Cardio vs Cardio/Weight Training for weight loss.

hproctor02
hproctor02 Posts: 20 Member
edited November 24 in Health and Weight Loss
Question: I work out in the gym about 5 days a week doing weight training followed by HITTS and then I have 2 days just for cardio. I haven't been loosing near as fast as I thought I would. I also see women my weight loosing weight like crazy just doing cardio such as walking or biking.

I have been documenting/ measuring my food pretty religiously and drinking plenty of water so I can confidently say I don't think it is my diet.

Is it normal that weightlifting slows the weight loss process? I have always seen the combo of weightloss and cardio as "optimal for weight loss."
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Replies

  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Weightlifting burns very few calories compared to cardio.

    It's not really going to slow weight loss except to the extent you aren't spending that time burning more calories with cardio.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Strength training and cardio are, IMO, optimum for overall fitness and body composition. For straight up weight loss, I have found that strength training does nothing for me. I have to eat more when I do it because I get too hungry and weak without eating more. Cardio, on the other hand, suppresses my appetite and I can lose more weight with it but if I only do cardio, I won't retain the muscle that I'd like to keep. So yeah, I could lose weight a lot faster if I dropped the weight lifting but the end result, for me, wouldn't look or feel as nice.
  • James4784
    James4784 Posts: 24 Member
    You may be offsetting your cardio weight loss by gaining muscle during weight training rather than slowing your weight loss. Your best guide will be your body measurements and your existing clothes, etc.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    James4784 wrote: »
    You may be offsetting your cardio weight loss by gaining muscle during weight training rather than slowing your weight loss. Your best guide will be your body measurements and your existing clothes, etc.

    Under the very limited circumstances of newbie gains for someone who is obese then you will not gain muscle whilst at a deficit.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    edited September 2015
    James4784 wrote: »
    You may be offsetting your cardio weight loss by gaining muscle during weight training rather than slowing your weight loss. Your best guide will be your body measurements and your existing clothes, etc.
    Along with what @999tigger said, even in those rare circumstances, you're almost certainly not going to be gaining it fast enough to offset fat loss from much of a deficit at all.

  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    I work-out 4 times a week.

    2 of those sessions are full body weight training. The other 2 sessions are pure cardio.

    I completely agree with the other posters. Both are vital :]

    The cardio sessions will help with the 'weight loss' side of things and calorie burning. The weight training helps with definition (In other words, once the fat has been blitzed, you'll see that lovely definition!).

    I'm not an expert at the process but I'm happy with what I'm currently doing at the gym, why not give a routine like mine a go? Split your sessions up into cardio and weight training. You might surprise yourself.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    OP are you using a scale and logging everything, not cups or serving size a scale. That is the most accurate method. If you wnat then open your diary for others to look at and they cna gauge it plus provide age current weight target weight your daily calories, how you are measuring calorie burns(hrm, machine , mfp), what % you are eating back . How long youve been on your regime and how much youve lost.

    The optimal is to do both, but your first task is to get consumption under control so you can be sure you are at deficit.

    The second task is to appreciate that resistance/weights is for retaining lean muscle mass, so a greater % of what you lose is fat. Muscle is hard to replace and valuable to have. Even if your friends are losing more they may be losing valuable muscle becayse they arent doing resistance.

    Third point is that you need an awful lot of exercise to burn significant amounts of calories, hence point 1. For instance a 1h cardio session I think youd be doing from 300-600 cals. People ararely are active during the whole hour. That would mean your 2 days of cardio youd be doing well to get 1000 calories burned and that doesnt include eating back. These are just guesstimates to illustrate just how much exercise you have to do and why food control is the first task. Its still very worth doing though.

    Comparing yourself to others is always full of pitfalls, so dont. They might not be doing it safely or sustainably. They might not be doing exercise. They might not stay the course. They also might have far more to lose than you.

    Sustainable weight loss tends to be in the 1-2lbs a week range, for you then 1-1.5 would be fine.
    Check your numbers and see if they match up to what you think you should be losing. Its -500 cals a day deficit for each 1lb a week.

    The normal situation is people are eating more or birning less than they think.

    If everything is ok on those fronts, then its a case of keep on doing the same and being patient for several week or redo the math.

    ps someone post her that flow diagram from lemon.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,903 Member
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    James4784 wrote: »
    You may be offsetting your cardio weight loss by gaining muscle during weight training rather than slowing your weight loss. Your best guide will be your body measurements and your existing clothes, etc.
    Along with what @999tigger said, even in those rare circumstances, you're almost certainly not going to be gaining it fast enough to offset fat loss from much of a deficit at all.

    Yeah, that.

    For whatever it's worth, I actually think recomps happen in the guise of extended weight loss stalling more often than they're given credit for. It's why people should probably take more measurements than just their weight. It just takes a long time.

    On the other hand, if someone isn't losing weight *and* also not losing in other measurements over a period of months, then they're probably just eating at maintenance.

  • smotheredincheese
    smotheredincheese Posts: 559 Member
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    Weightlifting burns very few calories compared to cardio.

    I'm a bit confused about this. Ten minutes of weightlifting can get me as sweaty and exhausted as 40 of cardio - I know sweatiness and getting out of breath aren't necessarily good indications of calorie burn, but it certainly feels like I'm burning lots of calories :/
    How is it that weightlifting burns so few calories when it's so physically challenging? Sorry if this is a dumb question but I've been wondering about this!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    Strength training and cardio are, IMO, optimum for overall fitness and body composition. For straight up weight loss, I have found that strength training does nothing for me. I have to eat more when I do it because I get too hungry and weak without eating more. Cardio, on the other hand, suppresses my appetite and I can lose more weight with it but if I only do cardio, I won't retain the muscle that I'd like to keep. So yeah, I could lose weight a lot faster if I dropped the weight lifting but the end result, for me, wouldn't look or feel as nice.

    This^

    There's a trade-off. Cardio only won't look nearly as good in a bikini.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    smotheredincheese wrote: »
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    Weightlifting burns very few calories compared to cardio.

    I'm a bit confused about this. Ten minutes of weightlifting can get me as sweaty and exhausted as 40 of cardio - I know sweatiness and getting out of breath aren't necessarily good indications of calorie burn, but it certainly feels like I'm burning lots of calories :/
    How is it that weightlifting burns so few calories when it's so physically challenging? Sorry if this is a dumb question but I've been wondering about this!

    I really wouldn't worry about which burns the most calories. The bottom line is, you are doing both which is EXACTLY what you should be doing! :]
  • TiberiusClaudis
    TiberiusClaudis Posts: 423 Member
    When I go from bulking to cutting, first stop is diet. When that stalls, I do light cardio. Finally, when I want to lose those last pounds, I go cardio full throttle. If you do cardio and diet all at once, you shoot all the ammo in your gun at once. Steady progress is what you should aim for. So during bulking, no cardio, high protein, 5 days on, 1 day off on weights. When I'm just starting to cut, cardio 3 times a week, 20 mins. 500 cal below maintenance. Heavy cut, weight lifting in morning, cardio in afternoon. That's me...your mileage may vary.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    smotheredincheese wrote: »
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    Weightlifting burns very few calories compared to cardio.

    I'm a bit confused about this. Ten minutes of weightlifting can get me as sweaty and exhausted as 40 of cardio - I know sweatiness and getting out of breath aren't necessarily good indications of calorie burn, but it certainly feels like I'm burning lots of calories :/
    How is it that weightlifting burns so few calories when it's so physically challenging? Sorry if this is a dumb question but I've been wondering about this!
    Of those ten minutes, how long are you actually physically exerting yourself? A couple of seconds per lift?

  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
    I do cardio and strength training three times a week. The cardio is to give me a nice calorie cushion (I have hypothyroidism so my true BMR is a bit mysterious--cardio helps me to be sure I'm eating a deficit) and to help my overall fitness and the strength training/weights are to help me to preserve lean muscle mass while I'm losing weight so that my chances of looking like a deflated balloon are lessened.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    gaelicstorm26 wrote: »
    I do cardio and strength training three times a week. The cardio is to give me a nice calorie cushion (I have hypothyroidism so my true BMR is a bit mysterious--cardio helps me to be sure I'm eating a deficit) and to help my overall fitness and the strength training/weights are to help me to preserve lean muscle mass while I'm losing weight so that my chances of looking like a deflated balloon are lessened.

    Yes! This exactly! No wants the deflated balloon look! hehe :D
  • SunshineGirl351
    SunshineGirl351 Posts: 69 Member
    So can someone please tell me when lifting should be introduced after doing cardio? Right away? 2 weeks after? A month after? I want to lose weight, but I see the point of lifting and don't want to be "skinny fat."
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    SunshineGirl351 wrote: »
    So can someone please tell me when lifting should be introduced after doing cardio? Right away? 2 weeks after? A month after? I want to lose weight, but I see the point of lifting and don't want to be "skinny fat."

    I do 2 sessions of 'lifting' and 2 sessions of 'cardio' per week :]
    Works for me.
  • preeJAY
    preeJAY Posts: 46 Member
    SunshineGirl351 wrote: »
    So can someone please tell me when lifting should be introduced after doing cardio? Right away? 2 weeks after? A month after? I want to lose weight, but I see the point of lifting and don't want to be "skinny fat."

    Soon! Immediately! Whenever you want? :) Why do you think you need to wait?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    SunshineGirl351 wrote: »
    So can someone please tell me when lifting should be introduced after doing cardio? Right away? 2 weeks after? A month after? I want to lose weight, but I see the point of lifting and don't want to be "skinny fat."

    I was completely and totally out of shape when I first started exercising. I started out with cardio (walking) and stretching. I needed that in order to become more flexible, which I feel has helped me with lifting. I started strength training after a month. I did bodyweight strength training at that time but regular weight lifting would have been fine too, looking back. (Not that I regret the bodyweight stuff, I just mean that I could have gone straight to WL without any problem.)
  • SunshineGirl351
    SunshineGirl351 Posts: 69 Member

    I do 2 sessions of 'lifting' and 2 sessions of 'cardio' per week :]
    Works for me. [/quote]

    So do you do total body on both of your lifting days? And did you wait a while to introduce lifting into your weight loss routine (doing cardio only at first) or did you start lifting in the beginning of your journey?

  • SunshineGirl351
    SunshineGirl351 Posts: 69 Member
    Sorry, that didn't post right. My question was for PinkPixiexox, but anyone can answer.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Two lifting sessions per week should probably be total body each time.
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
    Personally, I do my 30-40 minute cardio session first and then do my strength training. I know a lot of people lift first, but I feel like my muscle strength gets depleted doing it that way while doing cardio first helps me to be more energized. I have two kids though so I have to maximize all of my gym sessions because some weeks I can only get there three days due to their schedules, homework, etc.
  • preeJAY
    preeJAY Posts: 46 Member
    I do heavy weight lifting 3x a week (stronglift 5x5, a full-body workout program), and started immediately along with changing my diet. I don't do any cardio, and have no problem with becoming stronger plus losing weight, even though I am only 10 lbs from goal weight.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    SunshineGirl351 wrote: »
    So can someone please tell me when lifting should be introduced after doing cardio? Right away? 2 weeks after? A month after? I want to lose weight, but I see the point of lifting and don't want to be "skinny fat."

    Resistance can be introduced immediately, you don't need to wait.

    When we're in a deficit, we lose water, fat, AND muscle. By lifting in that deficit we're trying to counter that muscle loss, so most of our weight loss comes from water and fat. Cardio is great for cardiovascular health and calorie burns, but not optimal for muscle retention so some can see bigger loses on the scale from just cardio due to the losses in LBM, where a person who is lifting/doing resistance along with the cardio may not be seeing the scale number drop as fast due to LBM retention (and water retention) may actually be lowering their Body Fat percentage quicker.
  • SunshineGirl351
    SunshineGirl351 Posts: 69 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    SunshineGirl351 wrote: »
    So can someone please tell me when lifting should be introduced after doing cardio? Right away? 2 weeks after? A month after? I want to lose weight, but I see the point of lifting and don't want to be "skinny fat."

    I was completely and totally out of shape when I first started exercising. I started out with cardio (walking) and stretching. I needed that in order to become more flexible, which I feel has helped me with lifting. I started strength training after a month. I did bodyweight strength training at that time but regular weight lifting would have been fine too, looking back. (Not that I regret the bodyweight stuff, I just mean that I could have gone straight to WL without any problem.)

    Okay, I'm not going to delete to save room this time, and just maybe my post may come out correctly. So jemhh, if you could go back in time, would you have lifted at the beginning of your journey?

  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
    I definitely post bigger losses during the weeks where I could only hit the gym once or twice, and I attribute that to my body not holding extra water for muscle repair. Posting smaller losses because you are doing some strength training is so worth it to me. I just feel better, think better, and feel stronger.
  • SunshineGirl351
    SunshineGirl351 Posts: 69 Member
    preeJAY wrote: »
    I do heavy weight lifting 3x a week (stronglift 5x5, a full-body workout program), and started immediately along with changing my diet. I don't do any cardio, and have no problem with becoming stronger plus losing weight, even though I am only 10 lbs from goal weight.

    So losing weight is possible without cardio? Does this mean I can slow the cardio down when I get close to my "happy weight" for maintenance?
  • SunshineGirl351
    SunshineGirl351 Posts: 69 Member
    preeJAY wrote: »
    SunshineGirl351 wrote: »
    So can someone please tell me when lifting should be introduced after doing cardio? Right away? 2 weeks after? A month after? I want to lose weight, but I see the point of lifting and don't want to be "skinny fat."

    Soon! Immediately! Whenever you want? :) Why do you think you need to wait?

    I thought that maybe the scale would be nicer to me if I waited. Lol! I suppose I don't have to wait.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    SunshineGirl351 wrote: »
    preeJAY wrote: »
    I do heavy weight lifting 3x a week (stronglift 5x5, a full-body workout program), and started immediately along with changing my diet. I don't do any cardio, and have no problem with becoming stronger plus losing weight, even though I am only 10 lbs from goal weight.

    So losing weight is possible without cardio? Does this mean I can slow the cardio down when I get close to my "happy weight" for maintenance?
    Losing weight is possible without any exercise at all.

    If you slow down your cardio, you'll just have to slow down your eating by the same number of calories to stay at your happy weight.

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