Last week, I wanted to add a quick, 15 minute morning walk. It made me feel great, my body felt flexible, and I wanted to keep doing it. Then, I heard if you exercise on an empty stomach, your body eats your muscles. I really can't eat before I exercise because I'd have to wake up at 4:00 am, so I wouldn't throw up exercising.

Would my body start eating my muscles for a 15 minute walk?

Don't worry, there isn't any truth to that. Go ahead and take your walk, then eat breakfast. It sounds like a great way to start the day!

your body wont eat your muscles at all, as long as you are "walking".....When your HR gets up into the "anaerobic" zone, that is when your body begins eating your muscles, so to speak, because it cant efficiently burn fat for energy any longer, at the higher HR. When you are walking for exercise, you are probably working in the aerobic zone instead.Youd have to do very high intensity running, sprinting, or interval training to get you HR rate high enough

Daimere, thanks for starting this thread.

I'm wondering a bit more about this question especially relating to interval training. I usually wake at 4:30am, putter around getting ready to work out, then exercise for about 1 1/2 hours for 4-5 times week...all pre-breakfast. This usually is a full 60 minute dvd with either a half hour of jump rope or segments of biggest loser aerobics. Starting last week, I've begun adding 20-30 minutes of HIIT (i.e., interval training) to 60 minutes of intensive aerobics.

I'm heading in to the last few weeks of weight lose before a life of maintence (she said with optimism).

Should I eat at 4:30am a little something? If so, what would be best...a protein and high fiber? I've avoided eatting at this hour because I was at about 1250 calories and didn't want to break up my morning meal in two 150 meals. But heading in to maintenance, I have more calories to spend and am more willing to spend a bit on something like a kashi bar or something.

Advice? Recommendations? Discussion?

Any advice?

Overall, I'm very confused on the eating or not eating before work out - especially in the morning after 8 or so hours of no food. The burning of protein over fat in how it relates to over all fitness and weight loss - adding resistance training as part of the work out.

My trainer suggests that I eat close to 200 cals before working out with her and she suggests simple carbs - piece of toast and piece of fruit or something like that. If I work hard during the work out, I am to have something that gets protein in me pretty quickly like a shake.

Sometimes, I wish there were more of me and we could do some evaluation of the different concepts to see what works best.

I think it's best to listen to what your body needs. As long as you're staying in the aerobic zone, your body isn't going to eat muscle, so if you feel fine on an empty stomach, keep doing that. I'm really sensitive to changes in my blood sugar, so some mornings I need to eat a 1/2 a banana or some crackers before I go running. Other days, I'm fine - it depends a lot on what I ate the night before.

It is false. I've actually read many recommendations that you shouldn't eat before you exercise in the morning and I know many people who do it. I used to do it a lot and I will still sometimes do it. Your body taps into your glycogen stores, then your fat stores and I've read it MAY tap into your muscle stores after an hour of rigorous exercise.

I workout for 90 minutes in the morning and don't eat for another 30 minutes after that. I haven't noticed any ill side affects.

I get horrible cramping if I run after I eat. I have to wait about two hours if I eat in the morning. I do drink Gatorade though. And I run for about an hour.

You're losing weight so keep doing what you're doing... For myself if I get up really early and head out the door, I don't eat either... but if i've been up a while, like 2 hours or so, I need to eat... Keep up the great work, it's working for you...

I'm sure there wouldn't be anything wrong with having a small/light snack before exercising; if anything it may give you a bit more of a boost to push harder then you would normally on an empty stomach. I'm not saying it should be anything so filling like an actual meal, but just something you can grab that you can munch on a little. Perhaps, half of a Powerbar ..?

Today is Saturday and I'm very near my goal so I was willing to try something new. I woke up early but ended up putzing around so long that was hungry when I popped in my dvd. I ate a bowl of fruit, kashi, and plain yogurt. I went on to do my usual high impact aerobics, situps, and tried out 30 minutes of HIIT. I was totally fine.

So, on weekends, I'm thinking of eating my first of four meals before exercise. I putz so much on weekends that my fasting until afterwards has sometimes been too long.

Thanks to Ilene for the kuddos. I've been nervous as I prepare to maintain. But I'm quite hopeful!

maybe it depends on the person really. I tend to work out after I have eaten something. because if I don't, then after I have worked out I get hungry and eat.

more then I care to admit.
something I really need to work on.

I don't do well on an empty stomach but only at the start. My main exercise is cycling, it's generally the first mile or so that I feel nauseous, and then I'm over it. I prefer to ride a couple hours after a meal though.

Riding just after a meal is just as bad as riding on an empty stomach for me!