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Gym on empty stomach

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  • DiIDE
    DiIDE Posts: 120 Member
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    I recently watched a tv show where they tested both men and women,s fat burning, one group ate before exercising and the other did not. I was surprised to see that the men burnt more fat not eating before exercising and the women burnt more fat if they ate before exercising. Just shows that not one size fits all.
  • canary_girl
    canary_girl Posts: 366 Member
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    I typically do cardio at 5 am. I do high intensity intervals and eating beforehand makes me feel sick and not able to work as hard.

    I lift m,w,f and sometimes don't eat until 9-10 am. I've been doing it for years, I'm used to it.
  • mommarnurse
    mommarnurse Posts: 515 Member
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    I think you can get used to it, either way.
    I used to have to eat before morning runs, now it doesn't matter.

    I used to get GERD flairs and indigestion-feeling if running right after eating dinner. It doesn't really bother me anymore.

    That's personal experience, either, but maybe a different one. Our bodies are pretty amazing at accommodations.
  • KrystinaMTL
    KrystinaMTL Posts: 1,338 Member
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    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    Nothing kills hunger better than cardio. Lots of people promote fasting morning exercise for weight loss.

    I'm sure it can be overdone...

    This.
  • TrainerNaomiGutierrez
    TrainerNaomiGutierrez Posts: 8 Member
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    I always hit the gym on an empty stomach.
    All my energy stores have been depleted overnight, fat is the only energy source left. It is great for getting cut.
  • khaleesikhaleesi
    khaleesikhaleesi Posts: 213 Member
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    I do my morning cardio (granted, I'm just jogging-- no running!) on an empty stomach. But, in the evenings, when I'm doing strength training, I won't go hungry. It's a bad time.
  • Dannigreen31
    Dannigreen31 Posts: 557 Member
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    I have to have at least a snack or I'll pass out aha
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited June 2016
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    TrainerNaomiGutierrez wrote: »
    I always hit the gym on an empty stomach.
    All my energy stores have been depleted overnight, fat is the only energy source left. It is great for getting cut.

    Just so you know - your muscle glucose stores can NOT be put back into the blood stream for use by your brain or other organs that don't store glucose.
    So your muscles are fully loaded, or at least in a diet perhaps not totally topped off.
    But more than enough as energy source for your workout intensity.

    Your liver is probably not near depleted, unless you eat dinner early and then are very active until bedtime late helping to use those stores up - but then you'd wake with low blood sugar and brain problems - unless doing keto.

    And if fat was truly the only source of fuel left - which requires enough oxygen to burn - your body would keep you so slow and low intensity to burn only that it would be very noticable - that's "the wall" of a mis-run marathon.

    Sorry - just gotta call out myths being repeated when I see them - gotta stop the spread somehow.

    You are burning carb/fat at almost same ratio as you would any other time. Just nothing from your last meal is all.
  • michellemybelll
    michellemybelll Posts: 2,228 Member
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    i ran 12 miles at ~8:20 min/mile this morning on an empty stomach, save a couple mugs of (essentially) black coffee.

    I didn't used to run/workout fasted in the mornings, but have switched to it over the past year or so and I like it much better. It makes my mornings much more efficient, and gives me more food to eat later in the day. Win-win!
  • JKI19
    JKI19 Posts: 91 Member
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    Pretty much the only way I can do a workout. If I know I'm lifting heavy that day I may have a small wrap, piece of fruit, and some extra caffeine before hand. Never more than 300 cals before a workout though.
  • ksamp39
    ksamp39 Posts: 20 Member
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    I run most days for 1 hour+on an empty tum have done for 20 or more years and feel better for it.. Each to there own but eating before cardio makes me feel like running with weights attached some what sluggish.
  • theresakruse48
    theresakruse48 Posts: 76 Member
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    I used to work out with nothing on board but i found that with doing calisthenics in the pool for 1.5 hours it was really a LOT harder. So now I have a 170calorie protein shake and I'm good to go!
  • chantelsheree88
    chantelsheree88 Posts: 9 Member
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    I usually eat 30 minutes prior to working out just to give myself the energy. I wouldn't recommend working out on an empty stomach. I tried it twice and became very light headed and dizzy. Talk to your doctor about it!!
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    chantelsheree88 wrote: »
    I usually eat 30 minutes prior to working out just to give myself the energy. I wouldn't recommend working out on an empty stomach. I tried it twice and became very light headed and dizzy. Talk to your doctor about it!!

    Or just experiment a bit. Look at all the different responses on this thread. How's a doctor going to know how an individual will react?
  • zcb94
    zcb94 Posts: 3,678 Member
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    chantelsheree88 wrote: »
    I usually eat 30 minutes prior to working out just to give myself the energy. I wouldn't recommend working out on an empty stomach. I tried it twice and became very light headed and dizzy. Talk to your doctor about it!!
    This is how I feel about it. I also tried it twice, and learned the hard way that I dare not even do my chores on an empty stomach for that very reason.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    chantelsheree88 wrote: »
    I usually eat 30 minutes prior to working out just to give myself the energy. I wouldn't recommend working out on an empty stomach. I tried it twice and became very light headed and dizzy. Talk to your doctor about it!!

    why would you talk to your doctor about this?????? Most doctors know squat about fitness and nutrition ..

    I work out on an empty stomach and never have any issues....
  • Shana67
    Shana67 Posts: 680 Member
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    I workout at 5:30am every morning. I never, ever, ever eat beforehand. If I'm working out later in the day for some reason, it has to be AT LEAST 2 hours since I've eaten. Very difficult for me to get a good workout in otherwise.
  • chantelsheree88
    chantelsheree88 Posts: 9 Member
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    @ndj1979 the OP doesnt have to but i think its wise to get an opinion of a doctor. I spoke with mine before trying to gain weight to make sure certain diets, foods and exercises were safe. My doc helped me tremendously but to each is own!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    If your Dr happened to have and keep an interest in nutrition beyond the very probably out-dated 1 semester course they were required to take - then great.

    But generally the Dr is NOT the place for such advice.

    Like - if you had an issue with your foot, and you had the ability of going directly to a podiatrist (depending on insurance perhaps) - why go to the Dr first?
    Eyes, ears, nose, throat, ect - general Dr on very simple things they see often enough may have no issues - but if this is outside of ordinary - they better be sending you to specialist if you didn't go to one first.

    Same with nutrition - go to specialists, not generalist. Dr's normal patients aren't going to have this be a common issue that comes up.

    But in this case - not really any test or such to run. Dr or specialist is going to ask and talk about exactly what's been discussed in this thread.
    If you eat and the workout makes you feel sick and can't do the workout - then wait longer or don't eat first.
    If you don't eat and you get light headed and pass out and can't do the workout - then eat something first.
    Just figure it out - talking maybe 4 days to hit all the possibilities to test - big whoop in the scheme of things.

    And no general Dr is going to have kept up with the research that has been linked in this topic - unless personally interested or his focus. Shoot, even a dietician may not have kept up and may have taken courses that were outdate - always a possibility - hence the reason to educate yourself too - and know what a reliable source is.

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