I've been reading a few different articles and have come across alot of conflicting info which of course was not surprising info. I just wanted to open up what I read for discussion and hear your thoughts. Some people will focus on doing more cardio when they're trying to lose fat, doing "fat loss rotations" and still eat clean, possibly eating more cals b/c they're doing more cardio. Others say to lose fat, concentrate more on diet than cardio, in fact lift really heavy to preserve the muscle you do have, and don't do too much cardio b/c you'll "burn" away the muscle you're trying to hold on to while you're on a low cal diet. I'm sure different approaches work for different people and I'm still not sure what works for me yet!
Fat Loss---Cardio vs Diet
- Thread starter Stacy
- Start date
buffettgirl
Cathlete
Every time (EVERYTIME)I've been successful losing weight, it's been because I've cleaned up my eating and continued to exercise. For me, it's a combination of the two. I manage to maintain (or gain v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y)if I just diet or just workout. Unfortunatly, it's easier for me to be consistant with exercise. My diet usually stinks for about 6 days of the week. That's why I'm always 10-20 pounds above my ultimate goal weight.
toastythemosty
Cathlete
I don't do any cardio and my body fat stays the same at 14%. I really make sure I eat every 2 hours, that is very important. I stick with healthy eating and that is working for me.
Charlotte~~
Charlotte~~
honeybunch1
Cathlete
For me it's cardio and diet, and that's a LOT of cardio. Of course, I do weight training, but my focus is the "calories in, calories out" routine. I cannot do 3 days of weight lifting and 3 days of cardio - I'd gain weight like crazy. You really do have to watch what you eat, and that usually means write it down and track it.
Everyone has his/her favorite method, so you gotta try everything and see what works for you. That being said, it really isn't rocket science - be active and quit eating like a pig. Result - lose weight.
Just Do It!
Everyone has his/her favorite method, so you gotta try everything and see what works for you. That being said, it really isn't rocket science - be active and quit eating like a pig. Result - lose weight.
Just Do It!
candi
Cathlete
Please do not forget that everybody's body is different. Charlotte, for instance, appears to be an ECTO. She will not need to do as much cardio as I do because I am an endo.
I believe for some people it is as simple as calories in/calories out but has been established, a value added calorie will have a much different impact on your body than a non value added calorie. That's why the quality of food we eat is so important.
It's simple for some people and not simple for others. Metabolism, body type and hormones are variables that make a huge difference. That's why Cathe always says in her advice that you have to find what works for your body.
I believe for some people it is as simple as calories in/calories out but has been established, a value added calorie will have a much different impact on your body than a non value added calorie. That's why the quality of food we eat is so important.
It's simple for some people and not simple for others. Metabolism, body type and hormones are variables that make a huge difference. That's why Cathe always says in her advice that you have to find what works for your body.
pink_fortitude
Banned
You have to find what works for you. For me, it is more of how much cardio I do than what I eat though I do eat clean at least 80% of the time. As you can see from just the few posts ahead of me that everyone is different.
It usually only takes me a week to notice if something is definitely not working for me. If I do a heavy weight low cardio rotation, it takes me less than a week to see puffy arms and legs. If I cut back on eating, it takes me three days before I am tearing apart my pantry eating in a frenzy. I know that upping cardio works FOR ME because I feel great and look great. It shouldn't take you long to find out what works for you.
Missy
It usually only takes me a week to notice if something is definitely not working for me. If I do a heavy weight low cardio rotation, it takes me less than a week to see puffy arms and legs. If I cut back on eating, it takes me three days before I am tearing apart my pantry eating in a frenzy. I know that upping cardio works FOR ME because I feel great and look great. It shouldn't take you long to find out what works for you.
Missy
I agree with everyone when they say it's different for everyone. I would just like to add the health benefits of doing cardio and weight training. Cardio strengthens the cardiovascular system which is very important. You can't get too far with a weak heart. For me, even if I don't need to lose weight, I will always have some challenging cardio in my rotations. If I find I am losing too much weight as a result(which would be really hard for me), I would just eat more to counter balance.
Weight training is so important for strong bones and muscles so I could never give that up either. I think it's really a balancing game between both cardio and weight training. Both are essential to a healthy body.
Just my .02 cents.
carolyn
Weight training is so important for strong bones and muscles so I could never give that up either. I think it's really a balancing game between both cardio and weight training. Both are essential to a healthy body.
Just my .02 cents.
carolyn
I also think it's important to recognize that your body will look different if you lose weight from just dieting vs. dieting and exercising more. Diet may be the answer for losing the fat, but exercising will keep you firm. You don't want to lose weight only to look like one of those "thin flabby" girls!
Good luck!
Marie
Good luck!
Marie
Hi Stacy! First off I agree w/everyone's posts. Its just so important to compile everything: cardio/strength training & eating healthy. I've been at this for over 20 years so I pretty much know what works for me. I work one muscle per day + abs 3-4x a week + 4x a week of cardio. I work it heavy for 3 weeks and then do one week of endurance. I need to take a week off from exercising once I've hit the 6th week. At 52 years old I've found that my body needs much more recovery time than a woman in her 30's. Sad but true. On that 6th week I'll do more yoga & stretching. This works well for me. I also eat clean 7 days a week but usually leave a small treat on Saturday. If you want to reach your goals, it is eating healthy that will do it. I detest the word "diet." You need to experiment using different rotations for at least 6 weeks to see what worked & what didn't. If that particular rotation didn't work, then you know you can throw that out & try something else. It does take a while but you'll find it. HTH, Kathy
I work one muscle per day + abs 3-4x a week + 4x a week of cardio. I work it heavy for 3 weeks and then do one week of endurance. I need to take a week off from exercising once I've hit the 6th week. At 52 years old I've found that my body needs much more recovery time than a woman in her 30's. Sad but true. On that 6th week I'll do more yoga & stretching. This works well for me. I also eat clean 7 days a week but usually leave a small treat on Saturday. If you want to reach your goals, it is eating healthy that will do it. I detest the word "diet." You need to experiment using different rotations for at least 6 weeks to see what worked & what didn't. If that particular rotation didn't work, then you know you can throw that out & try something else. It does take a while but you'll find it. HTH, Kathy
xschwarz
Cathlete
Hi Stacy,
You've rekindled the age old debate!
I find it interesting that I know a handful of ladies who were very successful at losing weigth through Weight Watchers (diet) and really did very little "cardio". One added casual walking into her routine, the other friend joined Curves when she had made significant progress.
I wouldn't consider either of these scenarios the kind of "cardio" we forum members are talking about, yet they both have maintained their weight loss.
So, I do think that you can lose significant fat through diet alone. It then becomes a question of whether you want to include cardio (or continue) your cardio along with diet.
Somehow I have come to believe that if you need to lose greater than 15 lbs. you need to really hone in on diet, then ramp up cardio as an accelerator.
Of course everyone is individual in their response.
X
You've rekindled the age old debate!
I find it interesting that I know a handful of ladies who were very successful at losing weigth through Weight Watchers (diet) and really did very little "cardio". One added casual walking into her routine, the other friend joined Curves when she had made significant progress.
I wouldn't consider either of these scenarios the kind of "cardio" we forum members are talking about, yet they both have maintained their weight loss.
So, I do think that you can lose significant fat through diet alone. It then becomes a question of whether you want to include cardio (or continue) your cardio along with diet.
Somehow I have come to believe that if you need to lose greater than 15 lbs. you need to really hone in on diet, then ramp up cardio as an accelerator.
Of course everyone is individual in their response.
X
It's probably about 80% diet/20% cardio for me. I know when I go off my diet I'll stay the same weight if I do cardio every day, but if I do cardio every other day or less while I'm off my diet I'll start gaining maybe one or two lbs. a week.
On the other hand, if I'm really really strict with my diet, I can lose weight pretty quickly without doing much cardio at all.
On the other hand, if I'm really really strict with my diet, I can lose weight pretty quickly without doing much cardio at all.
