Better way to get in shape: work out or eat well

[jeffrey]

Will lifting weights and doing some cardio at the gym pay off it your diet doesn't change and would you lose muscle tissue if you cut your caloric intake to lose weight?

 

[NuclearFusi0n]

Do both.

 

[Fausto]

Yes and yes. The biggest difference you can make is to up your level of exercise (unless you knock back a 12 pack of Schlitz and a pound of Doritos dipped in butter-flavor Crisco every night).

Fausto

 

[Supermercado]

Those will help, but you'd probably be better off if you exercised as well as ate better/less.

 

[yakko]

Both.

 

[Adul]

both

 

[bandXtrb]

Okay I get to the gym about four days a week for 30 min cardio & 30 min weights

This is what I ate today:

Cereal w/ skim milk
water
diet soda
orange juice
pretzels
chicken salad
veggie soup
mango & banana
hot fudge sundae (heh)

Do you think I'm on the road to getting in shape?

 

[billandopus]

Originally posted by: bandXtrb
Okay I get to the gym about four days a week for 30 min cardio & 30 min weights

This is what I ate today:

Cereal w/ skim milk
water
diet soda
orange juice
pretzels
chicken salad
veggie soup
mango & banana
hot fudge sundae (heh)

Do you think I'm on the road to getting in shape?

Depends on your definition of "shape" and what you want to look like. What are you goals? Do you want to look like a professional mountain biker? Or more like 100m sprinter?

From a diet point of view it would seem that you are alright. Well, the sundae ain't that great (obviously) and the fruit and OJ, while somewhat "good" for you, is loaded with fruit sugars which spark the insulin response and causes your body to determine whether to convert and store the energy as glycogen in your body (muscles, liver) or if that's full - into bodyfat ... or use it up right away. Eat some more protein sources like tuna, chicken, egg whites blah, blah, blah ... or just simply supplement your diet with a protein drink replacing your regular snack food. A good way to clean up your diet.

Lifting weights will increase your muscle mass therefore increasing your Basal Metabolic Rate which which means your body will burn off more calories at rest than the limited metabolic-raising effect of cardio (save for the calories burned up during the actual cardio itself). Your diet, if good, will enhance your exercise and body change. If bad will fight against changing into the body that you want.

If you cut calories you risk going into catabolism or the breaking down of muscle tissue (glycogen) for immediate energy by your body. You have to trick your body to break down fat stores before muscle tissue (there are many ways) and thwarting your body's natural response. Furthermore, cutting BAD calories is GOOD. Cutting GOOD calories and/or replacing them with BAD cals is BAD. Just figure out how many calories you need approximately daily as a requirement. Recalculate for an increase in exercise and then balance out your diet. If you provide your body with the means and methods to maintain/increase your lean muscle mass while providing a way to decrease bodyfat then you are well on your way to the shape you desire.

Don't forget to get enough sleep as you repair and grow in bed, not at the gym.

Oh yeah, take 5000cc of Winstrol Test TID (3xday) IM ... and you'll be one bad mofo! (just kidding - please ignore)