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

The post Fat loss, Whats the best way? appeared first on Matt Fox.

By skipping breakfast, we will find that sugar cravings will rise throughout the day (that’s a scientific fact!) which will lead to either A. Overeating, B.Making unhealthy food choices or C. Both. All 3 options are a recipe for unwanted fat gain as well as general health issues. After sleeping throughout the night and having our bodies repair while at rest (which in fact still burns calories) our body is craving nutrients to replace and gear up for the day ahead. By skipping that meal altogether, your running your body on empty- and that ain’t a good thing!

Now, I get how busy our lives are these days and those extra few minutes of sleep in substitute of breakfast may seem worth it, but in the long run, chances are it’s not! If you give your body fuel at the start of the day you are less likely to binge eat, choose foods high in sugar, fat or both and have that dreaded afternoon crash! I have found for me a bowl of oats and a smoothie work great! The combined meals take about 2 mins to make (I soak my oats overnight and eat them cold in the morning) and about the same to eat- for me anyway… I am always starving in the morning!

Of course, there are those that do different ways of eating and getting to IM (Intermediate Fasting) but I’ll save that for another blog. This is about the importance of breakfast and what it can do for your health and body. How to build muscle? Well, you need to eat, if you don’t eat, your body isn’t going to put it’s it energy towards building new muscle. Its sole focus will be on keeping you alive. Your brain also requires energy (food) to function at it’s best, so starving it overnight then into the day isn’t the best idea either unless you do zombie well!

After being a huge smoothie fan for years and loving the time efficiency as well as the nutrient hit you can get with such a quick fix, I have recently teamed up with Hummingbird who have made my smoothie addiction even more accessible. No longer do I have to mix 10 different superfood powders together, Humming Bird blendies come in simple, convenient, nutrient-packed smoothie balls that you simply drop into your blender with milk/water/juice, whatever you have your smoothies with and blend! Simple. I am now on their panel of experts for all things fitness and exercise related and will be answering questions as well as giving out tips to all Hummingbird fans via there blog too!

And to make breakfast even better for you- use code –  “mattf20” to get 20% off your entire order at www.hbird.co

Enjoy!

Matt

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