Quote:
Originally Posted by Wifezilla
I made exercise a part of my life too....for 2 years...one hour a day, 6 days a week.
I NEVER LOST A SINGLE POUND.
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You sound like all the muscle heads I know. (I'm not making fun, mind you. Where do you think I met them? That would be while waiting for the weights!) They all say that cardio, while necessary for your health, isn't going to make you lose any weight, but building muscle can, providing you eat the right way.
I've done a bit of research, and from what I can tell, they have a good point. Muscle burns much more fat than any other tissue while in the resting state. But my buddies miss the fact that running does help build muscle, just not nearly as much as lifting. And the fact remains that if you eat 1800 calories but run off 500, your body is going to use fat if it has to to keep things running.
Trust me, back in the day, I ran about 3 miles a day, and never had a weight problem. (My gain was medically related.) You have to be eating right, and doing the right exercise if you don't want to worry that every morsel you put in your mouth is going to throw you off.
They both have a part in keeping us healthy. You can lose weight by just focusing on one, sure, but focusing on both gives us a little wiggle room with each once in awhile. Like if I've got a cold and don't feel like working out, I know I won't gain because I'm still eating reasonably. Or if I want to eat cake on my daughter's birthday, I can do it and not fret. As long as my lifestyle is healthy overall, I know that I'll be able to fudge here or there when I want to.
I'll be honest. I totally relied on exercise for any extra weight right up to the day that my body betrayed me.
Ok, it really didn't betray me. I was in a car accident, had a TBI (brain injury), which threw my thyroid out of whack, and injured my knee to the point I couldn't run anymore. I power-walked until I just got disgusted with it not helping and gave it up. After that, I tried restricing calories, but that didn't work, either.
I gradually gained weight for 7 years before I decided to change my diet. Since I"ve been watching what I put in my mouth (counting carbs instead of calories) and exercising again, the weight has been falling off me with no effort. I wouldn't give one more credit than the other. Even Dr. Atkins said they go hand in hand.