is cardio alone enough?

You have to have strength training to tone, firm or build. Cardio works heart muscle and lungs, circulatory system etc., not muscle.
Strength training will firm or build you depending on what you want. Light weights, more reps equals toning. Heavy weights, less reps done slowly equals muscle growth. You also build bone density with lifting and a happier brain and a smarter one. Less memory loss with strength training. Plus, as one ages, one loses 1/2 to 1% of muscle mass a year. This means in 20 years you'll lose 10 to 20% of your muscle and 10 - 20% of your ability to burn calories. Add another 20 years and do the math. You just can't do enough cardio to stay lean as you age. For best health you have to do strength training. Start now.

and what defines strength training?? Does it have to include a barbell???????

Yes. And I'm assuming you'd enjoy using a pink one.

I did mostly cardio for months, I lost most of weight just by diet and cardio, I'm very unhappy with the way I look now. I joined a gym 2 weeks ago, I cut way back on the cardio and I'm focusing on weight training...I love it and I'm already starting to feel different.

I was in a plateau from late June until last Friday....the weight training helped me break through it :-D

I'm the same!! Except I wasn't at a plateau, but I lost mostly from cardio & diet & unhappy with the way I looked. Bought a barbell & bench 2 weeks ago, cut back on the cardio & I already feel different!

That's strength training though - you don't need to pump iron. Pressups, assisted and then free Pullups, Squats and chair Dips are all fine for finding your body's strength capacity and maintaining it.

Oh - and if you find a good Yoga teacher who can challenge you safely, then you are away!

Ditto!!!

Im curious about this subject too..for instance when I work on the elliptical considered cardio...it feels like im working and building muscles in my legs...cant this also be strength training? or no?

Complicated answer. At first the resistance from the elliptical can be enough to be considered resistance training but you will quickly adapt to each new setting and after a week or two you will no longer get the same benefits. This is why people new to exercise can see benefits from pretty much anything they do even some cardio. Just my opinion though.

I feel the same can be said about body weight training. Eventually you will get so efficient at normal push ups and such that the will eventually turn into conditioning instead of resistance and you will need to find ways of making them more difficult or start lifting weights.

From the sound of your goals you definitely need to include some strength training. Lifting weights would probably get you the best results but if you are a bit intimidated by that you could work your way up to it.

Start by including some body weight exercises: squats, lunges, push ups, press ups, dips, burpees, crunches, planks... You could try doing some circuit work - alternating 1 minute of cardio with 1 minute of a strength work.

Then build your way up to doing weights, adding them into your routine slowly and perhaps alternating them with some body weight exercises.

As you get stronger and more confident with the movements move onto lifting heavier weights. You might want to get some PT sessions to make sure your form is good

and what defines strength training?? Does it have to include a barbell???????

I've been fairly successful in weight loss (I started at 270-ish and am at 192). I do 3 days of running and walking (total 1 hr of cardio) and three days of walking with calisthenics thrown in to help keep my muscle until I'm happy with my fat loss (at which point I'm quitting the walking days, upping my calories a little, and making them 100% weight training)

On my walks I set my timer to 5 mins and have it repeat (My Tracks app on my smartphone does this). Then I stop and do incline pushups, brain busters, tricep dips, sit ups, leg lifts, crunches, squats, step-ups, modified burpees, and whatever else I can think of (just one type of exercise each 5 mins!). Just lay right down there on the cement jogging path at the park and take care of business. Or use a bench, or whatever is around. By the time I do three rounds of arm, core, leg, burpees...1 hr and 20 mins has passed and I'm totally spent.

I've had to lose weight before, years ago. Just doing cardio didn't help me become defined I was still mushy but in clothes I looked thin. I'm using weights this time around and I still have 35 lbs to lose but I can see better definition in my body already. And I think it helps me lose 2lbs a week some weeks rather then just one. Not sure if that's the strength training but it certainly doesn't hurt it.

I heard a rumor that lifting weights is uncomfortable