isnt cardio enough ?

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jeniffereb
jeniffereb Posts: 41
in Fitness and Exercise
hello everyone:happy: , i joined mfp last week so im new to everything and dont know much at all :smile:

my question is:
isnt cardio enough to loose the weight?(fat) or do i have to do some strength exercises to loose it? or is it both? please help!! i know many of you have alot of experience with this and your advice would be helpful .... or and how often should i be doing what and for how long...thanks in advance.:smile:

Replies

  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    Diet is key, cardio simply burns extra calories.

    For instance if your maintenance calories are 2000 calories a day and you eat 2400 calories and do 400 calories of exercise, you'll maintain weight.

    If you eat 2000 calories a day and do 400 calories of exercise you will burn 400 calories worth of fat. Over a week that would be almost 1lb of fat burned.
  • jeniffereb
    jeniffereb Posts: 41
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    so if my intake calories are 1600 and i burn 700 calories do i loose weight with out eating those calories back ? so confusing :sad: ....thank you.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    MFP already has you at a deficit to lose the target amount you entered, so if you create a bigger deficit through cardio and eat those calories back, you'll still lose at the same rate.

    Workout, eat, avoid hunger, get slimmer - MFP rocks :smile:
  • seekingstrengthX2
    seekingstrengthX2 Posts: 771
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    I would definitely do strength training. I am doing it seriously for the first time in my life and it has made a major difference. I do strength training 2x's/week and cardio 3x's/week. Your body will look much better with some muscle on it also.
  • jeniffereb
    jeniffereb Posts: 41
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    hmmmmm sounds good to me if i can eat more lol ...thanks berryh
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    I would definitely do strength training. I am doing it seriously for the first time in my life and it has made a major difference. I do strength training 2x's/week and cardio 3x's/week. Your body will look much better with some muscle on it also.

    This is my thoughts also. Using weights will build muscles which in turn will burn more calories. Plus, the muscles make you look great. Do not worry about "bulking up". Women can not do this unless they are taking male hormones.
  • jeniffereb
    jeniffereb Posts: 41
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    I would definitely do strength training. I am doing it seriously for the first time in my life and it has made a major difference. I do strength training 2x's/week and cardio 3x's/week. Your body will look much better with some muscle on it also.



    you are right body would look much better with some muscle, ill start next week :wink: thank you dontletmeeatt
  • jeniffereb
    jeniffereb Posts: 41
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    I would definitely do strength training. I am doing it seriously for the first time in my life and it has made a major difference. I do strength training 2x's/week and cardio 3x's/week. Your body will look much better with some muscle on it also.

    This is my thoughts also. Using weights will build muscles which in turn will burn more calories. Plus, the muscles make you look great. Do not worry about "bulking up". Women can not do this unless they are taking male hormones.



    that was going to be my next question about bulking up...i so dont wanna look like a man :laugh: thank you for the reply
  • billgiersberg
    billgiersberg Posts: 163
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    Diet is key, cardio simply burns extra calories.

    For instance if your maintenance calories are 2000 calories a day and you eat 2400 calories and do 400 calories of exercise, you'll maintain weight.

    If you eat 2000 calories a day and do 400 calories of exercise you will burn 400 calories worth of fat. Over a week that would be almost 1lb of fat burned.

    I agree with Matt. Tom Venuto says in "The Body Fat Solution" that losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise. I create a 500 calories per day deficit in my diet to lose one pound a week. My exercise is just bonus. I try to be very picky about what calories I do eat though to rebuild my muscles from my workouts. Some days I am successful and not so much on others.
  • YMTaylor
    YMTaylor Posts: 230 Member
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    I would definitely do strength training. I am doing it seriously for the first time in my life and it has made a major difference. I do strength training 2x's/week and cardio 3x's/week. Your body will look much better with some muscle on it also.

    This is my thoughts also. Using weights will build muscles which in turn will burn more calories. Plus, the muscles make you look great. Do not worry about "bulking up". Women can not do this unless they are taking male hormones.

    I agree with both above. Strength training/lifting builds lean muscle which burns more calories all the time versus cardio that just burns while you're doing it. Of course cardio is important too for the fat burning effects but it shouldn't be the only thing you do. :)
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    Cardio (and a calorie deficit in general) will help you to lose weight.
    Strength training will help you look tighter and more toned afterwards as you've maintained more of your muscle.

    I've heard the saying a few times about how just diet & cardio helps you to look good in clothes, strength training helps you to look good naked.

    Agreeing with a few other posters: You will not bulk up :)
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    diet is number 1

    cardio is good

    strength training is king :)
  • mrsweigl
    mrsweigl Posts: 198 Member
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    I agree with everyone else. Diet is key! I have noticed that especially cardio workouts help me lose weight quicker, but i do strength training at least once a week also.

    I try to have a 700-1000 calorie deficit daily...
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    If you build muscle, you're body needs more calories to exist and so you are less likely to put on fat as you're body needs to survive.

    For instance, before you start lifting your maintenance may be 2000 calories. You put on some muscle, your maintenance becomes 2200 calories. This means you get to eat 200 more calories simply to exist at a set weight. This also make dieting easier as you have a better base to start from and can eat more calories just to live.

    Make sense?
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,565 Member
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    When at a deficit, unless you are obese II or obese III, you will lose lean mass if you dont lift weights or do some strength training.
    Obese II and Obese III people have a surplus of ATP and are able to generate enough energy at a deficit to maintain or even gain muscle.
    Its always a good idea to have a strength training routine.
    Stronglifts 5x5 and Starting Strength are 2 of the best!
    They require only 3 days a week in the gym but youll be working out with the big boys and girls!

    Here are 2 inspirational pics of Big girls!

    squat.jpg

    CarrieBeforeAfterLeangainsDiet.jpg
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
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    Cardio will definitely help you lose weight. But the thing with cardio is that it doesn't change your body proportions. If you don't like the shape of your body, cardio is only going to make the components of your body smaller and not change the tone of your body. There a picture I came across of a lady holding three grapefruit along her abdomen, in another picture she was holding 3 small oranges in the same position. The grapefruit represent 5lbs of fat, the small oranges 5lbs of muscle. Both are 5lbs but the volume of muscle is less, so a person looks smaller.

    That's the importance of strength training.. you want to tone so your body looks tighter. Muscle also increases your metabolism so you burn more throughout the day and therefore can eat more!
  • jeniffereb
    jeniffereb Posts: 41
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    yes so true about dieting, i have made some big changes in the way i eat and i have to tell you that i am so proud of myself i didnt even know i could do it :smile: i really cant wait to see the results and i would definitely post pictures when i see it.......i have giving myself the whole year :laugh: to see some changes ....thank you everyone.
  • jeniffereb
    jeniffereb Posts: 41
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    If you build muscle, you're body needs more calories to exist and so you are less likely to put on fat as you're body needs to survive.

    For instance, before you start lifting your maintenance may be 2000 calories. You put on some muscle, your maintenance becomes 2200 calories. This means you get to eat 200 more calories simply to exist at a set weight. This also make dieting easier as you have a better base to start from and can eat more calories just to live.

    Make sense?


    yes it does make sense...thank u so much ..i will add you as a friend :smile:
  • mncardiojunkie
    mncardiojunkie Posts: 307 Member
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    Actually I agree to a degree:

    #1 Nutritional Life Style

    #2 Weight lifting to keep the calories burning all day, doing it correctly though.

    #3 Cardio for good cardio health

    It took me years to change my habits. When I'm in full swing and back to myself, weight lifting and strength training changed my weight loss abilities and toned me up. Now that I'm back to lose weight again :cry: after a stupid holiday season, I'm ramping up the cardio to drop the weight first.

    Weight training helped me make my average size a size 4/6 instead of a size 10 (US dress/jeans size).

    If you go into weight lifting and strength training get some good advise visa vi a personal trainer or "guys in the weight room". I was fortunate to learn from some really helpful guys. But now I'm going to be going to a personal trainer for problem spots most guys don't have.

    Best of luck to you!

    You can do it!!!!!

    I hope that I copied this correctly. They had this at the YMCA when I belonged there. It really made me think.
    http://tksinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Fat-vs-Muscle.bmp
  • jeniffereb
    jeniffereb Posts: 41
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    Cardio will definitely help you lose weight. But the thing with cardio is that it doesn't change your body proportions. If you don't like the shape of your body, cardio is only going to make the components of your body smaller and not change the tone of your body. There a picture I came across of a lady holding three grapefruit along her abdomen, in another picture she was holding 3 small oranges in the same position. The grapefruit represent 5lbs of fat, the small oranges 5lbs of muscle. Both are 5lbs but the volume of muscle is less, so a person looks smaller.

    That's the importance of strength training.. you want to tone so your body looks tighter. Muscle also increases your metabolism so you burn more throughout the day and therefore can eat more!


    understood ! starting next week :smile:

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