Cardio doesn't burn fat!!!

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Replies

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    A common theme around here.
    I once had a shirtless young man tell me how to best manage menopause.:bigsmile:

    That wouldn't help my hot flashes :blushing:
    LOL!!!
  • Game8
    Game8 Posts: 442
    All studies done on aerobics show that they don't significantly accelerate fat loss than dieting alone. Why then whenever someone wants to lose fat or "get abs" they jump on the elliptical and start swinging and sweating thinking it's a great idea?? The only benefit is basically allowing you to eat more food. That's it. I doubt they're doing it for the cardiovascular benefits either. So if by the end of the day you're at a caloric deficit, you will lose the same amount of fat with or without cardio.

    Weight lifting on the other hand has been shown to accelerate fat loss by up to 50% than dieting alone or dieting and cardio. I really genuinely feel sad when I see someone doing an hour or two of cardio on my news feed, and it's for all the wrong reasons..

    epic fail. sorry dude.

    Now that's a compelling argument. I seriously can't say I have a response to that.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    ...Cardio does seem like borderline eating disorder in a way too, burning calories and then eating them. It's like binging and purging, except you do the purging before the binging lol
    So basically you don't get the fact that some people do it for the cardiovascular health benefits, then eat (all or some) of the exercise calories back to avoid creating too deep a deficit?

    I lift. I'm not a big fan of cardio. But I understand that there are benefits to cardio which are not directly related to weight/fat loss.
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    ...Cardio does seem like borderline eating disorder in a way too, burning calories and then eating them. It's like binging and purging, except you do the purging before the binging lol
    So basically you don't get the fact that some people do it for the cardiovascular health benefits, then eat (all or some) of the exercise calories back to avoid creating too deep a deficit?

    I lift. I'm not a big fan of cardio. But I understand that there are benefits to cardio which are not directly related to weight/fat loss.

    logic.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member

    Your post really made me think. Cardio does seem like borderline eating disorder in a way too, burning calories and then eating them. It's like binging and purging, except you do the purging before the binging lol

    Wow, you're quite the little steroidian troll (I rarely use the word troll).
    You're assuming everyone doing cardio is on the very oddly set up MFP...Most of the world doesn't function in the realm of "eat back".
    I suppose we could talk about bodybuilding....
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Cardio does seem like borderline eating disorder

    !
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    Aside from the cardiovascular benefits from running there is honestly no real benefit of running (unless you just enjoy to run).

    There is very little stressed placed on the body due to the availability of oxygen. So the body's hormone response minimal. Yes, you may burn some calories during, but you replace those calories right after.

    This expands on the topic a little.

    http://coachdreestraining.wordpress.com/2013/03/03/skinny-fat-an-american-epidemic/
    According to that article the majority of calories burned while doing cardio comes from muscle. If that is true then how was I able to burn 400,000 calories running in the last 12 months without dying? That is around 650 lbs of muscle using the commonly cited figure of 1lb of muscle providing 600 cal of energy.
  • rezn8
    rezn8 Posts: 263 Member
    Cardio is good, resistance training is good, however you must start in the kitchen. Doing nothing will get you nowhere.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    neverargue.png
  • moonlitdreams2
    moonlitdreams2 Posts: 83
    I enjoy both cardio and strength training. However, as another poster has said - you seem confused.

    And I'm one of those who actually enjoy cardio BECAUSE of the cardiovascular benefits. I love the way my breathing feels after a good run. My entire respiratory system feels clear and healthy for the day. I love the sound of my heart trying to pump out as much blood as it can.

    I also run because I get a high from it. As a recovering drug addict, the high I get from a good run is paramount to staying sober.

    So knock on cardio all you want, but knock on it to yourself, please.

    It's good you enjoy cardio. But I think 90% of people look at it as torture. Ask any random overweight person at your gym how "high" they're feeling while they huff and puff on the treadmill, their facial expression should give you an idea.

    I just started exercising and I do enjoy how I feel during and after using the treadmill and cycle.
  • dqgirl1
    dqgirl1 Posts: 39 Member
    my day consists of cardio AND lifting!! I usually run a bit, do a video like 30 day shred and I also Lift following Jamie Eason's 12 week plan off of Bodybuilding.com.....I have lost 53 lbs since october;)
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
    I don't do more than a 1/2 hr of cardio at a time. I don't want to burn muscle. I only burn a measly 145 calories when on the elliptical. I just do it to feel good.
  • she_fit
    she_fit Posts: 36
    Weird... I swear I lost fifteen pounds of fat after I started running. Maybe I'm confused.....
  • Kirijyma
    Kirijyma Posts: 35
    The guy who made this thread is seriously uneducated,
  • symonspatrick
    symonspatrick Posts: 213 Member
    Lets see, if I sit on the couch and watch tv for 2 hours I will lose the same amount of fat as I will if I go out and do cardio for those 2 hours. Yeah, it makes a lot of sense to me. Not. But I do agree weight lifting is great for muscle building which also helps to burn more calories.
  • rodow
    rodow Posts: 26
    After reading all these posts, I think the point he was "trying" to make was at the end of the day deficit is a deficit if you have a deficit you will lose weight, but muscle burns more calories than fat does, Sooo by lifting and gaining more muscle you will there for burn more fat...... But you will still burn fat doing only cardio just not as quickly........ Right..... well at least that's what I got out of it. Now lets all have a protein shake and try to get along lol :bigsmile:

    OK, so we are assuming all calories are eaten back, from either the cardio or weight lifting, right?

    And the person is dieting. We'll assume the same calories burned doing both.

    If it is true that you can't gain muscle while in a calorie deficit situation then we aren't adding muscles here. Are we just talking about lifting protecting us from LBM loss that cardio only can lead to?
  • TNR32
    TNR32 Posts: 110 Member
    bump
  • LeanQuest
    LeanQuest Posts: 57
    Thanks to the OP I can put my running shoes away and dismiss numerous studies on cardio and fat oxidation..... Not
  • bcw095
    bcw095 Posts: 7
    This is 100% FALSE. Cardio exercise accelerates weight loss. There is NO doubt about it. God, some people are D-U-M-B.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    Your post really made me think. Cardio does seem like borderline eating disorder in a way too, burning calories and then eating them. It's like binging and purging, except you do the purging before the binging lol

    lolwut?
  • sierra_12
    sierra_12 Posts: 249 Member

    Your post really made me think. Cardio does seem like borderline eating disorder in a way too, burning calories and then eating them. It's like binging and purging, except you do the purging before the binging lol

    Wow, you're quite the little steroidian troll (I rarely use the word troll).
    You're assuming everyone doing cardio is on the very oddly set up MFP...Most of the world doesn't function in the realm of "eat back".
    I suppose we could talk about bodybuilding....

    this ^^
    i had never been told to eat back the calories that i had worked so hard to burn off until i joined this site.. most people don't eat back their calories, so no, cardio exercise is NOT like an eating disorder. when you binge and purge you eat you eat an extremely large amount of food and then PUKE it back up.
    eating an extra granola bar, yogurt, cup of cereal, etc (for example) because you burnt off 200 extra calories on the treadmill is not even close to the same thing as bulimia. sorry to tell you.
  • kms1320
    kms1320 Posts: 599 Member
    As soon as Insanity is over, I am DONE with cardio videos. Spring is coming and I will be hitting the courts for my cardio, dunking on the youngin's.

    Going straight to strength training. 6 reps max per exercise. Full on "lift a damn car" strength training. Not for size though some of that will come too. Just focusing strength.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    It's only recently, maybe within the last few decades, that people who got cardiovascular exercise started getting it by things like "aerobics" and elliptical/treadmill/etc machines. I can't stand any of that stuff either, and I wouldn't do it if that was the only option. But I get lots of "cardio" by various forms of recreation like swimming, kayaking, biking, and playing games that involve moving your body.

    I find it weird that we've built this society where you don't have to use your body to make things happen, and then built a bunch of machines and gyms etc so we can spend our free time using our body anyway. (And not even in a fun way.)
  • suz155
    suz155 Posts: 326 Member
    Im pretty new on MFP, but, this post reminds me of Ford versus Chevy arguments.
  • Game8
    Game8 Posts: 442
    Lets see, if I sit on the couch and watch tv for 2 hours I will lose the same amount of fat as I will if I go out and do cardio for those 2 hours. Yeah, it makes a lot of sense to me. Not. But I do agree weight lifting is great for muscle building which also helps to burn more calories.

    If you ate less, yes you would. How much more simple can a concept be to understand?
  • SWilkins75
    SWilkins75 Posts: 277 Member
    So me jogging on the treadmill or going for 5 mi walks aren't burning calories which in turn isn't helping me lose weight? I don't eat back my exercise calories. It doesn't boost up my metabolism either??
  • kms1320
    kms1320 Posts: 599 Member
    Im pretty new on MFP, but, this post reminds me of Ford versus Chevy arguments.

    Chevy, every time
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    Lets see, if I sit on the couch and watch tv for 2 hours I will lose the same amount of fat as I will if I go out and do cardio for those 2 hours. Yeah, it makes a lot of sense to me. Not. But I do agree weight lifting is great for muscle building which also helps to burn more calories.

    If you ate less, yes you would. How much more simple can a concept be to understand?

    let's see if you can figure out for yourself why you are wrong. here's an example.

    #1) 400lb morbidly obese person. eats at a 1000 calorie per day deficit. does no cardio. lifts weights.

    in this case, no muscle mass increase is expected because person is eating at a deficit. all weight loss (fat loss) is due to the eating deficit.

    #2) 400lb morbidly obese person. eats at a 1000 calorie per day deficit. does 750 calories of cardio. DOES NOT eat back these calories. lifts weights.

    in this case, no muscle mass increase is expected because person is eating at a deficit. muscle loss should be minimal. 57% of fat loss is due to the eating deficit. 43% is due to cardio.

    can you figure out the difference?
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    Cardio is one important part of a healthy lifestyle. The conditioning is critical to optimal fitness. Long endurance cardio alone is not the best for the metabolism though. Interval training ( the combination of strength traing and cardio) is a good way to improve on either alone.
  • Game8
    Game8 Posts: 442
    Lets see, if I sit on the couch and watch tv for 2 hours I will lose the same amount of fat as I will if I go out and do cardio for those 2 hours. Yeah, it makes a lot of sense to me. Not. But I do agree weight lifting is great for muscle building which also helps to burn more calories.

    If you ate less, yes you would. How much more simple can a concept be to understand?

    let's see if you can figure out for yourself why you are wrong. here's an example.

    #1) 400lb morbidly obese person. eats at a 1000 calorie per day deficit. does no cardio. lifts weights.

    in this case, no muscle mass increase is expected because person is eating at a deficit. all weight loss (fat loss) is due to the eating deficit.

    #2) 400lb morbidly obese person. eats at a 1000 calorie per day deficit. does 750 calories of cardio. DOES NOT eat back these calories. lifts weights.

    in this case, no muscle mass increase is expected because person is eating at a deficit. muscle loss should be minimal. 57% of fat loss is due to the eating deficit. 43% is due to cardio.

    can you figure out the difference?


    If both the 1st person eats at a 1,750 cals deficit, both scenarios are identical in terms of body composition. And no, cardio doesn't help you retain muscle mass in any significant way.

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