Fitness

by Sarah
(MO, USA)

I read that a low calorie diet and strength training is the only true way to lose weight. The article stated that cardio can actually hurt weight loss as it increases appetite and burns less calories.
Is this true?

Hi Sarah,

Great to hear from you and thanks for your question.

I agree that a low calorie diet and strength training is one way to lose weight but I certainly don't believe it is the only 'true' way to lose weight. By 'true' way to lose weight I am assuming that you mean that the weight being lost is almost exclusively fat and does not include substantial losses of water, lean tissue or carbohydrate.

I believe that you can lose fat almost exclusively by using a combination of good nutrition without having to follow a low-calorie diet, which are hard to stick to long term, in combination with strength training, aerobic exercise and the correct supplements.

In fact, I have had clients eat more overall calories than they had previously but by manipulating the macronutrient profile of their meals were still able to lose weight!

Also, I don't think cardio can hurt weight loss if it is controlled. Whilst it may burn fewer calories than high-intensity weight training and doesn't promote as much post-exercise calorie expenditure, it does burn calories directly and stimulates beneficial aerobic adaptations in the body, which can assist the fat-burning process, i.e. increases oxidative enzyme levels in tissues.

Plus, if cardio is done after a weight-training session you can burn even more fat because you have decreased the levels of carbohydrates in your body!

Of course I do agree whole-heartedly that excessive amounts of cardio can hurt weight loss because of the resulting catabolic hormones (cortisol) it stimulates as the exercise continues. This is particularly noticeable in aerobic exercise sessions that last longer than an hour.

As far as appetite is concerned I honestly believe that any form of exercise helps to regulate the appetite rather than increase it per say. Furthermore, since weight training may stimulate an increase in tissue formation I would hypothesise that it is likely to increase appetite more than aerobic exercise.

I hope these thoughts help to clarify this matter.

Thanks again for a great question and if you have any other questions or comments, please let me know.

Regards,

Steve.