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Gym on empty stomach
Replies
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I eat late into the night (11:30pm), so skipping breakfast isn't an issue for me. I've well fueled as I do sessions with clients from 9:00 to 11:00am, then workout afterward.
Don't know why people don't think you CAN'T keep glycogen storage high enough for 12 hours before use. I'm sleeping for 8 hours (fat for fuel not glycogen) and the other 3 hours is driving to the gym and instruction. Hardly a glycogen depleter.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Really interesting question. I am eating at a ever so slight deficit. My meal at night is over by 6pm, and is never more than 30% of my overall intake, I tend to eat big in the morning, medium at lunch. I am on empty by 6am the next day, in fact, I am sure I am fat burning and glycogen depleted from 3-6am as I often wake up alert and hungry.
This is my plan.
I then fuel up for the mornings workout, high carbs, get really great results 2/3 hours later.0 -
I heard you'll get most benefits from it and personally believe that
As long as you have good diet, which mine is bad and good depending on the day and mood
If you're stomach is empty and you didn't have a good meal your heart attack risk increase exercising on empty stomach
source for all this?
All that is just common sense
Look it up it's out there
It's not one source it's just from a ton of stuff I've read
Exercising on empty stomach in theory you're burning your absolute body fat
So when you eat something later, it won't be burned in exercise and will be stored as fat, resulting in a net wash (assuming overall diet remains the same despite difference of timing around exercise)
Exercising on full stomach your body is still working through what you're still digesting
Which means that food will be burned for fuel, giving you energy for your workout and won't be stored as fat.
It takes like 12 hours to be on an empty stomach
See my responses above in bold.0 -
I heard you'll get most benefits from it and personally believe that
As long as you have good diet, which mine is bad and good depending on the day and mood
If you're stomach is empty and you didn't have a good meal your heart attack risk increase exercising on empty stomach
source for all this?
All that is just common sense
Look it up it's out there
It's not one source it's just from a ton of stuff I've read
How is "working out on an empty stomach increases risk of heart attack" just common sense? And if it's claimed in "a ton of stuff you've read" I'd like to know what you're reading because I've certainly never heard such a claim and have a hard time imagining how that working out while hungry could put me at risk for a heart attack.0 -
I heard you'll get most benefits from it and personally believe that
As long as you have good diet, which mine is bad and good depending on the day and mood
If you're stomach is empty and you didn't have a good meal your heart attack risk increase exercising on empty stomach
source for all this?
All that is just common sense
Look it up it's out there
It's not one source it's just from a ton of stuff I've read
i was not aware that having an empty stomach increased your risk for heart attack ...again, do you have a source for that beside woo.com...?
Anybody is at risk for having a heart attack at any time
I can't go into detail but just look stuff up about diet and heart disease
It's very simple
The bold is because your claim is false.0 -
Yeah, I'm totally making up that reoccurring 2-3 hour thing...references cited. I guess there is no bending or recumbancy in exercise according to some "expert" opinion
Dude, a screenshot of recommended treatments for reflux disease saying "avoid meals 2-3 hours before bedtime" as a measure to prevent symptoms does not even begin to hint at evidence that avoiding food for 2-3 hours before exercise is optimal in healthy individuals.2 -
I think he was referring to 'avoid stooping, bending', so the jury is still out.....0
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Springfield1970 wrote: »I think he was referring to 'avoid stooping, bending', so the jury is still out.....
Ah, but that's regardless of meal timing so I guess his "references cited" indicate that squats and deadlifts are not optimal (if we're seriously going to use a list of vague recommendations for people with GERD as a reference for what is optimal in regards to working out).2 -
Can't say I'm a keen morning eater myself. Never was. I always worked out on an empty stomach if I did a morning gym session but a friend suggested I should take a smoothie before hand, just for energy purposes. I have to admit, I felt like I put more into the workout just on a 300ml blueberry smoothie. I say up to you. However you're comfortable I say0
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Springfield1970 wrote: »I eat late into the night (11:30pm), so skipping breakfast isn't an issue for me. I've well fueled as I do sessions with clients from 9:00 to 11:00am, then workout afterward.
Don't know why people don't think you CAN'T keep glycogen storage high enough for 12 hours before use. I'm sleeping for 8 hours (fat for fuel not glycogen) and the other 3 hours is driving to the gym and instruction. Hardly a glycogen depleter.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Really interesting question. I am eating at a ever so slight deficit. My meal at night is over by 6pm, and is never more than 30% of my overall intake, I tend to eat big in the morning, medium at lunch. I am on empty by 6am the next day, in fact, I am sure I am fat burning and glycogen depleted from 3-6am as I often wake up alert and hungry.
This is my plan.
I then fuel up for the mornings workout, high carbs, get really great results 2/3 hours later.
I strongly doubt you're glycogen depleted from 3-6 am unless you're doing a depletion workout prior to going to bed or doing massive exercise while you sleep. Glycogen is not the main energy source when at rest (fat actually is), so you're not depleting glycogen while relaxing in the evening and/or sleeping at night.0 -
Springfield1970 wrote: »I eat late into the night (11:30pm), so skipping breakfast isn't an issue for me. I've well fueled as I do sessions with clients from 9:00 to 11:00am, then workout afterward.
Don't know why people don't think you CAN'T keep glycogen storage high enough for 12 hours before use. I'm sleeping for 8 hours (fat for fuel not glycogen) and the other 3 hours is driving to the gym and instruction. Hardly a glycogen depleter.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Really interesting question. I am eating at a ever so slight deficit. My meal at night is over by 6pm, and is never more than 30% of my overall intake, I tend to eat big in the morning, medium at lunch. I am on empty by 6am the next day, in fact, I am sure I am fat burning and glycogen depleted from 3-6am as I often wake up alert and hungry.
This is my plan.
I then fuel up for the mornings workout, high carbs, get really great results 2/3 hours later.
I strongly doubt you're glycogen depleted from 3-6 am unless you're doing a depletion workout prior to going to bed or doing massive exercise while you sleep. Glycogen is not the main energy source when at rest (fat actually is), so you're not depleting glycogen while relaxing in the evening and/or sleeping at night.
Interesting. I thought having gone through my calorie allowance I'd be dipping into glycogen stores. So you're saying I have potential stored energy for my workout the next day where I wouldn't be dipping into fat and or lean tissue? Or would I be using glycogen, fat and body tissue?
Why do I bonk so quickly when I run fasted then? It's very difficult to get any speed up.
I somehow don't see where glycogen use could happen if I was in defecit for many hours before workout..
I might try a fasted workout and see if I feel the g stores kicking in. Not looking forward to that...
Another factor is I quite often eat a lowish carbed dinner, compared with my high carb breakfast. This is often after a fast 30 minute cycle home, it's quite possible my g stores are low evening and night.0 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »I think he was referring to 'avoid stooping, bending', so the jury is still out.....
Ah, but that's regardless of meal timing so I guess his "references cited" indicate that squats and deadlifts are not optimal (if we're seriously going to use a list of vague recommendations for people with GERD as a reference for what is optimal in regards to working out).
2-3 hours is the general amount of time for Gastric emptying...I wish I could hit people over the head with textbooks via internet.
So much for this "debate" section...do what you subjectively feel works "best" bro...."because at the end of the day, you can do whatever the **** you want to do." -Wise advise from the Hodgetwins0 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »I think he was referring to 'avoid stooping, bending', so the jury is still out.....
Ah, but that's regardless of meal timing so I guess his "references cited" indicate that squats and deadlifts are not optimal (if we're seriously going to use a list of vague recommendations for people with GERD as a reference for what is optimal in regards to working out).
2-3 hours is the general amount of time for Gastric emptying...I wish I could hit people over the head with textbooks via internet.
So much for this "debate" section...do what you subjectively feel works "best" bro...."because at the end of the day, you can do whatever the **** you want to do." -Wise advise from the Hodgetwins
still waiting for the reference on your claim that exercise is optimal on an empty stomach two to three hours beforehand…
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Carlos_421 wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »I think he was referring to 'avoid stooping, bending', so the jury is still out.....
Ah, but that's regardless of meal timing so I guess his "references cited" indicate that squats and deadlifts are not optimal (if we're seriously going to use a list of vague recommendations for people with GERD as a reference for what is optimal in regards to working out).
2-3 hours is the general amount of time for Gastric emptying...I wish I could hit people over the head with textbooks via internet.
So much for this "debate" section...do what you subjectively feel works "best" bro...."because at the end of the day, you can do whatever the **** you want to do." -Wise advise from the Hodgetwins
No need for violence. Besides, I'm a level 547 blackbelt in Ninjutsu.
Look, I get that 2-3 hours is how long gastric emptying takes. Cool. That's awesome.
But that still does nothing to show that working out on an empty stomach is optimal as compared to working out on a stomach that's only, say, half empty.
As long as I'm not so full that the workout makes me want to puke, is there any research to show that I'll have a better workout or better results if I wait to work out until after my stomach is empty?
As for your comments about "so much for the debate section," this is how debating works.
You made a claim. I challenged it. The course of real debate would lead to you then providing evidence to back up your claim.
Instead, you've done little more than say "because read a textbook" and post a screenshot of a recommendation for people with GERD to wait 2-3 hours after eating to sleep.
Then when some of us here point out that the "evidence" you're providing has nothing to do with the claims you're making, you accuse us of basing our opinions on da feelz.
Yeah...ok, bruh...4 -
Train on empty stomach...feel sick if I eat before training.0
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^This is what I've heard too, but I don't practice it unless I have to (must bathe before eating, etc) because it would turn up my appetite and make it very dangerous to move for a while (dizziness, nausea, seeing stars, fatigue, pounding heart). That does make me wonder: is there any difference in terms of safety or effectiveness between fasted cardio (no food) and NPO cardio (do not eat or drink, not even a sip of water is to be on your stomach)? I sometimes need to get cleaned up and dressed as soon as possible, so there's guaranteed to be nothing on board when I start those days.Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »Nothing kills hunger better than cardio. Lots of people promote fasting morning exercise for weight loss.
I'm sure it can be overdone...0 -
Definitely better to have a little something on your stomach if possible at least within 2 hrs of going.
If not you won't have as much fuel so you may be slightly weaker and working out will make you hungrier faster and will lead to distraction, even if only slight.
It's better not to have any distraction from working out as hard as you can and also better to have some fuel.
I sometimes just eat an apple (around 30 mins to an hr before) bc it gives me a slight energy boost and is great nutrition and fills you up just the right amount before a work out.
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Definitely better to have a little something on your stomach if possible at least within 2 hrs of going.
If not you won't have as much fuel so you may be slightly weaker and working out will make you hungrier faster and will lead to distraction, even if only slight.
It's better not to have any distraction from working out as hard as you can and also better to have some fuel.
I sometimes just eat an apple (around 30 mins to an hr before) bc it gives me a slight energy boost and is great nutrition and fills you up just the right amount before a work out.
i don't do this and never experience any of these issues..
personal preference does not equal that anyone should do something…if it works for you that is great, however, that does not mean it can be blanket applied to the rest of us.
unless you have some kind of study on this that you want to point us to…?
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Definitely better to have a little something on your stomach if possible at least within 2 hrs of going.
If not you won't have as much fuel so you may be slightly weaker and working out will make you hungrier faster and will lead to distraction, even if only slight.
It's better not to have any distraction from working out as hard as you can and also better to have some fuel.
I sometimes just eat an apple (around 30 mins to an hr before) bc it gives me a slight energy boost and is great nutrition and fills you up just the right amount before a work out.
i don't do this and never experience any of these issues..
personal preference does not equal that anyone should do something…if it works for you that is great, however, that does not mean it can be blanket applied to the rest of us.
unless you have some kind of study on this that you want to point us to…?
Seriously? A study?
Everyone else was posting what helped them and they didn't get picked apart for it so why am I?
Just trying to help.
Hopefully the OP will appreciate it, if not I'm fine w that too.
I just know I'm as free to post as everyone else is.
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Definitely better to have a little something on your stomach if possible at least within 2 hrs of going.
If not you won't have as much fuel so you may be slightly weaker and working out will make you hungrier faster and will lead to distraction, even if only slight.
It's better not to have any distraction from working out as hard as you can and also better to have some fuel.
I sometimes just eat an apple (around 30 mins to an hr before) bc it gives me a slight energy boost and is great nutrition and fills you up just the right amount before a work out.
i don't do this and never experience any of these issues..
personal preference does not equal that anyone should do something…if it works for you that is great, however, that does not mean it can be blanket applied to the rest of us.
unless you have some kind of study on this that you want to point us to…?
Seriously? A study?
Everyone else was posting what helped them and they didn't get picked apart for it so why am I?
Just trying to help.
Hopefully the OP will appreciate it, if not I'm fine w that too.
I just know I'm as free to post as everyone else is.
Did you miss the posts where people are asking for studies to back up the personal anectodes? Science trumps anecdotes.
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Definitely better to have a little something on your stomach if possible at least within 2 hrs of going.
If not you won't have as much fuel so you may be slightly weaker and working out will make you hungrier faster and will lead to distraction, even if only slight.
It's better not to have any distraction from working out as hard as you can and also better to have some fuel.
I sometimes just eat an apple (around 30 mins to an hr before) bc it gives me a slight energy boost and is great nutrition and fills you up just the right amount before a work out.
i don't do this and never experience any of these issues..
personal preference does not equal that anyone should do something…if it works for you that is great, however, that does not mean it can be blanket applied to the rest of us.
unless you have some kind of study on this that you want to point us to…?
Seriously? A study?
Everyone else was posting what helped them and they didn't get picked apart for it so why am I?
Just trying to help.
Hopefully the OP will appreciate it, if not I'm fine w that too.
I just know I'm as free to post as everyone else is.
"For lack of a comma the kingdom was lost."
You started with "Definitely better", and for lack of the simple "For me," or "I am". It left the impression you were stating your experience as fact. That lead to an interest in a study substantiating the claim.
Everyone is free to post. Everyone is free to post to ask for evidence or clarification too.1 -
ClosetBayesian wrote: »Definitely better to have a little something on your stomach if possible at least within 2 hrs of going.
If not you won't have as much fuel so you may be slightly weaker and working out will make you hungrier faster and will lead to distraction, even if only slight.
It's better not to have any distraction from working out as hard as you can and also better to have some fuel.
I sometimes just eat an apple (around 30 mins to an hr before) bc it gives me a slight energy boost and is great nutrition and fills you up just the right amount before a work out.
i don't do this and never experience any of these issues..
personal preference does not equal that anyone should do something…if it works for you that is great, however, that does not mean it can be blanket applied to the rest of us.
unless you have some kind of study on this that you want to point us to…?
Seriously? A study?
Everyone else was posting what helped them and they didn't get picked apart for it so why am I?
Just trying to help.
Hopefully the OP will appreciate it, if not I'm fine w that too.
I just know I'm as free to post as everyone else is.
Did you miss the posts where people are asking for studies to back up the personal anectodes? Science trumps anecdotes.
Yes I did miss that. But saw tons of posts that others didn't feel the need to scrutinize.
It doesn't matter to me, if that's all they have then they shall have it.
Just trying to help, pure and simple.
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Definitely better to have a little something on your stomach if possible at least within 2 hrs of going.
If not you won't have as much fuel so you may be slightly weaker and working out will make you hungrier faster and will lead to distraction, even if only slight.
It's better not to have any distraction from working out as hard as you can and also better to have some fuel.
I sometimes just eat an apple (around 30 mins to an hr before) bc it gives me a slight energy boost and is great nutrition and fills you up just the right amount before a work out.
i don't do this and never experience any of these issues..
personal preference does not equal that anyone should do something…if it works for you that is great, however, that does not mean it can be blanket applied to the rest of us.
unless you have some kind of study on this that you want to point us to…?
Seriously? A study?
Everyone else was posting what helped them and they didn't get picked apart for it so why am I?
Just trying to help.
Hopefully the OP will appreciate it, if not I'm fine w that too.
I just know I'm as free to post as everyone else is.
when you make a blanket statement and apply it to everyone then you are going to be requested to source your recommendation. If you want to say it just works for you personally, and you are not sure about anyone else then fine, no need to source.
I also requested that another poster who made a similar statement source his claim, and he could not ....so I am being consistent.
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ClosetBayesian wrote: »Definitely better to have a little something on your stomach if possible at least within 2 hrs of going.
If not you won't have as much fuel so you may be slightly weaker and working out will make you hungrier faster and will lead to distraction, even if only slight.
It's better not to have any distraction from working out as hard as you can and also better to have some fuel.
I sometimes just eat an apple (around 30 mins to an hr before) bc it gives me a slight energy boost and is great nutrition and fills you up just the right amount before a work out.
i don't do this and never experience any of these issues..
personal preference does not equal that anyone should do something…if it works for you that is great, however, that does not mean it can be blanket applied to the rest of us.
unless you have some kind of study on this that you want to point us to…?
Seriously? A study?
Everyone else was posting what helped them and they didn't get picked apart for it so why am I?
Just trying to help.
Hopefully the OP will appreciate it, if not I'm fine w that too.
I just know I'm as free to post as everyone else is.
Did you miss the posts where people are asking for studies to back up the personal anectodes? Science trumps anecdotes.
Yes I did miss that. But saw tons of posts that others didn't feel the need to scrutinize.
It doesn't matter to me, if that's all they have then they shall have it.
Just trying to help, pure and simple.
Apologies if my tone came across as harsh.
That said, the problem with the "this is what worked for me" answers is that it invites stuff with no scientific merit (i.e., "fat burners", claims about the miraculous nature of ACV, etc.). I do have a knee-jeek reaction to ask for peer-reviewed studies, but the hope is that people can either support their claims, or learn something if they find out that what they're doing has no real effect.0 -
I don't eat before my morning walk but have a bit of something an hour before I'm on the treadmill. A banana or anything small, since I feel weaker when I don't have something before I run.0
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Training in a fasted state helps my mental sharpness which in turn allows me to train harder. I think that you can quote studies all day in relation to fitness and nutrition but due to huge differences between people not just anatomically but mentally I feel that trying different approaches until you find what works well for you is the best approach to nutrition and exercise. For me personally I have found that training during a 16 hour fast to be effective for getting lean but also increasing strength and lean muscle.
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I find getting my pre-workout eating right to be the hardest thing. If I workout on empty I do struggle, and get a less enjoyable and less successful workout (in terms of number of reps), if I'm too full then it can be very uncomfortable (especially chin-ups). Two-three hours after an average-sized meal I find to usually be ok, although my digestion does seem to vary (even with same foods) for some reason.
If your working out first thing in the morning, then unless you want to eat something in the middle of the night, fasted training is the only way - and a lot of people do get on well with it. My advice is to try different strategies and see what works best for you.0 -
I have tried the empty stomach in the am but because I dont have enough time to eat and get to the gym at 4:30am. Also had a problem when going to the gym in the evening and eating a meal before hand. Just too uncomfortable for me. Tried eating something as I workout that I could digest quickly like gummie bears. Gave me a quick boost but not what I was hoping.
So now I have been experimenting with just a little something before my am workout and eating a few more calories in the evening. I eat a bar that is about 100-150 calories with mixed macros. I find its not too much on my stomach and gives me some energy to have a good workout. Also dont feel as hungry after my workout. Seems to be working for me. I am also thinking it is as simple as needing some electrolytes in the morning.
I have never been able to find a study that says fasted workouts is beneficial.0 -
Just bumping my question.
^This is what I've heard too, but I don't practice it unless I have to (must bathe before eating, etc) because it would turn up my appetite and make it very dangerous to move for a while (dizziness, nausea, seeing stars, fatigue, pounding heart). That does make me wonder: is there any difference in terms of safety or effectiveness between fasted cardio (no food) and NPO cardio (do not eat or drink, not even a sip of water is to be on your stomach)? I sometimes need to get cleaned up and dressed as soon as possible, so there's guaranteed to be nothing on board when I start those days.Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »Nothing kills hunger better than cardio. Lots of people promote fasting morning exercise for weight loss.
I'm sure it can be overdone...
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I like eating something light for lunch before I go run my daily 5km. I generally am not hungry for 1-2 hours afterwards and by then it is near time to go home anyway. No point in bothering with eating at work, just chew gum and wait till I get home for dinner.0
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Wake up and go to the gym on empty stomach in the morning is that a good or bad thing? I usually don't have an appetite in the am but I still manage to get in 2,000 calories a day.
Empty stomach does not matter. What matters is if I am hungry or not. I generally don't get that hungry feeling until later in the day, so an early morning workout would probably not be a problem for me. Now, if I AM hungry, I don't care what time it is, I have to eat before working out or running. Cannot do it if I am hungry. I get too weak. I have left the gym to go out to the Wendy's in the parking lot to get some chicken...just to stop the growling tummy.0
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