Comments on: When is Fasted Cardio Useful for Fat Loss?

By: lylemcd

lylemcd — Sun, 14 Jun 2015 13:09:44 +0000

In reply to Lisush. Fasted means fasted and you'll live by taking your coffee black.

By: Lisush

Lisush — Sun, 14 Jun 2015 12:05:22 +0000

Hi Lyle-
thanks for this great information.
can i ask, do you think there would be a significant difference between the effectiveness of fully fasted cardio, ie nothing ingested in morning at all, versus cardio with a cup of coffee with artifiical sweetner and about 1/4 a cup of unsweetened soy milk (say 20 cal, 1 g fat, less than 1 g carb, 2 g protein)?
and, i guess to better fully understand this:
1) i would imagine the main issue in the fat mobilization issue is, as you have been saying, insulin, so the answer to the question depends on how much insulin this drink (caffeine, artificial sweetener, very small amount of food) triggers?
2) do you know or have a thought on whether the better fat mobilization in fasted cardio is something that is discrete, ie you are either fully fasted with no insulin or you are non-fasted with some insulin; or is it an issue of degrees, ie the more fasted you are / the less insulin in your bloodstream the more fat-mobilization you will benefit from during cardio?

i will probably continue my little sweetened coffee cause i like it in the morning, but just curious if the effect of the little coffee is gradual and just 20 calories worth of an effect, or if it will in a discrete manner kick me out of the optimal fat-mobilization state you describe.
hope i have understood this right. thank you!!

By: lylemcd

lylemcd — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 13:20:15 +0000

In reply to Tony. T-nation is full of stupid. The amount of protein even potentially lost during a typical morning cardio fasted session of any sort is utterly irrelevant. Most of any amino acids oxidized from from the free pool anyhow. It's not even muscle breakdown.

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 21:36:37 +0000

Lyle,

This article makes sense to me. In the morning I will find myself in a state of glycogen depletion. Thus, if I am an individual at 10% BF and want to get even leaner still, it makes sense I do some fasted cardio as my body will find fat as it’s primary source of energy in that state. I’m talking about an hour on a spin bike at a moderate intensity, not looking necessarily for a “quality workout.”

If I am looking to hit certain numbers and want to have a really good quality workout session, I would consider ingesting some a small meal before, as my focus here would not be to lose fat.

However, I ran into this article which, as you can see, has a different point of view.

Any thoughts?

https://www.t-nation.com/training/fasted-cardio-eats-muscle

By: sahm

sahm — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 09:22:44 +0000

great article man! right now at 12 BM. not looking to get very ripped. but that being said. I would love to get down to 11-12%. I do a morning 20min swim and drink green-tea before so that i remain hydrated. I have a mixed green smothie with whey for breafast and have a huge meal at (i undereat fruit and nuts before and after) 5ish, then ggym/ yoga at 7 for another 20, i feel that this ‘regimen’ works really well for me! but will it get me to 12% destination. also ow long will it take?

By: VeryObeseNeeding Part 2!

VeryObeseNeeding Part 2! — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 22:22:21 +0000

Hello great article but very frustrating for the very obese you refer to also qould like some direction… why are we always ignored. I respect thin people have their own (sometimes laughable weight loss issues) but they get like 99% of the attention while the rest of us sweat as much and get nothing. I want everyone to have the body they need but sh*t can we get some love too? the one sentence we got is “I’m not going there” sigh…. such a tease! at least one or two cardio techniques to target our issues. you are one of only two blogs I’ve seen to mention the reduced blood flow so I’m very intrigued.. please do a part 2. JUST FOR US!

By: Leena Sowambur

Leena Sowambur — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:27:45 +0000

Thank you so much for this. I have been working on getting very lean for 5 years now following the usual advice only to find that fasted morning cardio does the trick only to be told I shouldn’t be doing it! Now I know why this works for me I can move forward.

By: Kaizen

Kaizen — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 01:52:27 +0000

Lyle, you amaze me the way you answer so many specific questions! You deserve a sainthood.

This is the best answer to the question i’ve heard. And it makes sense. Getting really lean is a journey, and I have found it’s an individual thing. Maybe like pregnancy – there are common things, but everyone’s different. And the same women can have different experiences with consecutive pregnancies. I think it can be the same with successive times of getting lean.

This is off the subject, but the different stage of body fat can also be difficult in terms of appearance. Sometimes you can look or feel better at a slightly higher body fat. I think of it as a something filled with air deflating. Things can sometimes look worse before they look better. And I’m sure some people lose different proportions of visceral fat/ subcutaneous fat than other people, and that can make things look different too.

Very impressed.

By: Ed

Ed — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 03:16:18 +0000

Lyle I was just wondering how long after a meal does it take to be in the fasted state?

By: lylemcd

lylemcd — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:43:55 +0000

This tends to be an individual thing, some need an empty stomach to train effectively, I’ve seen others who could eat a big meal and have no problems. A lot of it is individual variance and there is also the aspect of what is being done in the gym (e.g. low vs. high reps). There is also some indication that you can ‘train the gut’ to handle more nutrients before or during workout simply by doing it.