Contradicting common advice, a new study says that exercising before eating doesn’t increase the amount of fat you burn. You could even be hurting your body!

Published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal, the metastudy compared the results of several other studies. One of them looked at cyclists who trained after eating vs those who trained without eating. Not only was the amount of fat burn the same, those who trained while fasting had about 10% of their calorie burn come from protein, including their own muscle mass.

So feel free to go ahead and have that breakfast before you do your morning workout. You’re not increasing your weight loss. It could also be counterproductive by draining your muscles, and you might not be able to hit your peak intensity because you don’t have enough fuel in your body. And being able to exercise for longer and harder is key to better fitness and weight loss results.

In my personal experience I know that I’m able to have harder workouts that leave me feeling better when I sufficiently fuel up beforehand.

Does Cardio After an Overnight Fast Maximize Fat Loss? [Strength and Conditioning Journal]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.