Early morning cardio. Foods? empty vs full stomach debate.

[MS1605]

So im in the middle of loosing about 35 LBs to get into the the 8%bf range. I have never done my cardio in the morning but with a change of work schedule im going to start.

I have read a lot about the debate on cardio on an empty stomach VS cardio on a full stomach. Right now im torn. I need to lose the weight but id rather it take a few months longer and not go catabolic.

From the majority of the people that suggest cardio after breakfast, usually one of the staples is oatmeal (a carb, for energy of course.)

Would it be a better to eat just fats and Proteins before your morning cardio?

Im thinking something along the lines of:

Protein- shakes, egg whites, tuna, etc.

Fat- fish oil supps, egg yolks, tuna.


Would this be any more efficient at burning fat and retaining muscle then the typical high carb breakfast?

Also, Could I do my cardio like a half hour after I ate or would it be better to wait a little longer?

Sorry for such a lame question but for the last 10 years I have done my cardio after work in the evening so the whole idea of meal timing and early morning cardio is a little new to me.

Any advice on a good plan for food and exercise to drop these LBs early in the morning would be much appreciated.

 

[dirtnap]

So im in the middle of loosing about 35 LBs to get into the the 8%bf range. I have never done my cardio in the morning but with a change of work schedule im going to start.

I have read a lot about the debate on cardio on an empty stomach VS cardio on a full stomach. Right now im torn. I need to lose the weight but id rather it take a few months longer and not go catabolic.

From the majority of the people that suggest cardio after breakfast, usually one of the staples is oatmeal (a carb, for energy of course.)

Would it be a better to eat just fats and Proteins before your morning cardio?

Im thinking something along the lines of:

Protein- shakes, egg whites, tuna, etc.

Fat- fish oil supps, egg yolks, tuna.


Would this be any more efficient at burning fat and retaining muscle then the typical high carb breakfast?

Also, Could I do my cardio like a half hour after I ate or would it be better to wait a little longer?

Sorry for such a lame question but for the last 10 years I have done my cardio after work in the evening so the whole idea of meal timing and early morning cardio is a little new to me.

Any advice on a good plan for food and exercise to drop these LBs early in the morning would be much appreciated.

Sip a no calorie drink mixed with 10-15g of BCAAs. This will help when doing cardio on an empty stomach. Then replenish.

 

[alphamale_devon]

Yeah, if there is muscle you have that you would want to keep then taking those BCAA pills will help when you do cardio on a empty stomach. I say double the dose if your gonna do any thing past 30mins

 

[alphamale_devon]

It's always that consisted battle between anabolic vs. catabolic. Even though your gonna lose muscle regardless. the key would be to minimize the muscle you lose and maximize the fat you burn.

 

[freqfly]

I personally don't like the concept of BCAA's while doing cardio. When doing cardio in the morning on an empty stomach your glycogen levels are depleted and you'll go straight to burning fat. While sipping BCAA's your body will be using those for energy rather than fat. You can still gain good quality lean mass while loosing fat by keeping cardio to 30 minutes a day, low intensity, while keeping your protein intake high. I'm prepping for my next comp, 4th week in, full keto diet. Same weight as I started, but much leaner. Cardio is cardio, you will still burn fat no matter what's in your stomach or time of day. Just stay consistent with it, keep your diet in check, and watch the abs come in.

 

[alphamale_devon]

Yeah that is so true. I can't get enough of the keto diet. I'm gonna start my Project "Alpha Male" cycle on Jan 4. I usually do my cardio after my workout for 20mins and do my post thing afterwards.

 

[hellawaits77]

Unfortunately, this is a topic that can go on endlessley. It seems like everyone has a different opinion.

The main argument is that doing cardio on an empty stomach does burn fat, it also breaks down muscle to feast on amino acids for energy. A lot of people will take BCAA's before hand to combat this.

My personal opinion on the matter is this : Low to moderate (definately not HIIT) is great for burning fat in the morning on an empty stomach. I so far have gotten decent results. I work overnights and usually lift about 2 hours after I get up, but on days I don't lift, I do cardio on an empty stomach, w/ just a few grams of glutamine and BCAA's, when I first wake up. So I don't really do it often enough to see visible muscle loss, but since I started doing this, my lifts have continued to increase, and I've lowered my BF %. So in my book, it works!

 

[Blondie_Bombshell]

I do AM cardio on empty with nothing but water, works great. I havent noticed any muscle loss just fat. I maybe loosing muscle but it is minimal.

 

[WannaGetHuge]

I do AM cardio on empty with nothing but water, works great. I havent noticed any muscle loss just fat. I maybe loosing muscle but it is minimal.

I agree with this. I get the best results with 45min in the AM on empty. Then another 15min before workout, skip the the 15min on leg days to avoid over training.

 

[3J]

get up, have a scoop of l-glutamine... get on the cardio and dont let your bp go over 130... you'll be fine.. iv helped countless people lose weight like that... and they've held on to their muscle well..

u could even ddo it without the glutamine, but i know it to work so i suggest it..

 

[DirkMoneyshot]

Morning Cardio empty stomach don't bother with BCAA's or Glutamine. Save your money for some new clothes after losing the weight.