Fasted cardio
sacoriah
Posts: 7 Member
Anyone had success with this? My friend recently told me about this.
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Replies
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I find I can't perform any function on an empty stomach. Having low blood sugar makes me tired. I need at least a small banana or a piece of grain bread. I can't see how you'd get better results doing this unless you are able to do the same amount of cardio as you can with something in your stomach.1
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Yeah I do it sometimes - I make sure that I have a carb james by dinner the night before0
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An excellent read on fasted cardio:
http://weightology.net/fasted-cardio-an-undeserved-good-reputation/0 -
I guess it works for some people, but it's probably an individual thing. I crash and burn if I try to workout on nothing. Not sure what the point of it is.0
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Individual success is impossible to judge because one wouldn't know how well they would be able to convert fat to energy if they weren't training with fasted cardio.1
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I would (and have) pass out if I did this. And I'm not diabetic.0
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I did, for several months, do my treadmill, 30 minutes, each morning in the fasted state. I'd follow that with a protein shake and a breakfast before work.1
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What's your measure of success OP? What did your friend say it was good for?
If you think it will make you lose weight quicker then prepare to be disappointed!
If you think it will make you better fat adapted for endurance cardio then it may well work (it did for me).
If you think being able to train whether fasted or fed helps you schedule your workout into your day easier then that's an advantage.
It did take me a many weeks to get fully used to (built up intensity slowly) so if you experiment with it be aware how you feel at first may not reflect how it will work for you if you persevere.1 -
If i do fasted cardio, it is for the simple reason that it's easy for me to fit in to my schedule that way. Doing it is better than not doing it. There's pros and cons to both fasted and non-fasted cardio.2
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I guess I usually do fasted cardio, especially if it is in the morning, since I feel sick if I have eaten anything for several hours before intense running or swimming. I was not aware it was supposed to have some benefit, other than me not throwing up
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I guess I do fasted cardio, but that's because I can't run if I've eaten anything, I feel sluggish, tired and nauseous. Can't say it's helped / not helped me to lose weight. Each to their own so I would say try it and see which you prefer. But if you are expecting to suddenly lose more weight then that's not going to happen.1
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Personally yes but known some who haven't. Key is consistency and to keep at it, took me about 2 weeks to notice the difference and this was doing fasted 4-5 times a week.0
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As others have said, what is your measure of success? What did your friend experience?
I would not bother to try fasted cardio if my goal was weight loss. I would perhaps use it to help train my body to increase the use of fat as fuel during endurance cardio training. And by "endurance cardio" I'm referring to multi hour workouts, such as those performed during marathon or long course triathlon training.
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I tend to do both cardio and strength training fasted as thats how my day lines up.
I find that if I run or lift later in the day that my performance is generally better after I've eaten but its not enough better that I've stopped doing the fasted work.1 -
What's your measure of success OP? What did your friend say it was good for?
If you think it will make you lose weight quicker then prepare to be disappointed!
If you think it will make you better fat adapted for endurance cardio then it may well work (it did for me).
If you think being able to train whether fasted or fed helps you schedule your workout into your day easier then that's an advantage.
It did take me a many weeks to get fully used to (built up intensity slowly) so if you experiment with it be aware how you feel at first may not reflect how it will work for you if you persevere.
^^^ This
I do most of my runs fasted but that's only a matter of reference s I don' like having anything in my stomach when I run.0 -
When I run in the morning it's fasted, but that is because if I eat before I get nauseous. If I run in the afternoon I have to wait a couple of hours. Only benefit I notice is not feeling like I'm going to puke0
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Fasted cardio is my most successful cardio. If I run later in the day after I've eaten, I feel sluggish and get horrid side stitches, so my speed and distance suffer.1
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It's all about the time. I wake up and exercise, I don't have thirty minutes for some food to be doing the rumba in my belly while I run...although, now that i'm thinking about adding weights to my routine, i'm thinking of adding a protein drink....but I really don't want to wake up at 4 in the morning just to guzzle down some ground up baby chickens and then wait 45 minutes till I can actually get movin.0
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As others have said, what is your measure of success? What did your friend experience?
I would not bother to try fasted cardio if my goal was weight loss. I would perhaps use it to help train my body to increase the use of fat as fuel during endurance cardio training. And by "endurance cardio" I'm referring to multi hour workouts, such as those performed during marathon or long course triathlon training.
I lost a lot of weight but for some reason I'm weight lost slowed down and I'm stuck at 210. I change up my workout and diet and still nothing. My friend had the same issue and she told me she does fasted cardio and she started losing weight again .0 -
Personally, I prefer to "run on empty". The best way for me to run is in the morning, before I've had anything to eat. I, unfortunately, suffer "runner's trot" issues, so if I have nothing to eat before, I find it reduces the possibility of problems. (doesn't eliminate it, dang it!)
However, if i cycle, it usually is for a longer distance, so I'll have something before i head out, then protein shake after.
Try for yourself & see how you do.0 -
It depends on how intense the workout is going to be. For any workout 1 hour or less I prefer to have an empty stomach it seems to make me feel lighter on my feet. If I am training for a mountain bike race 30+ miles or running for more than 5 miles I like to have something small to keep me going. I always eat within 30 minutes of completing a workout.0
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I always work out in the morning fasted. I wake up and put in a DVD. But I don't think this has anything to do with weightoss. It's overall calories burned. When I workout in the afternoons, it's not fasted. Doesn't matter, I'm still burning calories.0
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What's your measure of success OP? What did your friend say it was good for?
If you think it will make you lose weight quicker then prepare to be disappointed!
If you think it will make you better fat adapted for endurance cardio then it may well work (it did for me).
If you think being able to train whether fasted or fed helps you schedule your workout into your day easier then that's an advantage.
It did take me a many weeks to get fully used to (built up intensity slowly) so if you experiment with it be aware how you feel at first may not reflect how it will work for you if you persevere.
Great question!
OP, if fasted cardio feels better while you're doing it & that's just your preference, go for it. If you're looking for a program that promises fat burning benefits beyond a caloric deficit, this isn't it.
There's an article on bodyrecomposition.com that details the benefits of fasted cardio. It's my understanding that it really only benefits those individuals who are already quite lean.
https://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/fasted-cardio-and-fat-loss-qa.html/0 -
As others have said, what is your measure of success? What did your friend experience?
I would not bother to try fasted cardio if my goal was weight loss. I would perhaps use it to help train my body to increase the use of fat as fuel during endurance cardio training. And by "endurance cardio" I'm referring to multi hour workouts, such as those performed during marathon or long course triathlon training.
I lost a lot of weight but for some reason I'm weight lost slowed down and I'm stuck at 210. I change up my workout and diet and still nothing. My friend had the same issue and she told me she does fasted cardio and she started losing weight again .
Ok, got it. So I understand that your goal is weight loss and you have a friend who had weight loss success while doing cardio work fasted. I think what you are reading in many of the responses, including mine, is that while plenty of folks perform cardio workouts in a fasted state, there is no science (or significant experience amongst MFP posters) to suggest that "fasted cardio" delivers greater weight loss results than cardio work done when fueled.
To help clarify, if you look at the responses, notice that there are no responses saying "Fasted Cardio made the difference in my weight loss results." Rather, the respondents stated either one (or both) of two reasons when discussing their choice to perform cardio work in a fasted state:
1. It "feels" better, since having food in the stomach while running can be uncomfortable and/or make one nauseous.
2. Running while "fasted" is part of the process to train their bodies to become used to burning a greater percentage of fat for fuel than if carbohydrate fueling was being used during the pre-training hours (breakfast) and intra workout(while running) timeframes.
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works for me0
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I walk 30 minutes to an hour almost every morning, several hours before my first meal. Never have had a problem with feeling weak or tired. Don't know if it burns any more calories than fed cardio though, I'm losing about as much weight as expected.
I will say though, after 3 months of consistent calorie deficit my lean body mass hasn't decreased at all or at least not appreciably, based on averaging multiple bf% measurements per day. This may also be attributable to weight training and proper protein and supplementation.
But, as far as I know there isn't any solid, peer reviewed research to support fasted cardio over fed cardio, or visa versa0 -
I think I've done fasted cardio a handful of times in my life. And only because I woke up early and wanted to save calories for my actual breakfast. It isn't really for me, I feel weak, dizzy, a bit nauseated.. and I feel like I don't work as hard or burn as many calories.
Not sure if it holds any benefit to those who are super lean trying to get leaner, maybe I will give it a shot if I ever get to that point.0 -
When I'm on vacation, I want to hit the trail without waiting for breakfast.0
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I prefer to workout fasted as its just much more comfortable for me to do so with nothing in my stomach.0
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