Eat Before or After Exercise? Science Finally Has the Answer

[Bruce Tackett]

I can't work out on an empty stomach. I have a half a banana 15 minutes before working out. I have the other half with my breakfast.

[Mr Average]

I like the fact that I can eat when I want because I do not exercise.

[benbergman84]

I put Pizzas on the floor in my Bearcrawls advanced animal workouts and I can eat during exercise,dont try this unless you are super advanced,but I say if it works for you then you have to live your life and do it.

[mr potatohead]

[mr potatohead]

Here are some articles that seem typical of what I've found about "working" out in a fasted or fed state:

Fasted or Fed: Which Is Better For My Workouts?

..... Bottom line, there’s no right or wrong position: Different people have different needs. So working out, whether in a fasted or a fed state, all depends on how your body responds and which feels more comfortable. There are many factors that contribute to how your body works, so what works for you may not work for others. Experiment, listen to your body and make adjustments accordingly — after all, you know yourself better than anyone else.
(from Livestrong.com)

The Verdict on Fasted Training
...... So, it appears that there’s both good and bad when it comes to fasted training, as it is with most things in life.

But, there are a few other things that warrant consideration.

First, we know that that the number of calories you burn during a workout account for a very small fraction of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). What you eat during the day and how much of a deficit you use has a far greater impact on your ability to lose weight than whether you train fasted or not.

There’s even some research by Dr. Brad Schoenfeld et al. that shows that there is no difference in body composition changes (i.e. fat loss) when it comes to training fasted vs training fed. [11]

Additionally, there’s also some research noting that if you burn greater amounts of fat during an earlier part of the day (i.e. performing fasted cardio first thing in the morning), your body will actually burn less fat later on in the day. [13]

Essentially what happens, is that the body more or less “compensates” for the increased fat burning it did earlier in the day by downregulating fat burning and upregulating glucose burning the rest of the day.

In the end, training fasted can be useful for some morning bouts of cardio if you’re trying to lose some stubborn body fat, but if you’re looking to maximize performance or just lose fat in general, training fed would be the superior option.

Training in a fed state ensures that energy stores are topped off and you’ll be able to push harder in your workouts, which allows you to burn more calories, ultimately creating a larger caloric deficit. This ultimately winds up in a better fat loss and body composition.
(from steelfitusa.com)

Is Fasted Cardio Really Better For Fat Loss?
..... You may risk burning hard earned muscle in a fasted state. Exercising on an empty stomach can increase protein breakdown directly affecting muscle growth. The point is to burn fat while maintaining our lean mass.
Exercise post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) is increased when you eat before exercise. EPOC is the “after burn” or accelerated metabolism we experience for several hours post exercise.

Every person burns fat and loses weight differently. Fasted cardio may work for your friend but not the best option for you. Don’t get caught up in your friend’s fat loss results and stick to what science says on the subject.

Eat smart and exercise smarter. Healthy food intake plus exercise is what will get those fat loss results.
(from verywellfit.com)

Does Exercising Before Breakfast Help You Burn More Fat?
...... Doing cardio on an empty stomach won’t help you lose more fat in total. But for someone who is already relatively lean and wants to get ripped, fasted cardio may make it easier to tap into and burn stubborn fat stores, helping you lose a little more fat from the places you really want to lose it from. The bottom line is that there’s very little research to support the idea that fasted exercise is dramatically more effective for fat loss than the same amount of exercise done in the afternoon or evening.

Nor is there any strong evidence to suggest that fasted exercise "burns up" muscle tissue to a greater extent than exercise in a fed state. When it comes to losing fat, the food you choose to eat is a lot more important than what you do in the gym. Cardio doesn’t have much of an impact on your fat loss results, fasted or otherwise. As long as your diet is set up properly, the decision to train in a fasted or a fed state can be based largely on personal preference. When it comes to improving your body composition, there doesn’t seem to be any great advantage or disadvantage to one or the other.
(from vice.com)

So, I'd say, do what you enjoy - same as for the extracurricular exercise or mundane physical activities that you choose.

[pierinifitness]

Here’s an abstract of a fairly recent study that I read in detail, something most people aren’t willing to do, that supports a different and interesting conclusion:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5064803/

[stormshadow]

May 18, 2019 5:34:43 GMT benbergman84 said:

I put Pizzas on the floor in my Bearcrawls advanced animal workouts and I can eat during exercise,dont try this unless you are super advanced,but I say if it works for you then you have to live your life and do it.

Ben I know the origin of that diet. Bears are omnivores, walking on all fours with an incredible sense of smell. As they meander through the woods with their head down low they are constantly on the lookout for a piece of this and a pizza that. Very advanced as you say.

[Deleted]

May 18, 2019 5:34:43 GMT benbergman84 said:

I put Pizzas on the floor in my Bearcrawls advanced animal workouts and I can eat during exercise,dont try this unless you are super advanced,but I say if it works for you then you have to live your life and do it.

I'm sitting alone in Costa coffee and just laughed very loud at this post. Everyone must wonder what I'm looking at.

[Mr Average]

May 18, 2019 5:34:43 GMT benbergman84 said:

I put Pizzas on the floor in my Bearcrawls advanced animal workouts and I can eat during exercise,dont try this unless you are super advanced,but I say if it works for you then you have to live your life and do it.

[jonrock]

May 18, 2019 5:34:43 GMT benbergman84 said:

I put Pizzas on the floor in my Bearcrawls advanced animal workouts and I can eat during exercise,dont try this unless you are super advanced,but I say if it works for you then you have to live your life and do it.

We should do a "best post of the year" poll...
I imagined ben in the floor of his apartment, bearcrawling and bridging nosemat style reaching for the pizza.

[justregularguy]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA