espi

Just like the title says, I can't really stomach too many solid foods before I work out or run. A mid-way through, my stomach gets queasy and I feel like I need to throw up (and sometimes do). Sometimes I can manage a chewy granola bar or a banana, but not always.

I read an article on runnersworld.com that suggested drinking a sports drink (Gatorall? It wasn't Gatorade, but something very similarly named) in place of breakfast. What about those Snapple smoothies, or something like Gu? I'm really open to any suggestions.

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Swanny

I have the same problem, mostly with running. I just don't eat for at least a couple of hours before running, and I don't even drink water within 45 minutes or so. If I run first thing in the morning, I eat afterwards.

If you are eating enough (and eating enough good foods) and are hydrated, you shouldn't have to eat or drink right before you work out. Sometimes I will have a small snack (yogurt, nuts, granola, peanut butter) at least an hour before I lift weights to make sure my blood sugar doesn't crash.

runtuff

I use the three hour rule. Unless its an intense workout or an overly long workout then don't eat at all until I do the run. Usually though the 3 hours works. Protein and fatty foods take a lot longer to digest and should be avoided. I also has really good luck with yogurt.

Its not really that important to eat if you are thinking that food you ingest is the fuel for that next workout. Your body stores excess fuel in the form of glycogen in your liver for later use. Also the body begins converting fats to fatty acid for energy as well. As a broad guideline the stored energy in your liver from your last meal should last an hour and then the free fatty acid metabolism kicks in.

Also don't avoid fluids in the summer at least, find something that works, there are so many choices now.

Clark

I to can't stomach solid foods before working out. If I am doing an AM workout I eat yogurt and an orange before working out. Then have something more solid after my workout. Other wise I do not eat 2 hours before a workout.

sailor

I used to get the same problem. I found that eating one packet of instant oatmeal (or a small amount of the real stuff, I just dont have a way to cook it) along with half of a chocolate bar for quick energy gets me going just fine without causing GI distress.

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Stug

I can't eat before a workout but also lately I can't seem to hold much liquid down if I drink immediately afterwards. Is this bad? Maybe I should be drinking lots of little sips of liquid (slowly) after exercise, instead of trying to quench my thirst by glugging 1/2 a pint of water. Or maybe i should stop exercising and cut out the 'middle man'...?

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sailor

Here's a question: are you eating because you are hungry, or are you eating for energy?

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"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
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espi

I'm mostly eating because my wife sometimes nags me to eat something before I go to the gym/out running. I find I'm really not often hungry immediately when I wake up in the mornings, and can generally wait about 1-1.5 hours before I feel like I need to eat.

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sailor

Then try just eating something like a candybar or an energy gel/powerbar for energy. Youll need the energy if you are excercising in the morning, but too much food brings GI distress, as you have seen.

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thingstodo

shakes are also good as they digest much faster than solid food but, in the right mix, provide long-term energy.

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greyeyes

you know, there's nothing wrong with not eating before a workout, your body takes a very minimum of two hours to absorb the protien anyway (if that's what you are worried about). I usually eat after a workout and I've never had a bad time with it, though I usually have to make myself eat, because I usually loose my appetite after working out.

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coash

grind some oatmeal and whey and flaxseed ....hours of satiety

JaySpencer

I used to refrain from eating anything that was too heavy about 2 hours before I ran, think low bulk, no meat or heavy dairy. I would stay away from even soda more then 30 minutes before I ran.

espi

Thanks for all the great advice. I'll grab some shakes and energy gels and try them out next week before working out and running. I'd start this week, but I have a 5K race coming up on Sunday, and I don't really want to mess up my routine.

I actually kicked my soda and coffee habit earlier this year. Man, it feels pretty good not to have those caffeine withdrawl headaches that I used to get if I went more than a couple of hours without a soda. (At one point in my life I was up to six or seven Dr. Peppers a day. Not surprisingly, I dropped about 40 lbs when I switched to diet soda).

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If it weren't for my horse, I never would've spent that year in college.

zap

Eating would be the lat thinh I would consider. When in active contact sports i would only have a light meal the night before, nothing on the day at all a big no no. Between the adrenalin and all the last thing i needed was a food intake. These days however I would only eat a light snak a max 4-5 hours before. So eating and exercise in the same breath not a good ide.

sailor

It is if you are going for any sort of extended period of time. Your body can only store so much glycogen, and once its depleted, you will crash and burn. Your body needs fuel, and you will perform much better with it--the trick is finding something that doesnt upset your stomach. You might even try energy gels (clif shots, hammer gel, gu, all that stuff) and see if those upset your stomach. There are cheaper things out there, but those are designed not to upset the stomach. A candy bar or a flat non-diet soda will also do the trick, as will a banana or a handful or dried cranberries or rasins (although those make my stomach hurt during high intensity exercise).

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VitaminH

When you exercise for more than a few mins, your digestive tract begins to 'shut off' it never completely stops, but stuff stops moving through it, causing people to barf and feel sick if there's food in their stomach. I never eat before I run/workout, but I'll usually drink plain water to keep myself hydrated. Don't chug a liter or anything right beforehand, else you will have the same effect because you're filling up your stomach. Take it over an extended period of time before the workout.

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