Working out on empty stomach

I workout first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and had good results. For one, you don't have to worry about food cramps. I had switched to evenings for a while and noticed my results go down. I blamed it on having a few sodas during the day and decent size lunch. I think (you can google it) but there are benefits to working out in a fasted state as far as fat burn.

I hate doing cardio within 2 hours of having eaten. I also run on an empty stomach when I do morning runs. I don't even have coffee before hand. Which is probably why everyone avoids me and sometimes I'll get to the gym and not remember driving there.

I work out on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning. I'm usually not feeling any "ill affects", but that also depends on what I ate the night before. If I didn't eat something that actually sustained me during the night, I might wake up hungry (but without feeling it, because I head to the gym pretty much as soon as I wake up so I don't fall back asleep). So I do carry with me a snack-pack of nuts, or some kind of raw bar just in case. I do mostly lifting though, so it might not apply, but I also do some cardio.

None so long as your nutrition is on point (i.e., getting enough calories daily to fuel your workouts). I even do my long runs first thing in the morning. Breakfast when I get back.

I'm with @BecomingBane - If I have nothing in the tank, my performance during the workout is definitely affected. More so with strength than with cardio - but even with cardio it still suffers. I do my workouts at lunch time though, so I just have a small mid-morning snack about an hour or two before the workout and that does it! It'll be a cold day you-know-where before I ever get up at 5:15 am to work out! Lol

I haven't seen anything conclusive that it helps one way or the other. As you can see by the responses it really depends on you, on what you're doing and how you feel when doing it.

Our bodies store enough glycogen for about 90 minutes of intense activity (running, etc.) so if what you're doing will last less than that there's no reason not to work out in a fasted state. I run every other morning during the week for 3-4 miles and never eat beforehand. I get up, get dressed and hit the road. I usually don't eat until I get to work a few hours later. For runs longer than 7 miles on the weekends I'll make sure to eat something light around 30-60 minutes before I start my run and sometimes take jelly beans to eat during. I lift weights after work on the days I don't run and won't have eaten since lunch and then won't eat again until dinner.

Give fasted workouts a try and see how you feel. If you like it, keep doing it. If you feel like it's affecting your performance then try different eating routines around your workouts and figure out what is best for you.

Fasted cardio? If it's super early morning that's one thing. I'd be too hungry later in the day.

Personal preference. If I'm super hungry, I'll eat a greek yogurt about a half hour before. But sometimes I like to exercise on an empty stomach. Whatever works for you.

Kidostud wrote: »

I've actually worked out that I can do cardio and bodyweight training without having breakfast - for up to about an hour. But when I include weights, I feel depleted very soon. I usually do my weight training in the afternoons, but then I aldo have to be careful not to train too soon after my last meal / drink - deadlifts or bent over rows then makes me feel terrible and I generallyget terrible food cramps.

But, what happens if your stored glycogen is depleted and you carry on training? Where does the energy comes from then? Does your body ever reach a stage where he burns fat as energy?

When you hear about marathon runners "hitting the wall" that's pretty much what has happened to them. It also happens to people who are eating very low carb for long periods of time.

Your body will burn fat as energy when your glycogen stores are depleted but it takes time to switch over. That's why so many people who start low carb diets complain about feeling sluggish, tired, headachy, etc. Once the switchover to burning fat for fuel is complete, usually in a week or so, they go back to feeling normal and many even will tell you they have more energy than before. I'm not sure how much of that is subjective, however. I never noticed any real extra energy.

I actually ran my first half marathon, and several after that, while low carb dieting without any problems. Your body has to be ready for it, though. There have been some studies done on training in a fasted state and its effect on marathon runners burning more fat but those benefits don't seem to translate to those who aren't regularly in a glycogen depleted state or who aren't running those types of distances.

I'm one of those people who have to eat ever few hours and feel better exercising after a solid meal. Exercising on an empty stomach would result either in me performing very poorly or straight out fainting. And I'd feel violently ill for the rest of the day.

But, everyone is different. Do what works for you, because if you try to do something that doesn't work for you, you aren't going to progress.

I work out in the evenings right before dinner. But everything I've heard/read says that whether to eat something beforehand or not is really based on personal preference/concerns and not any isolated pros/cons.

banana + coffee is my favourite combination 30-40 mins before a run

alternative cereals and milk >1h before a long run

but empty stomach is also ok for 10ks for me, not for middle range (like a HM) runs

i workout at 6am in the morning with a nice 50 minute body combat class - this has to be done on an empty stomach as i reckon i would throw up lol.