Fat Loss Is Completely Biochemically Understood. Opinions Don't Matter.

People: “What should I eat before exercise?”
Gurus: “BCAAs, meals, carbs, etc.”
Science: “nothing, plus maybe caffeine and salt.”

For the average person who wants to breakdown body fat, it’s non-controversial: insulin low plus epinephrine releases stored fat to be used in the citric acid cycle.

What does that mean? You have to have glucose low enough, be fasted enough, and then be excited/moving enough, or there is no biological mechanism for lipolysis (the breakdown of fat). This is not opinion. Please consult the chart. This is a non-debated fact.

The NSCA eating guidelines for competitive athletes stop at 60 minutes prior to training. That is, if they are COMPETING in 4 hours, carbohydrate intakes should be high (up to 4 grams per kilo of bodyweight). If they are training in 2 hours, 1 gram per kilo. If they are training in 1 hour, 0.5 gram per kilo. STOP. This is for high level athletes, mind you, who don’t care if they GAIN a small amount of weight.

Meanwhile, I watch the average person who wants to lose fat walk into a workout (0 minutes prior to training) while sipping orange juice and eating a banana. Then they’re confused about why they can’t get leaner. There’s no confusion necessary. You blocked the biological pathway.