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You're going too far here. "Never happens" is wrong. If anything, perhaps cardio doesn't help on average. But I know individuals who have lost huge amounts of w

You're going too far here. "Never happens" is wrong. If anything, perhaps cardio doesn't help on average. But I know individuals who have lost huge amounts of weight through serious cardio activity and no special diet work. I mean 'serious' cardio though: 2-3 hours/day on a treadmill. I've personally leaned out a lot through cycling.

tacon 7y ago
Sure, I lost a lot of weight when I started running and cycling a lot, but I wasn't tracking my food at all. I was suddenly "the kind of person" who doesn't put crap in the temple of their body, etc. When the laboratory experiment is done, in a controlled environment, same food with exercise results in same weight without exercise. If you want to change how you eat as you start a cardio exercise program, great things will happen. Just because someone loses weight when they start cardio does not imply the cardio led to weight loss. Though the 50% of floor space in big box gyms devoted to cardio would make you think that is the most important effect. The gyms just never get around to presenting any literature to back up that presumption that sells so many memberships.
- richk449 7y ago
  > Just because someone loses weight when they start cardio does not imply the cardio led to weight loss. I think this is one instance where correlation is good enough for most people - who cares about causation?
  - toolz 7y ago
    I care, a lot. I'm lazy and I very much want an ideal body but I very much loathe the effort many people put into getting an ideal body. I've had great success with extended fasts and the more research I do, the more I believe that is the optimal path to achieving my ideal body, both for losing fat and gaining muscle. I'll tl;dr; this comment by saying I'm a longer term fasting fan boy now so I can stay on topic and say that it very much matters to me what cause and effect are because I don't want to do cardio.
    - tacon 7y ago
      If you want a technical approach to weight loss, you might read The Hacker's Diet[0], free online. He even has an online weight tracking app that is great for smoothing out the fluctuations in daily weight measurements[1]. The cardio is not necessary, but, alas, the strength training may be. If you are losing a large amount of fat by dieting alone, you are saying goodbye to pounds of muscle, too, unless you are suggesting to your body that you still need that muscle (strength training). Sarcopenia is taking your muscle mass fast enough as you age; don't let it speed up because it is a bitch to get it back once it is gone. If you just want the simplest diet to lose weight, start eating a lot of protein[2]. Fats and carbs have raised the energy balance of typical processed foods, so reverse that trend in what you eat and you will lose weight while eating ad libitum (at will). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hacker%27s_Diet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hacker%27s_Diet [1] http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/online/hdo.html http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/online/hdo.html [2] http://www.thepediet.com/ http://www.thepediet.com/
      - toolz 7y ago
        extended fasts lose far less muscle than any calorie restriction diets. Hence my poorly worded note about it's the best diet for gaining muscle. What I really meant is that fasting is the best way to lose fat while preserving as much muscle as possible.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]

tacon 7y ago

Sure, I lost a lot of weight when I started running and cycling a lot, but I wasn't tracking my food at all. I was suddenly "the kind of person" who doesn't put crap in the temple of their body, etc. When the laboratory experiment is done, in a controlled environment, same food with exercise results in same weight without exercise. If you want to change how you eat as you start a cardio exercise program, great things will happen. Just because someone loses weight when they start cardio does not imply the cardio led to weight loss. Though the 50% of floor space in big box gyms devoted to cardio would make you think that is the most important effect. The gyms just never get around to presenting any literature to back up that presumption that sells so many memberships.

richk449 7y ago
> Just because someone loses weight when they start cardio does not imply the cardio led to weight loss. I think this is one instance where correlation is good enough for most people - who cares about causation?
- toolz 7y ago
  I care, a lot. I'm lazy and I very much want an ideal body but I very much loathe the effort many people put into getting an ideal body. I've had great success with extended fasts and the more research I do, the more I believe that is the optimal path to achieving my ideal body, both for losing fat and gaining muscle. I'll tl;dr; this comment by saying I'm a longer term fasting fan boy now so I can stay on topic and say that it very much matters to me what cause and effect are because I don't want to do cardio.
  - tacon 7y ago
    If you want a technical approach to weight loss, you might read The Hacker's Diet[0], free online. He even has an online weight tracking app that is great for smoothing out the fluctuations in daily weight measurements[1]. The cardio is not necessary, but, alas, the strength training may be. If you are losing a large amount of fat by dieting alone, you are saying goodbye to pounds of muscle, too, unless you are suggesting to your body that you still need that muscle (strength training). Sarcopenia is taking your muscle mass fast enough as you age; don't let it speed up because it is a bitch to get it back once it is gone. If you just want the simplest diet to lose weight, start eating a lot of protein[2]. Fats and carbs have raised the energy balance of typical processed foods, so reverse that trend in what you eat and you will lose weight while eating ad libitum (at will). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hacker%27s_Diet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hacker%27s_Diet [1] http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/online/hdo.html http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/online/hdo.html [2] http://www.thepediet.com/ http://www.thepediet.com/
    - toolz 7y ago
      extended fasts lose far less muscle than any calorie restriction diets. Hence my poorly worded note about it's the best diet for gaining muscle. What I really meant is that fasting is the best way to lose fat while preserving as much muscle as possible.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]