What can I eat before a run or workout so I won"t be so hungry.I am 44 years old, 150lbs, I workout with weights and run 3 to 5 miles a day. I have run 2 marathons, both in 3hrs,45 mins, and was starving. Please help.

I personally like bananas, they seem to get me through without killing my stomach... and I like oatmeal too (the non flavored kind... you can add extra stuff if you want)

try this about an hour before your workout, peanut butter and or choc spread and banana sandwich on whole meal bread, its delicious and awesome workout fuel

Generally you want your last feeding to be 2 hours before you run. Some people can eat closer to the workout though, depending, and some can do solids, some only liquids.

If you are fortunate enough to know when you will be running, make sure you have something in the tank 2 or more hours before. If you run first thing in the morning, though, you might just want to down 8-16 oz. of Gatorade about 15 min. before, and then drink Gatorade during the run. Or you could eat 1 gel with 16 oz. of water. Either way, if you run first thing, you do want some hydration and some calories in you before you start.

Running 3-5 miles at a time is not enough to warrant your using a sports drink or gels during the run, but if you run first thing and find that eating/drinking calories before you start leads to an unsettled stomach, then just start with plain water and use the Gatorade during the run.

It is important, though, to get in some calories and fluids once you are done running. I would drink at least 12 oz. of water right away, and if I had run 5 miles maybe a piece of fruit.

In general, active people should be eating SOMETHING every 2-4 hours anyway, so if you're not in the habit, this is a good place to start for your overall nutritional program. Better to have lots of small meals than the "3 squares" some people do. I can't go much beyond 1 hour without eating something!

Thanks for the info. I have my own business and I am busy most of the day I dont eat as often as I should. I will try eating something every couple hours an see what happens.
Thanks again.

8-12 oz of Gatorade, a banana, 1/2 a Clif bar and a can of Red Bull.
That's my morning meal about an hour before my long run. (2 hours or more)
We will have gatorade and water along our course at about 4 mile intervals.
Gels at every other stop. Usually 2 gels will get me thru a 2 hour run.

whoah, be careful with the red bull, you really dont need that much caffeine, its not healthy and also it will affect your heart rate if thats how your training, i used to be hooked on red bull becuase i couldnt workout without it, but if you have a healthy diet you should always feel energetic enough to workout. i dont kno what everyone else thinks but id advise steering away from caffeine as a training aid or nutritional aid. also i dont know about gatorade as im english and we dont get it here, but on all sports drinks look for an ingredient called maltodextrin, this is a slowere burning carbohydrate than sugars, almost a starch so will help you work for longer

I agree that Red Bull is not too good for you, but I think some caffeine is fine.

I train so much that I usually have a baseline level of fatigue, and so I've come to prefer the caffeinated gels (Gu Espresso Love is the best--double caffeine!) and when I'm running in a race I do not eat--I only drink Coke (if provided) or I bring my own Mountain Dew Code Red, which has double the caffeine of Coke.

Caffeine is proven to enhance fat burning (not by that much, though), and the alertness it gives you can be very helpful in long distance races.

I have been known to down 12 oz. of Code Red right before a workout, and sometimes that's just the lift (sugar included) that I need.

The amounts I use have no effect on my heart rate.

Use of caffeine is a personal preference, and other than my training/racing nutrition, I only drink 2 cups of coffee in the morning, so I don't consider myself a caffeine addict. I just like that extra "oomph" for some training workouts, and definitely in races.

There's a reason they have Coke in Ironman races--your mind gets tired and fuzzy, and the caffeine can really perk you up.

Caveat: this is stuff you really need to test out in training and "C" priority rates. Some people's guts don't react well to caffeine, and it can make certain things "move along too quickly," if you know what I mean. But if you acclimate yourself, this doesn't happen.

Caffeine isn't a banned substance, and so if it works for you, go for it! I had used some amount of caffeinated gels the last few years, and this year was the first time I decided to go all liquid on the run in my races. I can drink Coke or Code Red flat or fizzy, doesn't matter, and I can get enough calories to keep me going through the run. I'm fairly small, though, so YMMV. A larger, slower person might need to supplement the Coke with the occasional gel. You need to learn to read your body to determine whether you need calories at any given point. I've been doing this for awhile, so I think I'm dialed in.

Actually Red Bull has 80mg of caffine. About the same as a cup of instant coffee.
Mt. Dew = 55.5. Diet Coke = 46.5. Starbucks 8oz = 250mg :eek:
If anything it probably has too much sugar. So I prefer the sugar free when I can find it.

Like kona, most of the runners in our club have at least one cup of coffee before our Saturday
club run. Personally I don't like coffee. It does cause me to be a little jittery.
Red Bull doesn't. Plus it helps clear the cobwebs at "oh dark thirty" when we start out.

It also contains taurine which is an amino acid that actually promotes digestion.
So far I haven't had any stomach issues while training.
I have never drank one before or during a race. But I have seen others down one before the start.

The way I figure, if your out for a 2 hour run your going to sweat out every ounce of liquid you take in anyway. I'm not saying it's for everyone and I also recommend trial and error in training versus racing

I know this isn't what Daniel was asking for but that's the beauty of the community.

Thanks for looking out for me though. :)

on our honeymoon in the cooks last year, my wife and i visited a coffee plantation. i know, i know, stop you sappy-romantic, (we're both coffee lovers, can you tell?) ANYWAY...

according to the coffee grower dude, espresso has less caffiene then light-roast coffee. since the espresso beans are cooked longer, the pick-me-up drug is burned off at a higher rate than the lighter roast. so, according to the Atiuan coffee grower, you will get a better coffee buzz from the lighter roasts than the espresso.

this cliff-claven moment has been brought to you by the letter "C" -- for coffee


happy training!

and watch out for those light roasts!

I have to admit, I have been experimenting with caffiene and workouts. And is does make a positive difference and does not affect my heartrate. Plus caffiene speeds up your metabalizim(sp) if your trying to lose or maintan your weight.

If you have the ability to put a low amount of protein in your training drink it is a huge help against hunger. I generally try to put in 4-5 grms of whey per 20 ounce bottle. Assuming that your have 50-55 gms of carbs that ends up being a 10-12 to 1 ratio of carbs to protein.

The research is cloudy, but it looks like lower amounts of protein work as well as much higher (4-1) without the possibility of stomach distress. Even at those lower levels you get the benefit of recovery and assimilation of carbohydrate.

Michael

www.infinITnutrition.com