Best way to burn fat?

Tacklewasher wrote: »

Why not do both?

AnnPT77 wrote: »

CarolF11 wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

Are you looking to lose weight or looking to improve your body composition while maintaining at your current weight?

Giving more information about yourself and your goals would be helpful rather than the false dichotomy of one type of exercise versus the other.

Im looking to lose weight and get toned. I’ve gained some weight the past few months so I’m also on a calorie deficit doing low carb(not keto)I’m 39yrs old and had two babies. My problem is my mid section/thighs. Endomorph i believe.
I go to the gym 4xweek and do both cardio 30 min and do hip/thigh exercises on machines. I feel i don’t sweat easily and I like to cause makes me feel like I’m burning fat but I’ve also heard weight training is better than cardio.
Im 135lbs and 5’1

Losing weight requires a calorie deficit, and most people find that easier to accomplish mostly on the eating side of the equation. (It takes me a long time to burn 300 calories by exercising; not eating a Snickers candy bar, for about the same calorie benefit, takes no time at all. ).

"Toning" is kind of a vague term, without a standard definition. Most women seem to mean looking a little bit more fit or muscular, but not "bulky" (also a poorly-defined term). The good news is, most women would have to work like demons over a very long time, to get even a tiny bit "bulky". So, looking "toned" is really about creating some fit-looking muscles, and losing enough of the overlying fat layer that they become nicely visible.

To do that most efficiently, strength training will help. Most people won't gain much muscle while in a calorie deficit, but people new to strength training can gain a little. But strength training will help us keep as much existing muscle as possible while losing fat (a very good thing, since muscle is slow/difficult to regain, especially for women). It will also increase strength, even before it increases muscle, by better recruiting and using existing muscle to do things. Strength is helpful in itself, in everyday life.

This is a good thread to learn about strength training: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you

Following a formal program (like the ones in that thread) is more effective than just doing random exercises at the gym.

Cardiovascular exercise is good for your heart and overall health, so also worth doing. It also burns more calories than weight training, minute for minute, so can help you eat more and be happier while maintaining a calorie deficit. The best idea is to find an activity you enjoy, and do that. For most people, the highest total calorie burn comes from doing that activity at a continuous intensity you can sustain for the time you want to devote to it, without feeling exhausted for the rest of your day.

How much you sweat has nothing to do with how much fat you're burning. (Neither does the so-called "fat burning zone".) Some people sweat a lot (I do). Some don't. If they both do the same amount of work, they burn pretty much the same number of calories, all other things being equal, sweat or no.

I'd suggest doing both strength training and cardio, for best health, fitness, and appearance results. Most beginner strength programs are 3 times a week. If you don't want to do both strength and cardio on the same day, you can work up to alternate days. Most mainstream health authorities suggest a minimum of 150 minutess of moderate cardio weekly (or 75 minutes intense), plus a minimum of 2 days of strength training. That, too, could be a reasonable goal.

Somatotypes (endomorph, ectomorph, whatever) have been pretty much debunked, by the way.

Best wishes!