Should I do more cardio or more weights to lose weight?

[martwad]

Statistics : female, age 35, weight 145, height 5,5", would like to lose 15 to 20 pounds

I have recently lost 12 pounds doing 5 days a week of cardio, half an hour of resistance training 2 or 3 times a week, and sticking to around 1500 calories per day of mostly clean eating. I am anxious to bump up the resistance training, but I am afraid cutting back on the 5 days of cardio will slow or stop my weight loss. I want to get stronger but keep losing weight. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[LeanneM]

I know that each person responds a bit differently, but what really helped me lose weight was to cut back on my cardio.

I went from doing cardio 5-6 days a week to only 2-3 days a week, and then I also amped up my weight training to three days a week, using Cathe's GS and S&H series.

Hope this helps!

 

[Miss Lee]

I agree with Leanne on this! Cardio is obviously important for weight loss and heart health, but I can do cardio every day and it doesn't change my shape. I don't think you can overestimate the importance of weight training for shaping your figure -- cinching in your waist, giving you natural shoulder pads and lovely arms. I can actually drop a size quicker with weights than cardio. Again, cardio is very important for a multitude of reasons, but so is weight training. BUT, the KEY to weight loss is diet. At the end of the day, it always comes down to diet *SIGH*

 

[angie_nrs]

I agree that weights are extremely important. Heavy weights boosted my metabolism like nothing else.

Although, I do cardio at least 2 days per week as well, and have found that HIIT is the way to go for me. The combo of heavy weights along with HIIT helped me get a more cut look. Don't get me wrong, I still have some weight to lose, especially in the hip and thigh region, but I am happy with the progress I have been getting with the above combo.

You might also want to consider increasing your calories for a while and see how that goes. I know folks hate to increase calories since it seems so counter intuitive, but I am 5'7 and my maintenance calorie intake is about 2400 calories. I thought Venuto was crazy when I calculated what he suggested for calorie intake, but it works for me.

 

[teddy16410]

Personally I start off with a "balanced approach" & go from there.

6weeks: eat clean + 3 days lifting + 3 cardio + 1 off
if results arent what you want then tip the sacle for a few weeks...
3 lifting + 4 cardio

I think its most important to alter the TYPE of cardio you do & the time vs "how much" I can kickbox for longer sessions & keep my muscle but if I just do HiLo I have to keep sessions shorter & less frequently.

Just my thoughts

 

[jonahnah]

RE: Should I do more cardio or more weights to lose wei...

Forgive me if this sounds strange but I'm not clear on why you want to change what you are doing if you've lost 12 lbs doing it. You don't mention over what period of time you accomplished that fantastic acheivement (congrats, btw!) so it's hard to suggest how to improve it. Have you plateaued or finding it hard to maintain your current workout/eating routine? If you're getting bored (always a problem for me!) or stalled in your goals, I wouldn't drastically change what you're doing, but rather tweak it and see what happens. For example, change to 2 full body wt workouts (approx. 60 min. each), and replace one of your current wts days with yoga, pilates or stretching. Alternatively, change 2 of your cardio sessions to HIIT. Or, do 3 days of circuit training and 3 days straight cardio. You could also look at Cathe's various weight loss rotations for ideas.

FWIW, many people have posted that when they first switch to heavy wts, they initially gain a small amount of water wt as their muscles adapt. So if you go w/ a heavy wt rotation, don't panic if that happens. It's temporary. HTH and good luck!

Jonahnah
Chocolate IS the answer, regardless of the question.

 

[cakebaker]

RE: Should I do more cardio or more weights to lose wei...

I agree with Jonahnah - sounds like you found the formula that works for you - I would not change a thing. I personally would not get good results if I cut back on cardio - I do 5 days a week of intense cardio to maintain my weight. Keep doin' what you're doin'!

 

[martwad]

RE: Should I do more cardio or more weights to lose wei...

Jonahnah, it took about 10 weeks to lose 12 pounds. The program I followed is Chantel Hobbs' Ditch the Diet, which I think is geared more towards people who have LOTS of weight to lose. I am getting bored, and I just don't feel strong. Don't get me wrong, I love doing cardio, but I want to feel strong and muscle-y. And continue to lose weight.

 

[jonahnah]

RE: Should I do more cardio or more weights to lose wei...

Totally understandable that you'd want to change things up after 10 weeks and I completely get the "I want to feel strong and muscle-y" thing. Your wt loss pace is really excellent!

So, next question is what do your 2-3 30 minutes of strength training consist of now? Also, do you want to work your upper and lower body equally or one more than the other?

Jonahnah
Chocolate IS the answer, regardless of the question.

 

[martwad]

RE: Should I do more cardio or more weights to lose wei...

Well, for 2 weeks I have been doing the 4DS weight workouts, but I condense it into 3 days, by tacking shoulders onto one of the other upper body days. I feel like Cathe's cardio workouts work my legs a lot, so I guess I would like to focus on upper body and core strength, but tone up my legs. I'm thinking about doing 4 days of cardio and 3 or 4 of strength.