Working out before breakfast

kandell
kandell Posts: 473 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've heard that it's good for fat loss, but obviously you can't trust everything you read on the internet. So I'm coming to the internet to find out if it's true or if it even matters when you exercise and eat.

Anyone knowledgable on this? :]

Replies

  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    You cant trust everything on the internet, yet you come to the internet to find truth to it?


    Working out before/during/after breakfast has no plus side to weight loss.. its all preference.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    In the grand scheme of things it doesnt really matter when you work out, just as long as you do it.

    AM is a good time to workout simply because it gets you up and out of bed earlier and the workout done before life gets in the way.
  • kandell
    kandell Posts: 473 Member
    Yeah...that first bit was sarcasm. Didn't convey that too well huh?

    But it has no effect other than just general burning calories? Well...that's kind of a bummer. Here I thought my 4:30am workouts were going to be more effective XP
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    There are some studies that say exercising in a fasted state is a bit better than in a fed state so you may have that going for you.

    Also it takes discipline to do those early AM workouts, and discipline is very important aspect to weight loss.
    If you are anything like me, getting that AM workout also helps mentailly to start the day that you did something good and could be more apt to continue on a good day.
    Kinda like a day where you start with a crappy breakfast and your mind bombs because of it and you overeat that day.

    I would say keep up those 430 workouts and google workouts on a fasted state.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    I've read some theories that low intensity fasted cardio can help burn more fat -- so something like a brisk walk for 30 mins first thing in the morning. The idea is that your glycogen levels are low, and since it's low intensity, your body can access more of your fat for fuel rather than muscle once the glycogen is gone. But, it's only limited. Apparently, working out too long or too intense will result in the body accessing muscle, so that's why they suggest keeping it to a certain cardiac threshold (the "fat burning zone") and only for a limited time.

    I don't have any study to back this up -- just something that was once explained to me by someone that was a competitive fitness model, which seems to make sense on a basic biological level. Also, doesn't apply to keto folks as they always have low/no glycogen.
  • Nice2BFitAgain
    Nice2BFitAgain Posts: 319 Member
    But it has no effect other than just general burning calories? Well...that's kind of a bummer. Here I thought my 4:30am workouts were going to be more effective XP

    None at all - but that 4:30a workout is definitely more effective than the one you skipped later in the day because you got too busy and couldn't fit it in....

    Keep plugging away, the weight will come off with calorie deficit and time. Patience is the key!
  • pennyllayne
    pennyllayne Posts: 265
    Yes working out in a fasted state is believed to be good for weight loss and some studies have shown this to be the case, but this applies more to low intensity cardio short in duration than anything else. This is because this type of exercise uses fat for fuel in the absence of glycogen and it will have to burn body fat. High intensity exercises and strength training use a different energy system and may break down muscle in the absence of glycogen so these types of exercises should be avoided in a fasted state.
  • qhaleesi
    qhaleesi Posts: 14 Member
    I workout for 10 minutes max. in the morning, before breakfast, and the only difference between exercising then and later in the afternoon/the evening is that I'm too sleepy to log it!
  • amantine1
    amantine1 Posts: 24 Member
    Fasting help with weight loss so having a12 hour break between meals is good but only if it doesn't come at the expense of sleep. Sleep is essential for weight loss.
  • jfauci
    jfauci Posts: 531 Member
    I work out in a fasting state only because I work out from 4 AM - 5 AM and I can't bear the thought of eating between 3 and 3:30. I don't think it really matters if it's before or after - as long as you get the workout in.
  • wilmayarnal
    wilmayarnal Posts: 2
    I cannot believe a dietician has not responded to this post. Statistics have proven that when the body first comes out of a restful state ( after a night's sleep) that the process of the body are so incredibly active that the metabolism is firing up. If you go out and exercise on an EMPTY stomach then what you burn will be muscle and not fat. Studies have also proven that if you have fed your body and then go exercise in the morning, your body can actually burn up to 4x the amount of calories compared to 7pm in the evening .....someone needs to stop blowing smoke.
  • GhostriderMav
    GhostriderMav Posts: 308 Member
    I think it all depends on when you will get the best workout in. I have to workout in the morning because of my schedule but I have always had stronger workouts in the afternoon. Your body really doesn't care when it just wants you to burn!
  • pennyllayne
    pennyllayne Posts: 265
    I cannot believe a dietician has not responded to this post. Statistics have proven that when the body first comes out of a restful state ( after a night's sleep) that the process of the body are so incredibly active that the metabolism is firing up. If you go out and exercise on an EMPTY stomach then what you burn will be muscle and not fat. Studies have also proven that if you have fed your body and then go exercise in the morning, your body can actually burn up to 4x the amount of calories compared to 7pm in the evening .....someone needs to stop blowing smoke.

    No, it depends on the TYPE of exercise you do. I'm not a dietician but I am studying Nutrition and this has just come up in my latest study module. High intensity exercises will burn muscle in the absence of glycogen as high intensity exercise requires glucose. Low intensity, short duration exercises burn fat and don't require much glucose. There are studies that show low intensity exercise in a fasted state as being very effective for weight loss.
  • LloydJensen
    LloydJensen Posts: 7 Member
    "Don't believe everything you read on the internet"

    Abraham Lincoln
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    I usually work out first thing. I might have a few dates if I'm feeling sluggish but the morning is usually when I can get the best out of my workouts.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    I eat around 1200 calories an hour before I hit the gym and have done so throughout my weightloss and now in maintenance. It is totally personal preference and has little to do with meal frequency.... As long as you are hitting your caloric intake and macros for that day then it matters little when you consume your food... Best of Luck
  • valpclady
    valpclady Posts: 6
    I work out in the evening; that is my personal choice. I will have to agree with at least 75% of the comments left regarding the subject....the body doesn't care as long as you are getting your workout on!
  • brdnw
    brdnw Posts: 565 Member
    my trainer is an ex college football player and an ex body builder and he has me do cardio in the morning on an empty stomache i'm starting it tomorrow so i can't say if i feel that it's effective but he seems to think so.
  • dxpxh
    dxpxh Posts: 8
    Try both out and see what works best for you.

    I only ever exercise first thing in the morning. Running in the evening in just a no-go for me - cramps, sluggish etc
  • mickey9694
    mickey9694 Posts: 74 Member
    i generally run in the morning with nothing except coffee in me. for whatever reason, i have found that running on an empty stomach works for me. after that, i come home and get some breakfast before hitting the gym. it works for me.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I cannot believe a dietician has not responded to this post. Statistics have proven that when the body first comes out of a restful state ( after a night's sleep) that the process of the body are so incredibly active that the metabolism is firing up. If you go out and exercise on an EMPTY stomach then what you burn will be muscle and not fat. Studies have also proven that if you have fed your body and then go exercise in the morning, your body can actually burn up to 4x the amount of calories compared to 7pm in the evening .....someone needs to stop blowing smoke.

    please post said studies for review..

    meal timing and metabolism have nothing to do with one another…as does work out timing and metabolism…
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I've read arguments for both, but for me it all comes down to my preference.
    None at all - but that 4:30a workout is definitely more effective than the one you skipped later in the day because you got too busy and couldn't fit it in....
    And this is part of it right here. :smile: I work out first thing in the morning before anyone else in my house is up, so I don't eat first. I feel better on an empty stomach anyway, so it works out.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I've heard that it's good for fat loss, but obviously you can't trust everything you read on the internet. So I'm coming to the internet to find out if it's true or if it even matters when you exercise and eat.

    Anyone knowledgable on this? :]
    Nope. Doesn't matter.

    I usually eat breakfast after my workout with a small something before (1/2 oz nut, boiled egg. yogurt.

    Today, I ate breakfast before my workout.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I cannot believe a dietician has not responded to this post. Statistics have proven that when the body first comes out of a restful state ( after a night's sleep) that the process of the body are so incredibly active that the metabolism is firing up. If you go out and exercise on an EMPTY stomach then what you burn will be muscle and not fat. Studies have also proven that if you have fed your body and then go exercise in the morning, your body can actually burn up to 4x the amount of calories compared to 7pm in the evening .....someone needs to stop blowing smoke.
    No, It doesn't matter at all.

    As for blowing smoke....please provide some peer reviewed studies to backup what you say.
  • goingthedistancexc
    goingthedistancexc Posts: 40
    I don't think it changes anything when you eat or workout but i have realized with myself that working out on an empty stomach makes me 100x hungrier throughout the day
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Fasted cardio has no effect on stored body fat.

    Cardio en ayunas no tiene ningún efecto sobre la grasa corporal almacenada.

    Gefastet Ubung hat keine Wirkung auf Körperfett gespeichert.

    Cardio à jeun n'a aucun effet sur la graisse corporelle stockée.

    Fastade cardio har ingen effekt på lagrat kroppsfett.

    No matter how you say it, the answer is still the same.

    The acute responses during an exercise workout (i.e. fuel substrate selection) are not permanent effects. While it is possible to effect a change in the fuel substrate mix during exercise -- through "fasted cardio" and other interventions--those changes have no effect 24 hour fat oxidation-they change neither overall RQ nor total whole-body fat oxidation (Melanson et al 2009, Schoenfeld 2011).

    The purported "effectiveness" of fasted cardio is a very important part of the folklore of certain athletic cultures, so many "trainers" accept it without question--and why not, everyone they know says the same thing.

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