Fasted cardio?

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tempPhone
tempPhone Posts: 10 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Has anyone here tried fasted cardio? How were your results and would you recommend it?

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  • thywillbedone17
    thywillbedone17 Posts: 69 Member
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    Do you mean sprints??
  • tempPhone
    tempPhone Posts: 10 Member
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    thywillbedone17 wrote: »
    Do you mean sprints??

    No I mean doing cardio first thing in the morning before eating
  • thywillbedone17
    thywillbedone17 Posts: 69 Member
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    I do every day yes was doing 4 or 5 miles but recently switched to shorter faster runs
    I did however just read that if your looking to burn fat it's best not to run on an empty stomach but I've lost 118 # doing it this way so who knows lol
  • beachhouse758
    beachhouse758 Posts: 371 Member
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    I do it. Only because every time I eat anything before running I throw up....and I would rather not.
    It works for me.
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
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    Other then personal preference, fasted cardio will not burn anymore fat than non fasted cardio would. Ingesting 3000 calories daily whether you're fasted or not is still 3000 calories....if that makes sense. Basically if you're burning the same calories whether you're fasted or not. Some people just feel better not having food sloshing around in their stomach
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
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    tempPhone wrote: »
    Has anyone here tried fasted cardio? How were your results and would you recommend it?

    Would recommend it if you are training for endurance cardio.

    Wouldn't recommend it if you think it will give better weight/fat loss results or if it impacts your exercise performance.
  • CherryChan81
    CherryChan81 Posts: 264 Member
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    wont that result in muscle catabolism?
  • hamlet1222
    hamlet1222 Posts: 459 Member
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    I tried it but didn't like it. Two hours after a normal meal I find to be an optimum time for 30 minutes cardio - if I do it sooner then yes, stomach issues (although cycling is more forgiving than running on a full stomach). 3-4 hours after eating and I'll feel light-headed and dizzy, longer than that after eating and I simply won't be able to perform as well and get as much out of the workout.

    I do know people who get on really well with it however, and love early morning runs before breakfast.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,412 MFP Moderator
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    Fasted anything didn't work for me. My body just bonks out when I do stuff fasted.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    CherryChan81 wrote: »
    wont that result in muscle catabolism?

    assuming OP hits macros for the day and eats regular amount of calories, no it will not.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    edited November 2015
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    I do it. I've run up to 5 miles fasted. weekends are long runs so i force myself to at least drink some milk and have some toast and peanut butter
    but i much prefer fasted runs. sides I'm running at 4am and I don't want to get up any earlier
  • Working2BLean
    Working2BLean Posts: 386 Member
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    Yep

    I do it daily

    90 minutes every weekday

    If you eat a lower carb dinner and hit the cardio empty it will help your mitochondria gradually shift the fuel burn percentage more in the fat for fuel direction

    It takes time to become more fat adapted

    I would suggest you google Mitochondia endurance training. It is a medical fact based training technique. Your Mitochondia is an organelle that actually physically changes with conditioning. You burn the same number of calories, it is just where your body takes it from.

    Be advised that the end result being better or worse is still quite contested. I train this way for fat burning and endurance rides to burn mass calories. It will help you train for hours and maintain with only a few hundred calories of energy packs. And looking at it on total burn numbers, 700 an hour for a moderate intensity ride over 3 hours, taking in 4 of the 120 calorie gel packs, you win big time on fat burn.

    For a ride & run, or fast group ride I use GU energy packs, Cliff bars, and the like to support much more of the calorie burn.

    I don't feel fat adapted full effort runs are equal to carb supported full effort runs for me personally. I can say I am able to go longer at an 85% HRM now than before the last year of working on being more fat adapted.

    Keep up the good work! Consistently doing it will pay off.

    For most people I think it does not matter aside of if you want your stomach with contents or not. It is easy to get caught up in little details and miss the big picture.

    Be in a calorie deficit

    Add exercise you have fun with

    The road to fitness can be an enjoyable ride.

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    I've done runs of up to 18km fasted (I usually run first thing in the AM before I eat.... I do not like having food in my stomach) for my longer runs I'll eat something light (eg toast & PB and a banana) at least a couple of hours ahead of time. Typically I'll row in the morning before breakfast too.

    I'm not sure what you mean by results, in terms of fat loss the differences are virtually non-existent, do whichever you prefer. You burn the same number of calories either way.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I do it but I don't call it fasted cardio. I just call it exercising in the morning before breakfast. I haven't read much on its affect on calorie burn. My guess is that the overall caloric benefit of not eating before exercising is minimal over the long term and that it is mostly popular to write about in fitness magazines/online because the mags/websites need something to write about. To me it's like baby led weaning or babywearing, both concepts/activities that have been around for eons due to practicality but now are gushed about on mommy blogs and parenting websites as if they are new concepts.
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    tempPhone wrote: »
    Has anyone here tried fasted cardio? How were your results and would you recommend it?

    It depends on what you are trying to achieve? I do fasted cardio in the morning all the time (train low / race high). I do this to help boost glycogen storage and boost my body in being able to burn fat during long competitions to preserve cardio fuel. However, I do not follow this as a means to loose weight. Overall diet and managing your overall calorie intake is best for that.

    http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/lab-report-fuel-management?page=single
    http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/running-e?page=single

    http://runnersconnect.net/coach-corner/marathon-long-runs-on-an-empty-stomach-or-fully-fueled/

    http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/debunking-the-myth-of-fasted-cardio
    http://www.muscleforlife.com/fasted-cardio/

    CherryChan81 wrote: »
    wont that result in muscle catabolism?

    https://www.onnit.com/academy/the-skinny-on-fasted-cardio-and-training-depleted/

  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
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    I prefer running first thing on an empty stomach.

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