Too much cardio? Not enough weights?

You should always do weights first, then cardio.

But truly, it comes down to diet.

Don't do your cardio first. A little warm up is fine, but any exercise you do will first use up your glycogen stores. That glycogen should be used for weight lifting (for ATP/CP production) and will have you doing a more efficient workout. Cardio done after to tap fat stores.
So lift first, then cardio after.

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The number key is diet, what are you eating? Then, as I've been told by trainers, you should have non-cardio day's where all your'e doing is strength training, and on cardio day's you should do 45mins to 1hr of cardio. Adding cycling classes or zumba style classes can be on your cardio day's just to change it up, also, it's not about how much you can lift but the intervals! I tend to build muscle quickly so I stick to low weights with high repetitions. Hope this helps!

If you'd like a sample schedule of what you would do to train for a marathon, google Hal Higdon, it's a balance between running, cardio and strength training!

Good luck!

I know I do it all wrong but it works for me. Monday & Wednesday I do around 30 minutes on the elliptical then 25 minutes of weights on my legs and hips. Tuesday and Thursday I do 30 minutes elliptical (or cross trainer) then 25 minutes upper body weights. Everyday I do approximately 45 minutes of warm up at home before going to the club doing abs, push ups and a variety of other "floor" exercises. Friday is 60 minutes of elliptical. Since July of 2010 I've lost over 70 lbs with only 2 more lbs to go to reach my goal weight. I have more defined muscles than I ever have in my life (I'm 50).

Couldn't agree more with all the comments above I have lost just over 2 stone and haven't set foot in a gym, I do light jogging and long walks and some basic free weights at home. Weight loss if pure calories vs burned energy, end of story. I always underestimate my exersize and overestimate my food and never try to cheat or fool myself. You won't lose weight and be able to eat rubbish and thats just the bottom line, you could do no exercise and lose stones or hammer the gym 4 days a week and gain a tonne, food is much, much, much more important.

The number key is diet, what are you eating? Then, as I've been told by trainers, you should have non-cardio day's where all your'e doing is strength training, and on cardio day's you should do 45mins to 1hr of cardio.

You can do cardio on strength days. If a strength program was 20-30 minutes long (average) a 30 minute cardio session wouldn't hurt.

also, it's not about how much you can lift but the intervals! I tend to build muscle quickly so I stick to low weights with high repetitions. Hope this helps!

Incorrect. It does matter how much you lift. Inadequate resistance doesn't help to condition the muscle.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Just try and keep a really honest diary for your calorie intake and make sure you aren't missing anything, every mouthful, every sweet or chocolate shared with you by a friend, each drink you have - everything. Thats what I found in the early days, the little nibbles and snacks I forgot I had during the day was what was killing me. Its true you will gain a little muscle and this will weigh more than fat. If you struggle to keep an accurate record I would carry around a notepad or use the mobile app or something and get in the habit of recording everything, and overestimate the food you have eaten. I personally wouldnt try and eat what I burn at the gym because to me (other than the improved wellness and fitness) there is no benefit to the exercise. I would set yourself a realistic calorie target use the food diary on here to total ALL your food intake and count your exercise on here as well which will be added to your available daily calories. As rough rule of thumb though 3500 calorie deficit (or 500 per day) will drop you 1llb of body fat per week and I know from experience thats true. I recomend selecting your lifestyle as sedentary on the profile (even if itsnot) then adding all the activities you do on daily basis as exercise. For me I feel more in control that way as I have some pretty sedentary days and some really active ones, you cant generalise that much i dont think! Good luck though and well done on what you have achieved already the more you do the more you'll want to do more, keep at it!

My son-in-law is a trainer and he has me doing 10 minutes on the bike as a warm-up, then my weight training then I go back and do 10 min on the stairmaster and 30 min on the bike. He also has me eating a Clif Bar 2 hrs before I go to the gym. ( They taste GREAT) I have lost 43 lbs in 4 1/2 months! (37 lbs since I have been on MFP which he told me to do) We all hit rough spots just keep looking towards your goal.

Start with weights first then...

Or do 15mins as a warm-up, do weights, and then jump on the bike or treadmill as a cool down for another 15mins.

Well, sounds like you should be trainning me!!! All of the info shared by me has been given to me by certified trainers...guess I just shouldn't trust or pay trainers anymore :sad:

It's not that you shouldn't trust trainers, its that you have to check their credentials. Not all certifications are created equal. When you hire a trainer, you should interview them and make sure they have more then just a weekend or internet certification. Look for actual college degrees and the top certification agencies. ACSM, NSCA, ACE are the ones that are considered the top 3, but there are other good ones. Do your research on the certification they have to make sure it meets your standards. Don't base your opinion of a trainer on how they look because genetics can play a big part of that and won't necessarily mean they know what they are doing.

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16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

You never said how long it's been since you could lose any weight, a week or month or what.

It seems 1300 calories for 50-minute workouts is too low...personally for that amount of working out I'd eat 1700.

You should always do weights first, then cardio.

But truly, it comes down to diet.

The big reason for weights first is that you risk injury (due to bad form) lifting after cardio. If you are tired your form will give way much sooner then it would otherwise, or before your muscles work as hard as they can.

I suggest weights first and also do less cardio, and maybe even do this on different days.

OP: you need to eat much more and the more you workout the more you need to eat to fuel your body

Don't do your cardio first. A little warm up is fine, but any exercise you do will first use up your glycogen stores. That glycogen should be used for weight lifting (for ATP/CP production) and will have you doing a more efficient workout. Cardio done after to tap fat stores.
So lift first, then cardio after.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I find its easier to do cardio then weights later
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i was doing cardio first and like yo usaid to tired to do weights and would only make 20 mins and i was done & this was being 2hrs in the gym. A friend who is a PT told me to warm-up 5-10mins do weights then do cardio at the end, or do weights first then cardio. I can last so much longer when I do cardio last. I feel like I can go all night. Hope this helps and also your food intake plays a big deal in losing. I am learning this once again been through this before just forgot alot of things. It's always good to have reminders.

No wonder you are tired - you are absolutely not eating enough. You should up your base calorie and hit that target (including the exercise) - not leave a lot of calories on the table.

Also, Ninerbuff is totally correct in the timing of strength v cardio, but often it comes down to what you prefer. There is the 'optimal' regime, and then there is the one you will stick to. If the one you will stick to is the cardio after, then do that, but if you find that it is more enjoyable to do it the other way round, it is still beneficial (just maybe not quite as efficient).

Same with diet - if you stick to say 1600 calories a day for a year - that is much better than 1200 calories for 2 months. (Actually it is just better period, but thats a whole nother thread).