Optimal fat burning for a cardio day

[Fiddleman 4,376]

I am transitioning into a new workout plan starting June 1st and am thinking about how to best organize a cardio day for maximum fat burning.

It has been common knowledge for people to do a cardio workout first in the morning, in a fasted state, such that stored glycogen will be depleted and there is no in transit carbs or fat to use for energy. There have been many published studies on the approach. The principle is that muscles will use stored fat instead of stored glycogen for energy. In theory I believe this to be true, but pragmatically do not have the time to exercise in the morning because of earlier shift work.

Would the following approach produce similar results (any time of the day, but 2-3 hours after last meal): 20-30 minutes of high intensity resistance cardio (e.g body weight exercises in HIIT or Tabata protocol) followed by 20-40 minutes of steady state medium intensity cardio (HR is in fat burn zone).

The principle behind this approach is that the glycogen stores are depleted in the 1st high intensity segment. The resistance cardio should be done close to failure during each HIIT or Tabata interval within this segment. The second steady state cardio segment purely burns fat because stored glycogen has been depleted during the first segment and there will not be any in transit food as it will have been 2-3 hours since last meal.

Assume a 3-2-2 split where there are 3 lifting days, 2 cardio days and 2 rest days in a week.

Monday: lift / med intensity cardio

Tuesday: high intensity resistance cardio / med intensity cardio

Wednesday: lift / med intensity cardio

Thursday : yoga /stretching

Friday: lift / med intensity cardio

Saturday: high intensity resistance cardio / med intensity cardio

Sunday: rest

A lifting day will have 20-30 min cardio following isolated lifting segment

This is a theory of mine I have been playing around with and am wondering what others think.

[swimbikerun 1,039]

I think this is a fabulous well thought plan. Truly one of the best ones I've seen.

After looking at this, my only comment would be that in a fasting state, you are looking at longer hours of being without food. Figuring what? 8-10 hours at least between dinner and Breakfast. I wonder if that would be the only difference between trying to do 2-3 hours and at least 8-10. Your body should be starved more.

[B-52 7,113]

Worked for me....first thing in the morning, between 5-6am on a empty stomach (other than my morning coffee and plenty of water)...

Would run 3-5 miles 5 days a week....then weights afterwards, if I am in the mood, but concentrated more so on the running to keep my heart rate at 85% of max.

I lift weights simply for muscle tone and body shaping.

By doing so my body fat % went down to as low as one could ever expect.....cannot possibly go any lower without being unhealthy....also have no loose skin as many complain about.

After my workout I would have a high Protein, high nutritional recovery smoothie....good to go the rest of the day.

I continue to do this as a regular routine, even though I have completed any weight loss and fat burning years ago...

Edited May 25, 2014 by B-52

[swimbikerun 1,039]

How do you guys do that? I would be up at 4 am to get going before a 50 lap swim at 530 and ate and drank a couple hundred calories or three. If I did that on an empty stomach I would have busted at about 20 laps.

Man I am impressed. Then again, do you all normally get in more than 1500 calories? Until they gave me something to help the motility issues I was down to 700 calories. (I had GI problems before the surgery which multiplied after).

[B-52 7,113]

I never count calories...or at least I stopped 6-8 weeks after surgery.

[swimbikerun 1,039]

I have to roughly estimate since I've had malnutrition issues and items that all have in common malnutrition. I had a really bad time with the gastroparesis when I was first diagnosed. Now with a tiny stomach and all the other GI issues, and especially now that I'm not a size 20 any more ... I have to try and shovel food in.

Counting calories or estimating them every day is not something I'm going to get away from. Whoever thinks that bariatric surgery is the easy way out, come live in my shoes for a week. I put in writing to go into my medical record that I wanted to be thinner not Karen Carpenter.

[NurseT 2]

Wow. All this sounds great but unrealistic for me Hats off to all you exercise guru's I could never work out on an empty stomach because I am a diabetic. And although I only use a small amount of insulin (Lantus before bed), I tend to wake up with blood sugars that are slightly low (around 70) so I have to eat a Protein rich Breakfast with a small amount of carbs. I have been trying to adjust my insulin needs and sometimes get very hypoglycemic first thing in the morning. t's a real struggle and challenge. However, the weight loss has resulted in my going from 120 units of insulin a day to just 30 units at night with no oral meds. I'm thrilled. So exercising on an empty stomach sounds good in theory but would never work for me. However, I have been reading a lot about this 5:2 diet and think I may give that a go. I am sort of "stuck" with not losing any weight since I hit the 10 month post op stage in January. Right now I take in about 1200 calories on average and sometimes a little more if I have an intense workout. I do cardio kickboxing, yoga, swim and walk. I do something every day for at least an hour with a rest day like on Sundays. Any of you ever do the 5:2 diet? If so, does it work and do you recommend it? Any other comments on diet and exercise for diabetic sleevers would be great! I need to get unstuck!

[musicmama 19]

I know I'm thinking quite ahead here since I'm still very much pre-op, but I can honestly say I *loved* doing the Body for Life workouts back when I did it. Would the HIIT workouts be feasible say, 2-3 mos post op? There's an Anytime Fitness on my way to work and I've contemplated joining it to get my workouts in BEFORE work. It would mean I would be getting there about 4am. Would that be enough "fasting" time to make a difference?

My hubs and I work opposite shifts, so Weds-Fri I come home from work and he leaves for work, and he works on weekends, I work Mon-Fri. So, if I don't workout first thing, I won't have an option with childcare after work.

[B-52 7,113]

I was taking as much as 80 ml of Lantus every night, plus oral meds during the day....the more I lost, the lower readings got, the less Lantus I took...pretty soon non e at all, and then no more oral meds...all my blood levels are good with no meds.

Just plenty of exercise and good food choices.

There is a direct correlation between diabetes and body fat%....the more fat you loose, the less resistant you become.

Least that is what I've been told.

For me, it was never about loosing weight, exactly, but loosing fat was always my #1 priority....

If you go by BMI's I am still overweight.....but I have a very low body fat %....

Look at athletes...you would not call them fat, yet their weight can be high.

Edited May 26, 2014 by B-52

[tigerlily14 35]

Worked for me....first thing in the morning, between 5-6am on a empty stomach (other than my morning coffee and plenty of water)...

Would run 3-5 miles 5 days a week....then weights afterwards, if I am in the mood, but concentrated more so on the running to keep my heart rate at 85% of max.

I lift weights simply for muscle tone and body shaping.

By doing so my body fat % went down to as low as one could ever expect.....cannot possibly go any lower without being unhealthy....also have no loose skin as many complain about.

After my workout I would have a high Protein, high nutritional recovery smoothie....good to go the rest of the day.

I continue to do this as a regular routine, even though I have completed any weight loss and fat burning years ago...

May I ask what you put in this smoothie? I am having surgery June 24th and I wanna build muscle cause I'm pretty heavy and expect a lot of loose skin but I'm hoping with good muscle tone it want be as bad..... Thank you for your help.

[NurseT 2]

Thanks B-52. What you said about diabetes and insulin with regards to body fat makes sense and gives me encouragement. I am thankful for that. By the way; you look fantastic! I do not see where you could possibly be labeled overweight. And I couldn't believe you are over 60! Incredible! I'm 49 and would honestly say you don't look a day older than my. Keep up the great work. And for the record; I too was never actually about the weight per se. I did the surgery to reduce body fat and inches so I could gain control of my diabetes. When I started this journey my A1C was 10.9 and that was with oral meds and 2 shots a day equaling 120 units. I now take no orals meds and 1 shot of 30 units and my A1C is now 6.8. My body fat % went from 44 to 32. I know the inches have been more of an impact for me than the weight because I went from a "tight" size 20W to a "nice fit" size 12. I know for men that's not a big deal but for us ladies it's all about the "clothes size" as you will notice with other posts from my lady friends. I say its the "inches" and not the pounds lost because when I got married 23 years ago my wedding dress was a size 12 and I weighed 20 less than I do now. It's weird but wonderful. Like you, I don't have any loose skin because I exercised and continue to exercise right from the start. This last 30 lbs is gonna be hell I know but I'm up for the challenge. I have to ask. How long did it take you to reach your goal? I'm assuming you did because...well you look great!

Thanks,

Tina (NurseT)