Whats Better For Fat Loss: Diet/cardio?

sharaabi · 30-Sep-04, 02:42 PM

I understand for fat loss its all about calorie intake and expenditure as well cardio and lifting.

In attaining a defined body (Im a endomorph)....I wanted to know what counts more toward fat loss.... DIET or CARDIO.

Everyone is different but I just want some opinions and suggestions on how some poeple on this forum lost the lbs.

stats: 225, 6'00, 25%BF.

THANKS

sharaabi · 30-Sep-04, 03:30 PM

NO Input? :-( ????????????

Klinger · 30-Sep-04, 03:41 PM

I'd give the nod to diet. That said, you have to perform some type of physical activity along with having a proper diet in order to get your desired "look."

And it doesn't necessarily have to be cardio. I know people who lift religiously, eat pefectly and never do a minute of cardio and they look great.

If your goal is a certain look, think of cardio as extra credit. It will burn a few more calories, but it isn't the be-all end-all when it comes to fat loss.

I lost a lot of weight initially through cardio, but my definition did not begin to improve until I began being really choosy about my foods and started lifting heavy.

gwscan · 30-Sep-04, 04:04 PM

sharaabi, I 've lost 60lbs. in the last 6 months...40 yrs. old, 6'2, 215lbs. I did it by watching my diet...no refined carbs, lean protein, no alcohol, similar to your South Beach Diet. I did 15-40 mins. of cardio...offsetting HIIT and steady state...5 days a week.
The last 2 months I've changed my exercise regimen to 3 days weight training, 2 days cardio...consisting of HIIT, steady state, racquetball, basketball etc...The diet has changed somewhat but I'm still very aware of what I eat. I have my days where I eat some pizza, or find the ice cream that my wife was trying to hide, or raid the cookie jar. But these cheat days don't bother me because of the exercise that I get. I feel like my body is a furnace and it can burn anything that's thrown at it. I want to lose another 15-20 lbs and I know I can't do it without the combo of cardio and weight training. And I know I can't go back to eating the way I used to when I was one donut from 280lbs. So which is more beneficial for fat lose? I'd have to say...IMO...that you have to include both. Probably not the answer your looking for, but this is what I've experienced.

**Todd** · 30-Sep-04, 07:07 PM

The best recipe for fat loss is diet manipulation, lifting weights and cardio exercise...all of it combined.

CF-OC_gal · 30-Sep-04, 10:21 PM

I agree with the others - it's a combination of everything.

The biggest impact will come from eliminating empty calories from your diet like gwscan said. It doesn't mean give them up for ever but having them occasionally means much less than what is considered normal social behaviour. It's also the one thing that all diet plans have in common and likely the reason most people lose weight at the beginning of any diet.

If I had to pick one thing that contributes more to permanent weight loss it wouldn't be either cardio or dieting, but a shift in attitude along with a change in behaviour.

sharaabi · 01-Oct-04, 01:05 PM

I appreciate everyones response. I guess I am trying to find a little more different answer because of my new job situation. I work in downtown Chicago and live 40 miles away.

By the time i get off work SOME DAYS i dont have time to hit the gym because i have to be up 5AM to get the train to work and sometimes i have to work late on projects.

...... SO IN MY effort to loose weight, I was wondering when i miss a weight session or cardio session, what ingredient of CARDIO, WEIGHT and DIET play a SLIIIIIGHT more dominant role to fat loss?

BigJon · 01-Oct-04, 09:34 PM

If you're not that big a guy you'll get the results you want from diet AND cardio. I'm a big guy and I lost a lot of weight off of diet and weightlifting alone with limited cardio (martial arts). About 1800-2000 calories a day along with weightlfiting 5 times a week I went from 5'10" and 315 to 275 and I feel great. Another 50 lbs and I'll do MORE cardio.

But to tell the truth

I hate running

barnyard27 · 02-Oct-04, 12:27 AM

Cardio is the best overall

J. Allen · 02-Oct-04, 02:42 AM

Do both, live longer!

yetoso · 02-Oct-04, 03:35 AM

I've mentioned it before, but it's worth mentioning again:

The study of certain African bushmen who despite running an average of 20 miles per day were found to have heart valves loaded with fat. (The bushman occasionally drank high-fat animal blood)

I must note that their running did in fact significantly increase the size of their arteries which prevented any complete blockage from taking place...

This study shows me the importance of cardio excercise... but moreso it shows me the importance of eating healthy! I mean, 20 miles a day and their arteries were still full of fat.

Cort · 02-Oct-04, 03:42 AM

One wont work well without the other, thats about as simple as I can put it. You can eat a healthy diet, but without the exercise you aren't going to get optimal fat loss. You can exercise without the healthy diet, but without the proper nutrition, you're still not going to get the optimal fat loss.

Anyway, I'd say just do both, neither is all that time consuming, and you can do both whenever you have the time (15-20 minutes man...EVERYONE has 20 minutes...if you don't then damn

.)

As for missing workouts, you can still hit the gym twice a week and do ok. Your results wont be as good, but they wont halt completely.

I mean, if you get home and you don't feel like running or something, theres nothing I can tell you to fix that. Its just a choice you have to make...to do it or not to.

**cursor** · 02-Oct-04, 10:10 AM

I don't care WHAT your schedule is, you can ALWAYS lift weights. You can get great benefits from just 15 to 20 minutes of real exersion. Throw in a 10-12 minute session of higher intensity interval cardio (if you have time), and you're good to go! NOT working out with weights shouldn't even be considered an option. To me, it's like thinking, "Gee, I don't think I have time to brush my teeth this morning ..."

ALWAYS eat right -- proper food amount and proper macronutrient balance, made up from a wide variety.

**Firehawk** · 02-Oct-04, 10:25 AM

This is why all 3 are important. You need to lift weights to at least maintain the muscle mass you have so that your metabolism doesn't plummet. You need to eat right for obvious reasons, such as you need to burn more than you take in to lose fat, you need to feed your lean mass appropriately, and keep your insulin levels in check. You need cardio to keep your heart healthy and strong, because without your heart you can't do anything.