Having been absent from the gym for nearly a month - I am due back tomorrow. Now I normally have a slice of toast and a cup of tea before going - and then maybe another slice or some cereal when I get back, before going to work.
Should I in fact, be exercising on an empty stomach?
The reason for asking is that I caught a bit of the Body Challenge on Discovery Health and some guy was saying that my exercising on an empty stomach speeds up your metabolism and burns fat faster. He did point out about eating brekkie afterwards.
Have been thinking a lot about my exercise regime.
When I was losing weight before I used to get up in the morning and exercise on an empty stomach, just had a glass of water handy. Used to do an aerobics tape or go for a walk.
Then a shower and breakfast. It worked for me , just need to find the motivation to get back to it.
Stick to your own breakfast! It is similar to my own, light before exercise and a bit more filling afterwards!
The guy who said working on an empty stomach speeds up the metabolism needs to go back to the books. After a nights sleep your body is carb depleted. If you exercise without refuelling you will force your body to work on its alternative fuel system - your lean tissue (muscle)!! Yes your metabolism will be raised, but at what cost?
The absolute basic info here is that FAT can only be burned as a fuel in the presence of CARBs - just like the CARBurettor in your car engine has to add oxygen before the petrol will burn! This is a non-negotiable part of our physiology. You may well lose more weight by not eating first but the weight you lose is the usefule bits of your body, not the excess fat you really want to get rid of.
This is part of the reason that the Atkins diet, and any other low carb diet, are of questionable long term usefulness or safety!
I hope this helps. It should also help you feel confident in your own assessment of health/exercise info. You obviously suspected the Discovery info, and you were right to. Sometimes exercise experts are only expert in getting results at speed, not necessarily safely and over the long term. Others are expert in sport info, which is completely different form health and exercise info.
Speaking of Atkins - did anyone see the programme on Friday before Celebrity Fit (don't know they couldn't say FAT) Club. It was called something along the lines of Britain's Most Favourite Diet. I think it was part of the Tonight with Trevor MacDonald programs.
Anyway they had a male reporter and the actress Denise Welsh (ex Corrie landlady - think she was stepping out with Des Barnes!!)
on Atkins for 2 weeks. The guy lost 14lbs and she lost 7lbs, but both complained of side effects, constipation, severe headaches, etc.
The guy then met with Dr Atkins who skirted around the issue of independent research backing up his claims, by saying that he would welcome it, but no one is prepared to finance the research. One woman became extremely ill after following Atkins and as soon as she stopped she started to get better.
Don't want to sound pompous - but I have never been a fan of anything faddy - Atkins, SlimFast etc, etc. I can't understand how you can think a diet which limits your carbs, fruit and vegetable intake, but allows you eat losts of fats and protein can be good. I mean you can have as much fried eggs and bacon for breakfast, but no bread. A couple of people at work are following it and they tell me that you are not allowed rice and also most veg is eliminated because of the sugar content (someone correct me if I am wrong).
Anyway, I can see how people are attracted because you get such a magnificient loss in the short term - but at what cost?
My ex-SIL has lost a lot of weight using Dr Aitkins. She used to spend an absolute fortune on cooked chickens from supermarkets, but that was about all she ate - maybe still does. Don't get me wrong she looks great now, but as the program said at what cost to her long term health ?
She also spent a fortune on vitamins every week and rattled as she walked from all she took and had to measure the 'keytones' I think - in her pee every morning to check she wasn't getting into dangerous levels of something.
Not a healthy or glamourous diet - I don't think
Stef - thanks for the words, am trying to get back to my morning exercise, although my body would rather stay in bed - will incorporate a slice of toast into my exercise regime, can't handle tea though, will just need to stick to the water
I saw it too BPB. Did you see Atkins squirm? It was wonderful - for those with eyes to see it of course.
The fact is that he had a serious medical emergency last year, which he says was (depending on what day it is) a panic attack, a food allergy or whatever today's wonderful excuse is. Medical experts say he had a heart 'episode' that required some serious medical attention - at the least an angina attack, at worst a triple by-pass or a transplant! But he won't give a clear indication, even when begged to by concerned relatives, medical experts etc.
As Sal points out those who have achieved wondrous results seem to be able to ignore the warning signs: foul breath indicating ketosis (which itself can lead to kidney failure); prolonged headaches and low energy levels, the expense, the lack of food variety, the obvious (to me anyway) oddity of the 'diet' foods, the levels you have to go to in order to check yourself (urine dipping???????), and the amount of vitamin sweeties you have to buy! It simply sounds fanatical and can't be good for you - scientifically it is probably fatal for some people, in the long term.
So what price thinness? I'll continue to lose size, confident that, eventually the weight will drop off too. Meanwhile I won't push it - it took me 37 years to get as heavy as I am today, I expect it will take me a couple of years more to get rid of some of it. So I'll concentrate on feeling fit, getting fitter, and looking smaller over weighing in every day and chasing after quick fixes.
Sorry for the rant, Stef
Still 14stone 4lbs, but now that mystical size 17, heading for a real life size 16!! My sister is in for some more nice new clothes as my trousers really don't like my hips any more!
Morning exercise - Stef?? or anyone else
