Pre-workout snacks?

March 10, 2010 2:45 PM

I need pre-workout snack ideas. The problem? It must be liquid!

I used to eat a banana before going to the gym in the morning. It was perfect because I could hop out of bed, eat, put on my gym clothes, and go. Since I had lap-band surgery, I've been unable to eat solid foods until around lunch time.

My workout duration is short (currently 20-30 minutes). While I know that I technically don't have to eat before I get on the treadmill, I always preform better when I am able to get something in my stomach. This is going to become even more important as I increase my cardio durations (I'm training for a half-marathon) and add strength training and yoga.

Googling has lead me to resources that say to eat fruit, yogurt, and other easy-to-metabolize foods. I tried greek yogurt and honey this morning, but it was a bit too thick. I've thought about using milk to make the yogurt thinner and buying pre-made yogurt smoothies from the store, but thought that the folks on AskMiFi might have some better ideas. Fruit juice doesn't really help with the tummy rumbles and I typically drink a protein shake for breakfast after I work out.

Do you have an easy (less than five minute prep time) recipe I can try or other ideas?

Anon because I'm not "out" about my weight loss surgery and it would be easy to find my identity through my MeFi account.

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (13 answers total)

You can make a homemade smoothie in a Magic Bullet to the consistency you want, pack it with good fruits, flax, milk and protein powder. It's the perfect pre-gym snack.
posted by Hiker at 2:56 PM on March 10, 2010

They say chocolate milk works well for the body after a workout, but it might help beforehand for your needs.
posted by yeti at 3:00 PM on March 10, 2010

Why not just have another protein shake?
posted by elsietheeel at 3:01 PM on March 10, 2010

If you find greek yogurt too thick, why not just use regular yogurt?
posted by jckll at 3:03 PM on March 10, 2010

Why don't you take your banana and blend it with milk? It's pretty much what you ate already, but now in drinkable form. You could add protein powder if you'd like.
posted by scrutiny at 3:12 PM on March 10, 2010

Yeah, I would go with a smoothie. Some good ones are:

fruit (esp. banana, pineapple, and/or orange) + yogurt + milk
apple + milk + cinnamon + almonds
bananas + milk + dates + walnuts
natural peanut butter + milk + chocolate (or plain) whey protein powder (my personal fav!)
Here's one like the peanut butter one above, only with added banana and oats!

You can add protein powder, honey, and/or flaxseed to any of these for extra oomph. The fruit one can also handle a bit of greens or carrots.
posted by vorfeed at 3:18 PM on March 10, 2010

I guess I'm confused because you already know protein shakes work, so why not just have the protein shake first if you need something in your stomach before you work out? Seems like an easy fix to me.

You could always go with Carnation Instant Breakfast or a Slimfast shake.

If you are finding yogurt too much, I'm thinking a smoothie with yogurt in it might be a little thick, too.
posted by misha at 3:41 PM on March 10, 2010

smoothies are great, and they don't have to be all fruit. I make a green smoothie with grapes, pear, frozen banana, spinach, kale, parsley, hemp seeds, water and ice that is quite the nutritional powerhouse. The taste is so so.
posted by jockc at 4:50 PM on March 10, 2010

Boost drinks should work, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry. Heck, I lived off them for about 6 weeks while in the hospital, 3 of which I was unconscious in ICU.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 5:15 PM on March 10, 2010

Protein shake might be your best bet. Whey Isolate, maybe a higher carb version for added energy although, I'd be reluctant to go for too many carbs. Maybe make it with milk?

I had a DS so am familiar with dealing with a tricky digestive system.
posted by SoulOnIce at 5:19 PM on March 10, 2010

Kefir is more drinkable than yogurt, and can be consumed either by itself or as a smoothie base.
posted by nowmorethannever at 7:40 PM on March 10, 2010

Soup is always good if you're looking for something on a more savoury line. I think they tend to give you more of a feeling of being satiated too.
posted by h00py at 8:41 PM on March 10, 2010

one of the things i miss most about NYC is the ubiquity of fresh, ice-cold carrot juice....mmm...carrot juice. if you haven't tried it, try it. it's filling, but not over-filling like protein or dairy drinks, tastes great, and might even have some vitamins in it. you can usually find it at 7-11.
posted by sexyrobot at 8:35 AM on March 11, 2010