# excercise before or after a meal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 26, 2000, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excercise-before-or-after-a-meal/38345 "2000-10-26T01:02:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excercise-before-or-after-a-meal/38345/1 "2000-10-26T01:02:13Z")
The daylight hours are getting shorter and the only way I can get some excercise (usually fast bike rides) in the sun is during the lunch break. What I always wonder is, is it better for my body to eat first or excercise first? Or are they both perfectly OK? ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excercise-before-or-after-a-meal/38345/2 "2000-10-26T01:53:19Z")
I read in Men’s Health if you want to burn fat you need to wait 3 hours after eating. Or else you will be burnig off the food you consumed. Not to mention maybe making yourself ill. Now if your goal is to strengthen your heart it MAY be better to eat. As you will have more energy and be able to use the Carbs you ate quicker to run faster and keep the heart rate up. This will increase your stamina overall and strengthen your heart ---
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excercise-before-or-after-a-meal/38345/3 "2000-10-26T02:02:18Z")
Yes, but it’s only partially true. The main reason: after the meal a big portion of your blood is tied up it the stomach (gasto-intestinal organs). You may need this blood for serious exercise. Result: extended digestion and muscle cramps. Try it if you don’t believe me. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excercise-before-or-after-a-meal/38345/4 "2000-10-26T04:38:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by peace \* > \*\*Yes, but it’s only partially true. The main reason: after the meal a big portion of your blood is tied up it the stomach (gasto-intestinal organs). You may need this blood for serious exercise. Result: extended digestion and muscle cramps. Try it if you don’t believe me. \*\* I’ve experience this first-hand. It is not fun. Eat after you exercise. ---
**Author:** ![foofers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@foofers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foofers)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excercise-before-or-after-a-meal/38345/5 "2000-10-26T05:15:04Z")
Exercise also works as an appetite suppressant(sp). It does for me, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Meephead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@Meephead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meephead)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excercise-before-or-after-a-meal/38345/6 "2000-10-26T05:40:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by foofers \* > \*\*Exercise also works as an appetite suppressant(sp). It does for me, that is. \*\* Just the **thought** of exercise makes me lose my appetite. ---
**Author:** ![JoeyBlades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excercise-before-or-after-a-meal/38345/7 "2000-10-26T13:56:36Z")
I remeber a diet book several years back, I think it was called the Hilton Head Diet Book. It claimed that eating raised your metabolism as did exercise. It also claimed that if you started exercising between 15 and 30 minutes prior to eating that it effectively quadrupled your metabolism. If your goal is to lose weight via metabolic processes, this seemed to be the way to go. They recommended that your meals before exercise be light, low fat, and non spicy to avoid indigestion problems. I’m not into diets, so I never tried it. Don’t know if there’s any truth to the claims. ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excercise-before-or-after-a-meal/38345/8 "2000-10-26T14:09:48Z")
Sensei always says to eat before a workout, but it has to be at least an hour before. Not that he’s the authority, but it works for most people in the class. I guess if you can’t eat an hour before, it’s better to eat afterwards, otherwise you may get sick during your workout. ---
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excercise-before-or-after-a-meal/38345/9 "2000-10-26T14:33:19Z")
It’s all true, more or less. Individual reaction may vary. In some people excercise may immediately suppress appetite. In the olden days farmhands welcomed good lunch (wasn’t farmwork a good excercise?). ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excercise-before-or-after-a-meal/38345/10 "2000-10-26T17:23:30Z")
Thanks for all the replies. Nice to get a clear consensus! ---
**Author:** ![TampaFlyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@TampaFlyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TampaFlyer)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excercise-before-or-after-a-meal/38345/11 "2000-10-26T19:08:41Z")
\> It claimed that eating raised your metabolism as did exercise. Yeah, if you eat on a treadmill.