Want to burn that holiday fat? Exercise before breakfast
Category: New York Times, exercise
By Nick Katsarelas
We had our department potluck luncheon today. We gorged on cheese and crackers, ham and turkey, chili and meatballs, cheesy potatoes, and a whole eye-popping dessert table covered in candy, cookies, cakes, and pies.
Lunch was four hours ago. Nevertheless, there's a steady stream of pedestrian traffic making its way to the front of the office, where the leftovers were moved.
The overindulgence of the holidays is on display in all its glory. The problem with this high-fat grazing is that a few days of this behavior can increase one's risk for Type 2 diabetes.
If you plan on exercising to lose some of the fat, you should know that a new study says it's best to exercise in the morning, before breakfast.
The study, which was reported last week in The New York Times, involved feeding a high- fat, high-caloric diet to 28 healthy, active young men. Some of the men chose not to exercise. Others exercised, but only after having breakfast. The last group exercised before breakfast.
After six weeks, the first, non-exercising group gained six pounds. The group that exercised after breakfast gained about three pounds. Only the group that exercised before breakfast gained almost no weight. They also burned the fat they were taking in more efficiently.
One possible explanation is that exercising in a fasted state coaxes the body to burn a greater percentage of fat for fuel, rather than relying on carbohydrates.
According to the article, exercising on an empty stomach is unlikely to improve your performance. Carbs are easier for working muscles to access and burn for energy than fat, which is why athletes typically eat a high-carbodyrate diet.