Losing weight without cardio

amanstewa3

Is it possible to lose weight by keeping calories low (1300 to 1500) and lifting weights, without cardio? I have been doing about 10 to 15 minutes on the elliptical to warm up, then lifting weights and doing squats and lunges for about 15 minutes or so. I have only been doing this a little over a week and I don't have a scale so I don't know if I have lost weight or not. But I can tell my thighs are getting firmer already. Just wondering if it is possible for me to lose weight like this.

By the way, I am a female, have PCOS, and would like to lose about 30 pounds.

trogalicious

yup. weight loss = calorie deficit. You can do it that way just fine.

Aaron_K123

Sure yeah cardio is not required for weightloss. The only reason cardio is associated in peoples minds with weightloss is maintaining an elevated heartrate increases your caloric burn during that period and if you do something that elevates your heartrate its pretty much called cardio. Weight lifting with rests between sets generally doesn't do that but if you decrease the rest time to the point where your heart starts beating hard then its cardio also.

As trog said though just comes down to calorie deficit, doesn't really matter how you get there but weightlifting is a good way to help ensure that your weight loss comes from fat not muscle assuming you are eating well.

amanstewa3

Thanks. I hate doing cardio. The squats and lunges definitely get my heart rate up.

phuckingbadasscutie

I lift and I eat about 1800-2300 calories a day. I'm losing weight slowly but I can tell I'm losing inches which is more important to me.

Aaron_K123

Thanks. I hate doing cardio. The squats and lunges definitely get my heart rate up.

Then I hate to tell you this, but if your heart rate is elevating to the point where you have to breath deeper you are doing cardio :-).

I mean all cardio stands for is cardiovascular as in heart and your blood vessel system, if you are getting your heart pumping for 15+ minutes you are working out cardiovascularly and you are doing cardio. Nothing wrong with that, just do what you enjoy and therefore can maintain doing long term and you will see results over time.

Aaron_K123

I lift and I eat about 1800-2300 calories a day. I'm losing weight slowly but I can tell I'm losing inches which is more important to me.

That's really the way to go. Lose the fat without losing the muscle, take it slow and you will get results you will keep. Crash diet and not lift and you will lose fat and muscle, muck up your metabolism and likely just put the fat back on but not the muscle when you fall off the wagon from starving yourself to long. Then when you try to lose the weight again you are worse off than you started because you've lost muscle density.

Weight lifting and a small caloric deficit definitely a good way to go. Cardio isn't required.

amanstewa3

I lift and I eat about 1800-2300 calories a day. I'm losing weight slowly but I can tell I'm losing inches which is more important to me.

Sometimes I wonder if I eat too few calories. I have a terribly hard time taking weight off but when I start working out, I can tell I lose inches and kind of reshape my body. And you are right, the inches are more important than the weight.

phuckingbadasscutie

I recommend reading the book New Rules of Lifting for Women. Very informative.

Aaron_K123

I lift and I eat about 1800-2300 calories a day. I'm losing weight slowly but I can tell I'm losing inches which is more important to me.

Sometimes I wonder if I eat too few calories. I have a terribly hard time taking weight off but when I start working out, I can tell I lose inches and kind of reshape my body. And you are right, the inches are more important than the weight.

So much more important. I'm relatively new hear but I have to say from watching the forum for a couple days people are way way to focused on how much they weigh. You ask them if their waist size has changed at all and they don't even know.

I mean if I had my ideal result from my diet and exercise my weight wouldn't go down at all and my waist would shrink as my bodyfat went down and my muscle went up. Scale weight doesn't matter, doesn't really effect how you look that's much more about percent bodyfat and you will get a much more accurate measure of that with a tape measurer around your waist.

amanstewa3

Thanks. I hate doing cardio. The squats and lunges definitely get my heart rate up.

Then I hate to tell you this, but if your heart rate is elevating to the point where you have to breath deeper you are doing cardio :-).

I mean all cardio stands for is cardiovascular as in heart and your blood vessel system, if you are getting your heart pumping for 15+ minutes you are working out cardiovascularly and you are doing cardio. Nothing wrong with that, just do what you enjoy and therefore can maintain doing long term and you will see results over time.

I should have said that I hate doing (most) workout videos. I think it's because I'm so uncoordinated and hate having to try to keep up with other people. I'm am an exercise loner. lol

amanstewa3

I recommend reading the book New Rules of Lifting for Women. Very informative.

Thank you. Will do!

amanstewa3

I lift and I eat about 1800-2300 calories a day. I'm losing weight slowly but I can tell I'm losing inches which is more important to me.

Sometimes I wonder if I eat too few calories. I have a terribly hard time taking weight off but when I start working out, I can tell I lose inches and kind of reshape my body. And you are right, the inches are more important than the weight.

So much more important. I'm relatively new hear but I have to say from watching the forum for a couple days people are way way to focused on how much they weigh. You ask them if their waist size has changed at all and they don't even know.

I mean if I had my ideal result from my diet and exercise my weight wouldn't go down at all and my waist would shrink as my bodyfat went down and my muscle went up. Scale weight doesn't matter, doesn't really effect how you look that's much more about percent bodyfat and you will get a much more accurate measure of that with a tape measurer around your waist.

Guess I need to break out the old tape measure.....

JonnyQwest

Yes you can lose weight as long as you watch diet of course.....I find a strict diet is MUCH easier when I am not doing cardio and doing weights just feels better afterwards...I feel strong instead of weak and tired.....and the muscle will stay where it's at when you lift to lose weight instead of being stripped off along with the fat. The weight loss may be slower but the end result will be better IMO.

Aaron_K123

Yeah it will slow your weight loss down to do weightraining rather than cardio no doubt which is why the scale is likely to just be discouraging. What you'll find though is you have more energy, more strength and your waist will still be shrinking as you lose fat....and that is really what people want when they talk about "losing weight"

That is not to say cardio is bad. I do both, I alternate cardio and weightraining I think both serve a purpose. If you can do your weight training in a way that elevates your heart rate and keeps it high and you still enjoy it then go ahead and do that...you'll burn more calories and you will still stimulate the muscle so it sticks around.

Diet is pretty important to of course, have to eat enough or all that exercise will just tear you down rather than build you up.

Aaron_K123

Sorry I keep repeating myself and responding to your post over and over. Truth is I'm on MFP forums just to avoid the cardio I am supposed to be doing right now :-)

amanstewa3

Sorry I keep repeating myself and responding to your post over and over. Truth is I'm on MFP forums just to avoid the cardio I am supposed to be doing right now :-)

Aren't we all......lol