Fasted cardio

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  • dreamer12151
    dreamer12151 Posts: 1,031 Member
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    Personally, I prefer to "run on empty". The best way for me to run is in the morning, before I've had anything to eat. I, unfortunately, suffer "runner's trot" issues, so if I have nothing to eat before, I find it reduces the possibility of problems. (doesn't eliminate it, dang it!)

    However, if i cycle, it usually is for a longer distance, so I'll have something before i head out, then protein shake after.

    Try for yourself & see how you do.
  • gearhead426hemi
    gearhead426hemi Posts: 919 Member
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    It depends on how intense the workout is going to be. For any workout 1 hour or less I prefer to have an empty stomach it seems to make me feel lighter on my feet. If I am training for a mountain bike race 30+ miles or running for more than 5 miles I like to have something small to keep me going. I always eat within 30 minutes of completing a workout.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
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    I always work out in the morning fasted. I wake up and put in a DVD. But I don't think this has anything to do with weightoss. It's overall calories burned. When I workout in the afternoons, it's not fasted. Doesn't matter, I'm still burning calories.
  • laurabadams
    laurabadams Posts: 201 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    What's your measure of success OP? What did your friend say it was good for?

    If you think it will make you lose weight quicker then prepare to be disappointed!
    If you think it will make you better fat adapted for endurance cardio then it may well work (it did for me).
    If you think being able to train whether fasted or fed helps you schedule your workout into your day easier then that's an advantage.

    It did take me a many weeks to get fully used to (built up intensity slowly) so if you experiment with it be aware how you feel at first may not reflect how it will work for you if you persevere.

    Great question!

    OP, if fasted cardio feels better while you're doing it & that's just your preference, go for it. If you're looking for a program that promises fat burning benefits beyond a caloric deficit, this isn't it.

    There's an article on bodyrecomposition.com that details the benefits of fasted cardio. It's my understanding that it really only benefits those individuals who are already quite lean.

    https://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/fasted-cardio-and-fat-loss-qa.html/
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
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    sacoriah wrote: »
    Djproulx wrote: »
    As others have said, what is your measure of success? What did your friend experience?

    I would not bother to try fasted cardio if my goal was weight loss. I would perhaps use it to help train my body to increase the use of fat as fuel during endurance cardio training. And by "endurance cardio" I'm referring to multi hour workouts, such as those performed during marathon or long course triathlon training.

    I lost a lot of weight but for some reason I'm weight lost slowed down and I'm stuck at 210. I change up my workout and diet and still nothing. My friend had the same issue and she told me she does fasted cardio and she started losing weight again .

    Ok, got it. So I understand that your goal is weight loss and you have a friend who had weight loss success while doing cardio work fasted. I think what you are reading in many of the responses, including mine, is that while plenty of folks perform cardio workouts in a fasted state, there is no science (or significant experience amongst MFP posters) to suggest that "fasted cardio" delivers greater weight loss results than cardio work done when fueled.

    To help clarify, if you look at the responses, notice that there are no responses saying "Fasted Cardio made the difference in my weight loss results." Rather, the respondents stated either one (or both) of two reasons when discussing their choice to perform cardio work in a fasted state:

    1. It "feels" better, since having food in the stomach while running can be uncomfortable and/or make one nauseous.
    2. Running while "fasted" is part of the process to train their bodies to become used to burning a greater percentage of fat for fuel than if carbohydrate fueling was being used during the pre-training hours (breakfast) and intra workout(while running) timeframes.

  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    works for me
  • jdlobb
    jdlobb Posts: 1,232 Member
    edited September 2017
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    I walk 30 minutes to an hour almost every morning, several hours before my first meal. Never have had a problem with feeling weak or tired. Don't know if it burns any more calories than fed cardio though, I'm losing about as much weight as expected.

    I will say though, after 3 months of consistent calorie deficit my lean body mass hasn't decreased at all or at least not appreciably, based on averaging multiple bf% measurements per day. This may also be attributable to weight training and proper protein and supplementation.

    But, as far as I know there isn't any solid, peer reviewed research to support fasted cardio over fed cardio, or visa versa
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    I think I've done fasted cardio a handful of times in my life. And only because I woke up early and wanted to save calories for my actual breakfast. It isn't really for me, I feel weak, dizzy, a bit nauseated.. and I feel like I don't work as hard or burn as many calories.

    Not sure if it holds any benefit to those who are super lean trying to get leaner, maybe I will give it a shot if I ever get to that point.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    When I'm on vacation, I want to hit the trail without waiting for breakfast.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    I prefer to workout fasted as its just much more comfortable for me to do so with nothing in my stomach.
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
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    I am unsure of the purported fat-burning benefits, but I do fasted cardio in the morning purely as a function of IF and I don't have a problem with it.
  • navygrrl
    navygrrl Posts: 517 Member
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    I do fasted cardio, but that's mainly because I don't have time to wait for breakfast to settle before I run. I really don't want to wake up earlier than 345am, and even at that time I'm rushing to get ready for work.

    I don't know if I feel more sluggish when I run after work and food, or it's just tougher because I worked a full day on my feet.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I can run 5-6 miles fasted, but anything more than that and I like to eat something first.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,871 Member
    edited September 2017
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    sacoriah wrote: »
    Djproulx wrote: »
    As others have said, what is your measure of success? What did your friend experience?

    I would not bother to try fasted cardio if my goal was weight loss. I would perhaps use it to help train my body to increase the use of fat as fuel during endurance cardio training. And by "endurance cardio" I'm referring to multi hour workouts, such as those performed during marathon or long course triathlon training.

    I lost a lot of weight but for some reason I'm weight lost slowed down and I'm stuck at 210. I change up my workout and diet and still nothing. My friend had the same issue and she told me she does fasted cardio and she started losing weight again .

    Doing fasted cardio isn't going to impact weight loss...I do plenty of fasted cardio and I'm in maintenance...I maintain because I eat to maintenance. Your weight loss is a result of your calorie deficit, not when you do cardio. If your friend started losing weight again, it's because one way or another she's eating less.

    When you do fasted cardio, you do use more fat for fuel...but your body is constantly cycling between fat utilization and storage...at the end of the day, it ultimately comes down to your calories coming in vs going out regardless of fasted cardio or otherwise...
  • sedj241
    sedj241 Posts: 36 Member
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    I'm the same, I rather run and workout on an empty stomach. I see and saw my best results during this the time I could do it on a regular!
  • DanyellMcGinnis
    DanyellMcGinnis Posts: 315 Member
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    I don't exercise, usually, until 5-6 hours after I've eaten lunch. I suppose that counts as fasted cardio? I am usually at a point by evening where I have very few calories left for the day and I need to do some cardio so I can have dinner without going over my calorie goal. I seem to be able to get through it just fine, even if I pile a FocusT25 DVD on top of an Insanity DVD in the same session (which is not something I do every day...). Same for those rare occasions when I work out first thing in the morning.

    But, I don't do this on the assumption that it is going to benefit me more than exercising at some other time in relation to my meals. I do it because (1) it fits into my schedule and (2) I don't like the "I'm going to puke" feeling of working out after eating. And then I look at CICO in the same way I would regardless of whether one hour had passed or 6 between food and exercise.

    I did this all through my weight loss last year and for maintenance this year.

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