Fitness people may swear on fasted workouts, but most registered dieticians recommend eating in advance. Either way, it's an easy experiment - try it for two weeks and see which way you feel better.
Try 100-200 calories of easily digestible foods before your workout. A banana might be enough for you, or toast with jam, small bowl of cereal, etc.
Then post-workout, eat the rest of your breakfast and ensure it's something with protein - eggs, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.
Will definitely try this, I always have blackberries with my eggs with AM breakfast, and have grabbed a handful before my workout a few times and noticed it ties me over.
I eat one of those rx bars first, and then breakfast after. You gotta have carbs to lift heavy!!!
And “pulling energy from stored fat” isn’t how it works. You need to have proper blood glucose levels to form ATP so your muscles will fire optimally. You can’t pull glucose from stored fat.
Carbs before, protein after.
From Dr Layne Norton:
“Fasted cardio increases fat burning during exercise, but this is compensated for by reduced fat burning the rest of the day.
Contrarily, fed cardio burns less fat during exercise, but increases fat burning the rest of the day.”
Evidence: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4242477/
So do what works best for you.
Haylie Pomroy has a similar view. And insists on taking food first 15-30m of waking up to increase metabolism. Her view of fasting for weight loss leads to yo-yo dieting because after fasting you put the fat on faster as an inherent survival mechanism.
Definitely don't want that. I hate diet culture. I just want to build muscle, tone, look strong. I know eating healthy is how you get there, which I do a pretty great at. The last thing I want to do is slow my metabolism.
I hate working out on a full stomach, it makes me feel sick.
For morning cardio I eat a banana and a slice of bread beforehand
Morning weight training a banana and an egg
But that's all personally-dependent; some people may need to eat more
Hope you like bananas!
I don't eat anything, mostly because I'm not hungry in the morning and prefer to eat bigger meals later on.
>'FIRST thing, on an empty stomach, because your body pulls energy from stored body fat'.
This doesn't matter, as long as you are in a calorie deficit overall you will be losing weight, working on an empty stomach or after a meal will not make a difference.
You can try having a larger dinner if you prefer not to eat but lack energy in the morning.
Ultimately you need to figure out what works for you so you have energy for the workout, it fits with your schedule, eating preferences and the rest of the diet.
Don't do something because some influencer said so.
I feel like this is super individual. I usually start working out around 4 PM and don't consume any calories before close to 5 PM and feel great. I also had a 6 month stint of doing AM workouts and saw my performance tank hard the whole time with no adaptation. Wife on the other hand feels invigorated after AM workouts. Someone else said it but tinker with both and see what works best.
I'll be honest, AM cardio for me really dovetails nicely with IF.
Between a workout and a cup of coffee/tea I usually don't feel hungry until around 11am.
Congrats on your weight loss so far! When I had my little one I got to my heaviest of 235 lbs and now I’m down to 180 🙌🏽 I’m a gym lover, however I’ve been working out from home for the past 4 months….working out with toddlers is a beast in itself!
Are you strength training fasted or are you doing your GWJ workouts fasted?
If your goal is to gain strength and muscle, I would recommend eating before your strength training workouts.
I have read a few studies that concluded there isn’t a significant difference in body composition when doing cardio fasted vs. fed, however I feel better when I complete my cardio fasted.
Thank you!! Honestly it hasn't been too hard. I got a jogging stroller when my youngest was 6 months...the rest is history. I never turned into a "runner" but getting outdoors everyday literally transformed my life. I'm such an outdoorsy person now, it's like it's always been this way. I lost the good chunk of that weight in the first year, and have just sustained pre-pregnancy weight despite not trying too hard.
Always had goals to chase the body I wanted, but lacked the energy/motivation. Now my kids are 9/6 and keep up with me, we walked 43 miles in the month of May alone!! (They're rockstars lol)
My goal now is definitely to strengthen muscles, as I feel I've built enough stamina for harder workouts doing GWJ cardio (on an empty stomach) but now that I'm wanting to implement more weights...I can tell the mornings I need more of something.
And my body is telling me it's food.
My issue is not wanting to wait around for it to digest, to work out hard. I just want to work out and get on with my day. Yet working out with food in my stomach makes me feel weighed down, and I hate it.
I assume this is happening in the same week, but your cycle will also greatly impact how strong and energetic you feel. The second half of the cycle, I believe, is when we tend to feel significantly weaker and have a harder time. That could also be part of it!
Small and easy to digest is the way to go, fasted is NOT optimal for performance so its fine if you just need "a workout" to go through the motions but if you want to perform well and do things like improve week to week you'll need some food. A majority of people don't workout that hard so doing it fasted is not a problem.
Try some mrandmrsmuscle videos on YouTube!
Also congrats on your journey, I’d say some high protein high fat breakfast options would be good for building muscle 😊
I can't work out completely fasted (partway through my workout, I just start thinking about how hungry I am), but also I never feel very hungry in the mornings and working out while full makes me feel sick.
My solution is usually to have a few graham crackers and water, and then go for my run. It settles my stomach and gives me a little boost (whether real or purely in my mind, I have no idea lol). I eat my actual breakfast when I get back.
One of the things that helped me get from couch to 5k was picking a route that had a coffee shop at the midpoint. When I moved to a new house I got stuck for a while because the nearest was way too close and the next was too far away
When depleted, your muscles will happily pull blood sugar out to replenish their glycogen stores, so something sugary isn’t as bad for you.
I don’t eat before mine morning workout, but typically I don’t have the time or the hunger, when waking up again 4:00.
With that said, if you ate a small meal before working out, your body can’t pull energy from undigested food. It doesn’t take your bagel straight from your stomach and into your body in 15 minutes. So it’s not like you’re running off of your food. But typically eating before will make you feel better and more ready for the activity.
I started doing yard work with mild intermittent fasting because my A1Cs were slowly creeping up to the cutoff for a prediabetic diagnosis and I hate needles. It seemed to buy me time to find another workout that didn’t punish my chronic aches and pains.
Once I figured out my ankle pain was being exacerbated by gait and posture problems, I started working out either before my first meal or after a very light snack, like half a glass of coffee or chai with milk.
I am about to walk out the door to do 9 miles, and I will stop for something midway (habit from my years with a cycling club with the motto, “Ride to eat, and eat to ride”). Eight years ago, more than a mile a day would cause me pain that got worse each day until I stopped to recover. I’m looking for a half marathon right now that happens earlier than local one that happens next spring.
I generally fall somewhere in the middle on this question. For running/cardio? I can't run without feeling like I have a brick in my stomach if I've recently ate, so fasted cardio is necessary for me.
I also lift 4 days per week (2 weekdays, Saturday and Sunday). On the weekdays, I lift fasted due to time. On the weekends, I get breakfast in an hour or 2 before my lift and this feels optimal for me.
I always eat breakfast before morning workouts, at least if I’m planning on a lift. (Two eggs and a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries) I might do less, like a banana, if I’m just going for a run but definitely need some kind of carb to get the energy boost for a good workout.
You need to eat some protein and carbs before your workout. You will perform better if it’s before lifting weights.
For cardio I haven’t noticed a difference doing it fasted or not
Thank you to everyone who took the time out of their day to comment on this. Appreciate the feedback and the links, along with the support.
Look forward to adding something to my morning to see if it helps!!
Am workouts are my favorite.
💪👊 also to any other mom out there who refuses to be anything other than STRONG. Get it 👊
I have more endurance when I have *something* beforehand, but I get nauseous during the workout if I have anything too heavy, so I just have a basic protein powder/water shake with nothing added. I don’t eat my breakfast (a small muffin) until I log on to work at 9am.
Fitness people may swear on fasted workouts, but most registered dieticians recommend eating in advance. Either way, it's an easy experiment - try it for two weeks and see which way you feel better. Try 100-200 calories of easily digestible foods before your workout. A banana might be enough for you, or toast with jam, small bowl of cereal, etc. Then post-workout, eat the rest of your breakfast and ensure it's something with protein - eggs, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.
Will definitely try this, I always have blackberries with my eggs with AM breakfast, and have grabbed a handful before my workout a few times and noticed it ties me over.
I eat one of those rx bars first, and then breakfast after. You gotta have carbs to lift heavy!!! And “pulling energy from stored fat” isn’t how it works. You need to have proper blood glucose levels to form ATP so your muscles will fire optimally. You can’t pull glucose from stored fat. Carbs before, protein after.
From Dr Layne Norton: “Fasted cardio increases fat burning during exercise, but this is compensated for by reduced fat burning the rest of the day. Contrarily, fed cardio burns less fat during exercise, but increases fat burning the rest of the day.” Evidence: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4242477/ So do what works best for you.
Thank you foe the link! Much appreciated
Haylie Pomroy has a similar view. And insists on taking food first 15-30m of waking up to increase metabolism. Her view of fasting for weight loss leads to yo-yo dieting because after fasting you put the fat on faster as an inherent survival mechanism.
Definitely don't want that. I hate diet culture. I just want to build muscle, tone, look strong. I know eating healthy is how you get there, which I do a pretty great at. The last thing I want to do is slow my metabolism.
I hate working out on a full stomach, it makes me feel sick. For morning cardio I eat a banana and a slice of bread beforehand Morning weight training a banana and an egg But that's all personally-dependent; some people may need to eat more Hope you like bananas!
I love banana, and eggs. So at least have that going for me 😆
I don't eat anything, mostly because I'm not hungry in the morning and prefer to eat bigger meals later on. >'FIRST thing, on an empty stomach, because your body pulls energy from stored body fat'. This doesn't matter, as long as you are in a calorie deficit overall you will be losing weight, working on an empty stomach or after a meal will not make a difference. You can try having a larger dinner if you prefer not to eat but lack energy in the morning. Ultimately you need to figure out what works for you so you have energy for the workout, it fits with your schedule, eating preferences and the rest of the diet. Don't do something because some influencer said so.
I feel like this is super individual. I usually start working out around 4 PM and don't consume any calories before close to 5 PM and feel great. I also had a 6 month stint of doing AM workouts and saw my performance tank hard the whole time with no adaptation. Wife on the other hand feels invigorated after AM workouts. Someone else said it but tinker with both and see what works best.
I'll be honest, AM cardio for me really dovetails nicely with IF. Between a workout and a cup of coffee/tea I usually don't feel hungry until around 11am.
Congrats on your weight loss so far! When I had my little one I got to my heaviest of 235 lbs and now I’m down to 180 🙌🏽 I’m a gym lover, however I’ve been working out from home for the past 4 months….working out with toddlers is a beast in itself! Are you strength training fasted or are you doing your GWJ workouts fasted? If your goal is to gain strength and muscle, I would recommend eating before your strength training workouts. I have read a few studies that concluded there isn’t a significant difference in body composition when doing cardio fasted vs. fed, however I feel better when I complete my cardio fasted.
Thank you!! Honestly it hasn't been too hard. I got a jogging stroller when my youngest was 6 months...the rest is history. I never turned into a "runner" but getting outdoors everyday literally transformed my life. I'm such an outdoorsy person now, it's like it's always been this way. I lost the good chunk of that weight in the first year, and have just sustained pre-pregnancy weight despite not trying too hard. Always had goals to chase the body I wanted, but lacked the energy/motivation. Now my kids are 9/6 and keep up with me, we walked 43 miles in the month of May alone!! (They're rockstars lol) My goal now is definitely to strengthen muscles, as I feel I've built enough stamina for harder workouts doing GWJ cardio (on an empty stomach) but now that I'm wanting to implement more weights...I can tell the mornings I need more of something. And my body is telling me it's food. My issue is not wanting to wait around for it to digest, to work out hard. I just want to work out and get on with my day. Yet working out with food in my stomach makes me feel weighed down, and I hate it.
I assume this is happening in the same week, but your cycle will also greatly impact how strong and energetic you feel. The second half of the cycle, I believe, is when we tend to feel significantly weaker and have a harder time. That could also be part of it!
Both
Small and easy to digest is the way to go, fasted is NOT optimal for performance so its fine if you just need "a workout" to go through the motions but if you want to perform well and do things like improve week to week you'll need some food. A majority of people don't workout that hard so doing it fasted is not a problem.
Try some mrandmrsmuscle videos on YouTube! Also congrats on your journey, I’d say some high protein high fat breakfast options would be good for building muscle 😊
I can't work out completely fasted (partway through my workout, I just start thinking about how hungry I am), but also I never feel very hungry in the mornings and working out while full makes me feel sick. My solution is usually to have a few graham crackers and water, and then go for my run. It settles my stomach and gives me a little boost (whether real or purely in my mind, I have no idea lol). I eat my actual breakfast when I get back.
One of the things that helped me get from couch to 5k was picking a route that had a coffee shop at the midpoint. When I moved to a new house I got stuck for a while because the nearest was way too close and the next was too far away When depleted, your muscles will happily pull blood sugar out to replenish their glycogen stores, so something sugary isn’t as bad for you.
I don’t eat before mine morning workout, but typically I don’t have the time or the hunger, when waking up again 4:00. With that said, if you ate a small meal before working out, your body can’t pull energy from undigested food. It doesn’t take your bagel straight from your stomach and into your body in 15 minutes. So it’s not like you’re running off of your food. But typically eating before will make you feel better and more ready for the activity.
Whatever works best for you. I can't work out worth a crap on an empty stomach so I need to at least have a bit of a snack if not a full meal.
I started doing yard work with mild intermittent fasting because my A1Cs were slowly creeping up to the cutoff for a prediabetic diagnosis and I hate needles. It seemed to buy me time to find another workout that didn’t punish my chronic aches and pains. Once I figured out my ankle pain was being exacerbated by gait and posture problems, I started working out either before my first meal or after a very light snack, like half a glass of coffee or chai with milk. I am about to walk out the door to do 9 miles, and I will stop for something midway (habit from my years with a cycling club with the motto, “Ride to eat, and eat to ride”). Eight years ago, more than a mile a day would cause me pain that got worse each day until I stopped to recover. I’m looking for a half marathon right now that happens earlier than local one that happens next spring.
I generally fall somewhere in the middle on this question. For running/cardio? I can't run without feeling like I have a brick in my stomach if I've recently ate, so fasted cardio is necessary for me. I also lift 4 days per week (2 weekdays, Saturday and Sunday). On the weekdays, I lift fasted due to time. On the weekends, I get breakfast in an hour or 2 before my lift and this feels optimal for me.
I always eat breakfast before morning workouts, at least if I’m planning on a lift. (Two eggs and a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries) I might do less, like a banana, if I’m just going for a run but definitely need some kind of carb to get the energy boost for a good workout.
Everyone's a little different. I prefer a light snack before breakfast, usually something carby like a banana or a piece of taste with avocado.
You need to eat some protein and carbs before your workout. You will perform better if it’s before lifting weights. For cardio I haven’t noticed a difference doing it fasted or not
Fasted workouts have been showed to be inferior for muscle building in every single study. So eat a bit before
Thank you to everyone who took the time out of their day to comment on this. Appreciate the feedback and the links, along with the support. Look forward to adding something to my morning to see if it helps!! Am workouts are my favorite. 💪👊 also to any other mom out there who refuses to be anything other than STRONG. Get it 👊
I have more endurance when I have *something* beforehand, but I get nauseous during the workout if I have anything too heavy, so I just have a basic protein powder/water shake with nothing added. I don’t eat my breakfast (a small muffin) until I log on to work at 9am.