When to eat/when to exercise
 

I've been doing research on weight loss and I'm getting mixed signals. Some resources tell me to work out in the morning and THEN eat, but then its contridicted when other sources say to eat with in an hour of working out to avoid injury or dizziness, but eating beforey ou work out, doesn't that cause cramps? Help!!

Oh! BTW, I "started" my new diet today. I didn't have any solid chocolate (i drink soy chocolate milk) and walked for 20 minutes. It's small but that's how you need to start these things.

I eat when i am hungry and I exercise when i feel like it.

Generally i am more motivated to exercise in the mornings, but sometimes i get the urge to move in the afternoons. So long as you are doing something and burning up that energy i dont really think it matters. Find a time that works best for you!

I dont exercise for at least an hour after eating, for the same reasons you shouldnt swim for an hour after eating...i just feel too heavy and all that food slushing about in my stomach is not only uncomfortable it can make me get stitches! I'll eat usually an hour AFTER exercise too, usually because thats when my stomach naturally tells me it wants refueling.

I guess thats just a convulted way of saying i listen to what my body needs, whether that be to get outside and take a walk, or have an apple.

I agree with Lyria. Forget about the supposed "best" way to do something if the advice is contradictory, or if it doesn't work for you. More important than doing something in the optimal way is doing something AT ALL.

Most experts I have seen say that exercising in the morning "jump starts" your metabolism and it'll run higher during the day. However, I am NOT a morning person, so that's just not going to happen for me. In my old all-or-nothing mindset, I would have felt guilty that I wasn't inspired to get up early to exercise, and would have talked myself out of exercising altogether because I couldn't do the "best" way. I realized that it doesn't matter WHEN I do it, as long as I do it. The differences are minimal, anyway.

Same goes for eating. There are those who say you should exercise on a completely empty stomach so that your body taps into fat stores rather than using recent food for fuel. First, I say that's bullsh*t -- all that matters for weight loss is total calories burned vs. total calories consumed. The order in which these things happen is irrelevant. Also, if I try to exercise on an empty stomach, I don't have enough energy to go as fast/hard/long (*giggle*) as if I had some fuel in my system. So, I get a BETTER, more effective workout if I have a good snack (something that's not too hard to digest, like yogurt or a lower-cal snack bar) 30 to 60 minutes before I exercise. This is ESPECIALLY true if I do workout in the morning. I couldn't possibly do anything remotely effective if I didn't have breakfast first. But, for some people, exercising with some food on their stomach makes them nauseated. (I think the idea that it causes cramps is an old myth.) So, for them, it IS better to have an empty stomach.

So, the point is, experiment and find what works best for YOU.

Thank you guys very much. All the information about weight loss and kicking up your metabolism and toning, it's all just so confusing! I wish doctors would just say "eat better, eat a little less, exercise a little more". It'd make life so much easier. Trust me, I know dieting isn't that simple or clear cut, but finding information on the how to's and the what not's were. Sheesh!

The best time to exercise is whenever you will do it :) If you choose a time of day and find it difficult to keep it up, and back out, then choose another time.

I like to break mine up, starting with a half hour of cardio in the mornings, and finishing up in the evening. I have metabolism problems, which is a side effect of my heart meds, so I do whatever I can to boost it. I find that I can keep my metabolism revved it I space it out, but that's just what works for me, and may not work for you.

I agree with the others, find what works best for you personally :) It sounds like you are off to a great start, good luck!