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Gym on empty stomach
Replies
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Pretty much the only way I can do a workout. If I know I'm lifting heavy that day I may have a small wrap, piece of fruit, and some extra caffeine before hand. Never more than 300 cals before a workout though.0
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I run most days for 1 hour+on an empty tum have done for 20 or more years and feel better for it.. Each to there own but eating before cardio makes me feel like running with weights attached some what sluggish.0
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I used to work out with nothing on board but i found that with doing calisthenics in the pool for 1.5 hours it was really a LOT harder. So now I have a 170calorie protein shake and I'm good to go!0
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I usually eat 30 minutes prior to working out just to give myself the energy. I wouldn't recommend working out on an empty stomach. I tried it twice and became very light headed and dizzy. Talk to your doctor about it!!1
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chantelsheree88 wrote: »I usually eat 30 minutes prior to working out just to give myself the energy. I wouldn't recommend working out on an empty stomach. I tried it twice and became very light headed and dizzy. Talk to your doctor about it!!
Or just experiment a bit. Look at all the different responses on this thread. How's a doctor going to know how an individual will react?2 -
This is how I feel about it. I also tried it twice, and learned the hard way that I dare not even do my chores on an empty stomach for that very reason.chantelsheree88 wrote: »I usually eat 30 minutes prior to working out just to give myself the energy. I wouldn't recommend working out on an empty stomach. I tried it twice and became very light headed and dizzy. Talk to your doctor about it!!0 -
chantelsheree88 wrote: »I usually eat 30 minutes prior to working out just to give myself the energy. I wouldn't recommend working out on an empty stomach. I tried it twice and became very light headed and dizzy. Talk to your doctor about it!!
why would you talk to your doctor about this?????? Most doctors know squat about fitness and nutrition ..
I work out on an empty stomach and never have any issues....2 -
I workout at 5:30am every morning. I never, ever, ever eat beforehand. If I'm working out later in the day for some reason, it has to be AT LEAST 2 hours since I've eaten. Very difficult for me to get a good workout in otherwise.1
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@ndj1979 the OP doesnt have to but i think its wise to get an opinion of a doctor. I spoke with mine before trying to gain weight to make sure certain diets, foods and exercises were safe. My doc helped me tremendously but to each is own!0
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If your Dr happened to have and keep an interest in nutrition beyond the very probably out-dated 1 semester course they were required to take - then great.
But generally the Dr is NOT the place for such advice.
Like - if you had an issue with your foot, and you had the ability of going directly to a podiatrist (depending on insurance perhaps) - why go to the Dr first?
Eyes, ears, nose, throat, ect - general Dr on very simple things they see often enough may have no issues - but if this is outside of ordinary - they better be sending you to specialist if you didn't go to one first.
Same with nutrition - go to specialists, not generalist. Dr's normal patients aren't going to have this be a common issue that comes up.
But in this case - not really any test or such to run. Dr or specialist is going to ask and talk about exactly what's been discussed in this thread.
If you eat and the workout makes you feel sick and can't do the workout - then wait longer or don't eat first.
If you don't eat and you get light headed and pass out and can't do the workout - then eat something first.
Just figure it out - talking maybe 4 days to hit all the possibilities to test - big whoop in the scheme of things.
And no general Dr is going to have kept up with the research that has been linked in this topic - unless personally interested or his focus. Shoot, even a dietician may not have kept up and may have taken courses that were outdate - always a possibility - hence the reason to educate yourself too - and know what a reliable source is.3 -
chantelsheree88 wrote: »@ndj1979 the OP doesnt have to but i think its wise to get an opinion of a doctor. I spoke with mine before trying to gain weight to make sure certain diets, foods and exercises were safe. My doc helped me tremendously but to each is own!
is your doctor a nutritionist and certified sports trainer, or PT?0 -
I do 45-60 minutes of cardio every morning on an empty stomach. Usually afterwards I'll have some oatmeal just to get something in me, then not eat till lunch time or so. It works for me, but everyone is different. I tend to not feel great working out when I have eaten recently.0
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I did a fitness dvd at 7pm after missing my afternoon snack. Come the end I was dizzy and shaking. 2 Mentos set me right.
I'm pretty sensitive to going without food. 4 hours and I'm frantically looking for some calories to stop the shakes. Early onset diabetes in the family so it may be related.
Everyone is different though. I did see a study on TV that showed women perform closer to their bests when fasting compared to men.0 -
@ndj1979 i seek advice from my primary care who makes sure that my personal regimen is safe in regards to my height, weight, and bp. However, i also follow the advice of my nutritionist who advised me to eat before working out, but again to each is own! Everyone is different. I was just suggesting it to the OP because I too didnt know whether it was okay for me to work out at the gym on an empty stomach.0
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My workout partner believes not only in fasted cardio, but in what I affectionately call NPO cardio. She doesn't allow even a sip of water before or during exercise.0
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I always find this topic interesting. I used to run for an hour at 6:00 in the morning--fasted, no problems--I was in my 20's. Since I started swimming in my 40's (now 60) I can't do it without something light--yogurt w a banana, etc, or I'll feel lightheaded and close to passing out. I swim at 8:30 and have something at 7:15. For those that can exercise fasted, I think it's great--if not, it's not something to beat yourself up about. What's important is doing the work.1
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My workout partner believes not only in fasted cardio, but in what I affectionately call NPO cardio. She doesn't allow even a sip of water before or during exercise.
This is a bad idea. Dehydration is neither fun nor good for you.
I can't imagine what she hopes to gain by not properly hydrating herself during exercise.2 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »My workout partner believes not only in fasted cardio, but in what I affectionately call NPO cardio. She doesn't allow even a sip of water before or during exercise.
This is a bad idea. Dehydration is neither fun nor good for you.
I can't imagine what she hopes to gain by not properly hydrating herself during exercise.
Screw that noise. Everyone loves muscle cramps.
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Carlos_421 wrote: »My workout partner believes not only in fasted cardio, but in what I affectionately call NPO cardio. She doesn't allow even a sip of water before or during exercise.
This is a bad idea. Dehydration is neither fun nor good for you.
I can't imagine what she hopes to gain by not properly hydrating herself during exercise.
True. Then again depending on how well the person has hydrated during the day, the previous dsy and the intensity/duration of the activity they may be perfectly fine without hydrating before or during exercise.
I often get up in the morning, dress, and go directly out the door for a 30 minute run without drinking anything right before or during, even in hot weather.
Of course I drank around 100 ounces of fluid the day before.1 -
Oh okay. That makes sense. I really try to stay hydrated throughout the week in preparation for such an activity, done a few times a week. Maybe that's part of why she wants me to consider it safe, and not be such a chicken nugget (though I do get seriously dizzy if I even shower fasted).0
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Carlos_421 wrote: »My workout partner believes not only in fasted cardio, but in what I affectionately call NPO cardio. She doesn't allow even a sip of water before or during exercise.
This is a bad idea. Dehydration is neither fun nor good for you.
I can't imagine what she hopes to gain by not properly hydrating herself during exercise.
considering at least one study if not more has shown that pro's start to have problems in endurance cardio (2-3 hrs) performance if they lose 10% of their body weight in sweat (so already trained to carry more water anyway) - I'm betting the average Joe/Jane can get an hour workout in without water during it.
If they are generally not in dehydrated state already.
If they are so intense in that short workout that they are sweating up a storm - doubtful their gut is getting much blood flow to benefit from drinking water anyway.
And if nice easy workout that short - then likely not sweating out that much to worry about.
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Carlos_421 wrote: »My workout partner believes not only in fasted cardio, but in what I affectionately call NPO cardio. She doesn't allow even a sip of water before or during exercise.
This is a bad idea. Dehydration is neither fun nor good for you.
I can't imagine what she hopes to gain by not properly hydrating herself during exercise.
considering at least one study if not more has shown that pro's start to have problems in endurance cardio (2-3 hrs) performance if they lose 10% of their body weight in sweat (so already trained to carry more water anyway) - I'm betting the average Joe/Jane can get an hour workout in without water during it.
If they are generally not in dehydrated state already.
If they are so intense in that short workout that they are sweating up a storm - doubtful their gut is getting much blood flow to benefit from drinking water anyway.
And if nice easy workout that short - then likely not sweating out that much to worry about.
I was referring to the idea that someone shouldn't (not "doesn't necessarily need to" but "shouldn't) have anything to drink before exercise.
And I would expect the average Joe to experience a downturn in performance much sooner than I would a pro. For instance, a pro may not experience performance issues until they've lost ten percent of their body weight, however a novice runner may experience runner's cramps before their shirt even gets very wet if they're not properly hydrating.
Oh, and pros hydrate before such races. So there's that. If not, I imagine their performance would suffer much sooner.0 -
I hydrate like crazy all day long the day before to prepare for my early a.m. runs.. I am not drinking or eating anything at 5:30 a.m. to go run 5 miles and I never put myself into a position that I will keel over after 1 mile.. That is just dangerous and especially in the heat where I live..
Surely there is no one out there running on a dehydrated tank.. If they are I hope that this was their very first run and their last..0 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »My workout partner believes not only in fasted cardio, but in what I affectionately call NPO cardio. She doesn't allow even a sip of water before or during exercise.
This is a bad idea. Dehydration is neither fun nor good for you.
I can't imagine what she hopes to gain by not properly hydrating herself during exercise.
considering at least one study if not more has shown that pro's start to have problems in endurance cardio (2-3 hrs) performance if they lose 10% of their body weight in sweat (so already trained to carry more water anyway) - I'm betting the average Joe/Jane can get an hour workout in without water during it.
If they are generally not in dehydrated state already.
If they are so intense in that short workout that they are sweating up a storm - doubtful their gut is getting much blood flow to benefit from drinking water anyway.
And if nice easy workout that short - then likely not sweating out that much to worry about.
I was referring to the idea that someone shouldn't (not "doesn't necessarily need to" but "shouldn't) have anything to drink before exercise.
And I would expect the average Joe to experience a downturn in performance much sooner than I would a pro. For instance, a pro may not experience performance issues until they've lost ten percent of their body weight, however a novice runner may experience runner's cramps before their shirt even gets very wet if they're not properly hydrating.
Oh, and pros hydrate before such races. So there's that. If not, I imagine their performance would suffer much sooner.
Average Joe doing 1 hr at their intensity compared to pro 2-3 hrs at their intensity?
Runner's cramps in that amount of time is some other issue unless they are living dehydrated. In which case the minor amount taken in during the workout isn't going to help much if any, compared to what their body wants for the day.
Pro is in well hydrated state probably vast majority of the time.
To add in comment above too - if someone is so dehydrated that water for that purpose is required during a 1 hr workout - they have bigger problems that will be going on.
And cramps from lack of water likely won't be the first one either - their electrolytes are probably way off anyway.
Plus - it wasn't mentioned how far in advance for that advice. Doesn't sound like blood test "don't eat after midnight or 10 pm" level - but probably don't gulp a bunch of water when you walk in here 5 min before we start. I've seen people on the ball at gym puke because of that. Trainer then mentions about not drinking so much, we are only doing 45 min together anyway.1 -
I drink during my workouts because I'm thirsty. I must have teh deathz.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.
It's your preference. People like to do "fasted cardio" but personally, I'd get sick. I usually eat a protein bar in the AM before work outs.0 -
I never realized just how much water I consume until I moved to my current town. The water supply tastes like Yoda's balls slathered in purification tabs, so I started buying gallons from Wal-Mart for my protein shakes and PWOs. About a gallon per day just on those two things, then my 6-12 Coke Zeros on top of that.0
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Sadly, the bolded is actually what I was taught. I have diabetes, and my fasted BG will always be higher after a night of even water, than if I did not drink. :shrug: If the next day happens to be a workout/bath-and-get-dressed day, that compete fast will often extend until lunch or dinner. My bedtime is anywhere from 9-11 pm depending on how tired I am and surrounding nighttime chaos like storms. When I fall asleep, that's it for by-mouth consumption for a loooong time.Carlos_421 wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »My workout partner believes not only in fasted cardio, but in what I affectionately call NPO cardio. She doesn't allow even a sip of water before or during exercise.
This is a bad idea. Dehydration is neither fun nor good for you.
I can't imagine what she hopes to gain by not properly hydrating herself during exercise.
considering at least one study if not more has shown that pro's start to have problems in endurance cardio (2-3 hrs) performance if they lose 10% of their body weight in sweat (so already trained to carry more water anyway) - I'm betting the average Joe/Jane can get an hour workout in without water during it.
If they are generally not in dehydrated state already.
If they are so intense in that short workout that they are sweating up a storm - doubtful their gut is getting much blood flow to benefit from drinking water anyway.
And if nice easy workout that short - then likely not sweating out that much to worry about.
I was referring to the idea that someone shouldn't (not "doesn't necessarily need to" but "shouldn't) have anything to drink before exercise.
And I would expect the average Joe to experience a downturn in performance much sooner than I would a pro. For instance, a pro may not experience performance issues until they've lost ten percent of their body weight, however a novice runner may experience runner's cramps before their shirt even gets very wet if they're not properly hydrating.
Oh, and pros hydrate before such races. So there's that. If not, I imagine their performance would suffer much sooner.
Average Joe doing 1 hr at their intensity compared to pro 2-3 hrs at their intensity?
Runner's cramps in that amount of time is some other issue unless they are living dehydrated. In which case the minor amount taken in during the workout isn't going to help much if any, compared to what their body wants for the day.
Pro is in well hydrated state probably vast majority of the time.
To add in comment above too - if someone is so dehydrated that water for that purpose is required during a 1 hr workout - they have bigger problems that will be going on.
And cramps from lack of water likely won't be the first one either - their electrolytes are probably way off anyway.
Plus - it wasn't mentioned how far in advance for that advice. Doesn't sound like blood test "don't eat after midnight or 10 pm" level - but probably don't gulp a bunch of water when you walk in here 5 min before we start. I've seen people on the ball at gym puke because of that. Trainer then mentions about not drinking so much, we are only doing 45 min together anyway.0 -
Gallowmere1984 wrote: »I never realized just how much water I consume until I moved to my current town. The water supply tastes like Yoda's balls slathered in purification tabs, so I started buying gallons from Wal-Mart for my protein shakes and PWOs. About a gallon per day just on those two things, then my 6-12 Coke Zeros on top of that.
Thanks for that visual.
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