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For people wanting to burn fat and increase weight loss, one of the long-running recommendations in the fitness community is to exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

The theory is that since you have no food in your system, the body will burn more fat for fuel.

But the question is will you burn more fat on an empty stomach or if you eat something beforehand?

Let’s break the question down into 3 exercise categories: slow cardio, heavy weightlifting, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

Slow cardio does draw a higher percentage of fat for fuel (as opposed to blood sugar energy or burning muscle) than the other two types of exercise. Therefore it is NOT advisable to do heavy weightlifting or HIIT on an empty stomach or you will burn a lot of your own muscle. Much better to eat a balanced meal before you begin.

So let’s focus on doing slow cardio in your target heart-rate zone (THR)

If you eat a full, balanced meal you will have plenty of energy to fuel your workout as your body accesses blood sugar energy for fuel and burns body fat.

If you eat nothing, yes you will naturally burn more fat but you’ll also burn some lean muscle. This will probably cause you to overeat later and reverse the weight loss.

The other option is to drink a fruit juice such as orange juice prior to your morning workout. Orange juice is loaded with glucose energy that your body will use during your workout. This is not a bad approach for some and is theoretically valid.

The only problem is that orange juice on an empty stomach causes a spike in blood sugar levels and the body undergoes a series of counter-regulatory mechanisms to compensate.

My preference is the full meal – even if it is small – prior to your morning workout. This is the best approach for healthy weight loss.

Who am I? I’m a nutritionist (and I’m frequently on national TV talking about health and nutrition) and I recommend 4 meals per day with the right balance of nutrients at every meal.

Of course there are a few more details than that – all of which I cover in tremendous detail in each of my nutrition plans. But this is a good place to start.

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