Execising on an empty tank?

[CagedBird]

Regarding the burning of fat as ONE goal during workouts, is there a real benefit to be had exercising on an empty stomach?
I understand the body needs carbs for fuel, & as such if I have depleted my carbs overnight during sleep, will early a.m. workout cause fat to be burned readily?

I'm 5'10", 175 lbs & wish to loose aprox 10 lbs [my gut, though I know you cant target fat areas for reduction, aside from liposuction]. I work out every day for aprox 1 hour on resistance machine, abs/obliques included, & walk additional 30 minutes daily.

Any other suggestions for fast fat reduction of a few pounds?

 

[Orlandude]

Not sure that working out on an empty stomach is a good thing. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so skipping it cannot be a plus. Some fresh fruit would be a good breakfast.

It all goes back to the tried and true method of weight reduction. Eat less, exercise more and you will lose weight. Also drink plenty of water through the day. 10 pounds is not all that much to lose. Given that the human body reaches plateau's in weight loss, I would continue what you are doing and watch your diet and that 10 pounds will disappear fairly quickly.

 

[DiaryOfAMadman]

OMG Caged NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Exercising on an empty stomach is one of the worst things you can do to yourself when it comes to working out. You have to have a mix of protein and carbs before or right after a work out (shakes are the best .... yogurt, fruit, maybe some weigh protein). If you have nothing in you your body bypasses burning fat and goes right to the muscle. Your muscles start breaking down upon use and have nothing to repair and rebuild themselves with. Your body starts tearing apart other muscles to help build and repair the ones being used. Then the less muscle you have, the fewer calories you burn. Regardless of the weight, the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn. Protein rebuilds and repairs muscles and carbs provide you with short term energy.

 

[cellular]

This is what i do for exercise. I wake up, eat a light breakfast consisting of milo, yogurt and a small bowl of cereal. Then i wait an hour before i start exercising. Im a little bit hungry when i exercise, but not a really hungry, and after exercising, i go and drink a glass of milk. It works 4 me!

 

[wonderfulelectric]

Actually from what I read from many magazines. They do recommend exercising in the morning upon awakening. I think it will be best to do cardio training at this time and not resistance training.

 

[luminum]

I've been told that it's better to eat after a workout than before.

 

[AndrewH]

You usually don't want to eat RIGHT before a workout, but the prevailing wisdom is to eat an hour or two before. It depends on how much you've consumed and what it's comprised of. Carbs are digested relatively quickly, whereas fat is digested slowly. Obviously a large bacon and egg breakfast will digest slower than a banana.

There are some studies that suggest exercising first thing in the morning on an empty stomach leads to faster burning of adipose tissue. Then again, if you have to cut your workout short or lower the intensity because you don't have the energy...how much fat are you going to burn?

I know that I personally can't do anything on an empty stomach.

 

[AndrewH]

A study carried out at Kansas State University (Wilcox, Harford & Wedel Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, 17:2, 1985), indicates that a kilogram of fat will be oxidized sooner when exercising in the fasted condition in the morning than when doing the same exercise in the afternoon. By measuring respiratory gas exchange, caloric expenditure, and carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism, these researchers showed that the mass of fat burned during aerobic exercise amounts to 67% of the total energy expenditure achieved when the same exercise is done later in the day or in the fed state.

There was another study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine in 1989 along the same lines, sorry I don't have a quote.

If I'm not mistaken, this only applies to cardio and not weight training.

Regardless, I will still continue to eat before my workouts.

 

[CagedBird]

Thanks guys. [btw, I didn't mean to imply I was SKIPPING breakfast, but rather postpone it till AFTER my workout].

My sister [aerobics trainer] ripped into me for not knowing I need the carbs to burn fat [among other dynamics involved]. I stand corrected.

I love early am workouts, anyone else? Like sex, I'm hotter in the a.m. & last longer.

I want hot abs & I want them now! If lipo wasn't so expen$ive I'd go for it. Ever hear about lipo not only sucking the fat out of you but the fat cells as well?

 

[CagedBird]

OMG Caged NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Exercising on an empty stomach is one of the worst things you can do to yourself when it comes to working out. You have to have a mix of protein and carbs before or right after a work out (shakes are the best .... yogurt, fruit, maybe some weigh protein). If you have nothing in you your body bypasses burning fat and goes right to the muscle. Your muscles start breaking down upon use and have nothing to repair and rebuild themselves with. Your body starts tearing apart other muscles to help build and repair the ones being used. Then the less muscle you have, the fewer calories you burn. Regardless of the weight, the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn. Protein rebuilds and repairs muscles and carbs provide you with short term energy.

Sounds like you have it down, appreciate the feedback. One more thing, I see you suggested as an example a shake. This got me thinking about calories again.
I know fruit smoothies are likely best, but should I shy away from adding dairy [say 1/2 cup reduced fat ice cream....yum] My LDL's are high & HDLs low, maybe I should stay away from any saturated fats altogether....sorry for rambling.

 

[AndrewH]

Saturated fats are fine and dietary fat intake has very little impact on the blood serum cholesterol (which is produced by your liver). References: Anthony Colpo, Mary Enig, Uffe Ravnskov, Shane Ellison, Barry Groves, Malcom Kendrik, Michael & Mary Dan Eades, etc.

Adding ice cream to a protein shake will add calories, and in the case of reduced fat ice cream even more sugar.