Quote:
Originally Posted by Grislygus
six pack is body fat. okay, so I AM buying an elliptical trainer, since it's the only cardio I enjoy... so if i make a point of actually taking it seriously, the crunches will pay off?
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i had a reply all typed out and accidentally deleted it, so here's the short version:
Between the combination of exertion and the increase to metabolic rate you'll get from doing cardio frequently (as in at least every other day), you can expect to maybe burn off 500 Calories every day that you do moderate cardio for an hour. Your machine or fitness websites will tell you you're burning much more than that, but that's bullshit. For reference, a side of fries is between 500-800 Calories. Alcoholic beverages can hit 500 Calories VERY quickly because alcohol is only 2 Calories-per-gram less fattening than pure, liquified lard. A small bottle of sake has about 900 Calories. Exercise will also make you hungrier later in the day (though it blunts hunger while you're performing it).
What I'm getting at is that you will 'burn fat' much quicker and more reliably by just changing the way you eat. Switch to diet sodas. Stop drinking alcohol or limit it. When you eat fast food, stop getting combos and just order the entree by itself. For reasons I will never understand, it seems like everyone that wants to lose weight thinks the best way to go about it is to waste a lot of time and kill themselves on a treadmill. It is much more efficient to just change your diet and will also condition you better for keeping the weight off in the future.