I am very new to working out...and exercising in general.... I have lost 20 lbs since Jan, just by changing my eating habits and just joined the gym. OK... the PT at the gym told me I definitely should eat before working out so my blood sugar doesn't get too low. I have read on here that not eating before working out will help burn fat. I know I should listen to the PT, but I've read so many conflicting opinions to that on here.... I'd like to hear more.
Listen to your PT. We don't run our cars on empty, so why would we not fuel our bodies before a workout? Fat is the body's LEAST preferred form of energy. You'd have to run a marathon just to reach your fat reserves. So unless you plan on being on the treadmill or elliptical for about 5 hours, burn your more readily available forms of energy such as carbohydrates.
Good luck and congrats on joining a gym!
- Alotamiles
What you read was probably in the context of doing cardio first thing in the morning. That's the only time you should go into an exercise session without eating before. Because your blood sugar and stored glycogen levels are low, your body will be forced to use fat during the cardio. This is provided you're in the fat-burning zone. If the intensity is too high or the duration is too long, the body will try to burn glucose instead. Since it won't find any, it will begin breaking down muscle. But don't let this keep you from doing morning cardio. I lost 20 pounds of fat by doing cardio every morning and only saw a new loss of 1 pound of muscle. But when it comes to weight training, you absolutely want to eat a high protein/moderate carb meal beforehand. Try to eat no more than 1 hour prior to your workout. Because weight training is a high intensity exercise, you want to have sufficient energy to get you through the workout. And if you do cardio in the evening, do it at a higher intensity or do something like interval training. You'll not only burn up some of the calories you took in during the day, but you'll get a good afterburn.
It is first thing in the morning for me... I just started yesterday and I wake up at 4:45, eat cereal and a banana, make it to the gym and start on the treadmill at 5:30.... 30 minutes keeping my heart rate at 150... then 30 minutes high rep weight training.... by the way I'm 33, 5'10" , 245 lbs... started at 265 lbs Jan. 1... I definitely plan on sticking to it and hope I can see some major results.
Do weights first when you still have blood sugar, otherwise you'll be doing more harm than good. And after that do your cardio, when you have less blood sugar, so your body will turn to fat burning mode more easily.
Do weights first when you still have blood sugar, otherwise you'll be doing more harm than good. And after that do your cardio, when you have less blood sugar, so your body will turn to fat burning mode more easily.
I would sure like to hear some other thoughts on this as I am doing what my PT instructed. But I have no idea as to the particular PT's qualifications as he has been provided to me by Bally's.
I think there are many opinions on this matter even from the professionals in the field. I think there is a consensus you should definitely eat before a weight lifting workout, but as far as eating before doing cardio.....well, everybody has their own opinion on that. I think the key is trial and error. If you eat before cardio, give it 4 weeks keeping everything else consistant and if you stop losing body fat than you have your answer. Everyone's body will respond differently to different things, the key is to figure out what your body responds best to.
Agreed. Even here there are conflicting opinions. My personal recommendation is that if you do 30 minutes or less of cardio, I'd advise to do it on an empty stomach. 30 minutes or more, eat a little something before hand to prevent muscle loss. If you're lifting, then absolutely eat something. If you're doing lifting and cardio back to back, eat, do weights first, then cardio. Always have something to eat immediately afterward as well, for both cardio and weights. Even if you eat before a short cardio session, you will still be burning some fat, but with lower blood sugar, your body is forced to use fat for fuel sooner. Keep checking weight against body fat % every couple of weeks and that willlet you know if you are losing muscle or fat.
I'm a little wary of Bally trainers too. Most of them keep their jobs by being good sales monkeys, not by being good trainers. There are some that are actually knowledgable, but I'd definitely double check and research anything they recommend that you're not sure about.
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Keep your body lean, your blood clean and your mind sharp. -Rollins
I'm a little wary of Bally trainers too. Most of them keep their jobs by being good sales monkeys, not by being good trainers. There are some that are actually knowledgable, but I'd definitely double check and research anything they recommend that you're not sure about.
I gotta agree on this I train at or train people at many clubs (although I am not associated with a club) The vast majority of trainers that I see are horrible. Keep in mind you can read a book and sit for a test in some affiliations.
