Cardio vs weight training to loose weight?!?!

mymmsworld2
mymmsworld2 Posts: 9 Member
edited November 25 in Fitness and Exercise
Help!! I have two trainers telling me 2 very different things! One says workout weights and HIIT cardio the other says don’t waste energy on weights, put energy into cardio until you drop half of your goal. I have a lot to loose, ideally 80 lbs so please help me figure it out! I am eating clean with only green carbs and staying about 1200 calories a day. Thank you
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Replies

  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    mymmsworld2 wrote: »
    I am eating... only green carbs

    this bit just makes me sad

    What about red cabbage? Yellow peppers? Purple eggplant?
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    mymmsworld2 wrote: »
    Help!! I have two trainers telling me 2 very different things! One says workout weights and HIIT cardio the other says don’t waste energy on weights, put energy into cardio until you drop half of your goal. I have a lot to loose, ideally 80 lbs so please help me figure it out! I am eating clean with only green carbs and staying about 1200 calories a day. Thank you

    1. Ditch both the trainers.

    Start a good structured 4 day a week strength program, track your calories, accurately, and set a reasonable deficit. with 80 lbs to go 1200 is probably way too low.

    Make sure you're getting enough protein to support retaining the muscle mass you have.

    Once you've been at the strength regimen for 6-8 weeks, add in some light cardio(running or elliptical or rowing). At about 12 weeks, taper back to a 3 day program and start C25K or another similar volume building program.


  • Italiana_xx79
    Italiana_xx79 Posts: 594 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    HIIT - (real HIIT that is) probably completely inappropriate for you - not required for weight loss.
    Weights - not required for weight loss, but a good thing to do while losing weight (or not losing weight).
    Cardio - not required for weight loss, but a good thing to do while losing weight (or not losing weight).
    Eating clean - whatever that actually means it's not required for weight loss.
    Only green carbs - why miss out on great sources of nutrition because some foods are the wrong colour?

    The ONLY things required are a sustainable calorie deficit, time and patience.

    I hope you realise that your very low calorie goal is plus exercise calories? (Your trainers won't know that by the way.)
    If you realise that exercise isn't to increase your deficit then you realise that your choice of exercise comes down to what the fitness, health and enjoyment benefits are.


    Don't make the process tougher than it has to be, it's far more important you get to goal weight and stay there rather than fall off the wagon.


    This!
  • maineapple
    maineapple Posts: 133 Member
    The other benefit of including weights in your workouts is that you will have more muscle, that in turn will result in more calories being burned throughout the day. I do workouts from The Firm, they are aerobics with weights workouts. I also do Leslie Sansone walking workouts, including one that has HIIT training in it. These are all solid fat burning workouts.

    Definitely agree that you need to do something that you enjoy because then you will be more likely to stick with it long term. As we get older (I am 56) we do need to have some weights in our workouts to offset the muscle loss that happens to us each decade. I want to stay strong & have solid bones (which I do have), so that if I fall I am less likely to break a bone and end up in the hospital. I also want a higher quality of life, which you get from being physically stronger and able to be more independent as you get older.

    If someone begins to include some weights in their exercising, I do recommend taking it slowly at first so that you don't injure yourself. Also make sure that you are using proper form to get the most benefit from it, and not injure yourself. That is why I really like using DVDs that show proper form. There are so many DVDs out there on virtually any exercise you wish to do. I have been using these aerobic/weight and walking DVD workouts for the past year and I am in great shape.
  • cfgreear
    cfgreear Posts: 189 Member
    As long as you are doing the 3 main things you will lose weight. Exercise on a normal basis with consistency, eat properly, and sleep enough to fully recover. I didnt lose any weight til I started sleeping more even though my diet and workouts were very strict.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    HIIT - (real HIIT that is) probably completely inappropriate for you - not required for weight loss.
    Weights - not required for weight loss, but a good thing to do while losing weight (or not losing weight).
    Cardio - not required for weight loss, but a good thing to do while losing weight (or not losing weight).
    Eating clean - whatever that actually means it's not required for weight loss.
    Only green carbs - why miss out on great sources of nutrition because some foods are the wrong colour?

    The ONLY things required are a sustainable calorie deficit, time and patience.

    I hope you realise that your very low calorie goal is plus exercise calories? (Your trainers won't know that by the way.)
    If you realise that exercise isn't to increase your deficit then you realise that your choice of exercise comes down to what the fitness, health and enjoyment benefits are.


    Don't make the process tougher than it has to be, it's far more important you get to goal weight and stay there rather than fall off the wagon.

    This^ is all you need to know. /thread
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited March 2018
    maineapple wrote: »
    The other benefit of including weights in your workouts is that you will have more muscle, that in turn will result in more calories being burned throughout the day. I do workouts from The Firm, they are aerobics with weights workouts. I also do Leslie Sansone walking workouts, including one that has HIIT training in it. These are all solid fat burning workouts.

    Definitely agree that you need to do something that you enjoy because then you will be more likely to stick with it long term. As we get older (I am 56) we do need to have some weights in our workouts to offset the muscle loss that happens to us each decade. I want to stay strong & have solid bones (which I do have), so that if I fall I am less likely to break a bone and end up in the hospital. I also want a higher quality of life, which you get from being physically stronger and able to be more independent as you get older.

    If someone begins to include some weights in their exercising, I do recommend taking it slowly at first so that you don't injure yourself. Also make sure that you are using proper form to get the most benefit from it, and not injure yourself. That is why I really like using DVDs that show proper form. There are so many DVDs out there on virtually any exercise you wish to do. I have been using these aerobic/weight and walking DVD workouts for the past year and I am in great shape.

    Don't get me wrong - I love Leslie Sansone, but none of her workouts are hiit. The "hiit" DVD isn't even one of her toughest workouts. Hiit is the "in" thing right now and so many workouts labeled as hitt are not. Hiit is very intense, jogging in place isn't intense enough.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/335-leslie-sansone-walk-at-home

    Workouts don't burn fat......calorie deficit does.
  • mutantspicy
    mutantspicy Posts: 624 Member
    Building Muscle increases your metabolism, which ultimately helps with calorie deficit. For me, the best fatloss method is weight lifting along with a calorie deficit. Cardio is not that great for weight loss, IMO. You get your calorie burn, then once your heart rate drops you're back to normal. However, Cardio is great for your heart and your body (skills) and your endurance. HIIT usually involves some strength training as well so you do get the after burn with that. That said, use judgement on your athletic skill set. I mean don't hurt yourself, perhaps start with Isometric holds, and dynamic stretching to see where you are at. HIIT probably has some too advanced move that you are probably not ready for. Eat smart with a calorie deficit but not crazy extremes And do any workout, but try to progress in difficulty. Do Strength and Cardio(movement oriented is better than machines) and also balance and isometrics as well as dynamic flexibility . Workout for total fitness and athleticism not the mirror. Abs are created in the kitchen, but make small adjustments at first. Don't make it so crazy you'll never stick to it. MEAL PREP!! make a plan. Make large batches of quality carbs with High fiber, like lentils and black bean or quinoa, that you can mix with a variety of dishes, like salmon slices or along side a spinach salad. Boiled eggs are a quality protein, make a carton it should last a week or two. Make a chicken stir fry and put in single serving containers, etc.
  • mymmsworld2
    mymmsworld2 Posts: 9 Member
    edited March 2018
    Thank you everyone
  • mymmsworld2
    mymmsworld2 Posts: 9 Member
    Thank you. I realize calorie deficit is the way. But for someone who is has never been around fitness or healthy eating as a priority it is all overwhelming. Not all of us have been educated to know what is best and look to those who have been for help. The process alone is confusing but add in everyone’s differing opinions and it becomes mind boggling. I relied on those who have the training to help me design a program that was effective and sustainable but feel uneasy about total elimination of carbs other than green. Could be because I am a sugar/ carb junkie idk but I am taking away from all of this that I should go back to basics and “eat the rainbow” including fruits? Limiting higher carb/ natural sugars to earlier in day? I do truly appreciate that all of you are taking your time to help. I enjoy working out again. I used to be super fit and run 6 miles a day but still didn’t eat good. Just burned off what I ate then life happened and I stopped caring for me. That is what I am changing most, caring about me. Although, exercise with 80 extra pounds sucks!!
  • _Figgzie_
    _Figgzie_ Posts: 3,506 Member
    *lose
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    mymmsworld2 wrote: »
    Thank you. I realize calorie deficit is the way. But for someone who is has never been around fitness or healthy eating as a priority it is all overwhelming. Not all of us have been educated to know what is best and look to those who have been for help. The process alone is confusing but add in everyone’s differing opinions and it becomes mind boggling. I relied on those who have the training to help me design a program that was effective and sustainable but feel uneasy about total elimination of carbs other than green. Could be because I am a sugar/ carb junkie idk but I am taking away from all of this that I should go back to basics and “eat the rainbow” including fruits? Limiting higher carb/ natural sugars to earlier in day? I do truly appreciate that all of you are taking your time to help. I enjoy working out again. I used to be super fit and run 6 miles a day but still didn’t eat good. Just burned off what I ate then life happened and I stopped caring for me. That is what I am changing most, caring about me. Although, exercise with 80 extra pounds sucks!!

    It's okay to eliminate things for dieting purposes, but you need to know why and when it's a good option. If eliminating something makes it easier to diet, then that's a good reason to do it. Arbitrarily cutting out stuff and suffering through it is not a good reason to do it. You're finding this diet hard because it's restrictive, not because you're a carb junkie. If I was told to eliminate cheese I would feel restricted although I wouldn't call myself a cheese junkie. Just the idea of not being allowed to have something makes it more desirable to me.

    You don't need to limit carbs, natural, or processed sugar to earlier in the day. You just need to eat in a way that feels comfortable to you. A way that makes sticking to your calories easier. Experiment and figure out the foods that find filling and eat more of those, eat less of the food that you don't find filling. Figure out what foods you really really like and are able to not overeat and keep them around, and what foods you tend to overeat and keep them away limiting your access to them. Figure out what foods are worth the calories to you and what foods aren't. It's a learning process. Tune out all the complicated noise outside: carbs aren't bad, fat isn't bad, it's okay to eat carbs in the evening, meal timing doesn't matter, types of food don't matter, types of exercise don't matter... none of that matters outside of the context of YOUR specific preferences and tendencies.

    Basically, keep it to the basics for now and keep your eyes on one goal: eat within your calories. As you gain experience and gradually learn about yourself and your preferences, you'll be better equipped to customize your diet to your own needs (for example I find carbs filling so I eat more of them because that makes dieting easier for me, high intensity exercises make me very hungry so I don't do them because this makes dieting harder...etc). Don't rush it, customization will come with time. Focus on calories and calories only for now, and take note of how you feel and what you like.
  • mymmsworld2
    mymmsworld2 Posts: 9 Member
    Yes I realize I misspelled it but to late to edit. Thanks for the insight
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Calories for weight loss. Seriously, just calories. Hit your calorie goal, lose weight.

    Macros and food types for health and some fitness goals. Some people do better low carb, some people do better with balance macros, some people find eating "clean" helpful, others just need to get enough protein regardless of where it comes from. You have to figure this out for yourself, which is easier with consistent and accurate logging.

    Exercise for fitness. Cardio will help you burn a few more calories. Strength training will minimize muscle loss while in a deficit. But neither is necessary for weight loss.

    I ate 50% carbs, 25% protein, and 25% fat while losing, for the most part. I ate some junk food, some convenience food, but tried to stick to a foundation of whole foods to help with satiety. I walked and did strength training dvds at home to buy myself a few extra calories to eat. I lost weight because I kept a consistent food log and hit my calorie goal more times than not :smiley:
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    mymmsworld2 wrote: »
    Help!! I have two trainers telling me 2 very different things! One says workout weights and HIIT cardio the other says don’t waste energy on weights, put energy into cardio until you drop half of your goal. I have a lot to loose, ideally 80 lbs so please help me figure it out! I am eating clean with only green carbs and staying about 1200 calories a day. Thank you

    I'd support the observations that you're getting bad advice from both trainers, but for different reasons.

    The issue of calorie consumption has already been noted, but with respect to training both cardiovascular work and resistance work have value. In that sense it's worth looking at established plans, and to an extent what's best for you depends on your interests. Personally I enjoy running and cycling, but in essence you'll get much more health benefit from steady state CV work than what some marketeer would brand as HIIT. That is not to say that classes and DVDs don't have value, but they're more limited in terms of CV benefit.

    With respect to resistance work, there are lots of options. I'm more of a bodyweight advocate, largely because I find gyms very boring, but you'll get significant benefit from resistance work of some kind.

    With respect to your diet, I'm not a fan of restrictions unless there is a medical reason for them. Green carbs are no better or worse than anything else, so I suspect that whoever has advocated that is talking nonsense. fwiw, with respect to qualifications, it's worth looking athow people are qualified, and if they actually have the skills to advise. Anyone giving you that advice shouldn't be receiving your fees.
  • mymmsworld2
    mymmsworld2 Posts: 9 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    mymmsworld2 wrote: »
    Help!! I have two trainers telling me 2 very different things! One says workout weights and HIIT cardio the other says don’t waste energy on weights, put energy into cardio until you drop half of your goal. I have a lot to loose, ideally 80 lbs so please help me figure it out! I am eating clean with only green carbs and staying about 1200 calories a day. Thank you

    I'd support the observations that you're getting bad advice from both trainers, but for different reasons.

    The issue of calorie consumption has already been noted, but with respect to training both cardiovascular work and resistance work have value. In that sense it's worth looking at established plans, and to an extent what's best for you depends on your interests. Personally I enjoy running and cycling, but in essence you'll get much more health benefit from steady state CV work than what some marketeer would brand as HIIT. That is not to say that classes and DVDs don't have value, but they're more limited in terms of CV benefit.

    With respect to resistance work, there are lots of options. I'm more of a bodyweight advocate, largely because I find gyms very boring, but you'll get significant benefit from resistance work of some kind.

    With respect to your diet, I'm not a fan of restrictions unless there is a medical reason for them. Green carbs are no better or worse than anything else, so I suspect that whoever has advocated that is talking nonsense. fwiw, with respect to qualifications, it's worth looking athow people are qualified, and if they actually have the skills to advise. Anyone giving you that advice shouldn't be receiving your fees.

    Yes I agree both have merit but basically what happened is I went to a local wellness center and met with their certified nutritionist and trainer. He is the advocate of CV first then adding strength later. He stated that I only have so much energy to burn when starting ,so CV is the most bang for the buck so to speak. He also stated healthy calorie counting by limiting carbs to before dinner. Protein burns during rem sleep or carbs to fat during rem. The other trainer is from a nutrishop. I had a friend talk me into a challenge thru them. They sold me 200 in products and told me no carbs other than green and protein protein protein. They also said it was, and I quote “ ridiculous to not strength train to loose weight because muscle burns more fat” I admit I got caught in the hype of doing this and forgot my basics. Btw I am a nurse.
    Thank you for making me examine what MY goals are.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    mymmsworld2 wrote: »
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    mymmsworld2 wrote: »
    Help!! I have two trainers telling me 2 very different things! One says workout weights and HIIT cardio the other says don’t waste energy on weights, put energy into cardio until you drop half of your goal. I have a lot to loose, ideally 80 lbs so please help me figure it out! I am eating clean with only green carbs and staying about 1200 calories a day. Thank you

    I'd support the observations that you're getting bad advice from both trainers, but for different reasons.

    The issue of calorie consumption has already been noted, but with respect to training both cardiovascular work and resistance work have value. In that sense it's worth looking at established plans, and to an extent what's best for you depends on your interests. Personally I enjoy running and cycling, but in essence you'll get much more health benefit from steady state CV work than what some marketeer would brand as HIIT. That is not to say that classes and DVDs don't have value, but they're more limited in terms of CV benefit.

    With respect to resistance work, there are lots of options. I'm more of a bodyweight advocate, largely because I find gyms very boring, but you'll get significant benefit from resistance work of some kind.

    With respect to your diet, I'm not a fan of restrictions unless there is a medical reason for them. Green carbs are no better or worse than anything else, so I suspect that whoever has advocated that is talking nonsense. fwiw, with respect to qualifications, it's worth looking athow people are qualified, and if they actually have the skills to advise. Anyone giving you that advice shouldn't be receiving your fees.

    Yes I agree both have merit but basically what happened is I went to a local wellness center and met with their certified nutritionist and trainer. He is the advocate of CV first then adding strength later. He stated that I only have so much energy to burn when starting ,so CV is the most bang for the buck so to speak. He also stated healthy calorie counting by limiting carbs to before dinner. Protein burns during rem sleep or carbs to fat during rem. The other trainer is from a nutrishop. I had a friend talk me into a challenge thru them. They sold me 200 in products and told me no carbs other than green and protein protein protein. They also said it was, and I quote “ ridiculous to not strength train to loose weight because muscle burns more fat” I admit I got caught in the hype of doing this and forgot my basics. Btw I am a nurse.
    Thank you for making me examine what MY goals are.

    sounds like they just wanted to sell a product. they are full of it. and a dietitian would be better than a nutritionist ,trainer or not. and you only burn certain things during REM sleep? what a crock. your body burns calories 24/7
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    mymmsworld2 wrote: »
    He stated that I only have so much energy to burn when starting ,so CV is the most bang for the buck so to speak.

    I can see where that argument comes from, although I'd articulate it in a different way. Jumping from negligible activity to training six days per week is likely to be too much for people, so one needs to build up over time. In that sense CV work gives greatest contribution to a calorie deficit.

    However I wouldn't restrict a build up to when you've lost half our goal, I'd be suggesting building up the volume and intensity of training over 2-3 months progressively.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Cardio is a quick way to burn calories for fat loss. It burns very little... 20 minutes on a treadmill for a single cookie? I'd rather not eat the cookie and save time. Heck, replace 1 calorie heavy meal with a nice salad and I just ssved an hour at the gym and probably got better nutrition. It is totally fantastic for heart health though. I don't have a heart though. ;)

    Weight training is good for retaining muscle mass when losing weight. You'll want muscle. Fat will hang from muscle and look just dandy, like fine drapes across a nice curtain rod. No muscle and fat just flops there... like fine drapes... crumpled all over the floor getting in the way.

    Both trainers honestly offered decent advice for your goals. But, another trainer could come by and say "leave the gym, don't come back. Just eat less" and he'd be equally as right and valuable... actually, probably more.

    Internet is filled with sarcasm and we ALL know sarcasm doesn't translate well over text... but we do it anyway.

    Stick to MFP. Log what you eat. Ask questions and get answers. Nobody here wants to sell you anything. The ONLY thing we want is to see you succeed (and spew our sarcasm on the forums).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    mymmsworld2 wrote: »
    He stated that I only have so much energy to burn when starting ,so CV is the most bang for the buck so to speak.

    I can see where that argument comes from, although I'd articulate it in a different way. Jumping from negligible activity to training six days per week is likely to be too much for people, so one needs to build up over time. In that sense CV work gives greatest contribution to a calorie deficit.

    However I wouldn't restrict a build up to when you've lost half our goal, I'd be suggesting building up the volume and intensity of training over 2-3 months progressively.

    I was just about to say all of this...

    When I started, there was no way I was going to be able to lift 3x per week and do cardio 3x per week coming from ground zero...as in it hurt to walk around the block because I smoked 2-3 PAD and would get winded. All I did initially was walk a few days per week and eventually after about a month or so I was walking most days for an hour...moved to a C25K plan and did that. I eventually got myself into the weight room, but it was in my 3rd-4th month and my body was much more accustomed to moving a lot more.
  • mymmsworld2
    mymmsworld2 Posts: 9 Member
    DanaDark wrote: »
    Cardio is a quick way to burn calories for fat loss. It burns very little... 20 minutes on a treadmill for a single cookie? I'd rather not eat the cookie and save time. Heck, replace 1 calorie heavy meal with a nice salad and I just ssved an hour at the gym and probably got better nutrition. It is totally fantastic for heart health though. I don't have a heart though. ;)

    Weight training is good for retaining muscle mass when losing weight. You'll want muscle. Fat will hang from muscle and look just dandy, like fine drapes across a nice curtain rod. No muscle and fat just flops there... like fine drapes... crumpled all over the floor getting in the way.

    Both trainers honestly offered decent advice for your goals. But, another trainer could come by and say "leave the gym, don't come back. Just eat less" and he'd be equally as right and valuable... actually, probably more.

    Internet is filled with sarcasm and we ALL know sarcasm doesn't translate well over text... but we do it anyway.

    Stick to MFP. Log what you eat. Ask questions and get answers. Nobody here wants to sell you anything. The ONLY thing we want is to see you succeed (and spew our sarcasm on the forums).

    I thrive on sarcasm
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