Weights vs. Cardio for fat loss...

This is the part that eludes me also....its hard to log and get the amount of "calories burned" on your log. Might be another good question for the forum. I did a very intense workout today for an hour and know I burned a ton of calories but could only log like 100 on here.....so I just keep it in my head.

Both!

The way I see it.. cardio helps to strip away the fat a little more efficiently.. weights helps to form and define the muscles, making the thinner body more robust.. but muscle gain also boosts metabolism, which is like turbocharging a car.

What UCB says is so true....this is what they teach in military boot camp. This is why they actually have weight lifting in Coast Guard boot camp now, not just a CC screaming to do push ups in your face.

After scanning through everyones comments I didnt see where anyone mentioned why weight lifting is slightly more important then cardio is, so I wanted to throw this in there so maybe youll get a better understanding of it. The reason weight lifting is important is because when we do cardio our heart rate and metabolism both shoot up during the workout, but when we finish running or doing the elliptical or whatever cardio your doing our heart rate and metabolism both drop back down to normal pretty instantly. So when you lift weights our heart rate and metabolism go up during the workout and we make tiny tears all in the muscles that we are working (which is why its good to alternate like upper and lower everyday so you have a rest day for each one in between), so now your done lifting for the day, but even though your done physically lifting the weights your body is now going into repair mode and trying to repair the muscles that have been torn. From what I understand the repair mode can last anywhere from 20-24hrs meaning, your heart rate might drop back to normal after lifting but your metabolism will continue to stay high the entire time because your body is working as fast as possible to repair the muscles. So with that being said I believe lifting is a more effective way to lose weight but cardio is still very important because its what makes your heart and lungs stronger and those 2 things are extremely important in just overall health. I personally have a heart condition where my heart beats twice as fast as a normal person so its really important for me to strengthen that muscle so that it can handle the double duty it gets but for losing weight, weights are better for me, and just a side note you dont have to use weights to strengthen your muscles. Theres a crap ton exercises that use your own body weight which is just as effective and I think sometimes more fun. I hope some of this helps you figure stuff out cause for the longest time i was really confused myself until someone sat down and physically showed me why weights are so important. Good luck!

Strength training and cardio don't necessarily need to be exclusive from each other - you can get a cardiovascular and fat burning benefit from strength training both directly and indirectly.

Indirectly, the more muscle tissue that you add through strength training the greater your basal metabolic rate (resting metabolism) will be and therefore you will be burning more total calories and fat at rest. This is more of a permanent solution to weight loss.

That's true, but, you can't lift every day. Moderate daily activity can help regulate appetite, and promotes systemic health. Also helps with recovery from lifting.

This cut, I'm only doing my usual 5 day heavy lifting routine and eating at a 300 or so calorie deficit without cardio. So far, after two weeks, I'm pretty happy with the progress and will likely do two more cuts like this to recover a lot of the muscle mass I lost due to a self-experiment on VLCD and ruptured pectoral tendon. I want to try and preserve as much fat-free mass as possible so I'm opting for no cardio even if it takes a few more weeks to hit 7%.

The big debate, cardio or weight training?
One of the best ways is to combine them both into one exercise or one training method. An example of one exercise is the kettlebell swing, which is a 2 for 1 exercise in that it is a resistance exercise that has significant cardiovascular benefits, when done properly. The key is learning how to do this exercise the right way (unfortunately, most don't do the exercise correctly to get the maximum benefit).
An example of a training method would be doing HIIT (high intensity interval training) which has been show to be more effective for fat loss that LSD (long, slow duration cardio).
The bottom line is, no matter what your goals, weight training MUST be part of the program to address lean muscle building and joint health (which LSD does not do). And the impact of weight training on metabolism is a key component, as well. LSD burns calories only during the exercise while resistance exercise changes your metabolism for many hours post exercise.
These are just some of the differences and benefits.
Hope that helps.
Cheers.

What works best for me is BOTH!
I need strength training for lean body mass retention and cardio for heart health and calorie burn.
I just can't imagine purposely leaving a hole in my fitness program.

Both at the same time.. DEFINITELY! If you do too much cardio and not enough weights you'll end up 'skinny fat'. Adding more muscle will make you burn more calories when you do caridio and in turn you will lose more weight.

This is great info guys, thanks!

weight loss = calorie deficit
fat loss = weight loss + muscle retention
muscle retention = strength training* + sufficient protein intake

So if a = b = c, then... drumroll please....

fat loss = calorie deficit + strength training* + sufficient protein intake.



* strength training can be supplemented with HIIT with good results.

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I really recommend the book "New Rules of Lifting for Women" if you're a beginner. I just started lifting weights using this book in late October, and it has really helped me a lot. It does a great job of showing how to do the exercises, and it gives you 6 months+ of detailed workouts (3x per week) to follow. It's been great for me. I agree with the other poster who said that a group weight lifting class is good. It really does help with form.

I'm now just over 2 months into it and I'm a lot stronger, and already my body fat percentage has begun to decrease. (As measured by my cheap but effective $5 plastic caliper.)

http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398

Why must it be either or? Mix it up, I do cardio to improve my endurance and weights to get lean. My goal was to get back to being fit and with that you need both, plus a clean diet. Plus doing cardio or weights for 6 days a week gets boring to me I like to mix up my exercises, it keeps me more engaged and motivated. Find what works for you

But should I start weights in the beginning to gain muscle when I still need to lose the fat? I feel like I should start to lose first then add in weights. Idk though, I am kind of new to this and just wondering.

if you are eating in a deficit you are not going to gain muscle weight lifting -- you will build strength and burn body fat

Calorie deficit for fat loss.

Weights for muscle retention. (We lose muscle when when diet. This is sad.)

Cardio for cardio fitness, and to help maintain calorie deficit while eating more.

This!
I do cardio but it's only because I WANT to. Not because I HAVE to.

When I do do cardio, it's a challenge within myself. I'll tell myself I'm going to see how fast I can complete 2 miles. Each time, I try to beat my best time. Or I'll do a boot camp to see if I can stop one less time than the previous class.