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Can I skip breakfast even though I train in the mornings?

So for quite a few reason, I can practically only skip breakfast and get an 8 hour window between lunch and dinner. However, I train in the mornings and as an amateur triathlete it’s usually some intensive swimming/cycling/running and then I also go to the gym 3 days a week after that. Would it be a good idea to skip breakfast and do lunch about 5 hours after my training? And I’ll also have to do all these workouts fasted. Good idea? Not?

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Answer

You can give it a try and see how you feel. I have exercised and weight lifted in a fasting state and ate my first meal at my usual time (between 1 and 4 pm). I recommend making sure you get some sugar free electrolytes while training though. Worst case, eat a few salt rocks (the name for them escapes me now). You will need that to stave off any headaches from you sweating during training. Good luck!

Answer

It depends on several factors, such as how long you’re working out, how hard your workouts are (aerobic vs anaerobic), how long it’s been since you ate dinner, and what you’ve been doing in that time. I highly recommend spending time learning about physiology, especially the parts about how your nutrient intake impacts performance and recovery. If you’re a very casual triathlete you’ll probably be fine just about every day, but if you’re trying to do a hard workout some of those mornings you may suffer without fuel. And if you’re doing a long slow fasted workout, you might want to refuel afterwards for proper recovery. But it depends on your specific schedule and body.

A great resource is free on Coursera: Science of Exercise | University of Colorado Boulder https://coursera.org/learn/science-exercise

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