Cardio or weights for getting the lbs off???

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  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    cruzmom123 wrote: »
    Do both! I made the mistake of only doing cardio, I dropped 40 pounds but became "skinny fat". Now I am lifting weights to tone up my body!

    And so many people post on here saying they regret not lifting in a deficit.

    OP, lift now. It does amazing things for your body. I know I'm not perfect but if you take a look at my pictures in my profile, the bit of muscle definition I have is all from lifting in a deficit.
  • ElJefeChief
    ElJefeChief Posts: 650 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Drewlssix wrote: »
    DrEnalg wrote: »
    So-called cardio exercise is the most efficient at burning calories - which then adds to your daily calorie deficit, making it easier to lose weight. My understanding is the two cardio exercises which are most effective for burning calories are cross-country skiing, followed by running.

    Strength training is great, but doesn't burn nearly as many calories as cardio. However, there is the argument to be made that if you have muscle mass, you're more likely to raise your TDEE even when you're not particularly active. Also, muscle mass helps prevent injuries, and (particularly when your body fat percentage is low) looks just plain awesome. :smile:

    I don't currently do weights because of a series of injuries and some degenerative joint issues I've suffered over the last few years, but it's definitely in my plans to get back to it. I'm getting very skinny very fast and I'd love to see some muscle definition, now that I don't have a layer of blubber covering up my muscles.

    Doing cardio to chase down excess calories is not imo a productive cycle to start. Get your calories in in line then add calories as needed to support your exercise while maintaining a deficit, assuming weight loss is the goal.

    Leaving aside the issue of strength training (which I also advocate):

    A binge-purge mentality is always bad and I don't see anyone advocating that. However, cardio feels good, is good for you, and makes the job of achieving a sufficient caloric deficit easier.

    I think it's a win-win. If someone's mindset is such that they use exercise as a way to purge themselves, then sure, that's a problem - but that's the problem with the mindset, not with the strategy of using exercise as a tool for achieving one's ideal body weight and peak fitness.

    Exercise legitimately exists both a good in and of itself as well as a means to an end in the weight loss game - they aren't mutually exclusive.

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