Has anyone lost body fat by doing cardio only?
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Weight loss is achieved entirely through calorie deficit. Cardio helps to create one more effectively than diet management alone as it helps to create one without having to restrict your calories so much. The reason for strength training while losing weight is because it improves functional fitness and preserves the muscle you have, which, if you were doing cardio alone, would disappear along with your fat. This is not good especially as a woman because muscle is directly linked to bone density which is especially precious to women in adulthood.0
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Dave198lbs wrote: »higgins8283801 wrote: »I don't weight lift at te gym but I do use hand weights and bands. I follow some routines on youtube and I also do Pilates. Right now I'm only up to 25lbs. The guys in the gym really intimidate me in the weight area and even the women who are in there do as well. Eventually I'll go in there but right now I'm content doing it at home.
yes, it can be intimidating to go in the weight area. But remember, every single person in the weight room also started as a beginner. Most of them understand that and are usually to focused on what they are doing to be concerned about a beginner.
I understand that. I just don't have the slightest idea how to even use the stuff in there, so when I go in I will be so clueless. I have seen people in there get annoyed at people being slow while figuring out the equipment. Just makes it hard for me to want to go in there knowing that.
I have lost 30lbs so far, and am doing pretty good with the at home routines. Once I get comfortable with 25lbs weights I will have to grin and bear it and just go over there.
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(caveat, haven't real the thread)
I went from 230lbs to 156lbs mostly with eating less and adding cardio.
The reason why strength training is recommended when losing weight is to preserve muscle mass and target fat to come off preferentially.
If you're interested in a strength program, look at Stronglifts or Starting Strength. I prefer the book for Starting Strength because the author goes into detail on how to do the lifts properly, different cues to keep it that way, and common form faults that everyone seems to do.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »you will lose bodyfat if you're ina calorie deficit, regardless of exercise.
Thank god. I hate strength training. An unpopular opinion I know, but I find it really boring, and I've tried everything to make it more fun, but nothing has worked.
Ditto. I absolutely loathe lifting. I hate the muscle burn. It is boring and if you have to go to a gym to do it, as I do, you have to deal with the other people in the gym and that whole dynamic, which I also loathe.
All that said, though, there are benefits to lifting other than just muscle retention, especially for older people like myself. Bone health is the big one for me, so I make myself do it for that reason, but not for weight loss.
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I started my diet with only walking and other cardio with little or no lifting.. However, now that I’m getting near my idea weight i have started lifting.. and I find it enjoyable after I started it.. I put my audiobook on and delete everyone else in the gym from my mind... I could care less if someone is upset because I’m too slow on the machine... or dumbbells... I paid to go just like they did... my workout is more important (or at least it is to me) then theirs....
and you don't have to like lifting... to do it... that is an immature attitude.. getting healthy is more important then like or dislike…
and do you remember when you were young how you hated broccoli or carrots…. But after a while you learned to love them… or at least you put melted cheese on them… well do the same for lifting… do it until you see an improvement…. Or at least do some of the fun ones with a gym partner that makes it more enjoyable.
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I remember about a year ago I posted a thread in which I whined (not that you're whining, but I certainly did) that I only liked running and all I wanted to do was run and PLEEEEASE wouldn't someone tell me that I never had to strength train? I got very similar answers to yours: you can do it, but you might not be as happy with the results as you think. After hitting a five month plateau I started incorporating strength training and I'm SO much happier with my body composition now. I'm only about 3 pounds lower in actual weight, but the changes are incredibly motivational and have allowed me to develop an appreciation for strength training I never had. I may not enjoy the process completely, but I do enjoy seeing my abilities progress and my body change...and that seems to be enough to keep me coming back to it.0
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The popular opinion on here is that to lose body fat you need to do strength training, but as anyone on here lost body fat with no strength training and only cardio? Stomach fat especially
I guess the next question is, what kind of stomach do you want? Honestly, if you don't have low enough body fat and adequate muscle, then you won't have abs. So at some point, you might have to lift and even more, you might have to bulk to get abs if that is you goal.
Personally, i exercise to reach my goals, not set goals based on my exercise. And for the type of body I want, resistance training is a must.
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I've been struggling with this also. I love cardio, enjoyed strength training the few months that I did it. But I got really bored doing it by myself. If I had someone to work out with, I probably would be willing to try it again and stick with it. But I do not, so I feel that I'll probably be sticking to only cardio for the foreseeable future. I hope I will still see some results though with fat loss.0
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The popular opinion on here is that to lose body fat you need to do strength training, but as anyone on here lost body fat with no strength training and only cardio? Stomach fat especially
I guess the next question is, what kind of stomach do you want? Honestly, if you don't have low enough body fat and adequate muscle, then you won't have abs. So at some point, you might have to lift and even more, you might have to bulk to get abs if that is you goal.
Personally, i exercise to reach my goals, not set goals based on my exercise. And for the type of body I want, resistance training is a must.
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The popular opinion on here is that to lose body fat you need to do strength training, but as anyone on here lost body fat with no strength training and only cardio? Stomach fat especially
Yes, I have not done any strength training except what is part of my water aerobics class and I have lost lots of body fat and I can actually see muscle definition in my legs and a little in my arms. I hope to get my stamina up to the point where I can swim laps for cardio, which also will strengthen the arms.
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Dave198lbs wrote: »The popular opinion on here is that to lose body fat you need to do strength training, but as anyone on here lost body fat with no strength training and only cardio? Stomach fat especially
I guess the next question is, what kind of stomach do you want? Honestly, if you don't have low enough body fat and adequate muscle, then you won't have abs. So at some point, you might have to lift and even more, you might have to bulk to get abs if that is you goal.
Personally, i exercise to reach my goals, not set goals based on my exercise. And for the type of body I want, resistance training is a must.
no
If you say so. I have seen plenty of times where people are underweight and still don't have abs and still have stomach issues. And the only way it was corrected was by adding mass. But if you feel you want to expand, please do.
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I should probably do some sort of exercise besides cardio, but running is so easy to fit in my schedule and so addictive.
I don't think it's recorded on this site, but I started at 203 lbs. I am now at 149 lbs. Only type of exercise I ever did was cardio.
People recommend strength training for several reasons, but basically if you have a caloric deficit you will lose weight.0 -
When I started my MFP about a year ago, I was doing a mix of strength and cardio. During the summer with the nice weather, lifting fell to the wayside as I enjoyed taking long bike rides outside. And now, here I am with snow on the ground, at my goal weight, and oh so very very flabby. SoI'm back in the gym lifting weights. Yup, you can lose body fat. But you may not like where you end up.0
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I usually lift heavy as i can (pyramiding up on weight, down on reps, with minimum rest) for 60-90 minutes and do only 15 minutes of running or some sort of cardio afterwards. Find what works best for you.0
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Yes. My suggestion, if you hate strength training, do cardio, but try and increase the resistance. So your muscles are getting a good workout too.0
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yes...while running a calorie deficit.0
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I lost a great deal of body fat just doing cardio, but I didn't look nearly as good as when I started lifting. At some point it's about aesthetics, at least for me. I like delts, glutes and hamstrings.
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There are certain things we do in life, even when we don't like them. If you're a runner (which in my books is good - I'm a runner too) I can offer you a couple of good reasons that you may want to incorporate strength training into your routine.
1) Injury resistance, cross training 9including strength) helps address muscular imbalances and improve your injury resistance.
2) Maintain lean muscle mass - not an issue for you yet but at the age of 40 or so males start losing abut 1% of their lean muscle mass per year unless they engage in some form of resistance training. Personally I don't want to be one of those feeble old men who can barely walk (have balance issues etc that are often related to loss of muscle mass) when I'm in my '70s. It's not the fountain of youth but it goes along way.....
The good news is that runners don't need to hit the weights the same way a bodybuilder would. A couple of half hour sessions per week is usually sufficient.
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TavistockToad wrote: »you will lose bodyfat if you're ina calorie deficit, regardless of exercise.
Thank god. I hate strength training. An unpopular opinion I know, but I find it really boring, and I've tried everything to make it more fun, but nothing has worked.
I lost 125 pounds in 2012, and like you, I did not want to lift weights. I lost all of my weight by running. I've rain in 5K's, 10K's and Half Marathon's. While I lost a huge amount of body fat, I lost muscle as well because I didn't lift. Now I wish I had. I found a lifting program that fits my needs and now I actually enjoy it! It's up to you, but I would encourage you to lift as you're losing weight. When you get to your goal weight, you will look much more fit if you lift.
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TavistockToad wrote: »you will lose bodyfat if you're ina calorie deficit, regardless of exercise.
you will maintain more lean mass if you strength train while losing weight.
^ This is all that needs to be said.0
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