Health ~ Fitness ~ Motherhood and More
Why you might be doing fasted training all wrong
how Your pre-workout might be breaking your fast
Many people, especially keto dieters, incorporate intermittent fasting, and work out in a fasted state to maximize their fat-burning potential. I love working out fasted. I can wake up, have some caffeine, and immediately workout before tackling my day. And more importantly, before my little one wakes up. Prior to practicing intermittent fasting, or IF, I’d worry about making and eating something before training, and all of that TAKES TIME. IF not only saves time but as mentioned earlier it allows my body to burn more stored fat.
When you’re fasting, your body has no intake of calories and is forced to use your fat reserves for fuel. This fat utilization can then be maximized by working out while fasted. The trouble comes in when certain workout supplements are used, as they might be breaking your fast without you realizing it. In this article, I will discuss specific ingredients used in many pre-workout powders or drinks that might be breaking your fast. I’ll also explain how to choose the best pre-workout drink/supplement that fires you up and keeps you in your fasted state!
what is Intermittent fasting
Fasting is defined as being without calories and/or food and is done for a specific amount of time. The idea is to give your body a break from eating. This allows it to do some cell repair, known as Autophagy, as well as some fat burning. You’re not just losing weight, you’re losing fat. IF can help when you feel like your weight loss has stalled. The benefits of fasting go on and on, and I have another article that goes into more detail here.
But let’s review some of the key benefits fasting can offer.
- Protects against neuro-degenerative diseases.
- It increases human growth hormone, key for muscle growth and vitality.
- Can reduce blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Boosts metabolism.
- Reduces inflammation.
- It is muscle sparing.
- Allows autophagy, your body can clean up and repair cells.
- Increases testosterone, another muscle must have!
- Can kill off cancer cells and extend your life!
styles of intermittent fasting
With knowing all the amazing things IF offers,it’s hard not to consider trying it. There are several methods or ways to practice IF.
The most popular and easiest method is the 16/8, which is also known as the “lean-gains” method. People can typically adapt to this schedule the easiest when trying out IF. Let’s say for example you stop eating at 7 pm, you would then not eat again until 11 am the next day.
In general, it is easiest to incorporate most of your fasting time into your sleep schedule. Then you are able to get up, have some coffee, workout, and start your day all without having to worry about eating. It can take some getting used to, but the body is very adaptable.
Endurance and strength might initially suffer, but that will return in time and you may find it improves!
Another thing to note is that IF doesn’t have to be done everyday. If you enjoy it and it works for your lifestyle, then, by all means, do it daily. But, you won’t throw yourself off or hinder progress if you decide to go to breakfast or early brunch on the weekend.
Just find a way to make it work for you!
To start you might want to try 2-3 days a week and go from there!
What can you have during Intermittent fasting
There are some drinks you can consume during a fast which include zero-calorie beverages like water, tea, or black coffee to name a few. Those drinks help to keep you hydrated, and the caffeine from coffee and tea can help to fuel a workout.
While some people are fine using coffee and tea for energy before training, others (LIKE ME) want a little more KICK to get going. This is where pre-workout supplements come in. Usually these are packed full of caffeine and other performing-enhancing ingredients.
And most of them are calorie-free.
Perfect to take if you want to train in a fasted state right?
NOT SO FAST my fellow fasters!
While many ingredients in pre-workout powders are indeed calorie-free, there are some that can spike insulin and technically “break your fast”. This spike of insulin will then interrupt the wonderful processes fasting allows.
So before you stock up on some pre-workout powders, let’s take a look at the ingredients to avoid if you want to remain fasted.
Ingredients to Avoid
- Leucine. This is an amino acid, commonly found in BCAAs and occasionally used in pre-workout powders. While this is not necessarily a bad ingredient, it can spike insulin and potentially break your fast. Many people like to sip on BCAAs during a workout, which is fine if you are not fasting. There are some other amino acids such as citrulline malate and beta-alanine that do not have an effect on insulin, but Leucine is one to avoid.
- Artificial Sweeteners. While these sweeteners are zero-calorie, there are studies that have shown certain sweeteners such as Sucralose, Saccharin and Acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K) can indeed have an effect on insulin. The sweeteners that seem to be safe when it comes to fasting are Stevie, Monk Fruit, and Aspartame. There is some research out there that suggests just the act of tasting something sweet, regardless of caloric value, will spike insulin in some people. This is where it might be valuable to test your own blood/glucose levels to see if the product you’re using has an impact on your insulin.
- Maltodextrin or Dextrose. When you are looking at the label on your pre-workout you might find additional fillers such as Maltodextrin or Dextrose. Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide, or simply put a starch made of many sugars. This will most definitely impact insulin. Dextrose is a form of glucose and again will increase insulin.
This is a small list of some common ingredients used known to affect insulin. But if you are unsure about a specific ingredient you can always research it or conduct an experiment like it did! Check this out!
My preworkout Experiment
When I look for pre-workouts I prefer to use those offering natural zero-calorie sweeteners (gut health) and full transparency with ingredients. Some companies will list “blends” and not disclose everything within that blend. I’d rather know what I’m ingesting, after all, you are what you eat!
I decided I wanted to conduct my own experiment using 2 different pre-workouts and black coffee as my control.
The first pre-workout I used is from Alani-NU.
I love the ingredient list as it is short and sweet. The flavors are also amazing! But it does contain Sucralose and Acesulfame-K. I was curious to see how this would affect my glucose levels.
The second pre-workout I took is called from Horizen Energy. I love this company.
They have VERY CLEAN ingredients and use Stevia as their sweetener. They also promote themselves as the “fasting friendly” pre-workout, so I was excited to test it out.
Finally, I wanted to use black coffee as a control day, and compare the results to both pre-workouts.
For the experiment, I tested my glucose upon waking, and before drinking anything, and then re-tested 30 minutes after having each pre-workout drink. To test my glucose levels I used the Keto-Mojo meter.
I love having this meter. It can test your blood/glucose levels or your ketones. When starting keto it helped me to know when I was in ketosis, and now I can use it when I want to see how certain foods or products affect my body.
As you can see I had an increase with Alani-Nu but not with Horizen or with black coffee. While I suspected these results, it’s still interesting to see.
I will still use Alani-Nu, as I am not always worried about staying fasted, and I like the BUZZ I get from the Beta-Alanine, but it’s nice to have an alternative option from Horizen Energy if I want to stay fasted, but want more than black coffee.
Other pre-workouts to Re-consider: Exogenous Ketones and MCT oil
There are two other notable pre-workout drinks some people like to use which are Exogenous Ketones and coffee with MCT oil. There are varied opinions and studies that argue the impact these have on insulin and fasting.
Exogenous Ketones are great for energy, so the body might choose those ketones over using your stored fat. This may interrupt the fasting processes and prevent the burning of fat stores.
MCT oil is calorie-dense, so technically it breaks a fast but when consumed it goes directly to the liver where it is turned into ketones. So it’s argued that MCT, in small amounts, can be taken during a fast. I have taken 1tsp in black coffee, and have had no increase in blood/glucose.
Ultimately use your best judgment with Exogenous Ketones and MCT oil. These can still be used but it might be to your advantage to NOT take them during your fast. Do your research and more importantly see how you feel. Everyone is different and it’s important to experiment and see what works for your body.
Final thoughts
When choosing a pre-workout for fasting just be aware of the ingredients.Try to choose something that gives full disclosure (no blends) and clean ingredients. If you are unsure on what a specific ingredient is, look it up. Knowledge is power!
You can always stick to black coffee or give Horizen Energy a try.
Code ZEN20 will save you 20% off your entire order.
Happy fasting and happy lifting!
