When & what to eat before exercising

I exercise 6-7 times per week.  Usually I lift weights at lunch 2x per week, then do cardio 4-5 days for 45-55 minutes per session (sometimes during my lunch hour, sometimes after work).  I usually have a snack before I go to the gym, otherwise I sometimes get light-headed or woozy feeling by the end of my workout.  I have two questions about pre-workout snacks.   (1)  What's the best type of food to eat before exercise?  Carbs?  Fats?  Proteins?  A mix of the 3?  If carbs, what type of carbs?  (2)  How long before I workout should eat?  (Thinking about giving my body some time to digest and convert what I've eaten in to energy I can use during exercise.)   Thanks for any suggestions you can offer; it's appreciated. Kellie

Kellie, Hello to a former Ohioan!  To answer your questions, the best things to eat before exercise are complex carbs i.e. (whole grain crackers) along with a bit of protein, i.e. (string cheese) with little or no fat.  Lowfat or nonfat yogurt contains both carb & a little protein, and is easy to eat/digest.  Higher fat items such as peanut butter or nuts less than an hour before a workout tend to cause nausea in many people as fat is the last thing to empty from the stomach (carb empties first, then protein and last is fat).  If you stick to a combination of complex carb & a little protein, you can eat this 30-60 minutes before exercise without a problem.  Other options include cottage cheese & fruit, lowfat cheese & fruit or crackers, etc.   Also having a snack before your workout should prevent you from becoming hypoglycemic (drop in blood sugar) which will likely prevent you from even working out.  For a hypoglycemic episode, I would recommend a quick energy pick-up such as 1/2 cup of orange juice or regular soda to quickly increase blood sugar.  After feeling better, it is also wise to have one of the snacks recommended above.  FYI:  One of my staples before a workout is ~ 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt w/ Splenda about 30 minutes before I work out.   Hope this helps!

Hi, Melania, thanks so much for your reply.  I usually eat lowfat yogurt w/ a bit of high-fiber cereal in the early afternoon, so I think I'll just move that snack to a bit later in the day.  I'll also try the whole-grain crackers or fruit with some string cheese.   I've been eating an open-face turkey sandwich (1 slice whole grain bread, 3 slices lean deli turkey breast, 1 slice low-fat cheese w/ alfalfa sprouts), but even if I eat that an hour before I exercise, I'm still uncomfortable sometimes (I think it's just too much food).  I'll try a smaller snack w/ the carb/protein combination as you've suggested before working out, and eat the turkey sandwich earlier in the day.  (I eat 5-6 small meals over the course of the day to keep my blood sugar level, and to keep from feeling hungry!)  Where/when did you live in Ohio?  I've lived in the Cleveland area most of my life, with a brief 2 year stint in Colorado in my early 20s.   Thanks again for your suggestions; I really appreciate it.  Have a great day - Kellie

Melaine, does food empty out of the pouch in the same order as the stomach? Becky

Uh oh, Ohio talk... Sorry to butt in - but I take back what Melania said about the soda.  Skip that with your pouch (but you all knew that, huh?). :)

Uh Oh.... you are right about the carbonated regular soda!  I deal with lots of diabetics who use orange juice or regular soda for hypoglycemic attacks. Forgive the brain lapse last night!