What to eat before a workout to burn more fat
Metabolic impact of feeding prior to a 60-min bout of moderate-intensity exercise in females in a fasted state
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Protein didn’t increase fat oxidation after exercise—even though it boosted total calorie burn.
Most people assume if you burn more calories after a workout, you’re burning more fat. But this study shows the opposite: protein’s afterburn comes from digesting the protein, not fat.
Practical Takeaways
If your goal is fat loss, swap your pre-workout banana or toast for 25g of whey or casein protein (e.g., a shake or Greek yogurt).
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Protein didn’t increase fat oxidation after exercise—even though it boosted total calorie burn.
Most people assume if you burn more calories after a workout, you’re burning more fat. But this study shows the opposite: protein’s afterburn comes from digesting the protein, not fat.
Practical Takeaways
If your goal is fat loss, swap your pre-workout banana or toast for 25g of whey or casein protein (e.g., a shake or Greek yogurt).
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
Year
2023
Authors
K. Ratliff, C. Kerksick, Jessica M. Moon, A. Hagele, Johnathan L. Boring, K. Walden, C. Gaige, R. Stecker, K. Sunderland, Petey W. Mumford
Related Content
Claims (10)
If you want to burn fat during your workout, eating protein before you start won’t hurt your fat-burning—eating sugar will. So protein might be a smarter pre-workout snack.
Eating protein before a workout makes your body keep burning more calories for a while after you stop—more than if you ate sugar instead.
If you eat sugar before a 60-minute walk or light jog, your body burns less fat during the workout—but if you eat protein instead, it doesn’t hurt fat burning at all.
After working out, eating protein makes your body keep burning more calories—but it doesn’t make you burn more fat afterward. The extra calories come from somewhere else, like digesting the protein itself.
Eating protein before a workout doesn’t stop your body from burning fat like eating sugar does—so if you want to burn fat while exercising, protein is safer than carbs.