with a bar and a crack house on premises.

There was probably a customer survey with a poorly worded question: What would you like to see more of in the gym?

*********

I would make a point of eating something small like a chicken shawarma or a fish burrito. My routine was up at about 5:00, coffee and internet til I left to ride at about 10:00. Occasionally, I'd forget to eat before I left and I would regret it. My legs would be spent and I'd be going about 10 mph for the last bit of the ride. These are long rides but I think it still holds, if you're feeling spent well before your done exercising, I'd recommend a half meal about a half hour before you venture out.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Good question. Is it better to eat before or after exercise?

You won't like this answer, but the truth probably varies from person to person. You need to find out what your body likes to do best. Certainly don't eat a lot before exercising!

Back in the day, I'd wake up early, eat breakfast, head to the gym and then swim/lift weights. Other times, when I didn't have the gym membership, I woke up and almost literally ran out the door and ran a 10+k without eating. Then I'd eat, then bike 20 to 25 miles a couple hours later at the peak of the heat in the summer.

What is important is what your body likes best. It sounds like you aren't doing much strenuous work, so it may not matter either way.

 

[Bronzeage]

My work outs are always in the morning and I never have more than a cup of coffee(a very big cup) and sometimes a yogurt. This routine has worked well for decades.

Two years ago, I joined a health club named planet fitness. It should be named Another Planet Fitness. I don't know from where these people came. There are two galvanized buckets on the reception desk, each filled with little tootsie rolls. Now my work out starts with coffee and a handful of little tootsie rolls.

I manage to avoid the place on the first Thursday afternoon of the month. They set up two tables and stack them high with Domino's pizzas. Not the cheap cheese pizzas, either. The real ones, three meats and extra cheese. It's like a rehab center with a bar and a crack house on premises.

There was probably a customer survey with a poorly worded question: What would you like to see more of in the gym?

*********

I would make a point of eating something small like a chicken shawarma or a fish burrito. My routine was up at about 5:00, coffee and internet til I left to ride at about 10:00. Occasionally, I'd forget to eat before I left and I would regret it. My legs would be spent and I'd be going about 10 mph for the last bit of the ride. These are long rides but I think it still holds, if you're feeling spent well before your done exercising, I'd recommend a half meal about a half hour before you venture out.

The secret of Planet Fitness is they discovered the magic number, which is $9.99. This will buy a month at Planet Fitness. It's magic because is it low enough that plenty of people will sign up and continue to pay it, even if they know in their heart, they will never go back again.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

There was probably a customer survey with a poorly worded question: What would you like to see more of in the gym?

*********

I would make a point of eating something small like a chicken shawarma or a fish burrito. My routine was up at about 5:00, coffee and internet til I left to ride at about 10:00. Occasionally, I'd forget to eat before I left and I would regret it. My legs would be spent and I'd be going about 10 mph for the last bit of the ride. These are long rides but I think it still holds, if you're feeling spent well before your done exercising, I'd recommend a half meal about a half hour before you venture out.

The secret of Planet Fitness is they discovered the magic number, which is $9.99. This will buy a month at Planet Fitness. It's magic because is it low enough that plenty of people will sign up and continue to pay it, even if they know in their heart, they will never go back again.

NPR recently had a piece on health clubs and how they don't have anywhere near enough equipment for everyone that is a member, and have to depend on people not showing up, otherwise they are screwed.