Cardio vs weights.. what my dietitian recommended

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kroglk51

New member
Hi everyone. I’m a 4’11” female, 153lbs, Filipino and 30 y/o

I recently seen a dietitian and he recommended to start off with cardio 5-6 times a week for 40 minutes. It kind of was a mind fuck as I have been wired to lift weights until failure and then post cardio.

My goal is to overall look slimmer, I carry most of my weight in my thighs and stomach (pouch belly)

He basically said do cardio where my heart rate is raised and it will help me shred vs lifting weights.

In terms of eating he doesn’t want me to count cals but to adjust my carb intake and have a more filling breakfast.

I guess overall, has anyone had success strictly doing more cardio instead of weight training? He quoted me about 6-9 months of success if i follow his plan. I’ve never stuck with a cardio based plan but now I’m so curious!
 
@kroglk51 Dieticians are not exercise scientists so I find it a little odd that your dietician gave you a fitness prescription at all.

The AHA recommends 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week for overall health and longevity. I would start there and keep your strength training. 🤷‍♀️

(*But I'm also not a sports scientist lol)
 
@kroglk51 Yeah but having a "a sports/athletic background" could mean he was the water boy for podunk high school's football team. It doesn't mean he has any current, formal education and training to advise on an exercise program. Likewise a trainer offering nutrition advise.

Just because they seem to go hand in hand doesn't mean the training and credentialing does.
 
@kroglk51 Hi, I have an exercise science background (bachelors in exercise science, masters in exercise physiology, working towards a PhD in it now). I would disagree with his advice — resistance training is crucial for a lot of reasons, and it’s in my opinion better for weight loss (raises your metabolism over time, and tends to burn more calories overall when accounting for afterburn). However, if fat loss is your goal, integrating cardio is very helpful and good for overall health too. A typical routine I recommend is 3-5 days of resistance training, with 1-3 days of cardio. Too much cardio with no resistance can lower your metabolism over time, and you’ll see weight rubberband back faster. (Also side note, eating high protein regardless of how you train is very important, especially if you’re restricting calories.)
 
I also second the comment above: Aim for 150-300 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity, or an equivalent combination of both (1 vigorous minute = 2 moderate minutes). You can measure intensity relatively (see how you feel during the activity and go from there) or objectively (look up MET minutes for specific activities). Don’t get exercise advice from anyone without expertise. And in my opinion, even some personal trainers are more business-minded than science-minded. So make sure to vet the advice you receive! Best of luck with your journey.
 
@kroglk51 I find adding 30min of cardio after lifting sessions to be extremely effective in terms of toning the body. I jog after upper body days and do walk-run intervals after leg days because….Bambi.

Because my body is not used to cardio at the beginning, I maintained water weight for a month before starting to see steady weight drop, so I think at least he is correct to quote a long timeline for the plan to take effect. Now I am seeing 0.3-0.5kg of weight loss per week, and my body does look leaner without compromising my strength.
 
@kroglk51 Ummm…really?! I’m shocked a dietitian would say that. Every one I’ve gone to wants at least a mix of cardio and weights. Is there a reason why they said that?
 
@kroglk51 Cardio will help you burn fat and burn it faster. But it's the weight lifting that will create what's left after that burn.

Weight lifting also (eventually) helps increase your metabolism (muscle is active tissue requiring more calories to maintain--not a lot, but more). In addition, weight lifting helps preserve bone density.
 
@kroglk51 As a 4’11”, 30 year old as well, I finally achieved and am maintaining my dream body (lean, reasonable low body fat -probably 15-17%, and muscular upper and lower) by heavy lifting five days a week and I do 30 minutes of low intensity cardio (12-3-30 treadmill) after my lifts. I also follow a high protein, low processed food, medium fat and carb intuitive diet. If I started out with my cardio, I would be way too fatigued to be able to properly lift. Been at this for 3-4 years consistently. Takes a long time to fully body recomp if you’re lean bulking.
 
@kroglk51 Okay so I love lifting and have been doing it for years, but I recently started running to train for a mud run obstacle course this summer (first ever official sporting event) and honestly my legs ACHE after a run and I can't argue with the results that I've gained additional muscle in my legs from running.

Though I still think that cardio alone just isn't the way, some sort of resistance training a couple times a week is very important!

Running for my legs, rock climbing for my arms (and legs and core, but less so) and functional strength
 
@kroglk51 Hey! I’m also Filipino also 5’2 started with 170 lbs. I started January 4 of this year I’m down 151.8 today. I don’t do any form of weightlifting but I do track my calories (~1200) a day. I chose not to do any weightlifting or heavy cardio cause I found that it makes me hungrier after working out and then I end up binging. Instead, I focused on fixing my diet and my habits on food and eating while bored or emotional eating and it’s been super difficult but it’s working out pretty well so far. I also started walking at least 10k steps a day recently.

Goodluck on your journey, I just wanted to share mine because in a way it is a little bit more cardio based and please reach out for anything! You got this ✨
 
@lost_soul That’s amazing!! I’m so happy for your progress 🥹 It’s very assuring someone with a similar background/height is making great strides

You got this too!! Imagine where we’ll be in 6 months time 🤩
 
@kroglk51 If it's within your means and you have the access, I would suggest seeking a second opinion from another dietician if a second opinion is what you're after. It's kind of comparing apples to oranges asking here in my humble opinion.

Cardio is great for the heart! And most of us can get it in our daily activity (walking more) vs lifting heavy stuff is a little bit harder to access in our day to day. I also agree that results take time, time, time. In this day and age of instant gratification, I urge you to remember patience.
 
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