If you're overweight and think cardio is the answer...

[LaughingWater]

Weeell, cyber space is never at a loss for opinions, is it? Any time you post something, there's an 80% chance someone will argue with you, regardless of their qualifications on the subject.

I agree that we need both strength training and cardio (and the author of this article mentions this as well). I think the answer "how much of each" depends on the person though.

 

[dawnmh22]

Weeell, cyber space is never at a loss for opinions, is it? Any time you post something, there's an 80% chance someone will argue with you, regardless of their qualifications on the subject.

I agree that we need both strength training and cardio (and the author of this article mentions this as well). I think the answer "how much of each" depends on the person though.

I agree with you Laughing Water!!! I see some people agreeing there is a Starvation mode where others disagree.

 

[kariev]

The clean eating thing, for me, has become a kind of comic mind game I play on myself. I pack all the right stuff for what often winds up being a 12-hour workday and, all along, I've made a real effort to cram in lots of complex carbs early in the work night. Recently, someone posted her entire routine and complained she wasn't getting the results she should be, even from eating clean. Cathe responded that she really needed to up her protein. Even though I knew I should have been getting more protein it was like "Protein! That's what I'm NOT doing..." so I boiled up some flash-frozen chicken breasts and have brought along more high protein food/snacks and am now making every effort to hit the protein on every break. I may crave that chocolate protein bar (I don't bring along more than one for a reason...) but I eat my unprocessed foods first, often winding up not touching my goodies until much later, if at all. It's comic because it's tough choking down a plain chicken breast and green beans when you can smell someone else's fabulous chow at the next table. But, in the end, I reap what I sow. Sooooo... I do it and my body rewards me. I'm more alert, feel happier and more in control, and I'm already noticing the difference in my muscular definition. My scale for the past few days has been stuck on 177/177.5 lbs. but my waistbands are still getting looser and, as long as I can see and feel progress, it's cool. When results slow or stop I'll fine-tune some more.

Sirensongwoman: i would love to know what your current training routine is right now? cardio and weight training frequency?

 

[petramom]

I've lost 80 lbs. I lost 35 lbs in about 5 months, then got pregnant. After I had the baby I went back to work and lost another 45. During this time I've kept fairly careful records of my workouts and eating habits. Here's what I found:

Dieting alone: lost weight
Dieting and mostly cardio work: lost weight
Dieting and mostly weight work: lost weight
Dieting and only weight work: lost weight
Cardio only: weight stayed the same
Weights only: weight stayed the same

I don't pretend to know what works for anyone else or even what will continue to work for me. I just know that over the 15 months or so that I spent trying to lose weight, ultimately the only thing that really mattered was how much I ate.

One other thing I noticed: after blowing out my knees doing cardio I started just doing weights and really focusing on them. Weight training (Pure Strength series, Gym Styles, Pyramids and S&H) has reshaped my body in wonderful ways. I've had 3 kids and I'm still about 30 lbs overweight, but in some ways I look better than I did when I was thinner. I would strongly recommend to anyone looking to reshape their body to do serious weight training - whatever their cardio or dieting approach is.

 

[LaughingWater]

The recording keeping you did was very helpful ~ you had/have a really great experiment going.

 

[petramom]

Keeping records is the smartest thing I did/do. I regularly take measurements too. I've been religious in keeping track of my exercise (I can tell you every workout I've done this year - not that you'd ask ), although I've had a harder time recording my calories consistently (call it denial).

I researched weight loss until I was reasonably sure that I was as well-informed as a lay person could be. And I concluded that there are lots of opinions, not a lot of studies, and very little consensus. So I decided to stick with the basics (less calories, exercise) and see what worked for me over time. Knowing how unreliable memory can be, I kept records so I could see objectively what was working and what wasn't. I really think the key to knowing what works for you is (1) objective measurement (e.g., don't rely only on how you're thinking your pants fit, or if you think your butt "looks" better) and (2) doing it over time (e.g., a month or two isn't long enough to be sure something is "causing" weight loss/gain/whatever - the longer you go, the more likely that what you're seeing is a real cause/effect relationship).

Although I think I would have lost about the same amount of weight even if I hadn't worked out, I do believe that working out has helped keep me on track. And as I said before, the weight training has definitely given me a better body (and made me stronger - I noticed when I took out the snow blower for the first time last week that it was a whole lot lighter than I remembered - the difference, of course, being that last winter I hadn't started lifting weights yet).

Forgive the ramble, but I've been dying to talk about this and no one here in my real life wants to hear about it!

 

[LaughingWater]

Forgive the ramble, but I've been dying to talk about this and no one here in my real life wants to hear about it!

Oh gosh, I can tell you with great certainty that this is one group who will gladly listen.

I think the long-term record keeping is quite smart. Many of us want to see results right away, so if a rotation isn't appearing to be "working" after 3 weeks, we want to move on and try something else. In our impatience, we may miss out on great results down the road.

I think that's why when I started with Cathe, I unofficially gave myself a year to read, learn and experiment. Prior to this, I spent the last 20+ years exercising haphazardly, without any planning or goals.

Obviously that timeframe isn't set in stone, but I wanted to avoid placing unrealistic expectations on myself and then giving up after 3 months.

 

[RapidBreath]

boooogus!!1

I used to eat really low calorie all the time and my weight loss stalled for 8 or 9 months. Then I upped my calories to 2000 calories or more per day (primarily good fats/protein) and magically I started dropping weight. At that time I also added in Cathe's beginner's rotation. I hadn't done any weight work since college. But I wanted to be balanced in my workouts so I did the one day a week of a circuit. And, voila! I'm down 30 pounds since June. And its real fat and I put on muscle (I can see it and feel it.) Nuts man! I'm guessing this young woman has never met a survivor of a refugee camp or met anyone with the numbers on their arm showing which prisoner they were in Auschwitz. The issue with having been starved doesn't just effect the body it effects the brain. Your body needs fats in order to function. And organs are sacrificed when the body runs out of fuel. This is one of the reasons people who go on weight loss drugs often suffer heart damage-just like people on speed. And another thing is that not all calories are the same because there are little things called hormones which are influenced by the composition of our food. If I don't have cardio my insulin receptors don't open up, if my receptors are closed and I eat carbs the insulin just stays in my blood stream causing male pattern weight gain and messing with my ovaries. Its a complex thing, but to assume that we are all the same is arrogance and stupidity.

I had posted this on another Fitness site cause I thought "What a great article" and this girl had responded and posted back........................



Sorry,What a Load of Crap!!!!
1. Our bodies do not go into "starvation mode"-there is no such thing-ever watch Survivor? They drop weight like crazy because they don't have food. Starvation mode is a moniker for so called fitness "experts". A calorie is a calorie no matter where it comes from chocolate or lettuce. The more calories are reduced, the more weight one will lose. (I've gained weight while on antibiotics and not been allowed to eat at all.) What happens is, when a person severely restricts caloric intake, the body realizes that it does not need as many to function, so when calories are increased after a very restrictive diet, the body stores them because it has not needed them, that's why dieters tend to regain lost weight, plus an extra ten pounds or so.
2. Cardio is absolutely essential for weight loss, no one loses weight by strength training alone. My niece recently won a women's body building contest on the East Coast, she does lots of cardio to burn the fat off. (Thats all relative, I wonder how much "a lot" really is. I do 6 days a week.)
3. Muscles do not eat fat....it burns calories like crazy, it takes more calories to maintain muscle, hence more muscles more food. Strength training is most often anaerobic and does not burn fat in the way that cardio does.(my cardio doesn't really burn fat, it prevents the over abundance of insulin and by the way the presence of insulin prevents fat from being released from the cells-it effects the door on the cell) Muscle take up less space and weighs more than fat, that is why strength building will cause changes to body size, but not necessarily the scale number. (Don't we want to be smaller? )
4. Aerobic exercise does not burn protein for fuel...please, do you really believe this? Ever look at a marathon runner, their bodies are nothing but muscle! (BWAHHAHAHA!)
5. Aerobic exercise and weight training are both required for a healthy body, depending on the individual one will produce better results than the other. I personally, bulk up when I do a strength only rotation, and slim down /tone up when my rotation includes lots of cardio. (me too see the above about the hormones)
6. The whole concept is a load of crap.

 

[RapidBreath]

of course what I thought she was going to say

If your fat and you know it

CLAP Your hands!

If your fat and you know it

Slap CLAP!

Triple Clap over the board!

 

[carres1973]

If your fat and you know it

CLAP Your hands!

If your fat and you know it

Slap CLAP!

Triple Clap over the board!

I am CLAPPING!!

On the flip side of this cardio or weight debate is the only weights debate. I have seen numerous guys in the "man section" of the gym (free weights) who have beer guts but are very muscular and lift heavy. I think it comes down to what so many have said in this thread (and petramom illustrated so well with her record keeping) and many other threads...what you eat is SOOOOO very important in your fitness journey. I know this from personal experience as well. I had the exact same results that petramom mentioned. If I only do exercise (no matter the type - cardio or weights or both) I don't lose weight. I usually maintain and occasionally gain. If I watch my diet AND exercise the weight comes off. It is the diet part that always trips me up. I like good stuff waaaay too much!

Good luck to everyone!

Carrie

 

[dawnmh22]

Thanks RapidBreath!!!!

I used to eat really low calorie all the time and my weight loss stalled for 8 or 9 months. Then I upped my calories to 2000 calories or more per day (primarily good fats/protein) and magically I started dropping weight. At that time I also added in Cathe's beginner's rotation. I hadn't done any weight work since college. But I wanted to be balanced in my workouts so I did the one day a week of a circuit. And, voila! I'm down 30 pounds since June. And its real fat and I put on muscle (I can see it and feel it.) Nuts man! I'm guessing this young woman has never met a survivor of a refugee camp or met anyone with the numbers on their arm showing which prisoner they were in Auschwitz. The issue with having been starved doesn't just effect the body it effects the brain. Your body needs fats in order to function. And organs are sacrificed when the body runs out of fuel. This is one of the reasons people who go on weight loss drugs often suffer heart damage-just like people on speed. And another thing is that not all calories are the same because there are little things called hormones which are influenced by the composition of our food. If I don't have cardio my insulin receptors don't open up, if my receptors are closed and I eat carbs the insulin just stays in my blood stream causing male pattern weight gain and messing with my ovaries. Its a complex thing, but to assume that we are all the same is arrogance and stupidity.

Thanks!!! Rapid Breath!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[punka274]

Thanks for sharing....great article!

 

[kariev]

heres a good article that was just posted over on the figure athlete website: http://www.figureathlete.com/free_online_article/training/the_hierarchy_of_fat_loss_1

 

[Jennifit]

Great article - but, still remember that every BODY is different. As a former college runner, I was much more lean in season barely doing any weights, versus off season, when we did the basic weight routines and running. It varies person to person to what works best.

 

[kariev]

Great article - but, still remember that every BODY is different. As a former college runner, I was much more lean in season barely doing any weights, versus off season, when we did the basic weight routines and running. It varies person to person to what works best.

i totally agree and i'm someone who does better with a bit more cardio. just thought it was a good article to go along with this post

 

[janiejoey]

Thanks for the article. This will help when I make up my rotations for next year.

Again, thanks a bunch,

Janie