Cardio isn't for "fat burning".
Options
Replies
-
Not pointless at all. Just not necessary...DancingDarl wrote: »DancingDarl wrote: »What about aerobic cardio like this Jane Fonda DVDs? I honestly thought if you exercize you burn calories.. And that leads to losing fat.. Guess times have changed lol!
Cardio burns calories, yes, but if you are eating in a caloric surplus you can do as many Jane Fonda workouts as you like and you still won't lose fat.
I think if we have 2 different people both wanting to lose weight. One who is doing cardio, the other something else. That both of them will be losing fat when in deficit regardless of type of exercise used to create a deficit. So no cardio is not pointless to fat loss at all.
0 -
Who says that?DancingDarl wrote: »We are all starving our bodies slightly off of our TDEE to lose fat. Cardio is good for fat loss yes- of course you cannot ever out exercise a bad diet. A bad diet is eating too many calories also as well as not eating nutritious fuel. There are plenty of people who would say they prefer weight lifting because it increases fat loss, by increasing metabolism...??
Would love to hear your expert advice on that..0 -
Protranser wrote: »Isn't there some knowledge floating around these forums that describes a maximum amount of fat that the oxidized per day?
If there is a maximum amount of fat that can be oxidized per day, and, one exceeds the oxidation maximum through calorie deficit, what happens when you exceed the maximum oxidation limit? Where does the energy come from if not fat?
That energy has to come from lean mass...muscle and connective tissues. Not a good thing. That's why leaner people need to work with a smaller deficit to avoid losing lean mass.0 -
DancingDarl wrote: »We are all starving our bodies slightly off of our TDEE to lose fat. Cardio is good for fat loss yes- of course you cannot ever out exercise a bad diet. A bad diet is eating too many calories also as well as not eating nutritious fuel. There are plenty of people who would say they prefer weight lifting because it increases fat loss, by increasing metabolism...??
Would love to hear your expert advice on that..
Increase in metabolism has to do with increasing maintenance calories as a pound of muscle takes a bit more energy to maintain that a pound of muscle. But gaining muscle while eating in a deficit is difficult and not the norm, and the increase in metabolic rate is pretty darn small...6 to 10 calories a pound to maintain a pound of muscle vs. 2 to 4 calories to maintain a pound of fat. So if you traded 10 pounds of fat with 10 pounds of muscle your daily maintenance would only increase about 80 calories at best.0 -
When it comes to weight loss, the only thing that matters is your caloric deficit.
Splitting hairs over details only serves to distract from that principle. It is irrelevant to an individual's weight loss if they perceive that they are eating at a 500 calorie deficit and doing cardio so that they can eat an additional 250 calories, if they perceive that they are achieving their 500 calorie deficit by eating at a 250 calorie deficit and adding cardio to burn an additional 250 calories, or if they are not doing any cardio at all and straight up eating at a 500 calorie deficit. All three scenarios result in a 500 calorie deficit, and if that is consistently maintained, it will result in weight loss (outside of some unusual medical condition or issue).
Of course, it is silly to think that one can eat at a calorie surplus, do a cardio workout, and lose weight. It is just as silly as rewarding oneself for working out by stopping at Starbucks and ordering a 500 calorie drink that results in one consuming more calories than were burned in the workout, and then wondering why one isn't losing weight when they are working out consistently. But, as we all know, common sense isn't that common.
There are important fitness benefits to adding in cardio, so it should definitely be strongly recommended. But being unable to do cardio due to an individual's health in no way makes losing weight impossible, as losing weight results from a caloric deficit.
Maintaining a caloric deficit is the key to losing weight. Cardio can contribute to that deficit, but it is not necessary. In my experience, it can be particularly helpful when an individual is nearing the end of his/her weight loss journey, and a calorie deficit starts to become more challenging to maintain through diet alone. Others may have a different experience.0 -
Love this post!When it comes to weight loss, the only thing that matters is your caloric deficit.
Splitting hairs over details only serves to distract from that principle. It is irrelevant to an individual's weight loss if they perceive that they are eating at a 500 calorie deficit and doing cardio so that they can eat an additional 250 calories, if they perceive that they are achieving their 500 calorie deficit by eating at a 250 calorie deficit and adding cardio to burn an additional 250 calories, or if they are not doing any cardio at all and straight up eating at a 500 calorie deficit. All three scenarios result in a 500 calorie deficit, and if that is consistently maintained, it will result in weight loss (outside of some unusual medical condition or issue).
Of course, it is silly to think that one can eat at a calorie surplus, do a cardio workout, and lose weight. It is just as silly as rewarding oneself for working out by stopping at Starbucks and ordering a 500 calorie drink that results in one consuming more calories than were burned in the workout, and then wondering why one isn't losing weight when they are working out consistently. But, as we all know, common sense isn't that common.
There are important fitness benefits to adding in cardio, so it should definitely be strongly recommended. But being unable to do cardio due to an individual's health in no way makes losing weight impossible, as losing weight results from a caloric deficit.
Maintaining a caloric deficit is the key to losing weight. Cardio can contribute to that deficit, but it is not necessary. In my experience, it can be particularly helpful when an individual is nearing the end of his/her weight loss journey, and a calorie deficit starts to become more challenging to maintain through diet alone. Others may have a different experience.
0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »This isn't strictly true by doing cardio at the right intensity you can essentially train your body to utilise it's fat stores and oxygen for fuel rather than burn off it's limited sugar stores. Also by improving your aerobic ability you can go faster/harder for longer using less energy
So if I do cardio to the right intensity and still consume energy at a maintenance level, I'm going to burn fat? Yes...certain activities will use fat for fuel vs glycogen...but that's completely irrelevant to actually losing fat and losing weight because if you consume a maintenance level of energy you are going to maintain your fat stores.
All of that is just noise and it was addressed earlier...the body is in constant flux between fat oxidation and storage...just because you do some activity at an intensity that utilizes more fat for fuel doesn't actually mean your net oxidation is going to exceed storage...it still is dependent on energy consumption.
And you are kinda missing the point. Yes you need to consume less calories than you expend otherwise the body will convert the calories consumed into fat stores. The thread title is cardio isn't for fat burning....this is not true cardio does 'burn fat' and you can make the body more efficient at doing so by training at the right levels
And an interesting aside....ever wonder where the fat actually goes?
Most of it you breathe out as CO2 it doesn't miraculously turn into muscle as some people think
And I think you're kinda missing the point and context of the thread...0 -
DancingDarl wrote: »We are all starving our bodies slightly off of our TDEE to lose fat. Cardio is good for fat loss yes- of course you cannot ever out exercise a bad diet. A bad diet is eating too many calories also as well as not eating nutritious fuel. ]b\There are plenty of people who would say they prefer weight lifting because it increases fat loss, by increasing metabolism...??]/b]
Would love to hear your expert advice on that..
My guess is that you read that in a magazine right?0 -
-
DancingDarl wrote: »DancingDarl wrote: »What about aerobic cardio like this Jane Fonda DVDs? I honestly thought if you exercize you burn calories.. And that leads to losing fat.. Guess times have changed lol!
Cardio burns calories, yes, but if you are eating in a caloric surplus you can do as many Jane Fonda workouts as you like and you still won't lose fat.
I think if we have 2 different people both wanting to lose weight. One who is doing cardio, the other something else. That both of them will be losing fat when in deficit regardless of type of exercise used to create a deficit. So no cardio is not pointless to fat loss at all.
She said surplus.
Surplus.
Surplus.0 -
People these days eat straight up crap. Chips, soda, hot dogs, McDonald's, and everything else. Never a veggie or a fruit oh how about some old fashioned water and a good run around the block. Take account for the things you consume or they will consume you with obesity and disease.
Incorrect. While some of these foods are higher in saturated fats there's nothing inherently wrong with them. Mostly they're just calorie dense. If you don't have high cholesterol or health issues that prevent you from having these then eating them is fine. Just don't comprise your entire diet of them.
Cardio is to make you healthier. It can improve so much of your life. It makes it easier for me to do high altitude hiking, lowers my blood pressure, cholesterol , and my HDL was 100 on my last checkup. It does burn fat but that's as explained in the opening post when you do longer lower intensity zoned endurance.
Also worth noting. It does not make you skinny. Professional marathon runners are skinny on purpose because you lose about 2 seconds per mile for each extra pound you carry. Light weight = greater speed. Your net calories determine your size. That is all.
so you can out run a bad diet?
Yes. If you're counting calories.0 -
I dnt think thats true at all i did nothing but cardio last time i lost weight and i won a best body contest my 37% bf went down to 12% and i looked toned and all i did was jog0
-
alismommy1992 wrote: »I dnt think thats true at all i did nothing but cardio last time i lost weight and i won a best body contest my 37% bf went down to 12% and i looked toned and all i did was jog
You obviously were eating less than you burned. It isn't magical. How was you bf% measured? 12% is super low for women in elite athlete range. You didn't incorporate any strength training? Jogging doesn't cause muscle growth.0 -
alismommy1992 wrote: »I dnt think thats true at all i did nothing but cardio last time i lost weight and i won a best body contest my 37% bf went down to 12% and i looked toned and all i did was jog
Then you were consuming less energy than you were expending....
Holy crap, how hard is this?0 -
alismommy1992 wrote: »I dnt think thats true at all i did nothing but cardio last time i lost weight and i won a best body contest my 37% bf went down to 12% and i looked toned and all i did was jog
As 11-13% is essential body fat for women I think you are mistaken0 -
alismommy1992 wrote: »I dnt think thats true at all i did nothing but cardio last time i lost weight and i won a best body contest my 37% bf went down to 12% and i looked toned and all i did was jog
That's like short term "competition" body fat percentage only. No wonder you won the best body contest.
0 -
@SingingSingleTracker she got that just from jogging, no lifting involved
0 -
This is why I've never really done cardio, but more weight training than anything. Cardio is great for toning and getting good heart health, but weight training builds more muscle, which uses more calories to maintain than fat does, and therefore uses more energy. A good pairing of the two should allow you to build muscle and tone it as well so everything works well together.0
-
singingflutelady wrote: »@SingingSingleTracker she got that just from jogging, no lifting involved
12% is pretty standard for female elite runners: http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/ideal-body-fat-percentage-for-runners0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.9K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 397 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 974 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions