# Not eating before cardio



## Souped_up (Jan 16, 2005)

Im not going to eat for now on about 3+ hours before cardio.  How close is this to the effect seen when you do morning cardio with no meal? I can't do the morning cardio/empty stomach thing. Previously i was having a meal much closer to my cardio and making the session longer but the long sessions are causing my legsto get way too much work so im going to lighten the pace just a slight and shorten them a little bit and just move the meal farther away so less leg demands and more fat burning earlier in the workout.


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## jaim91 (Jan 17, 2005)

That's what I do...I make sure to have a cardio session at least 3 hours after I eat. I feel it works the same way as when i have my morning sessions


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## Souped_up (Jan 17, 2005)

I decided im going to bump it up to a minimum of 3 1/2 hours just to be totally safe when doing low intensity cardio.

I have a book by Anthony Ellis and he says to eat 30 to 60 minutes AFTER your morning empty stomach cardio im guessing he suggests this because their is important chemical release and its best to wait a bit after excercise. I accidentally ate immediately after my excercise.


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## Emma-Leigh (Jan 17, 2005)

jaim91 said:
			
		

> That's what I do...I make sure to have a cardio session at least 3 hours after I eat. I feel it works the same way as when i have my morning sessions


Why would you do this Jaim?? 

Arn't you trying to gain weight?


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## thatguy (Jan 17, 2005)

A true John H. impersonater would not post ANYTHING about training, dieting, supplementation, etc.  Only gayness, variety, nature, religion, politics, you know...


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## thatguy (Jan 17, 2005)

You must be slipping...


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## Emma-Leigh (Jan 17, 2005)

Souped_up said:
			
		

> I decided im going to bump it up to a minimum of 3 1/2 hours just to be totally safe when doing low intensity cardio.


Whether you eat before you do cardio is not of importance in the least. It is your overall calorie intake for the day that will determine your weight loss.



> I have a book by Anthony Ellis and he says to eat 30 to 60 minutes AFTER your morning empty stomach cardio im guessing he suggests this because their is important chemical release and its best to wait a bit after excercise. I accidentally ate immediately after my excercise.


That 'I shouldn't eat for x-hours after cardio' crap is... Well, crap... 

Read these for a little more insight:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=233311&highlight=EPOC
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=287373


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## JLB001 (Jan 17, 2005)

jaim91 said:
			
		

> That's what I do...I make sure to have a cardio session at least 3 hours after I eat. I feel it works the same way as when i have my morning sessions


Jaime....You don't need to be doing cardio.  Your too thin already.  You nned to eat!


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## Souped_up (Jan 17, 2005)

Emma-Leigh said:
			
		

> Whether you eat before you do cardio is not of importance in the least. It is your overall calorie intake for the day that will determine your weight loss.
> 
> 
> That 'I shouldn't eat for x-hours after cardio' crap is... Well, crap...
> ...



Wrong on point number 1.   If you eat close enough that your have glucose in your blood then your just using that for fuel and you get little fat mobilization.  To get around this you have to work out longer and harder which is what I was doing end result equals worn out legs and more cortisol release due to having to do it longer then an hour.

Empty stomach equals shorter sessions and less demanding workouts with more fat mobilization.

Im restricting my calories plenty already what im  concerned about is what im burning during my cardio workout.


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## Emma-Leigh (Jan 17, 2005)

Souped_up said:
			
		

> Wrong on point number 1.   If you eat close enough that your have glucose in your blood then your just using that for fuel and you get little fat mobilization.  To get around this you have to work out longer and harder which is what I was doing end result equals worn out legs and more cortisol release due to having to do it longer then an hour.


Ummm.. This way of thinking is so wrong I am not sure where to start.

Yes you will have glucose in your blood... But if you use that fuel for your cardio session then you USE THE FUEL. Your body will then require calories throughout the rest of the day in order to maintain its functions - and this is when fat mobilisation will occur.

Having glucose in your blood when you do cardio is actually highly beneficial. It means you can workout HARDER which will mean a greater overall calorie burning effect DURING the cardio and a greater EPOC is also created (which is the 'afterburn' effect). 

There is also reciprical nature between the fuel source used during an exercise activity and that used by your body for the hours following the exercise. Therefore, if you workout for HARDER, SHORTER sessions, which means you use a greater proportion of carbohydrates during your cardio session, you actually burn more FAT for hours after the session.... In contrast, if you do slower sessions where you 'burn more fat' then you will not only burn less calories during your cardio session, but the EPOC created is also far less - and the little that is created will be quickly restored by your food intake.  

If it was all about what energy you burnt during a given time frame then the most sedentary people in the population would all be ripped - because at rest the greatest fuel used in your body is actually FATS! 

Because the OVERALL level of fuel used is very little - they aren't... They actually have to get up and create an OVERALL CALORIE DEFICIENCY in their day in order to create a weight loss.


If you think about it logically, the WORST place to remove food from your diet is around your workouts - these are the times when it is best to fuel yourself correctly so you can workout to a great intensity!


Oh - and if you are worried about 'cortisol' for longer duration sessions. This is nothing in comparison to what early morning fasted cardio will do to your cortisol levels.



> Empty stomach equals shorter sessions and less demanding workouts with more fat mobilization.


Nothing to do with it.



> Im restricting my calories plenty already what im  concerned about is what im burning during my cardio workout.


See points above - this is a 'simplistic' way of thinking about the body. Your body does not suddenly stop needing calories when you are not doing activity - it is not about what you burn when you exercise, rather it is about how much energy you take in, how much you put out and if you are fueling your muscles and body correctly.


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## Souped_up (Jan 17, 2005)

Emma-Leigh said:
			
		

> Ummm.. This way of thinking is so wrong I am not sure where to start.
> 
> Yes you will have glucose in your blood... But if you use that fuel for your cardio session then you USE THE FUEL. Your body will then require calories throughout the rest of the day in order to maintain its functions - and this is when fat mobilisation will occur.
> 
> ...




I don't want to workout real hard. I want to aim for 75%. My legs are taking a beating already around that percent mark(hard to stay exactly at that).  I understand what you mean about you have to look at overall calorie intake but like i aid I don't have aproblem there so im focusing on this since there is lots of controversy on this issue(were proving that fact right now  ).

I also disagree about eating after the workout.  Insulin stunts GH release and the adrenaline that is released during/after excercise won't burn fat if you hve a peak of insulin.  You should take advantage of the high fat burning potential postcycle by not eating for 30 to 60 minutes after cardio.

Ive been doing the eating before cardio thing for 4 weeks, and frankly im not exactly entirely happy(even though ive lost 3.75 inches on my waist since its my subcutaneous that is not budging as much as i would like) so thats why im trying the empty stomach/no food directly after approach.


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## aggies1ut (Jan 17, 2005)

JLB001 said:
			
		

> Jaime....You don't need to be doing cardio.  Your too thin already.  You nned to eat!


She doesn't "need" to do cardio, but as I recall, she loves to play basketball. Lol, recreational activities Jodie...


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## Emma-Leigh (Jan 17, 2005)

aggies1ut said:
			
		

> She doesn't "need" to do cardio, but as I recall, she loves to play basketball. Lol, recreational activities Jodie...



She does a lot more than just play basketball... See

To quote:


> I go to the gym 3 times a week (cardio + weight training on the same day), play basketball 6 days a week (3 games, 3 practices) , plyometric program 5 days a week, and pushups/crunches 4 x per week.


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## jaim91 (Jan 18, 2005)

Emma-Leigh said:
			
		

> She does a lot more than just play basketball... See
> 
> To quote:



I stopped that once I decided that I would try hard to gain weight. Now, I'm in the gym 3 days a week, and play basketball two days a week for one hour. My cardio consists of 10 minutes on the elliptical at the beginning of my workout, and 5 minute son the bike at the end to cool down. I don't think that's enough cardio to make me lose weight, but it's enough to cool my muscles


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## Emma-Leigh (Jan 18, 2005)

jaim91 said:
			
		

> I stopped that once I decided that I would try hard to gain weight. Now, I'm in the gym 3 days a week, and play basketball two days a week for one hour. My cardio consists of 10 minutes on the elliptical at the beginning of my workout, and 5 minute son the bike at the end to cool down. I don't think that's enough cardio to make me lose weight, but it's enough to cool my muscles



So why this comment then:



> That's what I do...I make sure to have a cardio session at least 3 hours after I eat. I feel it works the same way as when i have my morning sessions



?


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## jaim91 (Jan 19, 2005)

I just feel different when I don't eat before the elliptical. No biggie


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## Emma-Leigh (Jan 19, 2005)

jaim91 said:
			
		

> I just feel different when I don't eat before the elliptical. No biggie


If you only do the elliptical for 10 mins prior to your workouts then you really should eat ~1-1.5 hrs before you do it... Otherwise you are compromising your weights workouts.


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## truth (Jan 19, 2005)

To answer the original post, I don't believe that not eating 3 hours before doing cardio is the same as doing cardio in the morning on an empty stomach. Why? I think glycogen levels will be a lot more depleted after sleeping 7-8 hours, rather than if you were eating all day, and then had your last meal at 3pm and did your cardio at 6. I doubt your glycogen will be as depleted as it would be after a night of sleep.

Why can't you do morning cardio? 

I recently converted over to a morning trainer last week so it doesn't matter to me anymore. I lift Mon Wed Fri, I run and sprint on the treadmill on Tues/Thurs/Sat, and Sunday as well, depending on what kind of crap I might have eaten over the weekend. :x


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## Souped_up (Jan 20, 2005)

truth said:
			
		

> To answer the original post, I don't believe that not eating 3 hours before doing cardio is the same as doing cardio in the morning on an empty stomach. Why? I think glycogen levels will be a lot more depleted after sleeping 7-8 hours, rather than if you were eating all day, and then had your last meal at 3pm and did your cardio at 6. I doubt your glycogen will be as depleted as it would be after a night of sleep.
> 
> Why can't you do morning cardio?
> 
> I recently converted over to a morning trainer last week so it doesn't matter to me anymore. I lift Mon Wed Fri, I run and sprint on the treadmill on Tues/Thurs/Sat, and Sunday as well, depending on what kind of crap I might have eaten over the weekend. :x



Last couple times ive been doing it about 4.5 hours after morning meal and i can definitely feel like as if I had just woken up without a meal.   I think if you go 3 1/2 hours without a meal(provided your on a cut so your glycogen isn't going to be full in your muscles from the start and the meals are going to be on average a little smaller)  at least then that should be pretty close to morning cardio.

Hell its better then morning cardio since there isn't no super high cortisol eating at your muscles like in the morning.  Ill take 3 1/2+  empty stomach cardio during the day any time over morning cardio.


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