Is cardio necessary to lose weight?

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Replies

  • Robin1109
    Robin1109 Posts: 231 Member
    My understanding is it boils down to calories in/calories out. Or, more simple, a caloric deficit. If MFP is telling you 1400 calories a day will allow you to lose 1 or 1.5 pounds a week, that is without cardio. So, weight loss is possible without cardio.

    That being said cardio (or any workouts that burn calories) will increase that deficit allowing you to lose weight more quickly, typically. I personally have 65 pounds to lose, at minimum. If I wasn't doing cardio but was just decreasing my calories, I know my body wouldn't be in the shape it's in now. Meaning, I would weight less but I'd be "flabbier". It's all about what works for each person.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    No, but diet alone will lead to you eventually hitting a plateau in your weight loss.

    No it won't, not if you are still in a deficit. It may have happened to you, but that could be due to a number of reasons.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    My understanding is it boils down to calories in/calories out. Or, more simple, a caloric deficit. If MFP is telling you 1400 calories a day will allow you to lose 1 or 1.5 pounds a week, that is without cardio. So, weight loss is possible without cardio.

    That being said cardio (or any workouts that burn calories) will increase that deficit allowing you to lose weight more quickly, typically. I personally have 65 pounds to lose, at minimum. If I wasn't doing cardio but was just decreasing my calories, I know my body wouldn't be in the shape it's in now. Meaning, I would weight less but I'd be "flabbier". It's all about what works for each person.

    quicker is not always better, which is why MFP tells you to eat back what you burn. So eating 1400 and doing no cardio you will lose the same as eating 2000 calories and burning 600 from cardio, both net 1400 cals and give you the same deficit.
  • Redskins76
    Redskins76 Posts: 68
    Eating right is the necessary thing to do but cardio helps you stay energized and excited about your day which will make you feel good and helped you lose weight! Both go hand and hand because after cardio you want to eat right! (pk&sk)
  • Justagirl1978
    Justagirl1978 Posts: 64 Member
    No
  • amsohs85
    amsohs85 Posts: 166
    If your here for a lifestyle change not just weightloss then exercise will make you feel so good. I think variety is best just like its good for you to have a well rounded diet. Theres so many benefits to both cardio and weight training. You increase your metabolism, strenghthen your heart, help prevent bone loss and improve your mental clarity. Many of the problems we develop as we age can be reduced or prevented by being active. But really the point is to get out there and LIVE!! I cant believe all the time i wasted just sitting on my butt stuffing my face!! Find an activity you enjoy and give it your all!!
  • cindybickler
    cindybickler Posts: 113 Member
    my goal is to be healthy. I don't care what the number is on the scale anymore. when i go to the doctor and she tells me my blood pressure is great, my cholesterol is great, the blood work is great, my diet is healthy i know why i feel great. Just because you are thin does not mean you are healthy. I want to watch my grandchildren grow up and see my great grandchildren!
  • xASHYxSMASHYx
    xASHYxSMASHYx Posts: 175 Member
    bump
  • HisPathDaily
    HisPathDaily Posts: 672 Member
    You lose weight by eating less than you burn. You need not exercise one minute so long as you watch your calorie intake you'll still lose weight ... you won't be very healthy though :)

    Weight management is in the kitchen.
    Health management is in the gym (or road, or river, or pool, etc.)

    Obviously the more you exercise the more you burn ... however I found that "not eating" 600 calories is a lot easier than "burning" 600 calories ... so exercise to stay healthy, and eat to live, not live to eat.
  • runnerchick69
    runnerchick69 Posts: 317 Member
    In my experience yes but you will lose the bulk of your weight from cutting calories. I've read some great articles on this and the experts say cutting calories will help you lose weight, even without exercise. Now that said, I'm a firm believer in exercise because it helped me to shed another 50 or so pounds. I would say I did not exericise the first two to three months and lost weight but when I added some activity I saw that number go down even more. So I would say for anyone just starting to start with your diet and get that under control before taking on exericse. It is also a matter of finding something you like to do and getting out there and doing it. If a person wants to tone, build muscle and really improve their overall health than exercise is going to get them there.
  • ktrn0312
    ktrn0312 Posts: 722 Member
    Bumped for future reference.
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    You need to eat at a deficit to lose weight. For me cardio isnt that much necessary unless you need to create a bigger deficit (e.g. A woman standing 5'2" & weighs 120 lbs. will have a BMR of 1300 & if she set her levels to sedentary, that would only put her TDEE at 1500 calories a day which means that her body cannot afford to create large deficit by nutrition alone if she wants to lose weight). It doesn't matter how much cardio you do, the key is you have to eat in calorie deficit to be able to lose weight. Cardio's main objective is to improve your endurance & also help create deficit since it burns a lot of calories in a short time, however overdoing it will do the exact opposite to your body.

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