i usually eat a banana and down 5 grams of glutamine in the morning before i go and workout

my question is, if i started eating a bigger breakfast, something like a bowl of eatmeal and some wheat toast, would i stop seeing results from cardio? i know it's better to run on an empty stomach, but it isn't really convenient for me to wakeup, go to the gym, come home, eat, then go workout.

i do about 50 minutes of cardio, if that matters

who said that its better to run on an empty stomach. When you eat food in the morning its a matter of fact that you have to allow time to sort out all the nutrients. You dont want hormones such as insulin effecting fatty acid oxidation and your ability to run optimally.

I concur with Matt...and, in fact, I think it was Matt who sent me in the right direction that by eating/fueling properly, you'll get more out of your workout and are better-off in the long run.

The argument goes: when you first wake-up, your blood-sugars are low...so it rather makes sense that by doing cardio you'll sooner get your body into the fat-burning mode and you'll not have to spend the theoretical 20 minutes burning-up the blood sugars before your body starts burning fat....so for years we were told to wake-up and get into your routine w/o eating.

When I do this, I can do it...but I feel weak sooner and it just feels like I'm running on an empty tank.

Enter new theory: FAT BURNS IN A CARBOHYDRATE FLAME.....yep; your body needs a bit of carbs in order to facilitate the oxidation and burning of fat.

Theory this, theory that....find what works for you.

What I noticed is that I was more powerful and had better endurance throughout my workout when I had a proper breakfast of at least 300 calories....but, I'm then going on long bike rides or working out to the tune of 1,200 to 2,000 calories. Nowadays I tend to bring a bottle of protein shake with some fruit-juices blended in...I drink a bit of this periodically as I go, just depends on my routine.

But here is something relevant....by consuming that 300 calories for breakfast, I noticed more power, speed and overall performance in my workouts....and by wearing a heart-rate monitor that counts calories, I found that I burned MUCH more during my pre-fed workouts then my non-fed workouts! Yep, by eating 300 calories I found I had worked-out to the tune of about 450 MORE calories burnt then had I not eaten, plus the higher energy let me do some HIIT and burst which lend towards EPOC and other thermogenic post-exercise benefits as welll.

ANYWAYS.....yes: eat. In the end you should find a nourished workout is better then a non or light-nourished workout. At the end of the week, it's calories in vs. calories out. As one person on this forum says: train hard, eat hard. Eating before, a bit during and immediately after exercise is good timing....eating too much and eating the wrong things are the problem, not so much when you eat.

Hope that helps....

Fasted cardio is has its pros and cons, arguments like more fat oxidation yada yada yada. My opinion on it is that if you get a better workout by having some food in ya then go hard!

Without knowing your goal we cannot assume what "results" means.

perfect post! I have run on an empty and it will make my body store up for the next event. It is forcing starvation mode. I can play around wit this to increase my overall endurance. Thursday night I did not eat until after my run, for just this reason. Then saturday I did not take a PB&J and my nutrition plan worked out. BUT I LOST A TON of weight.

if you are looking to get leaner- eat
if you are looking to get a really fast 5K- go empty

p.s. my posts like this are not up for debate! I have no FF'ing idea what I am talking about.



love ya!
mean it!

FF

You will die if you eat breakfast. Simple enough.


this is a joke post. What would be the difference if you ate before or after? You're still eating.

Isnt the aim of any exercise to workout optimally - then pre meal is required. Of course there are other physiological effects as well, like BSL noted.

Flynfree. I think your confused and maybe doing the wrong thing but i think your on the right track Take a look at this link, have you seen/tried it before? Carbohydrate loading - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

FF you are high on endorphins,,,,,,,baby! ROCK ON!