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The 2022 TSC Weight Loss Challenge!!

Quijote said:
From what I have heard on a couple different podcasts that I listen to, the key to cardio as a weight loss tool depends a lot on what you eat prior to the cardio. Your body wants to burn carbs first, so if you carb up before every cardio session, it will just burn those and be done. But if you limit them (not cut them out entirely) then your body will learn to burn fat as energy as well. This will make you what the researchers are calling metabolically flexible. This will help with both weight loss and cardio performance. There is a lot more energy in fat than carbs. When it comes to races, you can still carb up, but once you burn through those fast burning carbs, your body will switch over to the more slow burning fat so that you can keep going.
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The problem I have with this model is that it supposes that the body is only going to burn the "carbs" you eat pre-cardio. But yeah...your body will use up glycogen before it taps that fat! Here is my issue with using cardio strictly as a fat loss mechanism. If you are constantly filling up your glycogen store (in the muscle and liver) each day because you eat an excess amount of carbohydrates (Pop Tarts and Ho-Hos) it will be extremely hard to start burning the fat stores. I am sure the number is variable in each person...but I believe that if your body is topped off on glycogen it would take approximately 90 minutes of pretty intense exercise to burn through them. Most people can't even do 30 minutes of moderate cardio a day let alone 90 minutes max cardio. I am not saying don't do cardio...there are some tremendous benefits to it. I do some forms of cardio myself. That's why it is my opinion that going on a low carb diet of some sort is a better way to burn through those glycogen stores and start burning fat. And I will preference this by saying that when I say low carb I just mean eating a diet that restricts processed carbohydrates (Twinkies and swiss rolls and potato chips, etc.). If you are eating a diet of whole foods primarily (plant based or animal based) you are eating a low carb diet. It just might no be as low as some. No what exercise does blow through glycogen stores fast? Squats. Your leg muscles hold a lot of glycogen and by working them out they go through some glycogen. But weight or strength training does too. But sprints, HIIT, hills...those burn through it as well. Hopefully I didn't misspeak here and now I will go back and check my facts.
 
dangerousdon said:
The problem I have with this model is that it supposes that the body is only going to burn the "carbs" you eat pre-cardio. But yeah...your body will use up glycogen before it taps that fat! Here is my issue with using cardio strictly as a fat loss mechanism. If you are constantly filling up your glycogen store (in the muscle and liver) each day because you eat an excess amount of carbohydrates (Pop Tarts and Ho-Hos) it will be extremely hard to start burning the fat stores. I am sure the number is variable in each person...but I believe that if your body is topped off on glycogen it would take approximately 90 minutes of pretty intense exercise to burn through them. Most people can't even do 30 minutes of moderate cardio a day let alone 90 minutes max cardio. I am not saying don't do cardio...there are some tremendous benefits to it. I do some forms of cardio myself. That's why it is my opinion that going on a low carb diet of some sort is a better way to burn through those glycogen stores and start burning fat. And I will preference this by saying that when I say low carb I just mean eating a diet that restricts processed carbohydrates (Twinkies and swiss rolls and potato chips, etc.). If you are eating a diet of whole foods primarily (plant based or animal based) you are eating a low carb diet. It just might no be as low as some. No what exercise does blow through glycogen stores fast? Squats. Your leg muscles hold a lot of glycogen and by working them out they go through some glycogen. But weight or strength training does too. But sprints, HIIT, hills...those burn through it as well. Hopefully I didn't misspeak here and now I will go back and check my facts.
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I do believe that weight training should have a place in every workout plan whether you are trying to lose weight, run an endurance race, or just trying to be healthy. It is possible to lose weight just doing cardio though. That is what I used the month that I lost all the weight. I wasn't running long times either, I was running for about an hour each time. The difference is, that when I normally run, I do intervals. And I do also believe that anyone can train themselves to run as far as they want to. They just have to build up to it. Just like if I went and worked out with you, I couldn't squat as much as you can, I would have to train my body to do that.
 
Quijote said:
I do believe that weight training should have a place in every workout plan whether you are trying to lose weight, run an endurance race, or just trying to be healthy. It is possible to lose weight just doing cardio though. That is what I used the month that I lost all the weight. I wasn't running long times either, I was running for about an hour each time. The difference is, that when I normally run, I do intervals. And I do also believe that anyone can train themselves to run as far as they want to. They just have to build up to it. Just like if I went and worked out with you, I couldn't squat as much as you can, I would have to train my body to do that.
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Don't get me wrong...I'm not advocating that you don't run or do cardio. It definitely is a useful tool during weight loss. BUT...the primary mechanism for weight loss in general is going to through diet...especially as you get older. You might be able to use cardio as a primary way to lose weight prime ages ( in your 20s and 30s up to 35 or so), but the closer you get to 40 and beyond...the diet will play a larger roll. If you like running by all means do it. Especially if it is working for you. For the vast majority of people...it's not the best way to lose weight.
 
I don’t want to be that guy, at the end of the day, whatever keeps you going is going to be the best thing, but most of the carbs vs fats, cardio vs weights talk is what we used to call majoring in minors.
Eating less, especially high density foods, that are generally chock full of both fats and carbs, is the most important thing by far, all the other stuff is obviously good for health, but it’s effect on dieting is RELATIVELY insignificant, when you start getting lean enough to know you have abs, then maybe it’s worth worrying about. Before that it’s just an intellectual exercise at best.

You really can’t make up for a bad diet with exercise. More than likely if you found one exercise modality really helped you loose weight, it’s because it also reduced your appetite. God knows when I was at my professional peak, my training sessions totally destroyed my appetite. At that time I was training hard 2-4 hours 6 days a week.

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a huge advocate of exercise, or any activity that gets you moving, it’s good in so many ways. But it’s not going to make up for the extra cookies you eat to reward yourself etc. Seriously an hours run will maybe burn off 2,5 twinkies, at best it’s a very inefficient proposition.

Of course if talking about these things keeps yo from eating those cookies, then KEEP IT UP!
 
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HMan said:
I don’t want to be that guy, at the end of the day, whatever keeps you going is going to be the best thing, but most of the carbs vs fats, cardio vs weights talk is what we used to call majoring in minors.
Eating less, especially high density foods, that are generally chock full of both fats and carbs, is the most important thing by far, all the other stuff is obviously good for health, but it’s effect on dieting is RELATIVELY insignificant, when you start getting lean enough to know you have abs, then maybe it’s worth worrying about. Before that it’s just an intellectual exercise at best.

You really can’t make up for a bad diet with exercise. More than likely if you found one exercise modality really helped you loose weight, it’s because it also reduced your appetite. God knows when I was at my professional peak, my training sessions totally destroyed my appetite. At that time I was training hard 2-4 hours 6 days a week.

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a huge advocate of exercise, or any activity that gets you moving, it’s good in so many ways. But it’s not going to make up for the extra cookies you eat to reward yourself etc. Seriously an hours run will maybe burn off 2,5 twinkies, at best it’s a very inefficient proposition.

Of course if talking about these things keeps yo from eating those cookies, then KEEP IT UP!
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Yeah…what this guy said! Seriously though, Cole explained it way better than I could.
 
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