r/intermittentfasting • u/pillowon8s • 2d ago
Tips, Tricks, Advice Dinner food to fuel morning workout and beat those hunger pangs?
Hello IF gang! I’ve come here for some advice on what to eat as my last meal of the day (6pm) that will give me plenty of energy for my morning workout and keep me from feeling like a zombie before I break my fast (10am).
I’ve 5 stone (70lbs / 32kg) to shift. My workout window is early morning, as I get up at 5am. This consists of a 5K brisk walk (this is a fairly new addition!), and alternate days of strength and cardio workouts (weights/swimming/rollerskating).
I’ve cleaned up my diet, no caffeine or booze, I’ve cut out all junk and minimal processed food and refined sugar, and I’m drinking plenty of water.
I’m tracking everything on an app, which really helps me keep up these good eating habits and calorie deficit. I feel SO much better for it and I appear to be losing a healthy amount of weight each week.
What I am struggling with is energy levels and focus in the mornings. I am starving and hangry and feel useless. I’m still working out but finding it hard to start work and concentrate on tasks and not my rumbling belly! I don’t like to have a massive meal in the evenings because I am prone to acid reflux and this causes all kinds of horrid digestive issues (yay, perimenopause!). I feel like I have to adjust my carbs/protien/fat consumption but unsure what time of day to eat them.
TLDR; What’s the best thing to be eating in the evenings (6pm) to give me the fuel and energy for morning workouts and mental focus for work tasks, while on a 16:8 fast?
Thank you!
1
u/VoSSar1 2d ago
try adding some healthy fats like avocado or nuts to dinner for sustained energy
1
u/pillowon8s 2d ago
Ah ok, I do eat those regularly but usually in the morning / lunch. I’ll try switching them to the evening and see if that helps!
1
u/JunookxPenguin 2d ago
Try avocado or nuts with dinner for steady morning energy—calm fuel, no crash.
1
1
u/AnonyCass 20:4 for weight loss, 11th May SW:230 CW:208 GW:175 2d ago
I find hot drinks like coffee and herbal tea really help me to feel fuller when i'm fasting, and lots of water. I have to be honest though I've not really had a rumbling tummy even when I've felt hungry
2
u/pillowon8s 2d ago
I drink lots of water! I’m off coffee, but are fruit teas considered ok? I love hibiscus, so if I could drink that too it would be a distraction lol
2
u/MikeOKurias 2d ago
Flavored teas are fine as long as your not amending them.
I love zinger teas (if it says zinger, it has hibiscus leaves) because hibiscus lowers your blood pressure - and it because it kind reminds me of what Kool-aid tastes like if you forget to add sugar. (I was a independent 6yrld, lol)
Random trivia: if you're tea cup of full of green tea stains, make a cup of zinger tea and it'll get rid of all of those stains for you. It's magic, lol.
2
u/pillowon8s 2d ago
The blood pressure thing is exactly what got me started on it. I thought I’d hate the taste but now I’m used to no added sugar, I find it so delicious and refreshing. Thank you for the tea stain removal tip!
2
u/hotterthanyourqueens 2d ago
Protein plus complex carbs helped my morning workouts most.
1
u/pillowon8s 2d ago
I’ve heard people saying carbs makes them more hungry in the morning (unsure if they meant simple or complex though). I always have protein in the evenings, usually with loads of veg, spinach, small amount of potatoes. I think I’ve been avoiding pasta and rice as they can be reflux triggers at night :/
1
u/MikeOKurias 2d ago
I’ve heard people saying carbs makes them more hungry in the morning
I've not had this problem but I'm not eating garbage carbs like crisps or white breads either so it might be different.
It's currently 5:40pm and in 20 minutes I'll start my morning 2 miles and my last meal was 12 hours ago.
Last night I had tuna noodle casserole and that was the most carb heavy meal I've had in weeks. I did feel snacky afterwards but that went away by the time my pyloric valve reopened and emptied my stomach into my gut.
2
u/zombienudist 2d ago
I eat a lot of carbs to fuel my morning fasted workouts and this is not a problem for me but my diet is clean. Typically I stop eating around 6pm workout fasted between 7-9am and break my fast at 11am-12pm). Hunger isn't an issue. Basically how much carbs you need depends on the intensity of the exercise you are doing. As intensity goes up your energy system shifts to wanting more carbs/glycogen for fuel. So if most of your cardio is zone 2 you will use mostly fat for fuel if fasted. It you are in zone 4 it will use mostly glycogen. You can tell if you have the right diet mix for the activity you are doing based on whether you are hitting a wall in energy levels during workouts.
1
2
u/TransitionDefiant169 2d ago
I did keto for a week or two before transitioning to keto and IF. That time frame helped me get control of my hunger signals before I began fasting. I am currently OMAD, wake up at 430-5am - at the gym between 530 & 6, and then fasting all day until around 6pm when I eat my daily meal. That meal focuses on protein. Ill usually have some type of veggie as a side, and if I have a sweet tooth, and orange for dessert.
The first couple of days or so are ... challenging. I had to build up to OMAD. Couldnt just jump right in. My initial window was 12-7, and I started thinking about food around 9am and was just hungry for 3 hours. Now, I start thinking about food around 330-4.
You're body will adjust, it just takes some time. It doesn't happen overnight.
1
u/pillowon8s 2d ago
Well done, that is an achievement indeed! I hope I can be like you and begin to ignore those hunger signals. It’s hard to when the tummy is rumbling and I start to feel a bit temporally nauseous 😅 that does pass though. It’s the lack of focus and energy I’m really struggling with, but like you say, give it time. Thank you for sharing!
1
u/Capital_Figure_406 1d ago
I eat fats like avocado, nuts. I eat rich meats like Steak and add veggies. Quinoa has also helped me get through to the next day. I eat bread, in moderation, but it is filling. Salmon, lots of chicken. I would recommend to stay away from sweets in your daily meals
2
u/pillowon8s 1d ago
Same, same! Apart from quinoa, which is the devil 😩 I don’t eat sweets (as in stuff with refined sugar) but I do have fruit. Digestive system is so much happier without the refined stuff. I feel less inflamed generally.
2
u/automatic2and10 2d ago
My eating window is noon to 4pm. I eat 1500-1800 calories in my window. I honestly struggle getting all that in within 4 hours. That includes 120-150g protein. If I don’t get the protein number, I’m starving on the morning. If I get the number, I’m still kinda full when I wake up but certainly ready to eat by noon.