Q: Will Exercising On An Empty Stomach Help Me Burn Fat Faster??

Most people at some point or another have heard the statement that working out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach will speed their overall rate of fat burning, allowing them to reach their goals quicker.

But, what’s the real truth to this?

Losing Body Fat

Must you get up and exercise without eating first or are there really no advantages to doing so?
The main thing to remember here is that how much fat you lose at the end of the day will come down to how many calories you’ve taken in versus how many calories you’ve burned off. If you burn off more than you take in, you’ll lose body fat.

While you will start using body fat stores faster when working out on an empty stomach, if this causes you to have low energy levels throughout that workout, you’re likely not going to workout at the desired intensity and that will mean you burn fewer calories throughout the session.

Then, at the end of the day your total calorie burn will be lower, therefore it really won’t have been all that beneficial.

Exercising on Empty Stomach

Plus, you must remember that in order to perform high intensity exercise such as sprinting or weight lifting the body will require glucose for fuel, which only comes from carbohydrates eaten before the session, so by not eating before you go to workout, you’re limiting the type of exercise that you can perform.

So all in all, no, exercising on an empty stomach won’t really help you burn fat any faster. You’re far smarter to have a small snack consisting of both protein and carbohydrates, workout at a higher intensity so you can enhance your metabolism more, and experience faster overall fat loss at the end of the day because of it.