Here are a few helpful tips to help with your fat loss goals:
If you can stomach getting up earlier, perform cardio before your first meal of the day. Your body is most likely to use fat as the first energy source because your glycogen stores are depleted. If you’re concerned with muscle loss, take 10-20 grams of whey protein before your session, but stay away from carbs.
Following cardio exercise your resting metabolic rate will remain elevated for anywhere from 60 minutes to about 12 hours, depending on the intensity and duration of the exercise session.
If your goal is to lean out, follow your weight training with cardio. Since lifting depletes glycogen stores, your body is more likely to use fat as its first fuel source during cardio. Also, the combination of the two results in a higher caloric burn post-workout.
Instead of starting slow and building up speed, do your high-intensity cardio early in your workout and taper off to a slow finish to burn significantly more fat. After a 2-3-minute warm-up, immediately kick it into high gear (80%-85% max heart rate) for 15-20 minutes before slowing down (60%-65% max heart rate) for the last 10-20 minutes.
Try out these tips and let me know how it has helped your progress.