Success with only cardio machines?

ClaudiaKho13

have any of you lost weight using only cardio machines ( treadmills, elliptical, etc) if you did how much weight did you lose?
did you go on a diet or eat anything you want?

MADDIESMOMMY6611

I stayed under my calories most days using MFP and ran/walked on the treadmill 3-5 times a week and lost 30+ lbs. The treadmill was the only form of exercise that I used. I gained some back a year later but I'm back down again. This time I run outside instead of using a treadmill. Try the c25k program. It worked for me.

Kr1ptonite

Pretty much all my loss was walking on a treadmill. Fast pace, high incline. And I had to be on a strict diet. My body piles on the weight if I don't be strict with what I eat.

isabellaverburg

I've had success with cardio but only paired with diet. At one point I was burning a 1000 calories a day but my joints began to wear out and I wasn't losing since I was using it as an excuse for late night snacking. Just ended up sabotaging any gain and getting sore in the process. It takes about two packages of twinkies to undo an hour and a half on an elliptical. Someone once said weight loss is 70 percent diet and 30 percent exercise. Seems about right to me. I get much better results restricting a diet heavily (NO CHEATING) and light workouts.

KarenJanine

It's all calories in vs calories out.

The difficulty with relying on cardio alone for weight loss is that appetite tends to adapt to the excess calorie burns and requires a higher food intake, thus eliminating any deficit. Furthermore, the body adapts to cardio and over time will burn less calories for the same time/effort being put in, resulting in the necessity to keep increasing time and/or intensity to get the same burns.

Most people will still need to keep an eye on their food intake to ensure a consistent calorie deficit in order to lose weight.

Ryderod

Essentially cardio exercise alone would only help weight loss by virtue of you burning up more calories, and provided you do not get hungrier and eat that advantage away after you have trained!
A properly structured eating plan where you have a slight calorie deficit is the way to go, coupling that to some cardio would be even better.

amgreenwell

I love the elliptical and have recently started on the treadmill. I have always incorporated both cardio and strength training though for weight loss. I love lifting (not super heavy) and the way it makes my arms and legs look. i'm sure cardio alone will do a body good but the sculpting comes from lifting or body weight exercises. Good luck!!

cuinboston2014

I lost 110 lbs through mostly treadmill and some elliptical. I didn't count calories but I ate smaller portions and made the small substitutions every time i ate - i.e. no mayo, salad with ff or no dressing instead of fries, etc. I ate less and burned more.

JoRocka

any success anyone had from cardio machines only had success at weight loss because they were eating at a calorie deficit.

period.

You do not NEED cardio to lose weight- but it is beneficial for helping create a deficit- but it is the deficit through diet that causes weight loss.

That being said it is wise to have a balanced fitness plan for over all health and wellness- this should include some weight training and cardiovascular work.

cuinboston2014

I'll add that even though I kept the weight off, there's a reason I'm back on this site. I love cardio and am planning a few long distance races this year. I don't love my body. it's still too jiggly that cardio won't do.

So while you can lose weight by doing cardio only (just like you can doing any activity that creates a larger calorie burn that what you eat) if I could go back in time and do it differently I would have. I would have incorporated strength training a few years ago when I lost the weight instead of being unhappy and confused with what I had left for a few years and seemingly starting up all over again.

I've seen greater results from lifting over 2 months than I've seen from any othe rprogram in terms of the composition and dimensions of my body.

ClaudiaKho13

Thanks

bravid98

I started out on cardio alone, but found I was losing more muscle than fat, not what I wanted. I added in a strength program to reduce the amount of muscle loss and upped my protein intake as well. I ended up doing pretty good with that and to me it's more sustainable in the long run.

BlueBombers

I lost 40 of my 60 pounds using a treadmill. The trouble with that was I was still flabby. So, I started adding heavy weights into the mix and all I can say is what a difference. I lost the rest of my weight and the inches just melted off. I have never looked better.

I eat more now than I did doing cardio alone and have not gained a pound. I have upped my protein intake.

I highly recommend adding weights to the mix.

opticoax

I do a bit of cardio each week, but also free weights as well.

Say a 40-min weight session followed by 30 mins on treadmill at incline 5 at 3.5mph. I always do this fasted.

I also try to eat a low carb diet during the week with extra carbs on lift days.

I also do 2 days per week of HIIT running followed by Steady State cardio.

I have lost about 80lbs in a little over a year, but also with some good body recomposition.

If you just do cardio, you loss may be partially muscle as well.

I have to recommend you try LeanGains.

rippedbody.jp seems to have some pretty good guides.

Muscle will give you a nice body recomp and the LeanGains formula involves no cardio.

I would say this weekend...calculate your TDEE, do your measurements, take pics, calculate your macros, and try it for 8-12 weeks.

You will save your joints and a lot of time too.

I am going to go to this as soon as I can. I got a DEXA a couple weeks ago and I am clocking in at 19% bf.

But, I will say, just 2 days of HIIT, about a 20 min session has really leaned out my face, and my clothes are getting very loose.

I keep an tight shirt and tight pants in the closet and squeeze into them until the look good...then go shopping again.

With LeanGains, your weight may go up, but your body will look a lot better and flabbiness should start to go away.

It cant hurt, but it will take some time to tune your diet and macros.

As with everyone, please post updates.

kpalazzolo73

Cardio alone will give you a smaller version of your current body. If you want to reshape your body you have to weight-train.

connorsw95

Cardio alone will give you a smaller version of your current body. If you want to reshape your body you have to weight-train.

agreed. You can see from my profile picture that I've lost a lot of weight (6 stone approx) and most of it was done on a treadmill... i tried to incorporate some bodyweight compound exercises (squats, lunges, press ups etc) but i wasn't very strict with it. Now i look a lot smaller but not nearly as lean as I'd like. I think I'll have to undergo a body recomp which is probably going to be difficult because my size doesn't allow me to eat as much as I probably would need to in order to gain the muscle needed to lean out. good luck

ClaudiaKho13

I highly recommend adding weights to the mix.

yeah im adding that in soon

ClaudiaKho13

bumpity bump bump

amusedmonkey

You can lose weight with or without exercise, with or without strength training, with or without cardio. Here is the difference:
- Cardio (including machines) will give make you able to eat more and still be at a deficit.
- Weight training will help you preserve as much of your muscle as possible while you lose weight, giving you a better body composition which makes you look better and generally burn more during rest.

Just make a choice and do what you enjoy, machines or otherwise, but don't forget that your diet is the most important piece of the puzzle.

stephe1987

You can have success by just doing cardio (some people only do cardio), but I would suggest using weights 2-3 days/week. Weights will help you burn fat more effectively, lose as little muscle as possible, and you will look better when you reach your goal weight if you have some muscle tone.

ETA: As for diet, do 80% healthy, 20% indulgence. Eat what you like but use moderation. Have a couple pieces of chocolate, not a brick of chocolate. If you deprive yourself now you're more likely to overeat later. Logging your calories is important because most people who don't log their calories probably don't realize how much they're eating, or what macros they're hitting for good nutrition. Eat back half your exercise calories (the other half will be to make up for underestimation in calories consumed and overestimation in calories burned). Use a weekly goal instead of a daily goal. During the week stay under your goal and then choose one day a week where you're allowed to go over your daily goal (but not so far over that it goes over the weekly goal).

malcolmjcooper

Someone put on here before that weight loss is in the Kitchen and fitness is in the gym I live by that motto now