Exercising on an empty stomach vs. eating an hour before han

New_Bloom
New_Bloom Posts: 22 Member
edited October 1 in Fitness and Exercise
Ok...

So I don't know if any of you are familiar with Bill Phillips and his Eating for Life style program / Body for Life / Transformation, but his book, he strongly recommends working out first thing in morning, after the body has finished fasting through the night in order to burn stored fat. He believes that fat burns 300 times better (300% faster) then when someone workouts during the day (which then is burning glucose-carb buildup of the days food and energy intake).

However, I've read on an article on Runnersworld.com about how working out under fasted conditions is not a good idea. The article explained that the body works and moves slower (sluggish) and not at its optimal performance and that the body will still burn stored fat if one was to work out after they have eaten / during the day. Obviously, one has to wait at the least an hour after a meal, before exercise.

Shaun T's nutrition plan also recommends eating at least an hour before a workout. What do you guys think? I mean I would rather working on an empty stomach if it means burning more fat and I've also have gotten used to that way of thinking. Does anyone have any suggestions or proof that you could still lose an exceptional amount of weight - even the workout is after a meal???

- Jeeeesh, I could go on forever. I hope this is makes sense... :happy:

Replies

  • patriot201
    patriot201 Posts: 117 Member
    I don't know what the "answer" is, but I know what works best for ME.

    If I haven't eaten in 15+ hours, I MUST eat before I work out. Otherwise I feel physically ill.

    If I have eaten in the past hour, though, I can't work out. I feel physically ill.

    So, for me, I have to work out at least 1 hour, but no more than 15 hours, after eating.
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
    I can't work out on an empty stomach. If I am even slightly hungry before I start working out, I will be ravenous after, and most likely nauseated as well. I also found that for me working out first thing in the morning, I'm not hydrated enough to really be able to push myself. When I had tried working out before work, I ended up being more tired while at work, which reduced my productivity.

    I think it really varies between people, just like what to eat varies. Some people function best with a morning routine, others, like me, don't.
  • FaithsVegWorkout
    FaithsVegWorkout Posts: 471
    I don't know what the "answer" is, but I know what works best for ME.

    If I haven't eaten in 15+ hours, I MUST eat before I work out. Otherwise I feel physically ill.

    If I have eaten in the past hour, though, I can't work out. I feel physically ill.

    So, for me, I have to work out at least 1 hour, but no more than 15 hours, after eating.

    You go 15 hours without eating? :(
  • sweettoothfairy
    sweettoothfairy Posts: 212 Member
    You should eat a light snack an hour or so before you workout. Consider your body as a machine, if you arent putting fuel, your machine will not start.
  • patriot201
    patriot201 Posts: 117 Member
    You go 15 hours without eating? :(

    Often. :( It's bad. Very bad. Very, very bad. When I am really struggling, I go 24+ hours without eating. :(

    Most of the time, though, I will eat dinner around 8:00 P.M. and will eat lunch the next day around 1:00 P.M (I rarely, if ever, eat breakfast, which I know is really bad).
  • melholden10
    melholden10 Posts: 35
    There was a paper done in Austalia/NZ within the last 2 years that looked at the effect on the body of excercising in the morning without eating and that for men it did work to burn more fat but it put women into starvation mode so when they ate afterwards they gained fat due to survival stuff and women having kids etc

    I have also read papers where its said you should have something before excercising in the morning as glycogen levels in the liver can be depleted overnight and also if you fuel up it can allow you to carry on your work out longer and more effectively then if not eating

    There are also papers saying you burn more fat when you haven't eaten in the morning before excercise

    personally i always eat an hour beforehand but I think its probably a personal thing if you can excercise i the morning without fuelling up and feel good then go for that otherwise have a bit of food at least an hour before and then excercise
  • suzycreamcheese
    suzycreamcheese Posts: 1,766 Member
    working out on an empty stomach works well for some people and not well for others.
    I cant do it. I feel sick and can barely run half an hour on an empty stomach.
    I guess it depends how long you plan to workout for, but i like to aim for hour and a half or two hours, and theres no way i can do it on empty
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    working out on an empty stomach works well for some people and not well for others.
    I cant do it. I feel sick and can barely run half an hour on an empty stomach.
    I guess it depends how long you plan to workout for, but i like to aim for hour and a half or two hours, and theres no way i can do it on empty

    You're talking about running, which will use up the stored glycogen reserves...weakening your overall effectiveness. I happen to greatly prefer working out after nearly 24hrs of no food intake, but I strength train.. I am measurably stronger, I can push myself harder, and I don't feel bloated and full...all bonuses. I work out three days a week.
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
    I try to eat a LITTLE if its been more than 3-4 hours since I ate. so normally if I eat lunch around 12:30 and workout around 5:30 I will have a small or half a protein bar (the luna protein bars are a good size) about 30 minutes before I workout.

    I read a study that you don't want to eat a ton right before, but you do want to give your body some fuel before you workout (This was on a bodybuilding site) if its been a while since your last meal. You don't really want your stomach to FEEL full though so you need to find something with a good mix of protein and carbs that won't just bloat you/fill you up. Also some protein afterwards to recover - although I just ran and didn't eat after because I had a big meal an hour before. I was ok but it wasn't the best thing ever, I wish I'd eaten half and saved the rest for after my workout.
  • MyNewLeaf
    MyNewLeaf Posts: 40
    New Bloom, I wonder if you posted as a result of my topic. I think the real answer is you have to see what works for you individually. I'm sure you can lose weight either way, so don't let all the dogma (even mine) get in your way - do what feels best in Your body. It's going to depend on a number of factors as to whether you should eat first. It depends what you ate yesterday, what combos, when, and what you're accustomed to. It also depends on whether you have hypoglycemia or any other health issue. Your hormone levels and menstrual cycle might affect what you need and can do on a given day.

    I freely admit I've only done the exercise on empty stomach thing a few times, but I was mildly exercising and not working out really hard.

    I thought that post about it not working as well for women for survival reasons is interesting. I wonder if it's true.
  • JennsLosing
    JennsLosing Posts: 1,026
    well i get sick to my stomach and puke the water i drank or dry heave if i dont eat something before i work out. so i always eat a little something before doing anything
  • katief89
    katief89 Posts: 4
    It depends what I'm doing. I like to run first thing, and run up to 8 miles without having eaten anything. I just don't like the feeling of food in my stomach before running and I'm not going to waste precious sleep time getting up to eat and then sit around for an hour and a half!
    There are a zillion studies on the area and it can seem a bit conclusive, but a lot of what I've looked at (did a sports science degree) were of the 'fasted exercise burns more fat' outcome, and, I think as long as you refuel appropriately afterwards then it's not a problem.
    Guess it depends on the person really, but I'm perfectly happy going without eating and it doesn't really seem to make me run slower/make it seem harder!
  • PalmettoparkGuy
    PalmettoparkGuy Posts: 212 Member
    Definitely listen to your body. I personally MUST eat first thing in the morning before exercise. I've noticed if I try to exercise while hungry it really takes away from what I can do and I've gotten lightheaded from it.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    New Bloom, I wonder if you posted as a result of my topic. I think the real answer is you have to see what works for you individually. I'm sure you can lose weight either way, so don't let all the dogma (even mine) get in your way - do what feels best in Your body. It's going to depend on a number of factors as to whether you should eat first. It depends what you ate yesterday, what combos, when, and what you're accustomed to. It also depends on whether you have hypoglycemia or any other health issue. Your hormone levels and menstrual cycle might affect what you need and can do on a given day.

    I freely admit I've only done the exercise on empty stomach thing a few times, but I was mildly exercising and not working out really hard.

    I thought that post about it not working as well for women for survival reasons is interesting. I wonder if it's true.

    Google Eat, Stop, Eat...or leangains.

    You might be surprised.
  • Jonesie1984
    Jonesie1984 Posts: 612 Member
    For me I prefer fasting cardio. When there's food in my belly and im running I feel nauseous..I have also heard about the benefits of the lower glycogen stores in the morning. I however don't have super long cardio sessions though. They can actually be worse for goals of maintaining or gaining lean body mass but that's another topic. 45-60 mins tops for me and I work out early (between 5-630am) and I eat late so I dont know if that changes the effects. I do know that my body seems to respond really well to this. In the end I would just suggest you demo both styles for a week or two and see what YOU like best.
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
    I can give a lot more once I've eaten, I don't do it without food.
  • New_Bloom
    New_Bloom Posts: 22 Member
    Wow, so much information! But what I've gathered is that it depends on the person and that if I am to eat, it ought to be something light and at least an hour before working out. I'm really glad to hear everyone's input because its helping me to put aside my anxieties. Sometimes I wake up and I don't feel like exercising right away so then I feel as if I cannot eat until I do feel like exercise, which in that case means, I then workout and wait to eat an hour later.... This sometimes means that I'm having my first meal in the early afternoon. I'm really happy to hear that I could get results either way because so many of you have had great results eating right before or working out after a fast. I guess I get that...the all or nothing attitude (sometimes good, sometimes bad)...

    Anyway,

    Thank you so much everyone for your posts, I really do appreciate it!

    * ~~~ :glasses: ~~~ *
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    If you haven't eaten, and your glycogen stores are depleted, and you are working out vigorously, your body will start breaking down muscle and burning the protein in an effort to conserve fat stores, particularly if you are already eating on a calorie deficit. Fat is an insulator, fat is also an endocrine organ responsible for making hormones that regulate body function, therefore, the body sees fat as more important to survival than muscle. So if food is scarce (eating on a calorie deficit, fasting before exercising) your body will burn some fat, but will burn a lot more muscle in order to conserve the fat as long as possible. Now, if you are eating at or above maintenance calories, your body won't have that kind of starvation response, as it knows fuel is plentiful and doesn't have to worry about conserving.

    So my opinion is EAT, then exercise.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Lots of good advice here, so I'll just add what works for me.

    I exercise (usually running) first thing in the morning so eating before hand means getting up earlier still, which I don't like to do if I can help it. My compromise is that during the week when I don't have much time I usually run on an empty stomach - but that is generally for no longer than 30 - 45 mins.

    On weekends when I do a long run (70 - 90 mins), I eat an hour or so before I go. My favourite so far is an english muffin with peanut butter and half a banana. I also drink lots before I go then just take a little bit of water with me to keep me going along the way. I've also tried having a few jelly beans along the way for a long run. I'm not sure if these are really necessary but the combo of eating an hour or more and drinking plenty before I start, plus a sugar hit and a bit of water half way through seems to work for me for long runs. I used to get really bad headaches after long runs but this combo of eating/drinking seems to work well.
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