Working out on an empty stomach

adidab44

I was just wondering is it benefit you at all to workout on an empty stomach of your trying to lose weight I've heard of working out in the morning on an empty stomach but don't know if it was just a myth ?

tigersword

According to science, it's a myth. Fasted exercising holds no advantage over eating first for overall fat burning.
http://alanaragon.com/myths-under-the-microscope-part-2-false-hopes-for-fasted-cardio.html

GauchoMark

working out on an empty stomach first thing in the morning sounds like you are going to really drop your blood sugar. I would not recommend it.

lizard053

Unless you like working out hungry, I don't see any benefit. I don't like to work out on a FULL stomach, but I like to have a little something to work with!
I do workout first thing in the morning, before breakfast, but because of my thyroid meds I can't eat for an hour. So I get in an hour of exercise there, usually. But when it comes to my serious gym workouts, I prefer to not have a growling stomach. I usually have a protein shake or protein bar about 30 minutes prior to heading out to the gym. Just enough of a boost so I have energy, but not so much that I get cramps from it.

gp79

It's personal preference. Alot of people whine about feeling sick if they eat before a workout. An equal number whine if they don't eat. Find what works for you.

lmalaschak

I think the only thing that matters is how you feel best when you're doing it. Some people need to eat before and some don't like to. Other than that I don't think it will make any difference in whether or not you lose weight. Did you burn more than you took in last week? If so you'll probably have lost a bit of weight regardless of when you ate your food. No worries!

ImaSongbird

Many people prefer to exercise in the morning before eating. One benefit is that, since exercise increases the appetite, eating before breakfast is unlikely to cause you to eat more than you intended if you were to exercise later in the day.

That being said, the best time for exercise is when it fits best into your schedule and you have the most energy.

bcattoes

I've never noticed any difference no matter what time of day I work out, or how full/empty my stomach. Though I find it very hard to workout on a full stomach.

mom2my3angels123

My curves coach told me to never do this because you'll bottom out your blood sugar. it's a very bad idea.

HealthyHappy120

Its the worst thing you could do.

Source: thedoctorstv.com yesterdays episode

NKF92879

I do it at least 5 days a week. It works for me.

Skeemer118

I'm currently doing Body for Life by Bill Philips & he recommends it. I normally eat before I work out but today I haven't been able to so I'll be doing my cardio burn on an empty stomach. Maybe I'll lose 30 lbs on the treadmill today. :bigsmile:

mrsjennifermaffei

Everything I've read says this is a no no. I recommend eating something healthy, waiting an hour, then working out.

NewLIFEstyle4ME

I eat a juicy fruit or sweet fruit for breakfast, then shortly after a juicy or sweet fruit for breakfast and snack, then about 20 minutes or so after wards/after if digests a bit, I exercise.

Immediately after I exercise (after my body calms down), down a 16.9 oz of water, then I eat a protein/fiber/carb snack/meal--very satisfying this is for me. But like others have said, everyone is different and what works for some, may not work for others.

MelissaE27

I heard people talking about it.. I tried it went to the gym was on the treadmill and thought I was going to pass out before I could get to the locker room to sit down... So for me it was a baaad idea... but everyone is different..

mallory3411

I don't believe it helps you to lose more weight or increase your fat burn.

I believe it all comes down to personal preference. For me, I can't exercise (intensely anyways) on an empty stomach. I get shaky and naseous. The only time I can exercise on an empty stomach is going on a slow pace either walking or on my stationary bike. Anything other than a stroller makes me shaky and sick. I also can't workout on a full stomach. It's an odd balance.

jwaters1006

I do not eat before my workouts, only as a matter of preference. I don't notice any difference in speed of loss.

My morning routine is something like this:
5 roll out of bed
5:15 leave for the gym
5:25 usually on the 1st piece of equipment .
I exercise 60-70 minutes (cardio) come home, shower, head to work and finally around 8 I eat a bowl of oatmeal and some fruit.

On a side note I used to be a breakfast skipper, now I actually enjoy it and I seem to eat better throughout the day.

SheehyCFC

It's personal preference. Alot of people whine about feeling sick if they eat before a workout. An equal number whine if they don't eat. Find what works for you.

^ This.

taso42

I'm currently doing Body for Life by Bill Philips & he recommends it. I normally eat before I work out but today I haven't been able to so I'll be doing my cardio burn on an empty stomach. Maybe I'll lose 30 lbs on the treadmill today. :bigsmile:

Just to be clear, he recommends morning fasted HIIT. he doesn't recommend this for strength training.

I did BFL for something like 2 years and it was very effective (well, life-changing actually) for me. But I look back on a few of the things from that book kind of skeptically now.

anubis609

It doesn't really matter as long as you stick to a routine that works for you.

JoeyTajzai

I've heard working out without food can be very dangerous. If you're lifting weights, it'll be more difficult because you don't have enough food to give your body energy. Eating carbs before working out helps a lot. I did hear if you jog or do cardio without food in your system can help you lose weight quicker, but again it's not recommended. This is something a lot of celebrity's do when they try to lose weight quickly.

Phoenix59

Everything I've read says this is a no no. I recommend eating something healthy, waiting an hour, then working out.

If I ate and then waited an hour before going to the gym, I'd have to roll out of bed by 3:30...that's not happening.:noway: I did manage to eat a light something the other morning and halfway through my spin workout started shaking and broke out into a cold sweat. Normally, I don't have anything but coffee before a workout.

gp79

My curves coach told me to never do this because you'll bottom out your blood sugar. it's a very bad idea.

Every person is going to be different when it comes to this. I've never experienced my blood sugar bottoming out and I train 12 hours fasted and eat nothing until 4 + hours after my workout. It just takes some experimenting to figure out where your thresholds are and to determine your preference.

LuLuRunner1

A typical day for me is getting up & ready for work/kids to school at 5:15. Breakfast around 9:30-10:00 sitting at my desk (oatmeal, breakfast sandwich, protein-type bar); maybe a banana around 11:30; run 3-4 miles at 1; Eat lunch (turkey sandwich, pita) around 3:00-3:30; supper around 6pm. I also have to have a snack around 8 or 9 to keep me going unfortunately until bedtime around 10 or 11.

I am always hungry at 10 & 3 so I decided that would be when I ate my meals so that I wouldn't be looking for a snack at that time in addition to an earlier meal. I tried eating lunch at 11 and running 2 hours later, but even a light sandwich seemed too heavy on my stomach when I ran. My time was slower and I really didn't feel good, so I went back to eating when I was done.

I think everyone is different and unless you are hardcore working out, it would be a personal preference.

Just my opinion.

Yanicka1

i do strenght at 12 and brake my fast after. It work for me and for my life style

sevencallmemom

I prefer to workout fasted. If I eat first I usually end up feeling like I'm gonna puke, which is a feeling I'd rather avoid.

To each their own...