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    Drop calories or do cardio? Which would you prefer?

    245

    Replies

    • Posts: 9,003 Member
      How many times are you gonna post this question? :huh:
    • Posts: 57 Member
      Just twice. ;)
    • Posts: 57 Member
      CharlieRuns7225 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Exercise calories are an addition-too, not a replacement for your BMR !
      CharlieRuns7225 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Exercise calories are an addition-too, not a replacement for your BMR !

      Yes that too :)
    • Posts: 5,235 Member
      edited April 2015
      mtvstaff wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Yes that is correct but if you expend calories and put them back you are at square one again. But i do understand what you are saying.

      err no because there are benefits from doing cardio other than a direct calorie burn.
      You are also making the assumption that you eat 100% of your calories back.
      mtvstaff wrote: »
      Sigh, lol. What matters is if getting your desired goal becomes easier, and if its easier to gain the result you are after then thats a good thing (Maybe better) This approach i can keep 8% BF easily at over 90kg. But every other way I've tried has cost more time in the gym , a lot MORE. This was the best and easiest way to get the result i wanted (and hold it) hence why I'm trying to show the perspective as it might help someone else and make life easier Like it did for me. :D

      Honestly your explanations just look confused. I am getting more from ageikks explanation of what you are trying to say, which is IF suits you and its a way to control calories. Your thread title is bonkers and seems to be on a completely different subject.
    • Posts: 24,208 Member
      I weigh about the same as you. My BF is a bit higher but my TDEE is about 2700 (vs your 1900). That is 800 cals I can play around with more - creating a larger deficit, or eating.

      Plus I enjoy the "cardio" that I do - running, bouldering, etc provide more than just a calorie burn to me. I'll keep the health benefits, thanks.
    • Posts: 5,235 Member
      edited April 2015
      CharlieRuns7225 wrote: »

      Exercise calories are an addition-too, not a replacement for your BMR !

      You do realise Charlieruns is 100% correct above and your understanding is fundamentally flawed. How can you be so confused about such a simple concept?


      Oh and my answer was, its a balance of both and will depend on the day whether I have enough energy and willpower to do more exercise (subject to an overtraining excess) or whether I want to eat less or sacrifice some of my deficit.
    • Posts: 2,353 Member
      Do Cardio dropping anything you enjoy is a recipe for disaster
    • Posts: 3 Member
      I don't thing mtvstaff is trying to promote IF per se, I think he was just trying to explain that you burn a pretty impressive number of calories simply by being alive when you compare them to the number of calories you burn while doing cardio. And, for him, that's his motivator to EAT less rather than to do MORE cardio. Being alive is a pretty powerful calorie burner, he hates cardio, and he has the ability to restrict his calories a lot without suffering. I don't see where any of that was confusing.
    • Posts: 57 Member
      swktg47 wrote: »
      I don't thing mtvstaff is trying to promote IF per se, I think he was just trying to explain that you burn a pretty impressive number of calories simply by being alive when you compare them to the number of calories you burn while doing cardio. And, for him, that's his motivator to EAT less rather than to do MORE cardio. Being alive is a pretty powerful calorie burner, he hates cardio, and he has the ability to restrict his calories a lot without suffering. I don't see where any of that was confusing.

      THANK YOU! :)

    • Posts: 2,985 Member
      I hate cardio. With a passion. I'd rather eat less. But I have alot of discipline when it comes to eating.
    • Posts: 14,261 Member
      I like cardio and I like eating the calories it burns so I do both.
    • Posts: 57 Member
      Yes both are very effective together! :)
    • Posts: 57 Member
      joejccva71 wrote: »
      I hate cardio. With a passion. I'd rather eat less. But I have alot of discipline when it comes to eating.

      Yes I'm the same as you. And when I found out that I burnt solid calories not eating as explained above it gave me a different perspective/approach on how I viewed leaning down, alot different than I use to have. I was also taught things like u must eat every two hours "stoke the metabolic fire etc" and you will go into "starvation mode and lose muscle" if you dont eat for a while or a day. All these things makes us think more about doing more exercise or worrying about the next meal when simply eating less you can aqquire the weight your after. Never did I say cardio has no health benefits, but if u don't enjoy something the chances are slim you will keep doing it. And if you want something in particular "in my case to carry Low body fat year round"..why not make life easier. Others here prefer alot of cardio and that's great! I prefer weight training 7 days a week and that's great to! .they look like they do. I look like I do. The choice is ours. :) but how you get there and how you feel doing it is what matters. "If you can maintain it, you can keep it"
    • Posts: 15,487 Member
      mtvstaff wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      THANK YOU! :)

      +2

      For me I like the health benefits of cardio.. but I totally see what OP is saying..
    • Posts: 15,487 Member
      edited April 2015
      Double post... this new upgrade MFP rolled out cause me issues..
    • Posts: 10,322 Member
      I'm all about out exercising a poor diet.
    • Posts: 41,865 Member
      I use my diet for weight control and exercise for fitness.
    • Posts: 24,208 Member
      cwolfman13 wrote: »
      I use my diet for weight control and exercise for fitness.

      Winner winner chicken dinner. And I use both for enjoyment. Imagine that.
    • Posts: 120 Member
      For me, a healthy heart muscle is more important than shapely delts. However, since I mix up cardio and strength training, I'm getting to be smoking hot on the inside and out.
    • Posts: 57 Member
      gia07 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      +2

      For me I like the health benefits of cardio.. but I totally see what OP is saying..

      Agree, by no way am I "Anti-cardio" do what you enjoy i say :) and find the easiest way to achieve the result you want . :)
    • Posts: 911 Member
      edited April 2015
      mtvstaff wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      So 1500 divide that by 24 you will have your calories per hour. (A handy way to think I was trying to mention)

      Or weekly, 1500 x 7 days = 10,500 per week

      Lets say you slept 10 hours and in that 10 hours you burnt 620 calories (by not eating) as your maintenance is 1500 sedentary.

      You have 14 hours left of the day.

      Doing nothing and eating nothing you will burn the remainder of the 1500 that is the last 880 calories.
      Now Lets say this was a Monday so your coming into Tuesday with a solid 1500 Deficit.

      Tuesday you eat your 1500 maintenance. And you do the same the next 6 days.

      There fore instead of hitting the total of 10,500 calories for that week you hit 1500 under because of Mondays antics.

      People forget when you do not eat your body is still using calories and those calories can ad up!… because your body its still burning.

      You can use this as an additional tool to supplement your regime like I do. And it works.

      My example showed 1500 less by not going to the gym. This was done in 24 hours to make it simple but it can be spread over days. :D
      You must be new here...

    • Posts: 10,322 Member
      MelRC117 wrote: »
      show previous quotes
      You must be new here...

      Lol

    • Posts: 23 Member
      edited April 2015
      mtvstaff wrote: »
      :):p;)


      Calories! Always! Losing weight (fat) is 80% diet. Trust a guy who lost 115 pounds. For years I thought I had to eat "big" because I was lifting weights. Heavy weights. Only after decades did I finally learn how little food the human body really needs. For the AVERAGE person. Olympic athletes, Tour de France cyclists of course need much more. The trick is not to cut too much or you will put ur body in a starvation mode and weight loss will just shut down. That being said, diet is far more important. U can lose weight with moderate exercise, but DIET is the key. And I mean DIET. not A diet. LOL
    • Posts: 24,208 Member
      ReverendNewman wrote: »
      show previous quotes


      Calories! Always! Losing weight (fat) is 80% diet. Trust a guy who lost 115 pounds. For years I thought I had to eat "big" because I was lifting weights. Heavy weights. Only after decades did I finally learn how little food the human body really needs. For the AVERAGE person. Olympic athletes, Tour de France cyclists of course need much more. The trick is not to cut too much or you will put ur body in a starvation mode and weight loss will just shut down. That being said, diet is far more important. U can lose weight with moderate exercise, but DIET is the key. And I mean DIET. not A diet. LOL

      Ahhh, no.
    • Posts: 13,575 Member
      I never do cardio just to be able to eat more, but I do like that I can eat more because I don't sit all the time.
    • Posts: 9,532 Member
      A typical cardio day for me is about 28% of BMR, and I'm not that special.

      That's pretty darn significant.
    • Posts: 15,487 Member
      carolynmo1969 wrote: »
      For me, a healthy heart muscle is more important than shapely delts. However, since I mix up cardio and strength training, I'm getting to be smoking hot on the inside and out.

      +1
    • Posts: 7,124 Member
      edited April 2015
      I'm only maintaining my current weight, not trying to lose any. Therefore I am definitely not dropping any calories. As for cardio, I still do 3 days of HIIT and 3 days of weight lifting. I excercise to keep fit, not to eat more.
    • Posts: 57 Member
      carolynmo1969 wrote: »
      For me, a healthy heart muscle is more important than shapely delts. However, since I mix up cardio and strength training, I'm getting to be smoking hot on the inside and out.

      Haha :)
    • Posts: 2 Member
      edited April 2015
      Thank goodness for cardio. I use it to boost my calorie limit because that 1710 calories goes awfully fast. Actually even if I stayed at 1710 calories I would not be able to meet my goal of 1 lb per week. With vigorous cardio I have enough calories to be satisfied and I am losing weight.

      The recommended HR of 220 - age number is nonsense. It depends on your level of fitness and in my case the effect of a medication that lowers my heart rate.

      I recently discovered VO2 max training. I got my doctor's permission and started training this way. I push to my maximum (my highest HR so far) + 1-2, push to that and sustain for a bit and back off, repeat several times. Keep increasing that over time. I'd love to have the test done to measure my real max, but in the meantime this approach seems to be working.

      From what I've read, VO2 training burns both stored fat and uses up calories from recent meals.

      BTW, ask this question once a month. Diet, exercise and making them part of our life is a process. I bet most people will have different answers. Besides it gives new members a chance to answer it.
    This discussion has been closed.

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