No carbs?

if you do NO carbs with dinner, it means you have to eat strictly meat--no veggies, starch, etc.

I can't work out on an empty stomach. I almost passed out the time I ate like 200 calories, just a few carbs ( like 5g) then decided to go burn off like 500 calories.

No need for either of those two things.

I asked my trainer about fasted cardio done in the AM while I was at the gym today. His answer was it's not a bad idea, and it certainly helps "jump start" your metabolism, but you don't need to do it. You can easily do your cardio after your last meal and a couple of hours before bed for some of the same effects.

Basically, his point was there really isn't a reason to include things in your workout routine and nutrition plan that you aren't going to be happy sticking to long term. I'm not a morning person, so I don't get up and do morning cardio. I also eat brown rice with my fish and broccoli at dinner. Rules like those that she suggested are just that: suggestions. They work for the people who are happy sticking to them, but if giving up carbs at dinner or waking up and doing and hour of cardio (is she serious? an HOUR!?) isn't your thing, no need to do it. Find what works for you.

edited because I don't eat rice with my rice, lol. rather fish.

NO carbs sounds a bit intense! Like someone else said, that means no veggies, only meat at dinner. I'm keeping my carb intake to 50 a day, 75 on a bad day and Ive dropped 31 lbs in 2 1/2 months. I think you just have to find what works for you. Try her idea if it sounds good, if you find it difficult, try something else.

"You’ll hear that you should never exercise on an empty stomach. You’ll hear that fasted training will burn your muscles and cause you to waste away. You’ll hear that performance will surely suffer. None of these things are necessarily true – and they are even less so if you are well-adapted adapted to a low-carb eating strategy. Fasted training can actually result in better metabolic adaptations (which mean better performance down the line), improved muscle protein synthesis, and a higher anabolic response to post-workout feeding (you’ll earn your meal and make more muscle out of it if you train on an empty stomach). Studies on Muslim athletes during Ramadan show no effect on performance while fasting, as well as better lipids in those who exercise and fast rather than just fast. When you train in a fasted state, glycogen breakdown is blunted and more fat is burnt, leaving you more glycolytic energy in the tank for when you really need it and less body fat. Those are just a sampling of the benefits to fasted training; there are dozens more. Check out Martin at LeanGains (linked above) for more information on fasted training. It’s his specialty."

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting/#ixzz22XVvbX2n

One of my friends and I have been trading info back and forth on Facebook regarding our diets, etc. She recently made two suggestions to me, the first of which I found interesting, but also extremely hard to do on a consistent, long-term basis while remaining healthy. Here are her suggestions. Any thoughts on either would be appreciated.

"Change two things:
1. No carbs at all with dinner.
2. One hour of steady cardio every morning on an empty stomach."

Thanks!

1. Why would would that be helpful?
2. Why would that be helpful?

Unless she's given you a good reason and maybe a study or two to back herself up, take it as BS.