Should You Eat Before Or After You Exercise?

Ever since I started on my journey to a new me I have been trying to figure out just when a person should eat, before or after you exercise?  I began a search on the internet to get a few answers and here is what I discovered.   The best answer that I found and agree with is included in this blog post.  Check it out and see if you agree.

Eating Before or After Exercise:

• Eat afterwards, after the cool down period. Eating puts stress on the cardiovascular system, and throwing exercise in with the deal could be dangerous.
• You should eat both before and after exercise! When you eat before exercise, you're giving your body immediate energy to use. This isn't to say that you should have a six course meal. Something light light a flax seed whole wheat bagel with a chicken breast (white meat, no skin, no bone, no cold-cuts) If you don't eat properly before hand, your body will start to take the fat from your internal organs (instead of that midsection). After you've finish your exercise (especially if you've been doing weight lifting), it's important to eat something rich in protein and light in carbs. If you don't, your body will go into a state of hunger, and you'll be even more tempted to binge eat at the next meal.
• You are basically tightening your muscles and burning the fat stored in your body. Everyone has a certain amount of fat stored in your body and as you exercise the fat decreases but remember there is 3,500 calories in a pound.
• If you exercise in the morning you should have your breakfast, wait 1/2 hour to an hour and do your exercising. Just like when you want to go swimming ... eat, wait an hour, then go swimming. Otherwise, your muscles will cramp! As you know protein is the best for the muscles. I eat before exercising, wait an hour (or if I'm in a hurry I will "fast walk" to help digest my food faster) and then work-out. Eating after exercising is advisable, but I enjoy taking some protein drinks or a drink that raises my electrolyte levels. Also energy bars are fine to munch on after exercising. Just stick to 3 good meals a day. Lots of protein, green veggies, etc. Salads are wonderful to eat after exercising and not heavy on the stomach.
• You are actually supposed to eat AFTER exercising, as your metabolic rate has increased and will use all the energy and fats from your food immediately.
• Of course you are going to have to eat at least something (light snack) before you exercise (wait an hour before you workout after you eat to give your body time to properly digest it into your system) because where else are you going to get the energy from to fully exercise. You need something to fuel your body. It's all about training your body so it will get use to what you are feeding it so make it a routine. Eat before and after you exercise and drink plenty of water.
• It's best not to eat within 2 hours before exercising. This is because when you eat, your glycemic index rises, your pancreas immediately releases insulin, which brings your blood sugar lower than its resting state. It's best to eat carbs within 5 minutes of exercise (snack) because carbohydrates are the fastest source of energy. Do not eat anything acidic because your body already has a hard enough time regulating pH during exercise. If you're running a marathon, it's recommended that you intake 40 - 60 grams of carbs per hour. After exercise, it's best to eat a good portion of carbs within 2 hours. This replenishes all of the glycogen that you lost during exercise. If you wait longer than 2 hours, the glycogen replenishing won't be as effective.
• You need to eat carbs before your workout, usually about 50 grams for a 155-170 lb male. It's equally important to get 50-75 grams of carbs after your workout for the same weight (male). If you don't have enough carbs in your body during your workout you'll be fatigued and unable to perform as well. Not to mention that your body could start pulling energy from your muscles and any protein you've consumed through the day - leaving no protein for your tired muscles to be supported with afterwards. This is especially important for anyone trying to body build.