Six Pack Abs

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Exercising on an Empty Stomach. Is it Right or Wrong

Last Saturday I was at a party with friends. At these parties what always happens is that when I mention that I am a professional trainer, everybody starts asking questions about exercise and training to lose fat.

On one occasion, a lady asked me something that has been mentioned by many in radio, television, Internet and many books. The question is:
Is it true that if you exercise in the morning on an empty stomach, you lose more fat?
To my surprise I had forgotten that many people still think so. Not really.

Numerous studies have shown that eating a mixture of carbohydrates with protein 1 hour before a workout improves the performance of individuals and the effectiveness of the training. People, who eat before they exercise, can exercise longer and with greater intensity. Because of this your body burns more calories, more fat and increases metabolism.

A simple example:
You and I are going to run in the morning. You eat a toast with some cheese and ham and I do not eat anything. We start running and I am left without energy and have to go slower because I'm well tired. I can run through the middle of the distance. You complete the route faster and decide to continue running until I reach the total distance as well.

When finished running, we reach the house and I am desperately hungry. Then as my hunger is so great I decide to have breakfast and I eat two eggs, toast, ham, cheese and fruit. Both of us consumed the same at the end of the morning but you could run longer, burned more calories and feel better.

Continuing the same situation every morning, at the end of the day I will gain weight because of eating the heavy breakfast, but you will lose pounds because you eat lighter before the exercise, therefore you could run more than me.

Exercising on an empty stomach is ridiculous. There is no scientific research and real evidence that it helps you to lose more weight.

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