Cardio For Fat Loss
AnvilHead
Posts: 18,343 Member
Since this is a question which comes up semi-regularly, I thought it was worth sharing a good Facebook post from Szotak Andrei (a coach/trainer) about the subject:
SHOULD YOU DO CARDIO TO HELP YOU LOSE FAT?
Here are a couple considerations to take into account when deciding if you should do cardio or not when trying to lose fat.
First and foremost, you have to realize that your diet is going to be your number 1 weapon to aid fat loss, and it should be the first on the list of priorities to take care of.
Second, even though cardio is not necessary for fat loss, it’s still very important for overall health and as such, it should be incorporated in some shape or form in everyone’s training program, regardless of goals.
Third, if you are going to use cardio to help you lose fat, make sure to pick a type (low, medium, high intensity) and modality (treadmill, bike, stepper, stairmaster etc) that you actually enjoy and you’re going to stick to, instead of opting for one that you think it’s “optimal”, even though you don’t see yourself doing it as often as you should.
Fourth and final consideration is to make sure the cardio you do doesn’t tire you out so much that you unconsciously start moving less the rest of the day. It’s no use to do 200 kcal worth of cardio if you’re just going to lay in bed the rest of the day and burn 300 kcal less.
Tracking your steps is a good way to ensure your overall activity is still up once you start introducing some structured cardio into your workouts.
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Replies
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So like doing a spinning class everyday, 6 days a week, wasn't a good idea? Good to know! Thanks for sharing
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This is very helpful, thank you Anvil.0
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I've been dealing with an injury since November, and I'm in such a funk and feeling agitated, aggravated, depressed, and hopeless about my physical activity, which has led to some stress eating. I don't know when or if I'll get back to where I was with my physical activity, but I appreciate this post because it reminds me that diet (caloric intake) is king for weight management.2
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Thank you for posting. Learn something new everyday.1
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I learned the hard way that diet is the key to my fat loss. It is absolutely the #1 priority. In a recent study of people who have lost over 100lbs and kept it off, most of the study participants walk daily for cardio. To the OPs point, they enjoy walking and it's sustainable and usually doesn't cost any money.
@Anvil_Head every time I read one of your posts or responses, I imagine that you are doing it from the boat in your picture. lol
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I've been active in the gym weightlifting for over 30yrs. Have been slowly gaining weight the last 10yrs (I'm 53 150lbs) although I crosstrain, I'm wondering if I should stop lifting and just do cardio. I've never been on a diet and eat quite healthy dose falls are weekend wine and munchies1
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yvonnedrobert wrote: »I've been active in the gym weightlifting for over 30yrs. Have been slowly gaining weight the last 10yrs (I'm 53 150lbs) although I crosstrain, I'm wondering if I should stop lifting and just do cardio. I've never been on a diet and eat quite healthy dose falls are weekend wine and munchies
I would not recommend this at all. Keep lifting. Maybe add in some cardio, but the main focus should be on the number of calories you're eating. "Healthy" foods still have calories and they can add up. Start tracking your intake here and go from there. Just my $0.02.4 -
yvonnedrobert wrote: »I've been active in the gym weightlifting for over 30yrs. Have been slowly gaining weight the last 10yrs (I'm 53 150lbs) although I crosstrain, I'm wondering if I should stop lifting and just do cardio. I've never been on a diet and eat quite healthy dose falls are weekend wine and munchies
The second sentence in the article above is where you should look to first:First and foremost, you have to realize that your diet is going to be your number 1 weapon to aid fat loss, and it should be the first on the list of priorities to take care of.
If you're very slowly gaining weight, a slight cut in your calories should take care of it for you. Eating "healthy" can still result in weight gain if your calorie intake exceeds your expenditure on an ongoing basis.3 -
I know some people who say they do a bunch of cardio so they can eat whatever they want. But then they complain when they don't lose weight... silly. It depends on where you want to get too. Do a lot of cardio, eat at a deficit and lose weight. Or don't, eat at a deficit and still lose weight. It's about the food for sure!1
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Great sensible advice, and it's advice I've inadvertently followed in maintaining a very active daily pattern. I find the morning cardio I do important, but I also find my throughout the day movement just as important. Balancing the two is key. Of course, controlling my intake comes first, but I thought that went without saying.4
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I know not all agree, but I like doing cardio (running) partly so I can eat more. It's still the biggest burn of calories for the time spent, and as long as I'm good about not over-eating them, those calories are my treat foods.13
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Tacklewasher wrote: »I know not all agree, but I like doing cardio (running) partly so I can eat more. It's still the biggest burn of calories for the time spent, and as long as I'm good about not over-eating them, those calories are my treat foods.
Nothing wrong with that, especially since you take the bolded into consideration.
The problem comes when people do a 1-mile run or a 30-minute Zumba class or whatever and think they "earned" a reward, so they go eat a 600-calorie ice cream sundae or some such. Heck, you could do a 5-mile run and wipe that extra deficit out (plus some!) in less than 5 minutes by stopping off at McDonalds for a Big Mac and fries on the way home.
Andrei doesn't really dive into it much in the article above other than to mention diet, but there are a lot of people who believe their calorie burns during cardio are a lot higher than they actually are. How many threads have we seen claiming something like an 1100 calorie burn from a 60 minute cardio class, or that they're burning 2000 calories a day in exercise? Yeah, not unless you just happened to do an Ironman length triathlon today. Hence, the frequently seen MFP advice to eat back a portion of your exercise calories rather than all of them, and adjust as necessary.4 -
I'd still be obese without cardio. I need those extra 300-400 calories because eating 1400 calories is NOT happening.6
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Tacklewasher wrote: »I know not all agree, but I like doing cardio (running) partly so I can eat more. It's still the biggest burn of calories for the time spent, and as long as I'm good about not over-eating them, those calories are my treat foods.
Nothing wrong with that, especially since you take the bolded into consideration.
The problem comes when people do a 1-mile run or a 30-minute Zumba class or whatever and think they "earned" a reward, so they go eat a 600-calorie ice cream sundae or some such. Heck, you could do a 5-mile run and wipe that extra deficit out (plus some!) in less than 5 minutes by stopping off at McDonalds for a Big Mac and fries on the way home.
I look at it this way. If my "normal" lunch is 500 calories, and I run 5K for ~400 calories(1), I've got 900 calories for lunch and I can do a Big Mac and medium fries (870 cals(2) before ketchup) with a diet coke and still be at my goal.
Either that or I eat a normal lunch and add 400 cals of wine for dinner.
(1) I'm 210 lbs, so 210 * (5*.621) * .63 = 411 calories
(2) https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca/about-our-food/nutrition-calculator.html1 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »I know not all agree, but I like doing cardio (running) partly so I can eat more. It's still the biggest burn of calories for the time spent, and as long as I'm good about not over-eating them, those calories are my treat foods.
Nothing wrong with that, especially since you take the bolded into consideration.
The problem comes when people do a 1-mile run or a 30-minute Zumba class or whatever and think they "earned" a reward, so they go eat a 600-calorie ice cream sundae or some such. Heck, you could do a 5-mile run and wipe that extra deficit out (plus some!) in less than 5 minutes by stopping off at McDonalds for a Big Mac and fries on the way home.
I look at it this way. If my "normal" lunch is 500 calories, and I run 5K for ~400 calories(1), I've got 900 calories for lunch and I can do a Big Mac and medium fries (870 cals(2) before ketchup) with a diet coke and still be at my goal.
Either that or I eat a normal lunch and add 400 cals of wine for dinner.
(1) I'm 210 lbs, so 210 * (5*.621) * .63 = 411 calories
(2) https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca/about-our-food/nutrition-calculator.html
You're not wrong.
[ETA:] Run an extra 1/4 mile and have the ketchup, lol.7 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »I know not all agree, but I like doing cardio (running) partly so I can eat more. It's still the biggest burn of calories for the time spent, and as long as I'm good about not over-eating them, those calories are my treat foods.
Nothing wrong with that, especially since you take the bolded into consideration.
The problem comes when people do a 1-mile run or a 30-minute Zumba class or whatever and think they "earned" a reward, so they go eat a 600-calorie ice cream sundae or some such. Heck, you could do a 5-mile run and wipe that extra deficit out (plus some!) in less than 5 minutes by stopping off at McDonalds for a Big Mac and fries on the way home.
I look at it this way. If my "normal" lunch is 500 calories, and I run 5K for ~400 calories(1), I've got 900 calories for lunch and I can do a Big Mac and medium fries (870 cals(2) before ketchup) with a diet coke and still be at my goal.
Either that or I eat a normal lunch and add 400 cals of wine for dinner.
(1) I'm 210 lbs, so 210 * (5*.621) * .63 = 411 calories
(2) https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca/about-our-food/nutrition-calculator.html
Wine > McDonald's. Just sayin.
I'd add that those extra calories earned can be particularly precious to those of us who are shorter, female, and nearing goal, as calorie levels required for weight loss at that point can be rather...depressing if not supplemented with activity. (Not disagreeing with anything in the OP, BTW. All still applies ) 5 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »I know not all agree, but I like doing cardio (running) partly so I can eat more. It's still the biggest burn of calories for the time spent, and as long as I'm good about not over-eating them, those calories are my treat foods.
Nothing wrong with that, especially since you take the bolded into consideration.
The problem comes when people do a 1-mile run or a 30-minute Zumba class or whatever and think they "earned" a reward, so they go eat a 600-calorie ice cream sundae or some such. Heck, you could do a 5-mile run and wipe that extra deficit out (plus some!) in less than 5 minutes by stopping off at McDonalds for a Big Mac and fries on the way home.
I look at it this way. If my "normal" lunch is 500 calories, and I run 5K for ~400 calories(1), I've got 900 calories for lunch and I can do a Big Mac and medium fries (870 cals(2) before ketchup) with a diet coke and still be at my goal.
Either that or I eat a normal lunch and add 400 cals of wine for dinner.
(1) I'm 210 lbs, so 210 * (5*.621) * .63 = 411 calories
(2) https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca/about-our-food/nutrition-calculator.html
Wine > McDonald's. Just sayin.
I'd add that those extra calories earned can be particularly precious to those of us who are shorter, female, and nearing goal, as calorie levels required for weight loss at that point can be rather...depressing if not supplemented with activity.
But sometimes you just NEED a cheeseburger. (But not a Big Mac. Yuck.)2 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »I know not all agree, but I like doing cardio (running) partly so I can eat more. It's still the biggest burn of calories for the time spent, and as long as I'm good about not over-eating them, those calories are my treat foods.
Nothing wrong with that, especially since you take the bolded into consideration.
The problem comes when people do a 1-mile run or a 30-minute Zumba class or whatever and think they "earned" a reward, so they go eat a 600-calorie ice cream sundae or some such. Heck, you could do a 5-mile run and wipe that extra deficit out (plus some!) in less than 5 minutes by stopping off at McDonalds for a Big Mac and fries on the way home.
I look at it this way. If my "normal" lunch is 500 calories, and I run 5K for ~400 calories(1), I've got 900 calories for lunch and I can do a Big Mac and medium fries (870 cals(2) before ketchup) with a diet coke and still be at my goal.
Either that or I eat a normal lunch and add 400 cals of wine for dinner.
(1) I'm 210 lbs, so 210 * (5*.621) * .63 = 411 calories
(2) https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca/about-our-food/nutrition-calculator.html
Wine > McDonald's. Just sayin.
I'd add that those extra calories earned can be particularly precious to those of us who are shorter, female, and nearing goal, as calorie levels required for weight loss at that point can be rather...depressing if not supplemented with activity.
But sometimes you just NEED a cheeseburger. (But not a Big Mac. Yuck.)
That's why I have a husband with a grill, duh!
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quiksylver296 wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »I know not all agree, but I like doing cardio (running) partly so I can eat more. It's still the biggest burn of calories for the time spent, and as long as I'm good about not over-eating them, those calories are my treat foods.
Nothing wrong with that, especially since you take the bolded into consideration.
The problem comes when people do a 1-mile run or a 30-minute Zumba class or whatever and think they "earned" a reward, so they go eat a 600-calorie ice cream sundae or some such. Heck, you could do a 5-mile run and wipe that extra deficit out (plus some!) in less than 5 minutes by stopping off at McDonalds for a Big Mac and fries on the way home.
I look at it this way. If my "normal" lunch is 500 calories, and I run 5K for ~400 calories(1), I've got 900 calories for lunch and I can do a Big Mac and medium fries (870 cals(2) before ketchup) with a diet coke and still be at my goal.
Either that or I eat a normal lunch and add 400 cals of wine for dinner.
(1) I'm 210 lbs, so 210 * (5*.621) * .63 = 411 calories
(2) https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca/about-our-food/nutrition-calculator.html
Wine > McDonald's. Just sayin.
I'd add that those extra calories earned can be particularly precious to those of us who are shorter, female, and nearing goal, as calorie levels required for weight loss at that point can be rather...depressing if not supplemented with activity.
But sometimes you just NEED a cheeseburger. (But not a Big Mac. Yuck.)
That's why I have a husband with a grill, duh!
I'll admit to a Big Mac being kinda a comfort food for me. Loved them as a kid.4 -
Your food intake is totally key. While training for a marathon we had a lot of people who were very heavy and remained heavy throughout the training (and we were all running over 30 miles a week). Problem was that many would just head on over to IHOP after our runs, totally negating all the calories they just burned. And when we finished the race, many wondered why they had gained weight. CICO 1
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Tacklewasher wrote: »I know not all agree, but I like doing cardio (running) partly so I can eat more. It's still the biggest burn of calories for the time spent, and as long as I'm good about not over-eating them, those calories are my treat foods.
Andrei doesn't really dive into it much in the article above other than to mention diet, but there are a lot of people who believe their calorie burns during cardio are a lot higher than they actually are. How many threads have we seen claiming something like an 1100 calorie burn from a 60 minute cardio class, or that they're burning 2000 calories a day in exercise? Yeah, not unless you just happened to do an Ironman length triathlon today. Hence, the frequently seen MFP advice to eat back a portion of your exercise calories rather than all of them, and adjust as necessary.
So true. I used to have a BodyMedia Fit (still mad at Jawbone for screwing that up) and could see that I burned a whopping 2 calories going up a flight of stairs at work. Some of the women I worked with were sure that they burned "25-50" calories because going up stairs was hard. So they'd take the stairs a few times, figured they'd burned enough to have some cookies, and then wonder why they were gaining weight when they did all that stair climbing. They must have slow metabolisms!3 -
sandy_taylor13 wrote: »Your food intake is totally key.
This is so true. I did a full Ironman some years back and lost, over the 6-8 months I trained for it, about 9lbs. That was with training 2x/day, with 3 workouts on Saturdays, up to 20 hours total per week. The problem was that I was burning so many calories that I was hungry all the time and definitely NOT eating properly. It was volume over quality. So, I did the Ironman at 184lbs.
I'm now 170lbs after 5 months of watching what I eat, logging everything, focusing on drastically lowering my carbs and eating plenty of healthy oils and protein. It's crazy how this has "clicked" now that I've focused first on what I eat. I've been walking maybe 30 mins 3-4x/week; that's it for exercise. I'm kind of living proof that it's mostly about the food (though I will start cycling and running again once it warms up here...).
So, yeah, agree with what many have said on this post.
1 -
This post resonated with me. 15 years ago, I was losing weight & got into a bad cycle of creating my deficit almost solely through cardio. And it worked...for awhile. But as I lost weight and my caloric needs dropped, I still kept eating & drinking the same. I had to increase my cardio more and more to keep a deficit in place. I was spending multiple hours per day on a treadmill I hated, feeling increasingly desperate and miserable.
Eventually I got an overuse injury to my knee and had to stop the cardio. Since I had learned nothing about controlling my caloric intake, my weight loss stopped and soon the weight came back on. And I felt like a failure.
Now I focus on controlling calories in...and on body-weight based strength training with moderate amounts of cardio that I enjoy (walking, kayaking). My weight is finally in control and I love my fitness routine, instead of resenting it. Much happier way to live. :-)6 -
If I'm eating "heathier" foods and cooking at home, AND I have an active job, and I'm working out as I like, historically I could pretty much maintain my weight within 5 pounds of my goal. Getting a desk job completely threw that out the window. Even then, however, if I wanted to lose those few pounds I'd have to tighten up my eating a bit.
Finding that balance between eating enough to fuel your workouts and still lose some fat is the balancing act I'm trying to go through right now (basically, a recomp). It's slow, and progress is measured in weeks not days, but it's coming along and I'm reaching my goals.1 -
Since this is a question which comes up semi-regularly, I thought it was worth sharing a good Facebook post from Szotak Andrei (a coach/trainer) about the subject:SHOULD YOU DO CARDIO TO HELP YOU LOSE FAT?
Here are a couple considerations to take into account when deciding if you should do cardio or not when trying to lose fat.
First and foremost, you have to realize that your diet is going to be your number 1 weapon to aid fat loss, and it should be the first on the list of priorities to take care of.
Second, even though cardio is not necessary for fat loss, it’s still very important for overall health and as such, it should be incorporated in some shape or form in everyone’s training program, regardless of goals.
Third, if you are going to use cardio to help you lose fat, make sure to pick a type (low, medium, high intensity) and modality (treadmill, bike, stepper, stairmaster etc) that you actually enjoy and you’re going to stick to, instead of opting for one that you think it’s “optimal”, even though you don’t see yourself doing it as often as you should.
Fourth and final consideration is to make sure the cardio you do doesn’t tire you out so much that you unconsciously start moving less the rest of the day. It’s no use to do 200 kcal worth of cardio if you’re just going to lay in bed the rest of the day and burn 300 kcal less.
Tracking your steps is a good way to ensure your overall activity is still up once you start introducing some structured cardio into your workouts.
To me exercise and high intensity cardio makes losing weight sustainable. It makes a huge difference with what you can eat if you eat pretty healthy. I can't stand eating just 1600 calories a day without exercise. I like to eat more often. With a hour and a half of exercise i can eat another small meal or a little snack not using all the calories and still lose 2 lbs a week. I've been able to keep this up since October. Bodies are made to move and studies dont say more exercise and cardio is bad for your health. I think more people could eat more of the things they want and not feel deprived with an active job and\or cardio.1 -
sandy_taylor13 wrote: »Your food intake is totally key. While training for a marathon we had a lot of people who were very heavy and remained heavy throughout the training (and we were all running over 30 miles a week). Problem was that many would just head on over to IHOP after our runs, totally negating all the calories they just burned. And when we finished the race, many wondered why they had gained weight. CICO
But what if they went to IHOP and ate half their plate and tracked their calories. It makes losing weight more sustainable to be active. They would have been less likely to be able to go out at all or only had a very small portion if they had done nothing.2 -
WillingtoLose1001984 wrote: »To me exercise and high intensity cardio makes losing weight sustainable. It makes a huge difference with what you can eat if you eat pretty healthy. I can't stand eating just 1600 calories a day without exercise. I like to eat more often with a hour and a half of exercise i can eat another small meal or a little snack not using all the calories and still lose 2 lbs a week. I've been able to keep this up since October. Bodies are made to move and studies dont say more exercise and cardio is bad for your health. I think more people could eat more of the things they want and not feel deprived with an active job and\or cardio.
The conversation evolved in that direction as the thread progressed. Yes, there's nothing wrong with using exercise to create "room" for some extra food, as long as one is being realistic about how many calories they're burning in their workouts. I think the point of Andrei's article was to address the people who start exercising while still eating 3,500 calories per day and can't understand why they're not losing weight. Too many people hold the mistaken idea that as long as you exercise, you'll lose weight no matter how bad your diet is.
You even see threads from people saying "I'm eating healthy and exercising, but not losing weight". It doesn't matter how "healthy" you eat if your calories aren't in check. Which is why Andrei says that the first order of business is to get your diet straight. It goes back to the saying "You can't out-train a bad diet" or "You can't outrun your fork". No matter what, it still comes down to CI<CO.2 -
WillingtoLose1001984 wrote: »sandy_taylor13 wrote: »Your food intake is totally key. While training for a marathon we had a lot of people who were very heavy and remained heavy throughout the training (and we were all running over 30 miles a week). Problem was that many would just head on over to IHOP after our runs, totally negating all the calories they just burned. And when we finished the race, many wondered why they had gained weight. CICO
But what if they went to IHOP and ate half their plate and tracked their calories. It makes losing weight more sustainable to be active. They wouldnt have been able to go out at all or only had a very small portion of they had done nothing.
On the flip side, sometimes injuries sideline people and their intake will need to be reduced. For some, it is hard to make that switch. Ask me, I know.5 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »I know not all agree, but I like doing cardio (running) partly so I can eat more. It's still the biggest burn of calories for the time spent, and as long as I'm good about not over-eating them, those calories are my treat foods.
Nothing wrong with that, especially since you take the bolded into consideration.
The problem comes when people do a 1-mile run or a 30-minute Zumba class or whatever and think they "earned" a reward, so they go eat a 600-calorie ice cream sundae or some such. Heck, you could do a 5-mile run and wipe that extra deficit out (plus some!) in less than 5 minutes by stopping off at McDonalds for a Big Mac and fries on the way home.
Andrei doesn't really dive into it much in the article above other than to mention diet, but there are a lot of people who believe their calorie burns during cardio are a lot higher than they actually are. How many threads have we seen claiming something like an 1100 calorie burn from a 60 minute cardio class, or that they're burning 2000 calories a day in exercise? Yeah, not unless you just happened to do an Ironman length triathlon today. Hence, the frequently seen MFP advice to eat back a portion of your exercise calories rather than all of them, and adjust as necessary.
But you can burn 1000 calories in 90 minutes doing a hard workout. That makes a huge difference to what you can eat even if you just eat half.2 -
True. It is hard in that case.Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »WillingtoLose1001984 wrote: »sandy_taylor13 wrote: »Your food intake is totally key. While training for a marathon we had a lot of people who were very heavy and remained heavy throughout the training (and we were all running over 30 miles a week). Problem was that many would just head on over to IHOP after our runs, totally negating all the calories they just burned. And when we finished the race, many wondered why they had gained weight. CICO
But what if they went to IHOP and ate half their plate and tracked their calories. It makes losing weight more sustainable to be active. They wouldnt have been able to go out at all or only had a very small portion of they had done nothing.
On the flip side, sometimes injuries sideline people and their intake will need to be reduced. For some, it is hard to make that switch. Ask me, I know.0
This discussion has been closed.
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