When it comes to fitness, health and exercise one of the most sought-after goals and search words online too is “fat loss”. How to lose fat! With all the crazy fad diets out there, unhealthy ways of eating or more to the point- not eating, it is a very messed up and confusing topic. I wanted to narrow down and get even more specific with one of the big MYTHS surrounding the best way to lose fat is….. FASTED CARDIO!
Fasted cardio is exactly as it seems, getting up and doing a cardio workout without eating prior to in the hope of burning more fat because you haven’t eaten for a period of time prior (usually overnight)so it will burn more fat. While this isn’t entirely false, that’s not to say that eating before cardio will make you burn any less!
I recently made a post on my Instagram account discussing this, which generated a lot of interest (not for the first time) 
Above is the post I’m talking about… Spot the difference? If you can’t, that’s because there is none! I’m doing this to highlight my point. See many people are under the impression that they MUST do fasted cardio to lose fat, once that’s done, then they are free to go on about there day and the magic of fasted cardio will have them with a six-pack in no time, that’s not exactly the case! See, while any exercises will burn calories, regardless of if you’ve eaten or not, fat loss will also come down to your total daily/weekly/monthly intake of calories.
If you do a fasted cardio session and then eat in a calorie surplus over that period of time, there is a good chance you won’t lose body fat! When I say “eat in a surplus” I am referring to consuming more calories in a day/week/month than you burn in a day/week/month. To lose fat you need to be consuming fewer calories than what you use, it’s simple maths! Calories in VS calories out will ultimately have a greater impact on your fat loss journey rather than whether you happened to eat breakfast before your morning walk or not!
Another aspect of Fasted VS Fueled is that some people work better and can perform better if they have something in their stomach prior to a workout and hence, can push harder and go for longer which will ultimately burn more calories and then, granted they are in a deficit- LOSE FAT!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hating on fasted cardio or fasted workouts, I do them too, BUT, I don’t do them for fat loss purposes, I do them sometimes for convenience or for preference. If I’m training at 530am, I don’t necessarily want to get up a fair bit earlier to make breakfast, eat it, then wait for it to digest so I don’t feel sick. Or if I am doing quite a hard, intense session- sometimes I prefer to be fasted because I don’t want to feel heavy and bloated…. not for any other reason, and you shouldn’t too! If you wanted to eat before your sessions then eat! As long as you monitor your calorie intake and know you are in a deficit you will lose fat, no doubt about it!
I hope you can take away a clearer perspective on what it takes to lose fat! If you enjoy your food before training and you will perform better, eat! If you perform better fasted and can remain in a deficit for a period of time- Awesome, both methods will achieve fat loss!
If you would like my guidance, 1 on 1 coaching which covers personal workouts, calorie guides and meal plans all customised to your goals and lifestyle, visit my coaching website- https://www.bodyweightbuilt.com which you can transform your body without needing a gym or equipment!
Matt