before workout eating..bet with the wifey

Vic,
I have to agree with you.. if I didnt eat something before.. how could I possibly run and lift weights..

Michelle

My biology teacher (I am a nursing student) told us it is always better to eat after you work out because you rev up your metabolism and you burn the calories that’s just sitting there, and the ones you just consumed. Don't know about the carbs v's the protein. Good luck.

I think it depends on the person.  I started off not having a snack before my workouts.  But as my workouts became more intense I was running out of steam and getting physically sick.  I wasn't able to progress much further than I was doing.  I started having a small snack of 3-4 apple slices and a tablespoon of peanut butter.  No more fatigue, sickness and I was able to progress nicely ever since.  So I think some people need the snack, others don't.  For me personally I feel I need the snack to be able to push myself harder. 

I am hypoglycemic and really limit carbs in my diet, however when I started to train for a half marathon I became fatigued quickly and felt sick if I didn't eat something before hand. Anything with milk, which is normally not a problem, is a problem before working out.

So even though I don't eat much carb, I have found my best pre-workout plan is a half of a whole wheat or multi-grain deli thin with a smear of peanut butter and some sliced banana. If I eat that about an hour before running, Zumba, or boot camp, I'm good to go.

I'm inclined to believe that you need to put gas in the engine before you push the machine. It works for me.

The studies suggest that you should have a small snack beforehand, say 100-200 calories and it should be carbs because it will help top off your glycogen stores.

It's okay if it's protein because any protein you ingest before a workout will still be around after. But, for muscle repair, you do the protein after the workout. Until the muscles are torn down, the body doesn't need the extra protein as it uses it to rebuild.

Ideally those proteins should be branch-chain amino acids, too.