Cardiovascular vs Weights

Calorie deficit is the only way you lose weight. Eating less is the most efficient way of losing weight.

Cardio burns more calories than weights.......BUT many people trying to lose weight do both. Strength training while eating at a deficit helps you hang on to more existing lean muscle, thus lowering your body fat percentage.

Both have good health benefits.

Depends what you like to spend your time doing! Personally, I have solely been working on getting strong this year and seeing that progress is whaylt motivates me generally, where when I included more cardio, eventually I didn't look forward to my sessions so much, and I was a lot less consistent. Do you have a preference? Do that.

Weight loss = eat less calories than what my body needs to do whatever i make it do in a day. (period)

Weight lifting = making tiny tears into my muscle (exercise stress) so that if I eat enough protein + small calorie surplus, I will grow more muscle cells in time. If I grow more muscle cells, my body will require more energy (calories) in a day without adding any more activity.

Weight lifting = making tiny tears into my muscle (exercise stress) so that if I eat enough protein +calorie deficit, then I can retain my muscle mass. Retaining muscle mass is a good thing. Loosing muscle mass is a bad thing. Less muscle mass I have, then the less calories my body needs (less I am allowed to eat).

Weight lifting can burn a little stored energy while performing, but not a lot since it is not consistent. You perform a very anaerobic stress for a short period of time, then rest a lot, then repeat. You will use some energy as well after you workout to help with the recovery, but you will want to eat a lot soon after you workout to get the most out of your recovery.

Cardio = doing a consistent intensity level of exercise that requires lots of metabolic processing (burning stored energy). This means you get to eat a bit more that day to make up for the energy required in performing this exercise.

How all of this relates to weight loss and which is better depends on how much activity you are doing in relationship to how much you are eating. So it all depends.

The best exercise to promote weight loss is the type of exercise that you personally feel you can sustain over a long period of time. Consistency is the answer. Why do something you don't enjoy and will give up on very easily?

I find both to be very necessary. Cardio to burn more calories, and lifting to build lean body mass which will help increase your daily burn rate - not to mention it makes you look and feel better.

As people noted, you can lose weight without either, but then you have to more severely restrict your daily caloric intake.

All up to you.

R

I do both -- I enjoy listening to music during cardio - that helps.
My body looks and feels stronger since I added weights.
I also do core strengthening as well .
All fits together to make me feel and look my best.

Alternatively you can do nothing but cardio, eat moderately like a pig, and still be shredded. Many ways to skin a cat.

Weights create more muscle, more muscle burns more calories 24/7. Do the math....