Cardio = Losing Weight ...right?

B

BreakurBoundry

New member
Hello WLF,

It's a pleasure to be a part of this forum.

First off, I'm a male from California and it's getting pretty hot during this time of year. When the sun shines, I'll stay home and pull the shades...ahhh :sleeping: . I'm 20 years old and I'm currently attending college. I figure now is as good a time as any to start getting rid of this extra weight. I'm 5'7 and 180 LBS. I've been stuck at this weight for several years now and this is pretty much considered as overweight, right? No matter where I turn, everyone is telling me that I'm not going to lose weight if I don't do cardio workouts....

"So what if I don't eat?"..."You? Not eat?! Not likely! HA! You're eating right now!"

"What if I lift weights?"..."No! Weight lifting is more for building mass."

"What if I watch what I eat?"..."Meh, it will help with your diet, but that's it."

So really, doing cardio might be my only option. Looking at my options, I've decided to start swimming and running everyday. Seeing as how I only have a swimming pool and a middle school across the street with a track...I'm pretty much limited on what I can do.

Alright, let's say that I run a mile and do laps in the pool for 20 mins a day, everyday, what kind of results would I be looking at? Or am I asking the wrong kind of question? I can tell you right now that my daily diet does not consist of many, sometimes any, fruits or vegetables. I also heard that if you constantly exercise, you'll be burning enough calories so you can eat almost anything you want.

So, any help is greatly appreciated to help me get on the right path.

Thanks.
 
Haha, amusing post! :)

I say this pretty often on here, but cardio is the least effective weapon for the battle of the bulge. It's simply not efficient relative to other means of creating an energy deficit.

To lose weight, you must establish this deficiency of energy (calories). Expend more calories than you eat over a period of time, and you'll lose weight. Intake more calories than you expend over a period of time, and you'll gain weight. Simplistic but true.

You have to ask yourself, "What's important to me? My weight or my health and appearance?"

If it's the former, simply adding cardio to your daily schedule will probably lead to some weight loss, assuming your aren't eating retardedly.

If it's the latter, I'd say your nutrition is most important, followed closely by resistance training (weight lifting), with cardio bringing up the rear.

Nobody likes being hungry. That said, cardio IMO above and beyond it's role in cardiovascular conditioning, is merely a *calorie bank*. By that I mean this:

You see, this energy deficit that I speak of can come from a decrease in food intake, an increase in exercise, or a combination of the both. A deficit is a deficit no matter which way you slice it.

Suppose I need a deficit of 500 calories per day.

In option 1, I cut 500 calories from my food intake daily.

In option 2, I cut 250 calories from my food intake and burn an additional 250 from cardio.

I'll be, in general, less hungry or more satisfied in option 2. And that's why I call it a calorie bank. Cardio is a way to store some extra calories in the bank.

It's certainly not the "secret of fat-loss."

If you want to look good, I highly suggest, as stated above, use the synergistic combination of proper diet, weight lifting, and a bit of cardio.
 
Heya Steve,

So the way you describe an energy deficit (I think) is that I can work out a diet and enjoy some foods in conjunction with exercising to lose weight...instead of starving or over exercising.

...but um...you said it better though, heh heh.

The calorie bank example you used was great. Now, I understand that cardio would only play a small role and that I shouldn't rely on it so much.

Hitting the gym is something I'll have to work out when I get into school routine in the fall.

So whenever someone tells me that cardio is the only way to lose weight I can say,
"Wrong! Steve on WLF.com said that cardio is the least important, least effective, way of losing weight!" :eek:


Well, thanks for the help man. :)
 
I think it bears mentioning, in case some viewer takes this in excess, that while cardio is not the most effective and efficient method of weight loss, it does still have some very important benefits for overall health and wellness. Doesn't matter how strong your muscles are, how lean and toned you look, if your heart stops, you're dead. I think Steve was hinting at this when he referred to the synergistic effects, but I would like to emphasize it for all the strays who might come by and say "hey, its not that effective or neccesary for weight loss, so screw it".
 
Thanks Coach.

That's certainly NOT what I meant.

Cardio is an extremely critical component of the overall *healthy lifestyles* package.

I'm simply speaking of the misconception that cardio provides The Way To Lose Fat Period.

Cardio's primary role, IMO is providing benefits for cardiovascular functioning and health. Secondly a calorie bank. Besides that, meh.... whatever.
 
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