More cardio or Weightlifting

ccollier302
ccollier302 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,

I'm a female and at the point in my fitness journey where I'm trying to lose the last couple of inches of body fat. For the past month or so I have been struggling to lose the inches in my stomach and arms and just hoping there is an alternative to just doing more cardio. I hate cardio. I prefer to lift weights, but I understand cardio is needed for my overall health and burning fat. My new workout split consists of 45 mins of cardio one day and then about 15 mins of HITT cardio 5 days per week either before or after weightlifting. I actually don't mind the number on the scale at the moment, 149 lbs at 5'6, and I actually like surprising the nurses when I get on a scale. They aren't expecting me to weigh as much as I do and that probably has to do with my weight lifting routines. :# So for the stubborn last inches should I continue with my current cardio and just hit heavier weights in hopes that the muscle will soon take over these areas, or do I have to torture myself and increase the cardio. :( I would love for the last inches to go away within the next 30-45 days, but I'm not in any real rush. Just getting frustrated.

I'm already tracking my food and currently at 1,597 calories a day with a decrease in carbs and an increase of good fat and protein.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    fat loss is from calorie deficit...

    If you don't like cardio don't do it...focus on the weights.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    ccollier302 wrote: »
    Hello,

    ...I understand cardio is needed for my overall health and burning fat.

    Overall health, mostly yes. Burning fat, no.

    If you don't like cardio, don't do cardio. Or, at least not as much.

  • ccollier302
    ccollier302 Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks for the help. I will just decrease my calories again and pray I don't hangry.
  • taunto_
    taunto_ Posts: 91 Member
    ccollier302 wrote: »
    Thanks for the help. I will just decrease my calories again and pray I don't hangry.

    When you do that, you run the risk of giving up easily. You will get hungry and endup binging (often times).

    I suggest finding an activity you enjoy. Be is weight lifting, cardio, calisthenics, yoga, whatever. Anything you enjoy and doing them and keeping your calories up to a point where you dont feel like going hungry.

    Good luck and stay crunchy.
  • soldiergrl_101
    soldiergrl_101 Posts: 2,205 Member
    I use cardio to loose weight quickly on the scale, I use weight lifting to recomp my body so it depends on what you care about more. I looked fitter at 180 than I do at 170 because I was lifting more. If you can find a balance of the two that is ideal
  • madelinecamille
    madelinecamille Posts: 1,131 Member
    This article may be helpful to you. It discusses cardio, HIIT, and weight training and their pros and cons as they relate to fat loss.

    https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/01/what-burns-more-calories-cardio-intervals-or-weight-training/
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,280 Member
    Well, the last few pounds are always the toughest to lose. You should slightly increase your caloric deficit (no more than 200 calories) and see how that works for a couple of weeks. It's also possible that you just need to get a little more stringent on how you're counting your calories. You might be at the point where you have to weight anything and everything that goes into your mouth to get the most accurate count possible to make sure that you aren't taking in more calories than you think you are. You could increase your physical activity but that's not always the answer, especially if you're already at a significant deficit. You won't have the energy reserves to support it.
  • DaniCanadian
    DaniCanadian Posts: 261 Member
    There's lots of forms of cardio, what about lane swimming, roller skating, biking, hiking, even just going for a walk. Cardio doesn't have to be torture. I don't like weight lifting so I do body weight workouts instead.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Sure, lift heavier. How many reps are you doing on your last set of reps in a given exercise?

    What are you doing for cardio? These days I'm getting all of mine outside the gym. Currently gardening. Before gardening season was walking, hiking, and doing trail maintenance in the woods. Later this month I'll be able to swim in the pond. I also practice yoga. I love my cardio!

Categories