Empty Stomach Cardio And Fat Loss – Does It Really Work?
One of the topics that’s quite heavily debated in the fitness industry is whether empty stomach cardio helps further you towards fat loss. Is there something magical about doing cardio without eating first that allows the body to burn off more body fat stores? Or, does it really make any difference whether or not you put yourself through this?
Energy Availability For Empty Stomach Cardio
The very first thing you must get straight with regards to empty stomach cardio is the energy availability for the exercise. Since the body is using the ATP-CP system for very high intensity exercise, which relies strictly on glucose, if you don’t eat some form of carbohydrate before that cardio session (assuming you’re doing it first thing in the morning), you aren’t going to be able to perform it correctly.
You could try, but the intensity you work at will be lower than what would be possible had you eaten. So, then you have to ask yourself, what is more beneficial – performing the workout at full intensity or performing it at half intensity without eating? In most cases, the former is the correct answer.
Current Body Fat Level
The next thing you should assess is your current body fat level. Are you verging on single digits of body fat? (slightly higher for females due to higher essential fat requirements).
If you are, you’re going to put yourself at a higher risk for losing muscle mass should you decide to pursue your empty stomach cardio. Since you don’t have food fuel available to you and you don’t have much stored body fat, the body will take the energy from somewhere – namely, your muscle tissue.
In that case, you really must weigh the pros and cons. Losing muscle mass on a fat loss diet is something you really want to avoid, so if performing the cardio after eating helps avoid this, most times it’s better to do so.
Moderate Cardio Sessions
Finally, if it is in fact moderate cardio sessions you are performing on an empty stomach, then you may be able to get by without eating. You definitely don’t have to do the cardio on an empty stomach in order for it to be effective and for you to lose weight, but if you like doing it, then you’re likely not going to experience huge disadvantages by doing so.
When it comes to fat loss, always remember that it’s total calorie balance at the end of the day that matters. If you were to do your cardio after eating 200 calories of carbohydrates, yes, your body would have to burn those 200 calories off first, reducing how much it burns off its’ fat stores.
But, if you take in 200 fewer calories later in the day, the body will have to dip into the fat stores to come up with energy to go about your daily activities. Don’t forget that your BMR (basal metabolic rate) accounts for a large portion of how many calories you burn each day, therefore it doesn’t just matter what you burn during your workout. Fat will be lost provided total calorie intake is less than total calorie expenditure. How you arrive at that number matters less than the fact you do.
So, don’t rush off and think doing empty stomach cardio is going to blast your fat loss through the roof. If it’s not done correctly, it could actually hinder the results you see.
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