Exercising on an Empty Stomach

[greeniz515]

From: www.nytimes.com

Really? The Claim: Exercising on an Empty Stomach Burns More Fat

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR Christoph Niemann
THE FACTS
Working out while hungry may fly in the face of conventional wisdom, but many athletes and gym-goers push themselves on empty stomachs in the belief they’ll burn more fat.
The idea, advocated in popular fitness books over the past decade, is that exercising on an empty stomach forces the body to dip into fat stores for fuel instead of the carbohydrates quickly available from a pre-workout meal or snack. But while it seems to make sense, research shows that exercising in this way doesn’t offer any benefit and may even work against you.
After reviewing years of research on the subject, a report published this year in Strength and Conditioning Journal concluded that the body burns roughly the same amount of fat regardless of whether you eat before a workout. But you’re likely to lose muscle by exercising in a depleted state, the report found, and without fuel to aid the workout, exercise intensity and overall calorie burn will be reduced.
One of the studies reviewed in that report looked at cyclists when they trained after eating and when they trained while fasting. When they trained with nothing in their stomachs, about 10 percent of the calories they burned came from protein, including lost muscle, the researchers wrote.
In a separate study published in 2002, scientists found an additional benefit from a pre-workout meal: Healthy women who consumed 45 grams of carbohydrates before their workouts ended up eating less throughout the remainder of the day.

[mairj23]

For me it's hard working out hungry. I'll drink a protein shake or ensure drink about an hour before. Or just eat a light snack. Working out on an empty stomach, you wont have much energy.

[jamiew23]

I've heard it's supposed to burn more fat before but I feel I struggle at the gym on an empty stomach. Maybe if I had a banana 20 minutes before that might just see me through :) With preworkout I'd be a shaky mess!

[Narkissos]

Originally Posted by mairj23

For me it's hard working out hungry. I'll drink a protein shake or ensure drink about an hour before. Or just eat a light snack. Working out on an empty stomach, you wont have much energy.

If you don't have much energy, your diet as a whole is not well-structured.

You should have more than enough glycogen stored to undertake any gym activity under the sun.

[KimmyMarkks]

I can't work out on an empty stomach (nor a full stomach). I get too hungry in the middle of my work out and don't push myself to my full potential. All I think about is when can I leave and go eat. I also feel like I don't have as much energy. I like to have healthy carbs before I work out and a good amount of protein.

[missiemouse]

I always have breakfast before I leave the house, even if it's just oatmeal or a banana. Although it's not really because I don't have the energy during mornings, it's just a habit that my mom passed on to me. She said, when I was younger, that breakfast fuels your entire day. So it has become a habit to me to always eat my breakfast. And it's in the morning that I usually exercise or go out for a jog or walk.

[rajesh]

Working out without eating can burn fat more efficiently but in my opinion, it's not a good idea. You should not exercise with an empty stomach. You can have light breakfast before working out and you can also eat bananas, drink fruit juices, etc . This will give you more energy in your body and you can work out for more duration and burn much more fat than you can burn with an empty stomach.