Working Out Fasted? Read This Before Your Next Gym Session
If you’ve ever hit the gym on an empty stomach thinking it would help you burn fat faster, I’ve been there, too. While fasted workouts are a popular trend in the health world, they might be doing more harm than good, especially for women.
Ashley Damaj, BCBA, MSW, CN, CPT, behavior analyst, nutritionist, therapist, trainer, and founder of Mothership Wellness, has seen this mistake time and again. On the mindbodygreen podcast, she explained why women should stop training fasted and instead rethink their pre- and post-workout fuel.
Her perspective is grounded in both science and years of experience coaching women through the unique physiological changes that come with age.
Why no woman should work out fasted
According to Damaj, fasted training is especially problematic for women in midlife. When you step into the gym without eating, your body is already at a disadvantage. Without fuel, performance suffers, cortisol (the stress hormone) runs high, and your body may enter a catabolic state, essentially breaking down muscle tissue for energy.
For women over 40, this is a big deal. Muscle mass naturally declines with age, and hormonal shifts during perimenopause and menopause make it harder to build and maintain. “No woman over 40 should be walking into the gym in a fasted state,” Damaj emphasizes. Instead, arriving fueled ensures your muscles have the glycogen and amino acids they need to perform and recover.
No woman over 40 should be walking into the gym in a fasted state.
What to eat before a workout
So, what does the ideal pre-workout snack look like? Damaj recommends keeping it simple:
- 30 grams of carbs + 20 grams of protein
- Minimal fat (since it slows digestion and delays quick energy release)
- About 45 minutes before your workout
Her go-to? A banana paired with a scoop of mindbodygreen protein powder. The carbs replenish glycogen stores in the liver and muscles, while protein supplies the amino acids needed to protect and repair muscle. This combination ensures you walk into your workout primed for strength, rather than drained from the start.
Research supports this approach: studies show that consuming carbohydrates before resistance training improves performance and endurance, while adding protein enhances muscle protein synthesis and reduces breakdown.
Why post-workout nutrition matters more than you think
What you eat after your session is just as important as what you eat before. Damaj explains that women over 40 have the shortest anabolic window of any age group, meaning their muscles need nutrients as soon as possible after exercise to recover and grow.
The key here is the combination of carbs + protein. Carbohydrates drive protein into muscle tissue, acting like the vehicle that shuttles amino acids where they’re needed most. Relying only on protein, without carbs, leaves this process incomplete.
Aim to eat within 30 minutes of finishing your workout, and include:
- 20-30 g of carbs to restore glycogen
- A 30g+ serving of protein for muscle repair
- A moderate amount of fats for satiety and nutrient absorption