The trainer was telling his client that to get rid of those stubborn extra pounds, she needed to exercise first thing in the morning before breakfast, in a fasted state. I'm not so sure about that.
A "fasted state" means, more or less, about four to six hours since the last meal. The idea of a fasted state is that your body has had time to digest and metabolize a good proportion of what you ate at the last meal, thus altering your body's fuel preference from glucose to fat. Hormones like insulin and glucagon change in relation to the amount of glucose in blood and liver. Glucose burning is favored when blood glucose is high, and when this subsides after a time without food, fat burning is given preference to preserve the much lower stored quantities of glucose - in muscle and liver - and to help maintain that all important blood glucose level.
The advice to train in a fasted state is, with all good intentions, a strategy to increase fat burning with the hope of using up some stored fat. However, the use of fat and glucose as energy fuel not only occurs in relation to your fasting state, but also the intensity of the exercise you are doing. The heavy lifts or fast running will use stored muscle glucose (glycogen) more than fat. Then, if you do exercise when fasted, the tendency to overeat will be strong in the post-exercise period, possibly negating any fat-burning advantage. In addition, fat and glucose fuels get prioritized over 24 hours in relation to fasted state and all energy demands. The extra fat you might burn during a fasted exercise session is unlikely to be critical in helping you to mobilize that stubborn stored fat when considered overall. And the risks of exercising too intensely in a fasting state are muscle degradation, as your system pulls apart amino acids to help preserve critical blood glucose, and immune system depression that can be triggered by chronic low blood glucose and the rise of cortisol.
The best strategy is to eat two hours before exercise, or, if you wake early and like to exercise first thing, have a snack like a piece of honey toast or an energy bar, or a diluted glass of juice or small sports drink on the move. That way you can meet the requirements of not being in full food complement and still encourage the fat burning process without getting into negative territory. And importantly, don't overeat after exercise if you want to lose some fat weight. See my top-ranking article Burn More Fat - Secrets of Exercise Physiology for more information.
I have been exercising the first thing in the morning for over 20 years. I was told by someone at the gym to try to eat a little something before the gym. That suggestion was totally wrong for my body had adjusted over the years to undergo
the stress of exercise in the morning without eating 2-3 hours prior to going to exercise. I became nauseous and dizzy from just a light breakfast prior to the gym. I take a tablespoon of creatine monohydrate before and after the gym followed by a 80 grams of protein whey drink and small meals throughout the day. I don’t worry about getting fat or that layer of fat covering my abdomen.
I call it “my life preserver”. LOL
I’m doing fine!
This is complete bs….I used to believe that I needed to eat to “fuel” my workouts, but since i have switched to IF(intermittent fasting) and woking out prior to eating, i have seen incredible results. Also, the idea that you will eat ravenously after a work out if not training in a fed state is a complete fallacy. In fact, it is the opposite, I often have no appetite for hours after training. Eating carbs before working out will simply not teach your body to utilize fat as as fuel as opposed to sugar. Don’t take my word for it…google “intermittent fasting and fat loss.” I have not only dropped body fat, but gained lean body mass, since our caveman ancestors frequently had to hunt on an empty stomach, our body is actually primed for athletic performance in this state
Michelle, there are substantial individual differences in how exercise affects appetite. If you don’t get hungry then good luck to you. Your ideas about teaching the body to burn fat (except for endurance training), is nonsense. Energy expenditure is the main game. Fat will look after itself.
And if I want to learn something in the health and fitness sciences I go to PubMed . . . I don’t ‘Google’ anything.
I’m not against intermittent fasting per se, as a weight loss strategy, but it’s not necessary. Any strategy that reduces energy intake will work for weight (fat) loss.
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