Getting to the Heart of Fasting & Fat Loss
You may have thought about it or heard of this strategy, but it’s been one heavily questioned whether it’s best to exercise on an empty stomach or not.
Fasted cardio is literally just that – engaging in a cardiovascular workout, such as running, jogging, or cycling, on an empty stomach.
It typically refers to cardio workouts in the mornings, where people skip breakfast altogether (lengthening the fasted state that our bodies essentially experience while we sleep), with the thought that they will burn more fat.
The idea is that fasted cardio forces your body to depend on stored energy sources, such as fat deposits, to get you through the workout. It’s a fad that’s become popularized by the bodybuilding industry and more extreme fitness gurus, but it’s now catching on with the average person who’s trying to lose weight.
So what’s the truth about fasted cardio? Does it really burn more fat? And should you be doing it?
The Truth about Fasted Cardio and Fat Loss
Does fasted cardio burn more fat? The simple answer is not really. Recent research (*by Horowitz and colleagues) has shown that there was no different in the amount of fat burned regardless of whether the subjects had eaten or not. The results held true until the 90 minute mark where subjects who had fasted began to have a favourable shift to the amount of fat burned.
